Against the sea and the wind

The words that make up the title of this book are part of the final clause included in the old type of public document called "protesta de mar" (sea protest). With this document, the captains of coastal vessels formally declared what happened in case of a navigation incident "...I protest once, twice, three times, and as many times as necessary, against the sea and the wind, so that the damages that may follow due to causes beyond my will shall never be demanded of me, and rather, on the contrary, shall be understood to be against whoever is responsible...". This type of document is the fundamental basis of the book you hold in your hands. These are true stories that take us back to a past universe where life was worth nothing, at the mercy of chance, the greed of men, or the fury of nature.

The events recounted took place from the mid-18th century to the late 19th century (1748 to 1872), and they show us in all their rawness the vicissitudes of sailing in Galician Finisterre, the importance at that time of the ports of A Pobra do Caramiñal, Camariñas, Corcubión, Noia, Muros, and Ribeira, and in general, they describe what life was like on board the ships that, in that turbulent era, were dedicated to transporting goods across all the seas of the world.