A Voyage in the ‘Sunbeam’ Our home on the Ocean for eleven Months.

Lady Anna Brassey (1839 – 1887) famous travel account of her voyage in the yacht Sunbeam, which describes her journey round the world in 1876–1877, with a complement of 43, including family, friends and crew.

Published Longman, Green and Co., London 1878, with 118 Illustrations and folding map, 504 pp, folding map, folding chart of average temperatures during the voyage.

The Sunbeam was built for Thomas Brassey by Bowdler & Chaffer of Seacombe, from a design by St Clare Byrne. She was a three-masted topsail-yard schooner, iron framed and with teak skin. Length 159 ft, beam 27.5 ft, weight 532 tons. The sail area was 9,000 square yards. The yacht had an auxiliary compound steam engine of 70 hp that developed a top speed of just over 10 knots. The bunkers could hold eighty tons of coal and although primarily a sailing vessel, she could steam for approximately 20 days without refuelling. When not in steam, the funnel would be lowered and the propeller feathered to reduce drag. Unlike many of the luxury yachts of the time, Sunbeam had been designed for long distance and deep sea journeys. The accommodation for the owners and their guests, however, was far from Spartan, with rooms fashioned in a typical Victorian drawing-room style. The name Sunbeam came from the nickname they had given to their daughter – Constantine Alberta Brassey – who had died in 1873 from scarlet fever.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1540350
State Library Australia:  RAREJLT 910.45 B73V (1878)