A Princess in Disguise on Boat History

April Michelle Davis wrote her book A Princess in Disguise because of her fascination with princesses. She wrote this fiction book using descriptions of many 1700 and 1800 places and things.

In August 2017, Geri Walton asked April Michelle to guest blog on the boats of this era because Princess Margaret and Huntley, the main female and male characters of A Princess in Disguise, sailed on a boat during many of their adventures and Princess Margaret’s father, the king, owned a fleet of ships.

The boats built in the 1700s and 1800s traveled slower because they depended on the wind to move them, and their lifespans were shorter than those of today partly because of bug infestation, which helped to weaken the wood of the hauls. The wheel to steer the boat was an important component because it determined the direction the boat would move, which also meant it would require crewmen to man it at all times, day and night, to keep the boat on course.

The variety of the food on the boats was limited, and some items were in short supply because of lack of funds or food contamination, yet what was available was still consumed by the crewmen and livestock so oftentimes the crewmen became ill and required medical treatment. Yet, medical treatment onboard the boats was simple and ports could be miles in the distance. The lifestyle of the crewmen on the boats was not very desirable, and the wages they earned were minimal compared to the hard labor that was performed to earn them.