Practical Boat Owner - July 2018

ALFRED ‘CENTENNIAL’ JOHNSON

widely known. I first came across it in a

book on the mantelpiece of a holiday

cottage not far from Abercastle. The

self-published paperback was entitled

Alfred “Centennial” Johnson – The Story of

the First Solo Atlantic Crossing from West

to East in 1876. Left for guests to read, it

tells Alfred’s story in full.

Even the book’s author, Rob Morris,

found it extraordinary that so little was

known about the fisherman from

Gloucester, Massachusetts. He’d been

told Alfred’s story as a child, and when

later inspired to write the book, it took two

years of travelling the globe to do it.

But to his enormous credit Rob did put

the story together. So by the coal stove in

the kitchen at night I read the book as the

prevailing westerlies came in from the

Atlantic roaring through the trees and

hurling rain at the cottage windows. I read

about the perilous Gloucester fishery

Alfred came from and about how he

chose an even riskier venture to mark his

name in history. I read how he had

sleepless nights even at the start of his

journey trying to avoid shipping and then

had to pull into a harbour in Nova Scotia

because the iron ballast was playing

havoc with his compass. He had to

continue on his way

and avoid icebergs

that could drift faster

than Centennial

could sail.

North of his course

were waters that would sink the Titanic 36

years later.

Then mountainous seas lay in wait and

he had to tie himself to the boat in storms

when he was forced to lower both mast and

sails, once being knocked unconscious

for three hours with a head injury.

At times, when he was at the mercy of

furious seas and howling winds in his tiny

cockpit, there were occasions when it was

too dangerous to even get at his supplies

so he’d have to go hungry and thirsty until

the storms ended. He had to sleep on

deck and endure constant discomforts

such as trying to stay dry. Despite the

hardships and privations he managed on

average 70 miles a day, which on a small,

basic craft like his was testament to his

skill and endurance.

Humble beginnings

Alfred was a fisherman and had worked

and saved for almost a year to have his

modest dory built. Traditionally these

types of craft were open and carried by

the Grand Banks schooners to be

launched out at sea on reaching the

fishing grounds. The 'share fishermen' like

Alfred, working from the dories, sailed or

rowed away from the schooner to fish with

hundreds of baited hooks and then

returned with their catch to the mother

vessel. However the vulnerable small

boats faced perilous conditions in

notorious seas contending with fog and

freezing conditions in the great North

Atlantic fishing banks.

At the time Gloucester had one of the

largest fisheries in the world, bringing

back tonnes of cod, haddock, halibut and

swordfish. In their heyday, the fisheries of

the eastern seaboard drew thousands of

immigrants from distant shores wanting to

escape poverty.

Alfred had come from Denmark, leaving

home at 14 to sign up on a sailing ship in

Copenhagen before settling in Gloucester.

There his accent blended into the melting

pot where men of little means but mighty

fortitude had a chance to make a living

from the sea.

But a tragic price was

paid for this bounty by

many fishermen who lost

their lives in the process.

This fishing community

lived day to day with the

risks and hardships of one

of the most dangerous

professions in the world.

So when the quiet young

Alfred announced his

intention to cross the

Atlantic in what was

basically a rowing boat

they were understandably

dumbstruck. Nothing like

this had been heard of or

done before. Older eyes

than his who had seen far

too many men perish at

sea perceived his ambition

as a foolishness that would kill him.

But Alfred was determined his dream

would become a reality so put his money

down to prove it in a local boatyard

specialising in the building of small craft.

The firm of Higgons and Gifford got the

job and the craftsmen assigned to the task

were Archie McKenzie and John W Black.

For Alfred’s epic voyage a large part of his

boat was decked over leaving him just a

main hatch for access below and the most

cramped of cockpits to helm from.

Three watertight compartments were

fitted for buoyancy and to carry basic

supplies of food and water. The dory had

This photograph

was taken of Alfred

when he was 30, a

year after he made

the crossing

RIGHT To

commemorate the

crossing, cards

were printed with

Alfred’s picture on

the front and details

of his achievement

on the reverse

Photos Cape Ann Museum

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