Harry Pidgeon
Encyclopedia
Harry Clifford Pidgeon was an American
sailor, a noted photographer, and was the second person to sail single-handedly around the world (1921-1925), 23 years after Joshua Slocum
. Pidgeon was the first person to do this via the Panama Canal
, and the first person to solo circumnavigate the world twice. On both trips, he sailed a 34-foot yawl
named the Islander, which Pidgeon constructed by himself. He accounts for his adventures in his book, Around the World Single-Handed: The Cruise of the "Islander" (1932).
. His father, Isaac Marion Pidgeon, was married 3 times and had a total of 12 children. The family were Quakers. At the age of 15, he set out for California
where he found work on a ranch. Before long, he traveled north to Alaska
, where he took a raft down the Yukon River
and spent some time sailing among the small islands of the southeastern Alaskan coast. Later, he returned to California and traveled and worked in the Sierra Nevada mountains, taking up a career in photography
.
. The Islander cost $1,000 in materials and took a year and a half of hard work. Upon completion, he tested the yawl with trips to Catalina Island
and then to Hawaii
and back.
on November 18, 1921. This began his first four-year circumnavigation. His leisurely trip included stays in the Marquesas, Samoa
, Fiji
, New Hebrides
, New Guinea
, the Torres Strait
, Christmas Island
, the Cocos Islands, Mauritius
, Cape Town
, St. Helena, Ascension Island
, Trinidad Island, Cristobal
, the Panama Canal, and his return to Los Angeles on October 31, 1925. This trip is accounted for in his book, Around the World Single-Handed.
In 1926 he was awarded the Blue Water Medal
.
Starting in 1932, Pidgeon embarked on another solo circumnavigation, this one lasting five years.
. Only some navigation equipment and the sails were salvageable.
Pidgeon died of pneumonia on November 4, 1954, at the age of 85 at the San Pedro Community Hospital in San Pedro, California.
He left over 1,500 negatives of his trips with the Mohle family (Commander Robert Mohle of Manhattan Beach, CA). These are now in the collection of the California Museum of Photography at the University of California, Riverside.
There is also a collection of his work from the Sierras, documenting the everyday life in the logging community, at the California State University, Fresno.
Pidgeon was somewhat unique in that his trips were not done as tests of his bravery, publicity stunts, or any reason other than interest in seeing the world. Moreover, Pidgeon had no previous experience with ocean navigation
, boat-building, or long-distance sailing.
At the end of his book he wrote: "My voyage was not undertaken for the joy of sailing alone. It was my way of seeing some interesting parts of the world....Just the same, any landsman who builds his own vessel and sails it alone around the world will certainly meet with some adventures, so I shall offer no apology for my own voyage. Those days were the freest and happiest of my life."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sailor, a noted photographer, and was the second person to sail single-handedly around the world (1921-1925), 23 years after Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Canadian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he told the story of this in Sailing Alone Around the World...
. Pidgeon was the first person to do this via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, and the first person to solo circumnavigate the world twice. On both trips, he sailed a 34-foot yawl
Yawl
A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an additional mast located well aft of the main mast, often right on the transom, specifically aft of the rudder post. A yawl (from Dutch Jol) is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an...
named the Islander, which Pidgeon constructed by himself. He accounts for his adventures in his book, Around the World Single-Handed: The Cruise of the "Islander" (1932).
Biography
Harry Clifford Pidgeon was born 31 August 1869 on a farm in IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. His father, Isaac Marion Pidgeon, was married 3 times and had a total of 12 children. The family were Quakers. At the age of 15, he set out for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he found work on a ranch. Before long, he traveled north to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, where he took a raft down the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
and spent some time sailing among the small islands of the southeastern Alaskan coast. Later, he returned to California and traveled and worked in the Sierra Nevada mountains, taking up a career in photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
Islander
In 1917, Pidgeon started constructing the Islander from plans he copied from a book in the local library. He built it in the Port of Los AngelesPort of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
. The Islander cost $1,000 in materials and took a year and a half of hard work. Upon completion, he tested the yawl with trips to Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
and then to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and back.
Solo circumnavigations
After he gained confidence in his boat and his abilities, Pidgeon set out for the Marquesas IslandsMarquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
on November 18, 1921. This began his first four-year circumnavigation. His leisurely trip included stays in the Marquesas, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
, Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
, the Cocos Islands, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, St. Helena, Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
, Trinidad Island, Cristobal
Cristóbal, Colón
Cristóbal is a port in the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. It is located on the western edge of Manzanillo Island and is part of the Panamanian city and province of Colón...
, the Panama Canal, and his return to Los Angeles on October 31, 1925. This trip is accounted for in his book, Around the World Single-Handed.
In 1926 he was awarded the Blue Water Medal
Blue Water Medal
The Blue Water Medal is an honor awarded annually by the Cruising Club of America for a remarkable sailing feat. The first award was issued in 1923.-Winners:*Alex Whitworth "for a circumnavigation of the world via the Northwest Passage west to east."...
.
Starting in 1932, Pidgeon embarked on another solo circumnavigation, this one lasting five years.
Demise of the Islander
In 1947, he and his wife (married 6 May 1944) and one crewman set out for yet another circumnavigation. On this trip, on January 23, 1948, the Islander was damaged by rough weather and then broken up on some rocks in the New Hebrides Islands. It was in Hog Harbour on the island of Espiritu SantoEspiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
. Only some navigation equipment and the sails were salvageable.
Later life
He met his wife, Margaret Dexter Gardner, in Byram, Connecticut. Gardner was the daughter of an ocean going sea captain and born aboard the "J.H. Dexter". Of his marriage, Pigeon said, "I have never been married, but now that I was 72 years old, I considered myself sufficiently ripe to give it a try."Pidgeon died of pneumonia on November 4, 1954, at the age of 85 at the San Pedro Community Hospital in San Pedro, California.
Photography
Pidgeon's photographs are highly valued for their ethnographic significance.He left over 1,500 negatives of his trips with the Mohle family (Commander Robert Mohle of Manhattan Beach, CA). These are now in the collection of the California Museum of Photography at the University of California, Riverside.
There is also a collection of his work from the Sierras, documenting the everyday life in the logging community, at the California State University, Fresno.
Legacy
Pidgeon donated items from his voyages to the Cabrillo Museum in Los Angeles.Pidgeon was somewhat unique in that his trips were not done as tests of his bravery, publicity stunts, or any reason other than interest in seeing the world. Moreover, Pidgeon had no previous experience with ocean navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
, boat-building, or long-distance sailing.
At the end of his book he wrote: "My voyage was not undertaken for the joy of sailing alone. It was my way of seeing some interesting parts of the world....Just the same, any landsman who builds his own vessel and sails it alone around the world will certainly meet with some adventures, so I shall offer no apology for my own voyage. Those days were the freest and happiest of my life."
External links
- Harry Pidgeon (1869-1954) http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Forest/2137/Pidgeon/Pidgeon.html&date=2009-10-25+11:51:57
- Harry Pidgeon Collection UC Riverside http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/collections/permanent/projects/survey/PacificIslands/PacText/Pidgeon02.html
- Harry Pidgeon Collection CSU Fresno http://dsc.calstate.edu/1226?r=col
- In Search of Harry Pidgeon, Eric Vibart, WoodenBoat 206; January/February 2009 http://www.woodenboat.com/