This book is a fictionalised account of the voyage of the emigrant clipper ship, Minnehaha, from Derry/Londonderry in Ireland to New York, with passengers, in the Autumn of 1870. A voyage to Darien in Georgia, for a cargo of pitch pine, and the return passage homeward is integrated into the narrative. The story of emigrant passengers and the bricolage of life on board the ship and ashore is dealt with sensitively. Technical aspects of sailing and navigation are authentic and the reader is provided with a sailplan and a glossary of terms, including idioms of the times. There are copies of documents from 1870, and maps and charts as well as line drawings. The book is based on substantial historical research, motivated by the presence of the author's great grandfather, able-bodied seaman, George White, on the crew of the ship.