Model of The Sunbeam

On July 15, 1876, Thomas Brassey set sail with his wife Annie, their four children, and two pugs, for a cruise around the world. Thomas was an enthusiastic sailor - his steam yacht, the Sunbeam, built at Seacombe in 1874,was 157 feet long and carried a crew of 30. Annie had never been on a boat before her marriage and suffered frequent sea-sickness. In spite of this she kept a detailed account of their journeys, which were sent to her father as letters, and then printed for circulation among family and friends.
Detailed View

A Voyage in the Sunbeam

Annie's accounts of their voyages were later published as books. It was her third book A Voyage in the Sunbeam, which made her famous. It was a best seller, running into nine editions and translated into seventeen languages. The Sunbeam voyage took place in 1876-77 and was the first circumnavigation in a steam yacht.
Detailed View

Nearly Overboard, Illustration from A Voyage in the Sunbeam

The Sunbeam made many other voyages, four of which Annie Brassey wrote books about. In 1886 they set sail for India, Borneo and Australia. On 14 September 1887, during the journey from Darwin to Mauritius, Annie died of malarial fever. She was buried at sea, and Thomas finished her book, which was published in 1889 as The Last Voyage.
Detailed View