On Wilder Seas

By Nikki Marmery,

Book cover of On Wilder Seas: The Woman on the Golden Hind

Book description

April 1579: When two ships meet off the Pacific coast of New Spain, an enslaved woman seizes the chance to escape. But Maria has unwittingly joined Francis Drake’s circumnavigation voyage as he sets sail on a secret detour into the far north. Sailing into the unknown on the Golden Hind,…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked On Wilder Seas as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In this book, you meet a rare person–a female heroine from the Tudor Times. Based on a true story about a woman aboard the Golden Hind, you are taken into the dark world of medieval ships and meet Maria.

As the book unfolded, I was moved to tears by her courage, strength, and ability to navigate a terrible world. I was inspired by her. 

I adored this captivating, spellbinding tale of the only woman to sail with Francis Drake on the Golden Hind.

It’s based on the compelling true story of a slave called Macaia, a woman who was literally written out of the history books as her ordeal was deemed an inconvenient truth. Nikki Marmery not only vividly and authentically brings to light this courageous woman's story, but she sets Macaia front and centre.

I learned so much about this period of human history, about what life was like aboard a 16th Century sailing ship, and about how world exploration has never…

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