high seas novels

[brian d]

last month i picked up a bunch of used books, including a couple of melvilles and a richard hughes. it got me thinking about novels that take place on the high seas, and knowing how much people around here like high seas films and a good dose of melville, i was wondering what everyone's favorite novels of the high seas are.

a starter list:
bengtsson- the long ships
carpentier- the century of lights (explosion in a cathedral)
hughes- a high wind in jamaica, in hazard
matthiessen- dry tortuga
melville- typee, omoo, mardi, redburn, moby dick
mutis- the adventures and misadventures of maqroll (seven novellas)
porter- ship of fools
woolf- the voyage out

any other suggestions?

update, adding:
du maurier- the escort (short story)
lange- 45 days and 30 sailors
conrad: lord jim, the secret sharer (short story)
london: the sea-wolf

[kanafani]

Conrad.. lord Jim, maybe also nostromo? Can’t remember how much of the latter is set on board a ship. I am not lord jim’s biggest fan, but the early parts are quite good.

[mesnalty]

I came here to rep the Maqroll books, but I see that's already taken care of! Jack London's The Sea-Wolf is one of my favorites (and when it comes to Conrad, I'm partial to "The Secret Sharer," if short stories are allowed).

[rischka]

oooh this maqroll thing looks excellent

[brian d]

conrad's a good choice, even if i haven't like his stuff in the past. i read heart of darkness, the secret sharer, and lord jim. just found him verbose and not capable of telling a story that really moves. if there's a better work to read by him, i'm open to it.

it looks like typhoon might be the best option, but not sure if anyone's read that.

[brian d]

i could have posted this on the currently reading thread, but it's the high seas! i got a copy of the narrative of arthur gordon pym, by poe, and it's really bizarre fun. i don't care one way or another about most of his stories, but this is a novel that feels like it's hanging together by a thread, which is always the best kind of novel. and apparently melville really liked it too, and i'm a sucker for a melville recommendation.

[rischka]

have always meant to read this!

[sally]

hey brian's actually reading one i've read! i liked it!