Jack and Charmain’s bold adventure

For Jack London, living and owning land near Glen Ellen was a way of escaping Oakland, and the way of life he called “the man trap.” But restless and eager for foreign travel and adventure, he and his wife, Charmian London, decided to build a ship, the Snark, and go sailing around the world, documenting the journey along the way.

With the February 9 event “Cruise of the Snark,” the Jack London Historic Park museum, combines readings, photographs and artifacts from the adventure. The lecture begins at 2:30 p.m, in London’s House of Happy Walls. 

Readings are culled from passages written by Jack London “The Cruise of the Snark” (1911), Charmian London “The Log of the Snark” (1915) and fellow adventurer, Martin Johnson “Through the South Seas With Jack London” (1913). 

Additionally, all three recorded their trip in photographs, some of which will be shared along with viewing related treasures displayed in the museum. 

The event, the first on a series, looks at the London vision, building and launching the Snark plus the trials and tribulations of getting to Hawaii, the first port of call. 

Sunday, February 9. 2:30-4:30 p.m. Fee is $20 per person, and includes parking. 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen.

Note: Event space reached by stairway; for more information about access, please call 707.938.5216

Photograph courtesy of the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA