Michael a BeithThe author has forebears that include four deep-sea master mariners who cut their teeth in sail in the 19th century so it is unsurprising that he has a primary interest in full-rig sailing ships loosely referred to as 'windjammers'. The last master mriner in the family became Commodore of Elder Dempster in 1930 after a long career which began as an apprentice on Maraval, a full-rig sailing ship commanded by his Uncle in the 1880's. The authors focus is in the period when sail eventually gave way to steam in the latter part of the Victorian period and is often referred to as the heyday of sail. His specific interest is in the sailing ships engaged in the emigrant trade to New Zealand. After an in-depth study of one emigrant ships voyage to Otago in 1873 he decided to put his research together in this, his first book which reveals the experiences of emigration to the furthest distant colony. Emigrants who already knew the circumstances of hardship and longing for a better future had first to endure the long sea voyage which often brought its own trials. His own career began in the study of maritime communications at a time when long distance communication at sea was still carried out using HF radio and Morse code before satellite technology was developed and became the norm for both communication and navigation. He later became a medical electronics engineer specialising in implantable devices. He is retired and lives in Ayrshire, Scotland. Read More Read Less