Nearly 25years before Francis Drake began his famous voyage around the world a much less well known sailor captained the only ship to survive the first great Tudor exploration. The sailor was Stephen Borough, a Devon man, who undertook to find a north-east passage to China and the riches of the Orient. He did not find a north-east passage, but his voyages led directly to the setting up of the Muscovy Company, the first step towards the creation of Britain’s great overseas commercial empire.
‘North East passage to Muscovy’ explores for the first time these important and overlooked voyages, the motivation behind them, the knowledge acquired on the voyages which put England in the forefront of navigation and the extraordinary dealings of the Muscovy company - which included passing on a proposal of marriage to Elizabeth from Ivan the terrible. An exciting tale set at a key point in the development of the English nation, this extensively researched book encapsulates the determination of Englishmen to undertake feats of exploration and endurance.
Local author, Kit Mayers is a keen maritime historian with a master’s degree in maritime history from the University
of Exeter. His nautical experiences include sailing round the world in a Whitbread Round the World Race as a crew member
under Chay Blythe. He was also director of laboratories to the Grenfell Mission in Newfoundland and a member of the
first Greenpeace expedition to the Antarctic in 1985/6
For more information Tel: 01453 732423 Publication date 4/8/05 £20 ISBN 0750940697