Author name: Sayling@@Away

My guest today is Geoffrey Gudgion, author of Draca, a sailing adventure and family epic I reviewed last week. We both love to sail so I chose Lymington, Hampshire for our meeting – a lovely harbor from which to sail – and the Mayflower pub (an homage to the Pilgrims) for a drink. Mine is a Guinness, of course.           Welcome, Geoff, to SaylingAway. I’d like to start with a general question: Tell me something about yourself and your background. I spent over 10 years in the Royal Navy, and made my first attempts at writing a book while on deployment. Fortunately those efforts don’t survive. A subsequent business career was fairly successful, though I never truly fitted with Corporate America; I was the quiet Brit amidst colleagues punching the air and shouting “Awesome!” After a blistering row with my CEO I left, funded my way with consultancy, and wrote in the gaps. Now I just write. I’ve found what I should have been doing all along. So where do you get the ideas for your books? Wall-Mart? But seriously, ideas can come from anywhere. I once wrote a whole novel after staring at a 14th Century wall painting in an old English chapel. I like history, the interplay of characters, (particularly strong female characters,) and a hint of ‘otherworldliness’ – that whiff of sulphur among the roses. The idea for Draca came watching the sun go down over an isolated, atmospheric anchorage, a place of screaming seagulls where the ebbing tide revealed the bones of dead ships poking through the mud. I wondered what stories those timbers could tell. What if they were really old? After all, the Vikings raided that harbour in 876AD. The idea took hold. One of the major themes in Draca is sailing, something I’ve been doing since I was a preteen, and one of the reasons I enjoyed Draca so much. Tell me about your sailing experiences and how you plotted out the sailing sequences in the book. I learned to sail as a fumbling 17 year old cadet off Dartmouth, though the only advice I remember now is being told by a bearded Petty Officer ‘always remember lad, when you see the seagulls walking it’s time to go about’.  Years later a friend asked me to crew for him in a voyage around Brittany into Biscay. It became an annual event, either in the English Channel or the Baltic. It only stopped being fun once, when gale-force winds blew against a 5-knot tide off Alderney, and the sea went from moderate to brutal before we found shelter. The waves get higher every time I tell the story, but it was useful background for Draca. I found the sailing sequences pretty breath-taking, reminding me all too well of my own death grip on the gunwales in some pretty high seas. I think a movie of Draca would be spectacular visually, especially with all the CGI effects possible now. Who would you cast to play the characters in Draca in a movie? Charlotte is cool, sophisticated, and sexy. Natalie Dormer (Ann Boleyn in The Tudors). Georgia, ‘George’, is innocent, even naïve, but strong as steel underneath. Maisie Williams (Arya Stark from Game of Thrones). Jack I see as a younger Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn in Lord of the Rings); strong, brooding, Nordic. My wife thinks he’s hunky and calls him Viagra Mortensen. I hate to cast an actor I admire as Harry, but Sean Bean could do the job, if he asked me nicely. I love all those actors, especially Sean Bean. He’s been a favorite of mine for a long time. Changing the topic – rather abruptly – are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you plot the entire novel and know who did it before you start, or can that change? I once heard an author quote Michelangelo ‘I saw the angel within the marble and I carved until I set him free’, but anyone who claims to envision an entire novel at the outset is either extraordinarily talented, and pretentious, or blowing smoke. I usually have an end-point in mind but my angels start with three legs and ears for wings, and take a lot of re-crafting before they can fly. Eventually the characters become so real that they take over and shape their own destinies. Then I begin to think I might have a winner. What are you working on now, Geoff?  I’ve finished a ‘historical fantasy’ novel, more Guy Gavriel Kay than George RR Martin, loosely based on 14th century France and with a female protagonist. My agent is wonderfully enthusiastic about it, but says that publishers are currently making very few acquisitions while so many releases have been delayed. Meanwhile he’s encouraging me to crack on with a sequel. I think there will be a third book in the series, possibly more. So we’re just going to have to wait! What do you do when you aren’t writing? I love horses. Last year I bought a competition show jumper who is forcing me to up my game. She is so highly trained that when I climb on she behaves rather like a princess trying to understand a yokel. Riding is the antidote for lots of time staring at a computer screen. Outdoors. Physical. And just a little dangerous. I also rode, but with my parents when I was little. My daughter used to compete in the Hunter-Jumper class. I spent so much time grooming horses, I became allergic. I have to load up on antihistamines.  Here’s something off the wall: What makes you laugh? The richest laughter comes from the chemistry with another person. It begins with eye contact that promises mischief, and erupts through a shared sense of the ridiculous. I like dry, British humour best. That’s why I watch the BBC a lot! Geoff, if you could invite anyone past or present to have dinner with you, who would you ask? Only

The Lost Blackbird is the third book by Liza Perrat that I’ve read, the others being The Silent Kookaburra and The Swooping Magpie.  This is my favorite. Ms. Perrat is an Australian author and she creates the world of that country with wonderful detail and ambience. Here she pays homage to the children brought to Australia from England’s orphanages and care centers in the 1960s, purportedly for a better life. These children were a costly burden to England, and the government’s solution was to ship them off to populate various other countries in its former Empire, often without any documentation of where they came from and whether they were in fact orphans. In Australia they became prisoners, working in slave labor camps with little food, clothing, or education and often beaten, degraded and subject to abuse. This is something I knew nothing about, but it is a story that has to be told. Five year old Charly and her ten year old sister Lucy are sent to Easthaven Home for Girls in England when their mother is accused of killing their father by pushing him down the stairs and then is sent to prison for her crime. In fact, drunk and in a rage at Charly, he tripped and fell down the stairs, but Charly is too young to understand what had happened. Easthaven is run in a brutal fashion by unforgiving women, and Lucy considers it a stroke of luck when she and her sister are chosen to go to Australia, freeing them from their awful fate in that institution. After a magical six week trip aboard an ocean liner to Australia, with new clothes, good food, games to play with their fellow migrants, and two women who care for them, Lucy are Charly are wrenched apart on the Sydney docks. Charly is adopted by a privileged family and her new parents do everything in their power to erase her past. Lucy is sent to live at Seabreeze Farm in the interior of the country, where she and some friends she made on the boat live in inhuman conditions, working as slaves, and suffering from lack of food, heat, flies, and the bullying of the sadistic owner of the farm. As Charly begins to suspect her parents are hiding a secret, Lucy descends into despair and cynicism, although never ceasing to think about Charly and how to find her. How does Lucy survive and will Charly ever learn the truth of her beginnings and the fact she has a sister? Liza Perrat paints a harsh picture of the orphans’ lives against the brilliant background of Australia. As a reader, my emotions meshed with those of Lucy and I also despaired of her survival, but I read on! I’m glad I did. The story is heart-breaking but told with enormous compassion. The author not only does a wonderful job of presenting the country but also creates well-rounded, real characters whose emotions are easily felt: Charly and Lucy, of course, but also the hate-filled farmer Yates, his beaten wife Bonnie, and the Ashwoods who adopt Charly, both so desperate to replace their dead daughter. I read the book in two sittings, and it flowed so well and was engrossing that I overlooked the very few places needing line edits. I recommend The Lost Blackbird to everyone with a heart, so everyone! About the author (from Goodreads) Liza Perrat grew up in Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife for fifteen years. When she met her French husband on a Bangkok bus, she moved to France, where she has been living with her family for twenty years. She works part-time as a French-English medical translator, and as a novelist. Since completing a creative writing course ten years ago, several of her short stories have won awards, notably the Writers Bureau annual competition of 2004 and her stories have been published widely in anthologies and small press magazines. Her articles on French culture and tradition have been published in international magazines such as France Magazine, France Today and The Good Life France. I highly recommend her other books set in Australia: The Silent Kookaburra, and The Swooping Magpie.  Friends, Family and Other Strangers also beckons. Liza Perrat can be found: On twitter: @LizaPerrat On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Liza-Perrat-232382930192297/ On her website: www.lizaperrat.com The Lost Blackbird can be found on Amazon: 0 0

I have fallen in love with Usual Muttwits. Here is a description of the blog by Zozo & Jules.   Usual Muttwits follows the misadventures of a diverse community of dogs inhabiting the fictitious Thameside town of Westley Piddle.  The blog features stories on the various muttwit characters and is experienced through their own particular dogs’-eye point of view. Each story (which is serialized weekly) focuses on one particular muttwit from the pack, forced off his furry butt to do something extraordinary to help out his best mates. What should be a simple enough ask mostly ends up in pure doggerel, lots of ear-flapping, and a quick bite or two of both friend and foe. The blog is presented in the style of a graphic diary with the manga-inspired illustrations drawn or doodled beside the text which [‘”wot’] is written in a colloquial London voice. We have created a universe for the muttwits to live and breath. Accompanying the stories the site also features a detailed map of Westley Piddle, an A-Z of illustrated muttwit characters, and a snifz colour chart on how they use their snouts to understand the world around them, and the emotions of humans (called hindlegs throughout). We even have a pub-chat corner (Quick Pint down the Pig&Ferret) where the human companions can vent their frustrations over a pint or two of best bitter. A brief word about Zozo&Jools: Zeynep Arpaözü (Zozo) is a blogger cartoonist from Istanbul in her early twenties who currently attends university studying languages; Julian Boyce (Jools) is a copywriter from South London in his early sixties. Collectively, we call ourselves Zozo&Jools. We are two people from different generations, cultures, religions and political ideologies who agree on almost nothing, except for one thing: creating ridiculous doggy stories stuffed with insane characters. It helps that we have both grown up surrounded by a motley crew of dogs and cats. We speak their language – they speak ours! Why a blog and not a book? They had just started submitting to literary agents when Covid-19 hit.  It seemed pointless to continue (as unknown writers) in present circumstances, so they converted the first three completed books into serialised stories online. Thems Usual Muttwits’ is their singular take on the 4x leg vs. 2x leg modern world, as experienced through the sights, sounds and sniffs of a right tight pack of muttwits. ******* Here is Part I, their first story of Them Muttwits! Donuts : Part 1 Scratch are on the rise.  A nightmarish cross between furry little doggies and sharp-clawed killing machines.  They’re invading Westley Piddle and something’s gotta be done.  Donuts, the rugby-loving Welsh Terrier, decides enough is enough – at the infamous battle of the Tesco Extra 5 bins. ▪ A particularly fresh-sniffing day in Westley Piddle, that inconsequential town on the Thameslick between Bisham and Cock Marsh. Winter snowlick is melting away as daffodils and croci burst from the ground in Herdwick pooping park, waving about and begging fourlegs to squirtz ‘ems. And wot can be better than that? When a squirtz is all that really matters to a fourlegs, apart from solid noshing, corss. Trouble is, changing weather is making the bright hot ball in the sky brighter and attracting a lot of unwanted scratch.  It’s no longer safe for a decent fourlegs to go sniffing ‘round abouts the undergrowth and marker posts in the woods, cocking a leg.  Scratch just sit there, watching, waiting. An unspeakable contempt in their malign presence.  Wotz worse, more scratch are appearing in Westley Piddle. The opening of a scratch sanctuary down the far end of Nelson Avenue, close by Tesco Extra, may have something to do with it. A particularly troublesome snifz is hanging over town and fours are in a tiswas. Ain’t natural! Helloooo Hah…hall-ooo Wotz that snifz? Snifz lyk bacon at Greggs all day brekkers Nah, snifz heavy legs to me over on the farms Muttwits, the loada yuz…that snifz scratch snifz! ▪ “oi,yerlittleWelshbugga” Wynn scritches, holding up a bowl of sausage and scrambled egg ‘yourmomsays,yougottadiet…butafterthis, mate” and drops it down in front of Donuts, the rather large and pudgy Welsh Terrier. His wet snout is deep into it before the bowl touches the ground. That’s wot I’m talking about snout vacuums up the breakfast, today’s second breakfast, cleaning the bottom of the bowl before methodically sweeping ‘round the edges all thorough and professional, lyk. Pork, burnt down one side, just the way I lyk ’ems He eyeballs Wynn in further expectation of more, his trusted hindlegs companion and food provider. “don’ttellyermom,butI’malsogivingyoumine” Corss. And Wyn, would be good if brekkers can be a bit, erh, brekkers-faster, next time, right boyo? Donuts snifz all over the immediate eating area, disappointed to find nothing further except a crumb of sausage stuck in the mat.  He licks over the spot for good measure until noshed. Right, brekkers ticked off, walkies up next Handpaws touching the power harness catches his attention. Gotta get out! Gotta get out! thick curly-haired paws scrabbling for purchase on the tiled floor as he bolts out the kitchen and into the hallway, lassoing himself into the power harness Wynn is holding ready. Unable to check his forward momentum his snout crumples into glass front door. “easymate” Wynn tugs him back “let’sgetthedooropen,first” Donuts is into the hall of the apartment block, scrabbling full on towards the lifts. “..andmakesureyoutakethestairs,Wynn” scritches out Dona packmom from the apartment “he’stoofat!” I don’t do stairs! Donuts reminds Wynn, waiting at the lift, giving him the eyeball. Wynn shakes his head and quietly presses the lift call. PING! “whatdidIjustsay?” Dona’s faint scritch, making Wynn cringe. ▪ Pooper-scooper at the ready, Wynn wobbles up the path between the communal gardens of the once shabby council tenements, now a spanking renovation project thanks to London’s sprawling hegemony.  This don’t mean a thing to Donuts who’s forever happy to grace the flowerbeds with his poop – and walkways, stairwells or renovated lift, given half the chance. Keep up, bach he admonishes Wynn who’s wobbling along behind. Wynn stops to

The Draca is a vintage sailing cutter built in 1905. Her owner is Eddie Ahlquist, an old man dying of cancer. She lies beached at a marine, slowly falling into decay due to the ravages of time as her owner also fails. Eddie’s grandson, Jack, is a former Marine in his Her Majesty’s armed services, who has returned from service in the Middle East minus a foot and part of his leg, beset with PTSD, and carrying a load of guilt from the deaths of two of his fellow Marines, one who died with him and one who died trying to rescue him. Jack is the one member of the dysfunctional Alquist family who truly cares for Eddie and he tries to spend as much time with him as possible. Eddie has earned the epithet ‘Mad Eddie” because of his wild sailing of Draca before he became too ill to continue. He had found a four-foot-long piece of ancient timber carved into the neck and head of a snarling dragon which he made into the figurehead for Draca. The figurehead now sits in his garden and Eddie talks to it when Jack is not around, thinking he sees the outline of a huge, looming figure coming through the trees toward his cottage. When Eddie dies, Jack inherits Draca as well as his grandfather’s cottage, his diaries, and his library of Viking literature. Jack’s father, an overbearing and greedy man with whom Jack has an adversarial relationship for his entire life, does not understand why Eddie’s estate did not go to him and vows to fight Eddie’s will in court. Jack moves into the cottage while the will is in probate and, with a suggestion that restoring the Draca might help him with his lasting emotional and physical problems, takes out loans against Eddie’s estate. He immediately dives into the difficult work of bringing Draca back to her original condition.  As he does, the serpent figurehead seems to capture his psyche as it had his grandfather’s, and he also sees the looming figure amongst the trees. He is drawn to the figurehead and Draca as if they both have a hold on him. This is a terrific book on many levels: the struggles of a veteran with physical and emotional baggage for the time of his service; the warped interactions of a family with a bully for a father and husband; Jack’s own crumbling marriage; the exhilaration of sailing, especially on this old, restored schooner; a developing love between Jack and a young woman, George, who runs the boatyard where Draca is moored; and the growing hold of Draca and the figurehead on Jack. There is also interspersed between the chapters excerpts from a Viking story, the ‘saga of King Guthrum,’ with a strong indication that the figurehead derives from a Viking ship in the saga and that it is cursed. Will figurehead claim Jack’s life to satisfy the curse? The characters are wonderfully created. Jack is a finely tuned rendering of a veteran with PTSD, old Eddie is both loveable and frightening in his final madness, and Harry, Jack’s father, is a villain – perhaps a little heavy-handed, but still believable. George is at the same time both incredibly naïve (she doesn’t recognize when Charlotte, Jack’s wife, tries to draw her into a lesbian affair and that left me scratching my head) and equally brave, as she tries to heal Jack and at the end risks her own life to save him in a horrific storm at sea. As a sailor, all the descriptions of sailing and the rigging and sails of Draca, especially at sea and in the wind, were both familiar and exciting. This might not be so for someone who has never sailed, although I believe any reader can loosely follow the action.  Having the drawing of Draca for reference was a good help. In short, this is a rollicking tale, both down to earth and also unearthly, combining many elements into a fine story. I strongly recommend it. About the author Geoffrey Gudgion served for over 10 years in the armed forces and made his first attempts at writing fiction during quiet moments on deployment. He later stepped off the corporate ladder, in the midst of a career in marketing and general management, specifically to release time to write. Freelance consultancy paid the bills. His first novel, Saxon’s Bane, reached #1 in Kindle’s ‘Ghost’ category, and he now writes full time. When not crafting words Gudgion is an enthusiastic amateur equestrian and a very bad pianist. You can find the author On facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geoff.gudgion And on his author site: https://geoffreygudgion.com Draca can be found on Amazon:         0 0

I just realized I haven’t posted since early July. It’s been a tough time because we were getting our home of 35 years ready to sell. Shoveling out years of ‘stuff’ was exhausting and now we are yo-yo-ing in an out with showings. We hate to leave this wonderful house, but we have another one being built, the new one on one level with a very small yard (we have four acres now). Our grandson Eli has helped us keep smiling. On top of this, marketing The Last Pilgrim has become impossible except virtually! I will return to blogging regularly soon. 0 0

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!! My best wishes to everyone for a safe and enjoyable holiday, as we celebrate our nation’s birthday. Special thanks today to our military, our police, our firemen, our first responders and all the medical personnel who are still working hard to get us through the pandemic and keep us safe. 0 0

  Christoph Fischer has become a good friend via blogging and our initial meeting at the second Blogger’s Bash in London. He is a USA Today and Amazon No 1 bestselling author – of seventeen books! – who now lives in a small town in West Wales with his partner and four Labradoodles. We have agreed that Welsh and Gaelic are both difficult languages! I am honored to have him review the book. +++++ “This book is a rich resource of well researched historical facts and a concise re-telling of the story of one of many Mayflower pilgrims. Noelle describes the characters in a series of narratives that depict the crossing with its difficulties, the landing, the search for a suitable location, the troubles establishing themselves as a village, as neighbours to natives and as a community…. and you can read the rest at https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/ ++++++ Thank you, Christoph! 0 0

From time to time, as my followers know, I like to recognize new followers who have done me the honor of signing up for my posts. THANK YOU! Delusional Bubble (great moniker!) at https://delusionalbubble.com   – a travel blog Geoff Le Pard at https://geofflepard.com – a highly imaginative writer and bon vivant. Do check out his blog. It’s occasionally hilarious and always fun! Short-prose-fiction at https://shortprose.blog Gabriela Marie Milton, poet, 2019 Author Of The Year at Spillwords Press Rafaelle Schwartzbart who blogs at She Got Wings at https://shegotwings.home.blog/ – a young Brazilian woman who is sharing her beginning at flying – she’s a person trainer Jane Wertman at https://janetwertman.com  She is a writer of grants and historical fiction and I’ve gotten to know her and have enjoyed – and reviewed – her books over the past year. Sid Gateux at https://johnnyholidayblog.wordpress.com  Johnny Holiday is the leading character in the Johnny Holiday Mysteries by Sid Gateaux. You can follow at this site. James Conville, a marine engineer – couldn’t find him online Prashant Jain from India, whose blog site is under reconstruction. Michelle Rose who blogs as Shell-Shell’s tips and tricks at https://www.michellescrazybusylife.net/ Blackwings 666 at https://blackwings666.wordpress.com – a blog about Dracula!!! S.C.Ö  at https://sevgiylebeslenin.com- I believe this is a blog about Turkish cooking Rebecca Dwight Bruff at https://rebeccabruff.com/ – who has just written a debut novel Trouble the Water that was awarded a First Place/ Gold prize for Debut Fiction, and First Place/Gold Prize for Adult Fiction by The Feathered Quill Book Awards, with a recommendation from the Chair of the Pat Conroy >Literary Center. Brava! Omar Darwish at https://omardarwishcom.wordpress.com writes a social cultural blog that deals with literature, writing, education, social issues, and aspects of the human personality. It’s in Arabic but there is a translate button and I read a great post on ancient Greek and Roman civilizations If you are interested in vitamins, this is the blog site for you: https://irvinevitamin.wordpress.com/ Romelia Lungu at https://romelialungu.home.blog . She lives in Romania and reviews books and offers her reflections, luckily some in English because Romanian is not in my limited range of other languages! Stephen Page at https://smpages.wordpress.com.  He is an award winning, part Shawnee and part Apache author and poet. His books include: The Salty River Bleeds, The Timbre of Sand, Still Dandelions, A Ranch Bordering the Salty River. I need to take a look at one of his books. Krutika toy at https://ktrutika.wordpress.com/ has a really unique blog on business – recent developments in working sites, entrepreneurship etc. Christine Lucas at https://redpanda08.wordpress.com blogs about travel and nature and fitness, accompanied by wonderful photographs. 0 0

Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team has now been up and running for six years!  I have been one of her book reviewers for much of that time. At first I only read books in my genre, but I gradually expanded to romance, sci-fi and historical fiction. That last is perhaps what gave me the push necessary to write my recent book, The Last Pilgrim, about Mary Allerton Cushman, the oldest survivor of the Mayflower voyage. The goal of Rosie’s book review team (RBRT) has been to spread the word about novels, novellas, short stories and non-fiction from self-published authors and independent publishers – to showcase talent found outside the mainstream publishing world. I have had the enjoyment of corresponding with many of these authors about their books, making new friends along the way. Each month, Rosie is inundated with review requests from authors and publishers alike.  Every book that she accepts is passed on to twenty readers of her team, which is made up of book bloggers, writers, editors, creative writing tutors and people who just love reading.  Most books gain just one or two reviews, but once in a while a gem has come along that piques the interest of several team members, and receives highly favorable reviews across the board. That is why this week, Rosie’s site is introducing #RBRT Gold, extra-special books that were greatly enjoyed by three or more team members. Under the title of each book, you can read the team members reviews and the Amazon links to those books are included.  Three in the first list, published tomorrow, are books I reviewed! This is the link to Monday’s post of the first books. It will go live at 2am UK time https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-fzh Here is a link to Rosie’s blog https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/ And here is a link to the page about how to join the review team https://wp.me/P2Eu3u-5qu I highly recommend joining the team – it will challenge your review skills and introduce you to a wide assortment of genres! Sorry, you have to wait until tomorrow to see what books are on the link! 0 0

Following on the publication of The Last Pilgrim, I am re-posting the sad story of the fate of the Mayflower.          The Mayflower II at Sate Pier in Plymouth in 2014, looking a bit worse for the wear I was a young girl when the Mayflower II, a precise replica of the original 17th-century ship built in Devon, England, during 1955–1956, arrived in Plymouth Harbor in the spring of 1957. My father took us out in a boat to welcome her home. The Mayflower II was moored at State Pier in Plymouth Harbor and open to visitors until 2016, when she was towed to  Mystic, Connecticut, for some long-overdue and extensive repairs. The newly re-built Mayflower II has been launched and will be back in Plymouth for the quadricentennial celebrations. I am lucky enough to have a piece of one of the original sails of Mayflower II, given to me by the sail master who sewed the new sails. The refurbished Mayflower II prior to launch. After launch. Note how small the ship is. ******* The Mayflower is an iconic ship in the history of America, but did you know it never returned to the New World after it left the Plymouth Colony on April 5, 1621? Her captain, Christopher Jones, bought the Mayflower in 1607, together with several business partners. She was a cargo ship, capable of carrying up to 180 tons, and at different time carried lumber, tar, fish, French wine, Cognac, vinegar, or salt. The home of Master Christopher Jones in Harwich, England After returning from a voyage to Bordeaux, France, in May 1620, the Mayflower and its master were hired to take the Pilgrims to Northern Virginia.  This was the first recorded trans-Atlantic voyage for both ship and Jones although several crew members had been to the New World before. The delayed sailing in the fall of 1620 and the damage done by storms in the crossing, plus the time it took to locate a suitable site for the Pilgrims’ colony, meant the Mayflower had to over-winter in Plymouth Harbor, where half of her crew was lost to disease. You can read all about the voyage and that first winter in The Last Pilgrim. The Mayflower arrived back in England on May 6, 1621. Christopher Jones took the ship out for a few more trading runs, but he died a couple of years later in March 1622.  His widow, Josian, inherited the Mayflower, and the ship was appraised for probate purposed in May 1624. At that time it was referred to as being “in ruins” and was only valued at 128 pounds sterling. The Mayflower was almost certainly broken up and sold off as scrap. A sad end for this historic lady, but at the time the Mayflowers’s place in history had not yet been recognized. The “Mayflower Barn” in Jordans, England, was identified in the 1920s as having been made from the remnants of the Mayflower.  The evidence is entirely unconvincing, but that has not stopped it from becoming a tourist attraction nonetheless. The Last Pilgrim is available on Amazon: 0 0