maiden voyage wikipedia

Maiden Voyage

“Less overtly adventurous than its predecessor, Empyrean Isles , Maiden Voyage nevertheless finds Herbie Hancock at a creative peak. In fact, it’s arguably his finest record of the ’60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop. By this point, the pianist had been with Miles Davis for two years, and it’s clear that Miles’ subdued yet challenging modal experiments had been fully integrated by Hancock. Not only that, but through Davis, Hancock became part of the exceptional rhythm section of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, who are both featured on Maiden Voyage , along with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist George Coleman.

The quintet plays a selection of five Hancock originals, many of which are simply superb showcases for the group’s provocative, unpredictable solos, tonal textures, and harmonies. While the quintet takes risks, the music is lovely and accessible, thanks to Hancock’s understated, melodic compositions and the tasteful group interplay. All of the elements blend together to make Maiden Voyage a shimmering, beautiful album that captures Hancock at his finest as a leader, soloist, and composer.” – Allmusic

Original Liner Notes written by Herbie Hancock:

“The sea has often stirred the imagination of creative minds involved in all spheres of art. There still exists an element of mystery which surrounds the sea and the living aquatic creatures which provide it with its vital essence. Atlantis, the Sargasso Sea, giant serpents, and mermaids are only a few of the many folkloric mysteries which have evolved through man’s experiences with the sea.

This music attempts to capture its vastness and majesty, the splendor of a sea-going vessel on its maiden voyage, the graceful beauty of the playful dolphins, the constant struggle for survival of even the tiniest sea creatures, and the awesome destructive power of the hurricane, nemesis of seamen.” – Herbie Hancock

Original Liner Notes by Nora Kelly

Before the dawn of water is clear and quiet, the small movement of the waves rhythmic it is a stillness in itself. The birds are silent, and the beach is as empty as the sky, except for a few small crabs that poke among the rocks, looking for food tinier than they.

As the first hint of gray suffuses the horizon and imperceptibly lightens the deep black waters, a light wind ruffles the tips of the wavelets, whitening their crests with tongues of foam. Slowly the sand gains life, the grayness of the starry night becoming faintly yellow, a forerunner to the blazing white of noon.

In this empty hour the busy world is shrouded in loneliness. Half-buried cans glint weakly in the diffused light, and as the day grows broader, the whole length of the beach slowly becomes visible, vast and silent, the discarded residue of humanity scarring its desert purity. Metal wastebaskets are dotted over the landscape as far as the eye can see, looking strange and useless, as desolate as gravestones.

A single ship, perhaps on her maiden voyage, her mast a black spike against the sky, hovers near the horizon, until the curving waters sink her sail from view. The sand twinkles in the growing day, but all too soon the sea will break on a shore of people. Gone will be the huge, secret silence, as the masses stream from the city behind, scurrying madly like lemmings to the waiting strand.

But through the land may submit, the sea is yet implacable, changeless, and though the people, deeming themselves brave, tiptoe out from the edge of the land and splash in the shallows, tasting the salt, they can but shiver on the fringes of her mystery. Her vastness remains dark and secret, a misty world of silence and beauty and fluid grace. From the great sluggish sea turtles gliding in slow motion through the depths, to the swift and playful dolphins, jesters and intelligentsia of her kingdom, everything in the sea moves constantly in flight or pursuit.

To us a playground or a symbol of peace, to her creatures the sea is a water jungle, a world of swift life and swifter death, whose silence cloaks a lurking danger. Killer whales, cruel kings of the sea, cruise slowly about, slaying for the love of blood and battle. Sea anemones, beautiful and deadly, wave their tentacles, beckoning small fish to death by poison. Like the land, it is a world where the small and timid must be swift and clever at hiding, where the strong prey on the weak, the weak on those more defenseless than themselves, a world where only the fittest survive.

Ancient tales speak of its beauty and danger, of nameless terrors that lurk in the shadows, awaiting the unwary, of fantastic monsters rearing vast and hideous heads from the depths, crunching ships in tow with one snap of their jaws.

They speak too of the wondrous cities built by men of old under the sea, that appear only once in a hundred years, only to sink beneath the surface again, leaving no trace. Yet in truth, no cities of man exist beneath the sea, and lost Atlantis is but a woman’s tale. The sea yet holds her secrets, and it will be many a long year ere man plumbs her depths, ravaging her beauty, imprisoning her creatures, usurping her throne with a savage hand. – Nora Kelly

1998 Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions Box Set Liner Notes:

MARCH 11, 1965 UNISSUED SESSION

This rejected (and lost) session is a mystery. Clearly from the titles recorded that day. (“Maiden voyage,” “Dolphin Dance” and “Little One” this date was to be the Maiden voyage album. Freddie was listed on cornet, George Coleman was on tenor, Herbie, Ron Carter on bass and…Stu Martin on drums. This session is listed in the Blue Note files but no tapes have been found. Stu Martin had recorded with Herbie on a Sonny Rollins session (for RCA), and had been with Gil Evans during 1964. We don’t know the reasons for Mr. Martin’s presence, and with no aural evidence, one can only speculate as to how the music sounded.

NEW SESSION RECORDED MARCH 17, 1965

Herbie went back into the studio for Blue Note and recorded one of jazz’s all-time great albums Maiden Voyage (BN-4195). Freddie was now on trumpet, George, Herbie and Ron were there, and now Tony Williams was on drums. The music recorded on this day remains fresh and vital. The compositions are among the most favored by jazz musicians all over the world. “Maiden voyage,” the title track, has been covered by hundreds of artists.

As the year 1965 rolled around, Miles took his Quintet to the West Coast, and broke house records at Basin Street West, a posh San Francisco nightspot. The quintet headed for Los Angeles and went into the Columbia Hollywood studios to record their first studio album. From January 20th thru the 22nd, the Miles Davis Quintet recorded the album ESP (Columbia CL 235O). Herbie’s composition “Little One” was recorded.

“Maiden Voyage’ is a simple composition, a variation on the 32-bar song form. The harmony is based on what jazz musicians call “sus chords.” The sus chords used in “Maiden Voyage” are based on the dominant seventh. The inspiration for this sound came from the coda to “Eighty-One”, recorded on the Miles Davis ESP album. After the final melody statement of “Eighty One”, Herbie lands on an F7sus and repeats a rhythm which is now known as the “Maiden Voyage’ pattern. The performance by this studio band (why was Wayne Shorter not on this date?) is classic.

“The Eye Of The Hurricane” is a 12-bar minor blues set off by a melody statement that changes meter on the 7th measure. The melody form subverts the blues form, but follows it closely. All of the solos are hot, especially Freddie, who gets inspired by minor blues changes.

Little One” is a waltz with a difficult, non-cliche solo form. It opens with a rubato statement and then enters the 84 pulse. “Little One” closes with a repeat of the rubato section.

“Survival Of The Fittest” follows in the tradition of “The Egg”. It is pure improvisation, but the musicians are improvising with open expressiveness. Once again Herbie has mixed up funk and freedom.

This classic album closes with one of jazz’s prettiest compositions, the lovely Dolphin Dance. Recorded (probably) as much as “Maiden Voyage.” “Dolphin Dance” is a unique Hancock original, with the form as challenging as the harmony. Vamps, odd cadences and tricky modulations capture the essence of this song. Herbie’s solo is memorable; he sustains the feel of the music and with his build up at the end (Tony Williams makes it easy) adds a sense of drama to the performance.

The album Maiden Voyage was a hit. Herbie remarked, but only in the jazz circle.’ But someone at Yardley Perfumes must have been in that circle, because shortly after Maiden Voyage was released, Yardley asked Herbie if they could use the title track for one of their television ads. Herbie consented and soon, “Maiden Voyage’ was reaching a larger audience, even if by the route of the jingle.

The impact Maiden Voyage has had on musicians is still evident today. How many songs have that “Maiden Voyage” vamp implied, or intended, in their structure? This album is indeed a classic, worthy of the praise.

The next month, (April 14) Herbie was involved in a Stanley Turrentine big band date for Blue Note (Joy Ride BN-4201) that Oliver Nelson had arranged the music for. Oliver had hired Herbie when Herbie first came to town, and trusted him to provide sensitive accompaniment behind Stanley and the big band. “Little Sheri” is a standout containing a fantastic Herbie solo.

That same day, Miles Davis underwent a serious operation on his hip, the result of a bad car accident. This meant that the Miles Davis Quintet was going to be inactive for a while. Herbie landed a gig at the Village Vanguard as an intermission pianist in May (opposite Sonny Rollins). On May 23, 1965, Blue Note assembled Herbie, Ron, Freddie and Joe Chambers to record Sam Rivers’s album Contours (BN-4206). The album is stunning, a high level of jazz playing is evident throughout the recording. Herbie plays fantastically on every song, and his solo on “Mellifluous Cacophony” is superb. During that solo, Herbie concentrates on a “right hand” solo, his left hand almost silent. (Herbie would later crystallize this sound on the Miles Davis album Miles Smiles a year and a half later).

By June, Herbie’s solo gig at the Vanguard had expanded into a trio with Ron Carter or Richard Davis on bass and Tony Williams on drums. The trio gigged in Baltimore and then with Wayne added, hit the Vanguard (billed as the “Miles Davis Quartet”). In the July 29 issue of Down Beat , there is a photo of Herbie with Wayne, Tony and Richard Davis from the Vanguard. On June 10, 1965, Herbie recorded with Bobby Hutcherson ( Components BN-4213). Bobby and Herbie were reunited, and from this session forward, they would record together often. Also on the date are Freddie, Ron and Joe Chambers. The title track stands out as superlative Hancock.

On June 14, 1965, Wayne Shorter recorded an album for Blue Note. On piano was Herbie, Cecil McBee was on bass, and Joe Chambers was the drummer. This session was not issued until 1978 in Japan as Wayne Shorter The Collector (GFX-3059) and, in the US in 198O, as Etcetera (BİN-LT-1O56).

As Miles lay in his bed recuperating, the members of his quintet were spreading themselves all over the place. Herbie worked with Milt Jackson in Philadelphia from July 12-17. On August 12, 1965, Tony Williams recorded his album Spring (BN-4216) for Blue Note. Herbie played on two tracks. The other musicians were Wayne, Sam Rivers and Gary Peacock. Soon after this recording, a verite tape from a club was made of Herbie, Wayne, Tony and an unidentified bassist (claims that Gary Peacock or Art Davis were on this gig have persisted despite denials from Peacock). The tunes played during this set included Herbie’s “The Eye Of The Hurricane” and Wayne’s “Oriental Folk Song” and “Virgo.” On September 17, Herbie was in Rudy’s sound factory recording with Lee Morgan. The date was rejected, and the next day the date was completed. The album was Lee Morgan Cornbread (BN-4222), and Herbie’s solo on “Ceora” is a definitive example for anyone who really wants to feel the power of Herbie’s touch and ideas. The solo is simply a masterpiece. The album itself is classic Blue Note, with Hank Mobley and Billy Higgins lending so much to this feeling.

On October 15, 1965, Wayne Shorter returned to the studio for Blue Note and recorded his album The All Seeing Eye (BN-4219). Most of the music is abstract, but tied together by a theme that invokes deep emotions from the musicians. The musicians include Freddie, Ron James Spaulding, Joe Chambers and Grachan Moncur III. Herbie tends to explore the rhythmic and expressionist side of the piano. What makes this date, and so many that Herbie was involved in, is the complete unity that the band achieves, the blend, the shared harmonic language, and the feeling that is evoked. The All Seeing Eye would be considered intellectual by some, but the musicianship demonstrated is too sophisticated for simple analysis. There is too much emotion with these musicians and an intensity that was evident in the performances. “We didn’t smile a lot in those days,” Herbie said to me after watching himself on videotape from 1967. “We [the Miles Quintet] really had an attitude, a level of seriousness that we took on stage.”

Herbie started getting calls for commercial jazz dates, and one of the first was the Donald Byrd “ Up With… ” sessions for Verve. Dave Pike hired Herbie for his rock-influenced album Jazz For The Jet Set (Atlantic SD-1457). Dave recorded Herbie’s tune “Blind Man, Blind Man.” The date took two sessions to complete (October 26 and November 2, 1965). On November 20, Herbie was called to participate in Wes Montgomery’s Goin’ Out Of My Head (Verve V-8642) as a session player. This session would solidify Herbie’s future as an in-demand sideman.

By this time, Miles Davis had recovered and was back in action. The first gigs were in Detroit at the Grand Bar. Gary Peacock was the bassist. By November, Miles was in Philadelphia at the Showboat with Reggie Workman on bass. This version of the Miles Davis Quintet hit the Vanguard in Greenwich Village and the Bohemian Caverns in Washington, D.C. By the end of December, Ron had rejoined in time for a two-day recording session for Columbia in Chicago. Miles Davis: The Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel was recorded on December 22nd and 23rd. It is a marvelous example of the quintet throwing caution to the wind. Obviously slowed down by Miles’s hip problems, the quintet pushed further that week than they realized. Herbie was liberated by the band’s enforced off-time, and his solos and comping are a true delight, fresh and exciting, and filled with a sense of wonder and discovery. Columbia released only parts of the two nights in 1977 and 1978 (in Japan and in 1985 in the US), before releasing everything in 1995.

Miles returned to New York and began a weekend-only policy at the Vanguard, which lasted about a month. Herbie made Woody Shaw’s demo session (with Joe Henderson, Paul Chambers and Joe Chambers) that was eventually released as In The Beginning in 1989. Nat Adderley hired Herbie to play on his Sayin’ Somethin’ date for Atlantic (SD-1460) On January 13, 1966. “Cantaloupe Island” was recorded. On February 3, 1966, Herbie recorded the title track for Wayne Shorter’s album Adam’s Apple (BN-4232), followed by a February 8 session for Blue Note under Bobby Hutcherson’s leadership. The album was called Happenings (BN4231) and it was a quartet with Bobby, Herbie, Bob Cranshaw and Joe Chambers. “Maiden Voyage” was recorded at this session. Happenings is an incredible display of Herbie’s power and strength. The musicianship level on this date was stunning. On February 24, Herbie Completed Wayne’s Adam’s Apple date. “The Collector” an abstract composition by Herbie, was recorded at this session. In 1968, Miles recorded this song and it was released in 1980 as “Teo’s Bag,” and erroneously credited to Miles Davis.

Herbie returned to the studio On March 5 to record two titles for a Freddie Hubbard session. On the date were Joe Henderson, Reggie Workman and Elvin Jones. The music was not released until 1987 (on Freddie Hubbard’s Blue Spirits CDP-46545). On March 28th and April 1st, Herbie played piano for Kai Winding’s Verve album Dirty Dog (V- 8661), which included “Cantaloupe Island” and “Blind Man, Blind Man.” From April 18-20, Herbie played on Ed Thigpen’s Verve album Out Of The Storm (V-8663). Maiden Voyage was recorded but never issued, and the album featured Clark Terry, Kenny Burrell and Ron Carter. Miles was working sporadically at this time, so Herbie had plenty of time to take sessions. Miles spent a week at the Bohemian Caverns the latter part of May. Clearly, Herbie was in demand not only as jazz soloist, but as a session player and composer as well.

By June, Herbie had started to sub for Hank Jones in Benny Goodman’s band at the Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center Music Masters has released some of this material which includes a great Herbie solo on “Avalon”. July 4th found Herbie back with Miles’s Quintet at the Newport Jazz Festival. On July 15, The Quintet appeared at Lewisohn Stadium, but soon Miles was cancelling gigs as fast as he could take them.

On July 19, 1966, Herbie went to Rudy’s to create a session based on soul and funk-jazz. The sidemen included Stanley Turrentine, Melvin Lastie on cornet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, and a rhythm section consisting of Billy Butler and Eric Gale on guitar, Herbie on piano, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass and Bernard Purdie on drums. The session was a noble experiment. “I was trying to make a funk record without knowing a thing about funk,” Herbie said to me. “I really wasn’t ready, I hadn’t really gotten fully into rock music by then, I was still sort of a jazz snob, and the date didn’t turn out as I expected.” Of the six tracks recorded that day, Only one track is included on this collection called “Don’t Even Go There.” This track captures the spirit of this session. The next day, Herbie hit the road for Chicago to work with Miles for two weeks at the Plugged Nickel (July 20–31). Eddie Gomez was on bass. By August 7 the Quintet was in Detroit and on the 8th played the Ohio Valley Festival in Cincinnati.

Verve called again on September 14-16 for Herbie to play on Wes Montgomery’s California Dreamin’ album (V-8672). During this time, the Miles Davis Quintet worked at the Village Vanguard. On October 24th and 25th, Miles Smiles (Columbia CL 26O1) was recorded, arguably one of the most spectacular recordings in jazz. One cannot say enough about this recording, and it showcases Herbie in an unusual way. He’s noticed for not playing, the art of laying out during Miles’s and Wayne’s excursions. The finest track on the album is “Circle”, in which Herbie expands the language of jazz piano through his classical training. Herbie’s solo literally improvises Chopin and Ravel in a natural jazz style. The style and focus of this album is an extraordinary event in jazz history.

Herbie got a big break when Michelangelo Antonioni asked Herbie to score his art film Blow Up . In November 1966, Herbie put together a great band to record the music, which consisted of loose sketches and cues. Joe Henderson, Phil Woods, Freddie Hubbard, Jim Hall on guitar, Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette on drums (who would be subbing for Tony at the Vanguard). The title track “Main Theme From Blow Up” was recorded later by Bobby Hutcherson, but lately “Jane’s Theme” has been discovered and covered by a new generation of jazz artists. The rest of the music has elements from all of Herbie’s Blue Note records, and shows a few surprises as well. The compositions are bold and adventuresome, with a healthy touch of the romantic. This film gave Herbie a very public cachet, and soon the music industry was taking a closer look at Herbie’s career. Creed Taylor started calling Herbie more frequently. December 2nd and 6th were reserved for Stan Getz’s Verve album Voices (V-8707). Miles settled in at the Village Vanguard for three weeks (with Jack DeJohnette on drums) and Herbie was in town to do sessions.

1999 Remastered Edition Liner Notes: “A New Look At Maiden Voyage”

Concept albums more often than not turn into attenuated exercises in pretense. Not so with this album, which has to be considered on of the all-time jazz masterpieces. There is an aura surrounding the melodic material and the rhythms, particularly the ebb-and-flow washed of Tony William’s drums, that sustain the nautical conceit; and the musicians respond in the spirit of wonder, adventure, risk, awe and joy appropriate to each track.

The band assembled here might be considered an edition of the Miles Davis quintet with Freddie Hubbard in the trumpet chair. As such, it reinforces the conclusion derived from Hancock’s previous Empyrean Isles – that, in Rudy Van Gelder’s studio under Alfred Lion’s supervision, the Hancock/Carter/Williams troika produced music every bit as magnificent (and far better sounding) than the justly-celebrated Davis quintet recordings for Columbia. Hubbard, who had played cornet on Empyrean Isles nine months earlier, is back on trumpet here, while George Coleman is added on tenor sax.

Coleman’s presence is a bit unexpected, given that he had left the Davis band in 1964 and that his ultimate replacement with Davis, Wayne Shorter, was a Blue Note leader who one assumes was as available as the rest of Davis’ band. Perhaps Hancock felt that Coleman had not received sufficient opportunity to display his skill in the context of newly-minted material during his tenure with the trumpeter. In any event, Coleman proves the model of eloquence here, and these solos remain among the most exquisite he ever recorded.

The work of Hubbard and Williams deserves special mention. Hubbard takes his horn into areas on the title track and “Eye Of The Hurricane” that galvanize the music, coming as close to translating the expressive innovations of John Coltrane to the trumpet as any brass player ever got.

(In a recent conversation, Hubbard acknowledged that the extended techniques heard here, and on his equally immortal solo on Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Memories,” were directly inspired by Coltrane, and opined that such blowing may have contributed to his later embouchure problems.) For all of the “edge” that these flurries impart, Hubbard still turns in one of his most melodic performances. He often performed better as a sideman than a leader, especially when he worked on Hancock’s projects. Williams, for his part, never turned his sixth sense for percussive nuance more finely than he did on this session, where he captures every metaphorical breeze and droplet in Hancock’s compositions.

The compositions are among the classics of the period. Hancock had, at least temporarily, set aside the funky inclinations expressed so convincingly on “Watermelon Man” and “Cantaloupe Island,” and was plumbing the challenging harmonic terrain where beauty and experimentation coexist so brilliantly. For this album, he provided five distinct yet complimentary structures, two of which (“Maiden Voyage” and “Dolphin Dance”) continue to be as frequently covered as any jazz originals from the period. It makes Hancock’s achievement only more impressive when one realizes that the tunes were not originally conceived as a five-part suite. “Maiden Voyage” was written as background music for a TV ad; and the non-oceanic though emotionally fitting “Little One,” previously recorded by the Davis quintet with Shorter on the Columbia album ESP, was (like Hancock’s subsequent composition “The Sorcerer”) a tribute to Davis.

Blue Note logs indicate that an attempt had been made to record “Maiden Voyage,” “Little One” and “Dolphin Dance” six days earlier, with Hubbard on cornet and Stu Martin in place of Williams. Those performances were rejected at the time, and have been lost in the ensuing years. It might have been interesting to hear these alternate versions of such familiar tunes, but hardly essential. There is, after all, no way to improve a perfect album, and Maiden Voyage is one of the perfect ones. – Bob Blumenthal, 1999

2014 HD Tracks Remastered Edition Liner Notes:

The history of jazz is often told through the exploits of its firestarters, outsized personalities like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis who sent shockwaves through every bandstand they visited. That’s the headline level, and it’s useful for understanding various periods and styles. But as the music evolved and expanded in the 1960s, priorities shifted, and so did the roles of the players. There was need for musicians who were perhaps not always so flamboyant. The collective pursuit of a sound became as important as individual heroics, and that created opportunities for gifted team players and facilitators, musicians who sought to complement what was happening rather than dazzle people all the time.

Maiden Voyage springs from the mind of one of the most adept and creative of the sound-sculpting facilitators, pianist and composer Herbie Hancock. By the time he recorded this, Hancock had been in the Miles Davis Quintet for several years, an experience he, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, the rhythm section here, all described as transformative. Among Hancock’s tasks in that group was to create expansive landscapes for Davis; the pianist stoked and framed what became epic discussions by drawing on a range of sources. His accompaniments might glance at the syncopated jabs of 1920s Ellington, or the clusters of free jazz, or the gorgeous pastel chords associated with Debussy. Hancock has said that in the Davis fold he learned about space and subtlety, about how something small and slight, like a three-note chord, could trigger torrents of spontaneous creativity. To hear that in action, consult virtually any recording of the ‘60s Quintet.

Or check out this record, because Hancock brought those strategies for conjuring and slyly shaping a tune into his own projects. Maiden Voyage , arguably his peak solo statement from the 1960s, appropriates elements of the Davis group dynamic for a transfixingly understated meditation on the lure of the sea. It’s a classic that’s justifiably revered for its compositions and its solos, and also, perhaps most importantly, the rich and delicate interactions that run throughout. The album is a perfect case study in the art of group interplay; it offers an array of thoughtful answers to the question “How, exactly, does conversation happen in jazz?” Hancock starts with the notion of melody: Each of these five pieces is built around a singable theme, one that’s durable enough to be inverted, paraphrased or passed around the group in the heat of improvisation. The melodies of Hancock’s tunes serve as a kind of through-line, echoing in the margins.

Hancock refers to his themes, in oblique ways, when accompanying trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist George Coleman: He’s cultivating an atmosphere of expansive openness, and sometimes those glancing references help remind everyone involved about the dimensions of the canvas, the color palette and overall tone. This tactic proves particularly wise on the deceptively challenging “Dolphin Dance:” The mood is placid but the solos get stormy, and whenever it seems like the music is about to fracture, Hancock slips in some little phrase that gathers everyone back together.

In the headstrong jazz year 1965, lots of players were screaming “Look what I can do!” trying to grab attention by any contrived means possible. Hancock’s Maiden Voyage represents the flipside of all that: His windblown, undulating, intentionally low-key environment proceeds from the belief, acquired from Davis, that a minimal setting can inspire all kinds of meaningful musical conversations. Everybody is listening carefully, and out to enhance the proceedings. There is great grace, and concision, in every gesture here, and it’s not an accident that within these discussions, there are also bold, wailing outbursts and provocations. That’s what happens when everyone involved is in pursuit of musical aptness rather than audacity. – Tom Moon

Recorded on March 17, 1965 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Original recording and 1998 remastering by Rudy Van Gelder.

All transfers from analog to digital were made at 24-bit resolution.

Originally issued as Blue Note BLP 4195 and BST 84195.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Basic Jazz Record Library

Herbie hancock: 'maiden voyage'.

A. B. Spellman

Murray Horwitz

Web Resources

MURRAY HORWITZ, American Film Institute: Hello, I'm Murray Horwitz asking you to close your eyes, because A.B. Spellman and I have to ask you to visualize something, right now. Jazz musicians sometimes like to paint tone pictures, and Herbie Hancock gives us a seascape in this week's entry into the NPR Basic Jazz Record Library with Maiden Voyage .

A.B. SPELLMAN, National Endowment for the Arts: And a deep and rolling sea it is, Murray. Herbie said that he wanted to evoke everything in the ocean: the flow of the current; the creatures, great, small and mythical, who live in the water; the response of voyagers, who experience it for the first time. And he's done that. But mostly, he and his collaborators have made some very satisfying music. Here's the saxophonist George Coleman at his most lyrical on the title cut.

SPELLMAN: And again from the title composition, here's Freddie Hubbard doing a John Coltrane imitation on the trumpet.

HORWITZ: Then, there's always this magnificent rhythm section, the same one that Miles Davis assembled, leading the soloists and making a context for everything that happens.

SPELLMAN: I love every minute of all the music that Hancock, the bassist Ron Carter, and the drummer Tony Williams have made together. All are strong stylists, and together they have this sensitive coherence.

HORWITZ: Not least, two of Herbie Hancock's compositions for this record date became jazz standards — "Dolphin Dance" and "Maiden Voyage." And that's not surprising, because he is one of the best composers for small ensemble in the history of jazz music.

SPELLMAN: No doubt about it, Murray.

HORWITZ: We're listening to, and we've been talking about Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage . It's on the Blue Note label, and it's in the NPR Basic Jazz Record Library. The Basic Jazz Record Library is funded by NPR member stations and by the Lila-Wallace Reader's Digest Fund.

SPELLMAN: For information about Maiden Voyage , and other selections, visit our Web site. For NPR Jazz, I'm A.B. Spellman.

HORWITZ: And, I'm Murray Horwitz.

• Tony Williams
• Herbie Hancock

WORLDWIDE shipping

FREE UK delivery over £35

PROUDLY INDEPENDENT since 2001

Classic Recordings , Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage

By Maiden Voyage Hancock was only a few years into his career as a bandleader at just twenty-four years old, yet had gained a wealth of experience as a sideman in many other Blue Note sessions, as well as his role in Miles Davis’s second great quintet. Joining him during the Maiden Voyage sessions were two colleagues from the Davis group, Williams on drums and bassist Ron Carter, alongside soon-to-be star-trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, all three returning from Hancock’s previous record Empyrean Isles . Completing the lineup was George Coleman, an under-rated saxophonist who had also been an occasional member of the pre-Wayne Shorter Miles Davis group, most memorably on My Funny Valentine , recorded alongside Hancock in 1964. Loosely conceptualised around themes of the ocean, Maiden Voyage treads familiar hard bop ground, but also finds plenty of uncharted water to discover.

The title track really steals the show, a tune that remains one of Hancock’s personal favourites to this day and became a jazz standard, opening the record with an ominous melody that takes us straight into modal territory. It’s a spacious composition that offers ample room for his soloists to flourish, setting Hancock’s atmospheric tone for the record. It’s a subtle yet imposing opener, no doubt stemming from his exposure to Miles Davis’ cool approach. That being said, the energetic ‘Eye of the Hurricane’ quickly blows us off-course into choppier, Coltrane-esque waters, picking up with a quick swing tempo, a frenetic melody and an especially fiery solo from Hubbard.

Channelling the dynamism of the music he was making with the Davis group in the same period, Hancock’s compositions allow for some fluid conversations between the players. There’s a nice balancing of moods, so that while the quintet enters more chaotic territory again on ‘Survival of the Fittest’, the Count Basie-inspired ‘Dolphin Dance’ brings calm after the storm, returning us to more comfortably melodic territory with Hancock at the helm after the extended soloing of the previous track. In amongst the longer, more adventurous tracks the quaint melodicism of ‘Dolphin Dance’ and ‘Little One’ bring a welcome accessibility to the record. Hancock plays into some of the accelerating trends of modern jazz, with fast tempos and extended virtuosic soloing, while carefully balancing it with toneful and understated tunes; invoking Debussy with his sprinkles of washy piano chords across the record. While Hancock would go on to experiment in avant-garde jazz and the popular synth-funk sound that overshadows much of his earlier output, Maiden Voyage features some of his finest early work.

Herbie Hancock

Maiden Voyage

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

• View full details
• Listen to samples

Joshua Lee - Jazz Content

Joshua joined Presto Music shortly after completing his BSc in Psychology, firstly as a member of our shop team and later as a writer covering new jazz releases. His taste in music ranges from jazz to metal, folk to electronica, and he enjoys writing his own music with guitar and electronic synthesisers at home.

Download queue

• Clear completed

Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock album)

1965 studio album by herbie hancock / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock album)?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock , and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965, for Blue Note Records . It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman , trumpeter Freddie Hubbard , bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams , it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space. [4] [5] The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock album)

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock , and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965, for Blue Note Records . It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman , trumpeter Freddie Hubbard , bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams , it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space. [4] [5] The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

Track listing

Cover versions.

Coleman, Carter, Williams and Hancock himself were all recently a part of the Miles Davis quintet.

According to Bob Blumenthal's 1999 liner notes: "Blue Note logs indicate that an attempt had been made to record ' Maiden Voyage ', 'Little One', and 'Dolphin Dance' six days earlier, with Hubbard on cornet and Stu Martin in place of Williams. Those performances were rejected at the time and have been lost in the ensuing years." A different version of "Little One" was recorded by Miles Davis and his quintet (by then including Wayne Shorter instead of Coleman) for the album E.S.P. , also released in 1965.

Hancock cites Count Basie 's "Shiny Stockings" as the main source of inspiration for "Dolphin Dance". [6]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz designated the album as part of its Core Collection with a four star rating, calling it "a colossal achievement from a man still just 24 years old". [7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic describes the album as "arguably his finest record of the '60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop". [8]

"Maiden Voyage", "The Eye of the Hurricane" and "Dolphin Dance" have become jazz standards and are featured in Hal Leonard's New Real Book vol. 2 . While being interviewed for KCET in 2011, Hancock said he considered "Maiden Voyage" to be his favorite of all of the compositions he had written. [9] During an interview on KTLA in 2020, the composer told Frank Buckley that he originally wrote the tune for a television commercial. Hancock was the pianist on another version of "Maiden Voyage" for Bobby Hutcherson 's album Happenings which was recorded in February 1966. Hancock rerecorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Dolphin Dance" on his 1974 album Dedication and updated the title track on his 1988 album Perfect Machine . "Dolphin Dance" was rerecorded in 1981 for the Herbie Hancock Trio album. Hancock has released live concert versions of "Maiden Voyage" on CoreaHancock (1979) and An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert (1980) (both with Chick Corea ). Hancock recorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Eye of the Hurricane" with the VSOP Quintet on VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (1977).

All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock

• Herbie Hancock – piano
• Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
• George Coleman – tenor saxophone
• Ron Carter – bass
• Tony Williams – drums

Artists who have covered "Maiden Voyage", the title track, include:

• Bobby Hutcherson , on his 1966 album Happenings
• Brian Auger and the Trinity , on the 1970 album Befour [10]
• Grant Green , on his 1970 live album Alive! ( CD reissue only )
• Blood, Sweat, and Tears , on their 1972 album New Blood
• Kellee Patterson, on her 1973 album Maiden Voyage
• Bobby Valentín , on his 1975 live album Va a la Cárcel
• Gary Boyle , on his 1978 album The Dancer [11]
• The rock band Phish performed the song in their early concerts. A live version was released on their album Colorado '88 .
• Toto , on their 2002 album Through the Looking Glass . This recording included elements of Hancock's 1974 song " Butterfly ".
• Robert Glasper , on his 2004 album Mood . [12] He recorded it again on his 2007 album In My Element .
• Austin Peralta , on his 2006 album Maiden Voyage [13]
• Joey Alexander , on his 2016 album Countdown [14]

Artists who have covered "Dolphin Dance" include:

• Ahmad Jamal , on his 1971 album The Awakening [15]
• Grover Washington Jr. , on his 1976 album A Secret Place
• Bill Evans , on the 1980 album I Will Say Goodbye
• Kazumi Watanabe , on his 1989 album Kilowatt

Other covers include:

• Christian McBride , Nicholas Payton , and Mark Whitfield recorded a version of "The Eye of the Hurricane" on their 1997 album Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock .
• Madlib remixed "Dolphin Dance" and combined it with the song " Peace " by Horace Silver on his 2003 album Shades of Blue .
• In 2008, jazz pianist John Beasley released a tribute to Hancock called Letter to Herbie , which features a re-working of "Maiden Voyage" called "Bedtime Voyage". The album also features a recording of "Eye of the Hurricane".

• 1965 in music
• Herbie Hancock discography

Related Research Articles

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles, using a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this period that he released perhaps his best-known and most influential album, Head Hunters .

Anthony Tillmon Williams was an American jazz drummer. Williams first gained fame as a member of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet", and later pioneered jazz fusion with Davis' group and his own combo, the Tony Williams Lifetime. In 1970, music critic Robert Christgau described him as "probably the best drummer in the world". Williams was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1986.

Frederick Dewayne Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop.

Filles de Kilimanjaro is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and September 1968, and released on Columbia Records. It was released in the United Kingdom by the company's subsidiary Columbia (CBS) in 1968 and in the United States during February 1969. The album is a transitional work for Davis, who was shifting stylistically from acoustic recordings with his "second great quintet" to his electric period. Filles de Kilimanjaro was well received by contemporary music critics, who viewed it as a significant release in modern jazz. Pianist Chick Corea and bassist Dave Holland appear together on two tracks, their first participation on a Davis album.

E.S.P. is an album by Miles Davis, recorded on January 20–22, 1965 and released on August 16 of that year by Columbia Records. It is the first release from what is known as Davis's second great quintet: Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The album was named after a tune by Shorter, and was inspired by the fact that, "since Wayne Shorter's arrival, the five members of the quintet seemed to communicate by mental telepathy."

Miles in the Sky is a studio album by American trumpeter and composer Miles Davis, released on July 22, 1968, by Columbia Records. It was the last full album recorded by Davis' "Second Great Quintet" and marked the beginning of his foray into jazz fusion, with Herbie Hancock playing electric piano and Ron Carter playing electric bass guitar on opening track “Stuff”. Additionally, electric guitarist George Benson features on “Paraphernalia”.

George Edward Coleman is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master.

Happenings is an album by the jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, released in 1967 on the Blue Note label. The album contains six compositions by Hutcherson, and one by Herbie Hancock, "Maiden Voyage".

Empyrean Isles is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded in 1964 for Blue Note Records. It features Hancock with his Miles Davis bandmates, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, along with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.

An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert is a live album recorded over the course of several live performances in February 1978 and released that same year as a double LP. The album features just Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea playing acoustic piano. The use of the acoustic instruments comes as a marked departure from both men's favoring of electric keyboards at that time. Herbie Hancock received top billing on this album, while Chick Corea was credited first on the album CoreaHancock , another recording from the same tour released by Polydor.

The Quintet is an album by V.S.O.P. It was compiled from two concert performances: one at the Greek Theatre, University of California, Berkeley, on July 16, 1977; the other at the San Diego Civic Theatre on July 18, 1977. The quintet were keyboardist Herbie Hancock, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, drummer Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The album was originally released in October 1977 as a 2-disc LP by Columbia Records.

Quartet is the thirty-fourth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, featuring a quartet with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. It was originally issued in Japan on CBS/Sony, and later given a US release by Columbia.

My Point of View is the second album by pianist Herbie Hancock. It was released in 1963 on Blue Note Records as BLP 4126 and BST 84126. Musicians featured are trumpeter Donald Byrd, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, guitarist Grant Green, bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Tony Williams.

V.S.O.P : Live Under the Sky is a 1979 live album by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, a record of a performance at the 1979 Live Under the Sky Festival as it was performed live in Japan over two days. The first day, which took place during a furious rainstorm, was broadcast live on national television. The original release featured the first day, while the 2004 re-master/re-release also featured the second concert. This, the fourth VSOP release, once again featured pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, drummer Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.

V.S.O.P. is a 1977 double live album by keyboardist Herbie Hancock, featuring acoustic jazz performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, jazz fusion/ jazz-funk performances by the ‘Mwandishi’ band and The Headhunters. The concert was advertised as a "Herbie Hancock Retrospective," and Miles Davis, who was several months into his temporary retirement, was advertised as playing with the V.S.O.P. group. According to concert attendees, on the night of the show a handwritten sign was posted on the lobby door announcing that Davis would not be playing, but that Hubbard would be appearing instead.

CoreaHancock is an acoustic live album by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. It was recorded over the course of several live performances in February 1978 and released in 1979. Corea has top billing on this album, as Hancock did for An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert , another recording of the same tour released on Hancock's label. The CD version heavily edits what was released on the final side of the vinyl version.

Round Midnight is a soundtrack album by Herbie Hancock featuring music recorded for Bertrand Tavernier's film Round Midnight released in 1986 on Columbia Records. The album features performances by Hancock, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Tony Williams, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, bassist Pierre Michelot, drummer Billy Higgins, guitarist John McLaughlin, trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, vocalist Lonette McKee, and pianist Cedar Walton, most of whom appear in the film. It won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score in 1986, beating Ennio Morricone's The Mission and Jerry Goldsmith's Hoosiers , among others. Additional music recorded during the making of the film was released under Dexter Gordon's name as The Other Side of Round Midnight (1986).

" Maiden Voyage " is a jazz composition by Herbie Hancock from his 1965 album Maiden Voyage . It features Hancock's quartet – trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams – together with saxophonist George Coleman. It is one of Hancock's best-known compositions and has become a jazz standard.

In the late 1960s, Latin jazz, combining rhythms from African and Latin American countries, often played on instruments such as conga, timbale, güiro, and claves, with jazz and classical harmonies played on typical jazz instruments broke through. There are two main varieties: Afro-Cuban jazz was played in the US right after the bebop period, while Brazilian jazz became more popular in the 1960s. Afro-Cuban jazz began as a movement in the mid-1950s as bebop musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Taylor started Afro-Cuban bands influenced by such Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians as Xavier Cugat, Tito Puente, and Arturo Sandoval. Brazilian jazz such as bossa nova is derived from samba, with influences from jazz and other 20th-century classical and popular music styles. Bossa is generally moderately paced, with melodies sung in Portuguese or English. The style was pioneered by Brazilians João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim. The related term jazz-samba describes an adaptation of bossa nova compositions to the jazz idiom by American performers such as Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.

V.S.O.P. was an American jazz quintet consisting of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter (bass), Tony Williams (drums), and Freddie Hubbard . Hancock, Shorter, Carter, and Williams had all been members of the Miles Davis Quintet during the 1960s.

• ↑ "Penguin Guide to Jazz: 4-Star Records in 8th Edition" . Tom Hull . Retrieved 9 July 2020 .
• ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p.   93. ISBN   0-394-72643-X .
• ↑ Wendell, Eric. (2018). Experiencing Herbie Hancock . Rowman & Littlefield. p.32. ISBN   9781442258389 .
• ↑ Hancock, H. (1965). Original Album Liner Notes; Blumenthal, B. (1999). Reissue Album Liner Notes.
• ↑ "Herbie Hancock: The Ethics of Jazz" . Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University, accessed via YouTube . Retrieved 16 February 2017 .
• ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2002). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (6th Ed.) Penguin Books. ISBN   9780140515213
• ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic" . allmusic.com . Retrieved 13 May 2013 .
• ↑ KCET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEUP6ttUL1E
• ↑ "Befour - Brian Auger & the Trinity" . AllMusic .
• ↑ "Gary Boyle - The Dancer" . Discogs . Retrieved 2020-12-18 .
• ↑ Allmusic review of Mood
• ↑ "Austin Peralta - Maiden Voyage" . AllMusic . Retrieved 2021-02-24 .
• ↑ Countdown - Joey Alexander | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2021-09-10
• ↑ Allmusic review of The Awakening
• ↑ "Ultratop.be – Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
• ↑ "Ultratop.be – Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
• ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage" . Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of maiden voyage in English

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

• break-journey
• circumnavigation

Examples of maiden voyage

Translations of maiden voyage.

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

of or relating to birds

Dead ringers and peas in pods (Talking about similarities, Part 2)

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• English    Noun
• Translations
• All translations

Add maiden voyage to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage sounds like the title of a debut, but it was Herbie Hancock’s fifth outing for Blue Note, recorded all in one day in March 1965, when the young piano master was in the thick of his association with the trailblazing Miles Davis Quintet. The Maiden Voyage lineup was in fact a version of Davis’ band, with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet in place of Davis, Wayne Shorter’s predecessor George Coleman on tenor saxophone, and the unrivaled rhythm section of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. (The same lineup, without Coleman, appeared on Hancock’s Empyrean Isles in 1964.) The short yet impactful program includes some of Hancock’s most famous and widely played compositions, including the title track, with its mesmerizing vamp and hovering chords; “The Eye of the Hurricane,” with its darting obstacle course of a theme leading to galloping minor-key blues; and “Dolphin Dance,” a model of advanced harmony and lyrical songcraft, the perfect modern midtempo swing tune to bring it to a close. “Survival of the Fittest” points to a kind of open-form improvisation that Tony Williams and others on Blue Note were exploring at this time. (“The Egg” from Empyrean Isles is another specimen.) And “Little One,” recorded in rawer form by the Miles Davis Quintet two months earlier for the album E.S.P., gains a bit more expressive clarity here in the out-of-tempo passages (the contrast between the Shorter and Coleman tenor solos also proves fascinating). Arguably, it’s “Little One” that best captures the album’s dark and magical mood, which Nora Kelly sought to evoke in her impressionist liner notes: “A single ship, perhaps on her maiden voyage, her mast a black spike against the sky, hovers near the horizon, until the curving waters sink her sail from view.”

May 1, 1965 5 Songs, 42 minutes A Blue Note Records Release; ℗ 2012 Capitol Records, LLC

RECORD LABEL

More by herbie hancock, featured on.

Apple Music Jazz

Apple Music Hip-Hop

Select a country or region

Africa, middle east, and india.

• Côte d’Ivoire
• Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
• Guinea-Bissau
• Niger (English)
• Congo, Republic of
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Tanzania, United Republic Of
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

• Indonesia (English)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic
• Malaysia (English)
• Micronesia, Federated States of
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Solomon Islands
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• France (Français)
• Deutschland
• Luxembourg (English)
• Moldova, Republic Of
• North Macedonia
• Portugal (Português)
• Türkiye (English)
• United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina (Español)
• Bolivia (Español)
• Virgin Islands, British
• Cayman Islands
• Chile (Español)
• Colombia (Español)
• Costa Rica (Español)
• República Dominicana
• Ecuador (Español)
• El Salvador (Español)
• Guatemala (Español)
• Honduras (Español)
• Nicaragua (Español)
• Paraguay (Español)
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• St. Vincent and The Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos
• Uruguay (English)
• Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

• Canada (English)
• Canada (Français)
• United States
• Estados Unidos (Español México)
• الولايات المتحدة
• États-Unis (Français France)
• Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
• 美國 (繁體中文台灣)

Maiden Voyage

• View history

The Maiden Voyage is a standalone introductory Tall Tale released with the December 2019 Sea of Thieves Festival of Giving (2019) Content Update.

• 1 Mechanics
• 2.1.1 Pirate Lord Dialogue
• 2.2.1 Cooking and Fishing
• 2.2.2 Cannon Fire
• 2.2.3 The Rowboat Cave
• 2.3 Secrets
• 3 Pirate Lord's Journals
• 4 Quest Items
• 5.1 Commendations

Mechanics [ ]

The Maiden Voyage can always be accessed from the Main Menu.

The Maiden Voyage is very different from any other Tall Tale in game, but it listed as such under the Reputation Menu with its own Commendations , Rewards and Titles .

The main difference is that this Tall Tale is a Solo adventure and cannot be voted on. Instead, Players are tasked with completing this Voyage after creating their Pirate in the Infinite Pirate Generator and before setting sail to the Sea of Thieves . The Maiden Voyage can always be replayed from the Main Menu, where there is a designated button for the Voyage in the bottom-right corner.

The Maiden Voyage [ ]

The voyage [ ].

The Old Sailor's Isle on the Map.

The main NPC related to this Tale is the ghostly Pirate Lord himself, guiding the Player through the main aspects of the game on Old Sailor’s Isle , a Large Island hidden in the Devil’s Shroud .

Players are introduced to Eating Food , fighting with Weapons , using Equipment items and a Treasure Map to dig up an Old Sailor's Chest , maintaining a Sloop ’s Mast , Repairs , Sails , Anchor and Wheel and shooting Cannons .

After all of these actions are performed, the Player can then sail through the Devil’s Shroud towards The Sea of Thieves .

Pirate Lord Dialogue [ ]

Pirate Lord

You look a little worse for wear, my friend. You must be on quite the journey. I should eat something, if I were you. A full belly can do wonders for your spirits. Once you’re in good health, we’ll speak properly.

After eating the Banana

There, you look better already. Maybe even strong enough to reach the Sea of Thieves. These days they call me The Pirate Lord, but back when I discovered this place I was just a bold explorer like you. I dreamt of finding uncharted waters filled with treasures and rife with danger, where every sunrise brought a new adventure… You’ve been brave to make it this far. Not many do. Now you’ve one last crossing to make. You’ll want some trusty steel at your side, though. There’s a sword in those trees whose owner doesn’t seem to need it any more.

After receiving the Cutlass

There’s far more to being a pirate than a blade in your hand and a love of other people’s money. It’s about finding your way through ancient caverns by lamplight, digging up long-lost treasures… … and raising a frothing great tankard of grog when you live to tell the tale! For all of that, you’ll need the right equipment. You can start by taking this old shovel.

After taking the Shovel

I stowed a few belongings around here back in the day. The map will show you the way.

After giving the Old Sailor's Chest to the Pirate Lord

Ah, my old chest! Let’s see if she still hides her secrets.

After switching to the Flintlock

A fine weapon. She’ll serve you well out there.

After you are done with your Equipment

There! Now you look like a true pirate. There’s plenty more to see, so why not stretch your legs and explore? I’ll be here when you’re ready to leave.

Once you are ready to leave

Well now, I’d say you’re as ready as you’ll ever be for what’s ahead. Allow me to show you the path… The Shroud is beginning to part, but you have one more task before your journey continues. You may be ready to sail, but your ship still needs repairs. Go, and tend to her wounds!

Other Interactions [ ]

Cooking and fishing [ ].

In addition to the base mechanics, Old Sailor’s Isle is hiding the introduction to a couple of additional mechanics, hinted at in the Maiden Voyage Commendations , hidden in the Tall Tales section of the Reputation Menu.

Curious players can learn the Cooking of food, by either killing any of the Island’s Chicken for Meat , or catching some Fish with a Fishing Rod (which by itself is introduced when taking out the Fishing Rod Item) and putting these Food items on a Campfire . There are two Campfires on Old Sailor’s Isle , one right by where the Player spawns near the Pirate Lord , and another hidden inside a Cave.

Cannon Fire [ ]

Players are taught how to use the Cannons once they are aboard their Sloop , however attentive players will find an additional Cannon on the shipwreck of the Magpie’s Fortune with a handful of Cannonballs in the Cannonball Barrel below. Here, players are taught that they can not only shoot Cannonballs out of Cannons, but also themselves!

The Rowboat Cave [ ]

At the Island with the tallest Peak, players will find a closed off door with a Lever to open it. This will lead players to a hidden Cave with an additional Campfire and two steps of interactable objects to reveal the Cave’s final secret. The Player will need to drop a drawbridge by using a Capstan and then use a Pulley to lift another wooden door. This will lead players to a lonely Rowboat with a complete tutorial on how to use these small vessels.

Secrets [ ]

Despite being a Tutorial Island, Old Sailor’s Isle has quite a few secrets hidden away, which are all hinted at in the Maiden Voyage Commendations . The most notable Secret is the Rowboat Cave described above, however there are still a few hidden valuables on the Island. Upon careful searching, players can find up to 10 Journals hidden away on Old Sailor’s Isle , which are all documented with their locations at the Journal subsection below.

The ultimate hidden secret of Old Sailor’s Isle, is the Pirate Lord ’s Hideout below the Magpie’s Fortune. A more attentive player can find that there is a locked hatch below the massive shipwreck, seemly requiring a key.

One of the hidden Journals hints to the location of the key.

The Journal you are looking for is hidden on the Shipwreck of Magpie’s wing. Look towards the skies!

The Old Sailor’s Key was dropped in the fresh-water pond that is above the shipwreck of Magpie’s Fortune. It is underwater along the edge of the waterfall.

Once unlocked, Players can find the final Journal and 3 chests of Gold worth 25,000!

Pirate Lord's Journals [ ]

There are 10 Journals written by the Pirate Lord that are hidden on Old Sailor’s Isle during the Maiden Voyage. All 10 of these Journals have to be found and read for A Storied Crossing Commendation . The Journal transcriptions are presented below, with the Expand button showing the exact locations of each Journal. Reading these Journals are also part of Seasons ' Trials.

• Regarding Merfolk
• The Sea of the Damned
• They Game It a Name
• Lost Secrets
• So Near and Yet…
• The Lords of the Sea
• Paintings from the Past
• Making Camp
• A Ship That Fits
• My Secret Plan

Regarding Merfolk [ ]

Outside of the door on the shipwreck on the Northwestern point of the Island.

A new landmark! This stricken ship certainly wasn't here during my last visit. There's no sign of her crew, so perhaps they fell overboard and met their end. Things are very different on the Sea of Thieves — thanks in no small part to my own adventures, I must confess. We have an… arrangement… with the merfolk who live deep under the waves. Should any pirate become lost at sea, stranded, they'll help them back to their ship. If you should find yourself flung overboard, traveler, look for the merfolk's beacon before the sharks get your scent. You'll be glad you did!

The Sea of the Damned [ ]

In the cave behind the waterfall southwest of the campfire .

Not all my journeys to this island are happy ones. Today I stumbled onto this poor soul, map still in their hands. To think, they were so close… No matter how swiftly we sail or how sharp our aim, it is only a matter of time before the Reaper's hand clamps down upon our shoulder. I am fortunate to have had a friend with wisdom enough to know this. Thanks to her, I live on beyond my years… at least in spirit. For younger pirates, another hope presents itself. When they perish, their souls are saved from drifting alone through the Sea of the Damned. If you should die on the Sea of Thieves and find yourself in the Ferryman's company, know this: he deserves your respect, for he has made the greatest sacrifice of all...

They Gave It a Name [ ]

On the railing to the right of the shipwreck Magpie's Fortune's wheel .

'The Sea of Thieves'. That's what they're calling it nowadays. The genie is out of the bottle, and more pirates are finding their way there every day. Some are looking to hide — from their enemies, from their pasts, from the Grand Maritime Union - while others have heard the call to adventure. It's only a matter of time before they reach this island, too. Maybe they'll be dreaming about the Sea of Thieves has to offer, just as I was. If that's the shape of things to come, I'd be a fool to complain. Instead, I'll stow a few supplies around the place for those who need them. Things work differently beyond the Shroud. Better, for the most part, but newcomers will have to think on their feet if they're to survive.

Lost Secrets [ ]

On the railing of the shipwreck Magpie’s Fortune's crow's nest .

Blast it all! The key to my ship's hold is missing. It must have slipped from my pocket at some point in my time here. Between this and that business with Rathbone, I'm developing a bad habit of losing the keys to my belongings. Perhaps it made its bid for freedom from my jacket when I climbed up for a drink of fresh spring water. It's another lost treasure now.

So Near and Yet… [ ]

Resting next to the broken barrels on the lowest level of the front half of the shipwreck Magpie’s Fortune.

You've really done it this time, Ramsey. It's one thing to return to your favorite island and quite another to wreck your ship at the heart of it! I was bound to get careless sooner or later. This place has been my little secret for so long now. I couldn't wait to get back here. To dream… I'm so close to the Shroud, I feel like I could reach out and touch it. I'm not ready to sport a hook for a hand, though. Not yet, anyway! What lies on the other side? Piles of glittering gems? Huge leviathans the size of galleons? Even better… Might there be a future for pirates like me? Next time, things will be different. I'll visit Magpie, the Shipwright, and buy a new vessel. Take my time, find a crew. We shall sail together.

The Lords of the Sea [ ]

Resting on a rock in foliage to the left of the ladder under the bridge below the shipwreck’s bowsprit.

Once, long ago, I was standing atop these cliffs and staring out to sea, quite lost in my own thoughts. Suddenly, there was an almighty crashing sound. It was a kraken, and one of the largest I'd seen for quite some years! I was so startled, I couldn't help but take a leap backwards in surprise. Once I'd picked myself up, battered and bloody, I decided to install this ladder in case any future visitors took a tumble in the same way. Nowadays, thanks to that fool Merrick, krakens aren't the only sea monsters to watch for. Megalodons are once more roaming freely beneath the waves. They can prove quite the challenge even for experienced pirates. Why, I once battled a monstrous pale skinned beast at—well, I'll save that tale for another time.

Paintings from the Past [ ]

At the camp near the peak of the second island.

Of all the unsolved mysteries that haunt my dreams, none are more tantalizing than the long-lost people known to pirates as 'The Ancients'. Their legacy can be felt all across the Sea of Thieves, from ruins that lurk under deep waters to clifftop paintings that shame my humbler efforts. They clearly had a great wealth of knowledge and had mastered many curses and other arcane powers… and yet, something drove them to leave. Maybe some great war or calamity struck their civilization? Perhaps it was simply time for them to move on. The truth, as it always has, eludes us all.

Making Camp [ ]

In a crate by the campfire inside the cave below the tallest peak. Follow the path up from the bridge and use the lever by the portcullis to access the cave.

Even with all the wonders I've experienced, it's the simple things in life remain the most enjoyable. Tonight, that's a hot meal roasted over a roaring fire. Fresh fruit's all well and good, but if you take the time to properly prepare a meal, you'll feel all the better for it. The trick is to keep an eye on the dish and serve it up when it's perfectly cooked. No amount of grog can wash away the taste of burned food. With care and a bit of practice, even a humble splashtail can keep a pirate in good health with a full belly. At least they're good for something!

A Ship That Fits [ ]

Follow the path past the campfire down into the Rowboat cave. The journal is up near the grate to the left upon entering the cave.

We've all seen what happens when huge armadas try to make it through the Devil's Shroud, and it's not pretty. Screaming sailors and splintered ships. I learned long ago that smaller crews have a better chance of making it along the twisting routes that provide safe passage to the Sea of Thieves. A lone traveler is best served by a sloop. They're small and nimble, though their size comes at the expense of firepower. Larger crews must learn to sail a brigantine, or even the mighty galleon - a commanding sight with her eight cannons and three great sails. Then, of course, we have the humble rowboat. These tiny craft can be carried by the other larger ships and are perfect for retaining the element of surprise…

My Secret Plan [ ]

Resting on a stool inside the Pirate Lord’s Hideout. See the Secrets section above on how to access the Hideout.

If you're reading this, you've broken into my strongbox, which makes you a worthy pirate indeed! Worthy enough to hear my plan. Transforming this old stomping ground of mine into a safe haven for travelers has sparked something deep within my soul. It is the flame of an idea — a great tavern, far more magnificent than the usual pubs and alehouses, known only to truly legendary pirates. A den that sold only the finest plunder, where hardened adventurers and cunning sea dogs could meet to swap stories of gold and glory. If you make it to the Sea of Thieves, and should your heart desire a real challenge, heed my words: seek Athena's Fortune. I shall be waiting.

Quest Items [ ]

• Old Sailor's Chest
• Old Sailor’s Key

Commendations, Rewards and Titles [ ]

Commendations [ ].

The following Title can be equipped at the Vanity Chest after finishing the Maiden Voyage:

• Maiden Voyager - After braving the journey through the shroud you have reached the Sea of Thieves!
• When the player finds and sits in the Rowboat , a rendition of "Row Row Row Your Boat" starts playing.
• Therefore it can be determined that Old Sailor Isle is south of Thieves' Haven, just beyond the Devil's Shroud.

Gallery [ ]

The Player finally arriving at the Sea of Thieves, towards what's supposedly Thieves' Haven

• Sea of Thieves
• 1 Commendations

• What is a Maiden Voyage?

The term maiden voyage refers to the first expedition made by a vessel after its performance has been tested. The term has also been used to mean a person’s first time doing something. Before a ship’s maiden voyage, a bottle of alcohol (usually champagne) is broken over the ship’s bow for good luck. The history associated with maiden voyages dates back to ancient times with ancient civilizations having special ceremonies to invoke their gods to protect them on long ocean voyages. The ancients brought shrines into their ships, and the tradition proceeded long into the Middle Ages. Most ships have successful maiden voyages; however, some have been tragic, with the most famous being the RMS Titanic.

Notable Maiden Voyages

The rms titanic.

The RMS Titanic was one of the world’s most famous ships not only because it was the largest ship at the time of its completion but also because it met a tragic end during its maiden voyage. The owners of the Titanic chose to forego the traditional elaborate ship launching ceremony. The ship’s maiden voyage began on April 10, 1912, under the command of Captain Edward Smith with about 2,224 people on board. Two days after the ship’s launch at around 11:40 pm the ship struck an iceberg on the starboard side which allowed water to get into the ship. The ship took around 2 hours and 40 minutes to completely sink with the death toll estimated at more than 1,500 people. Most of the deaths were due to the ship’s crew not being adequately prepared for such an event and the ship not having enough lifeboats.

Launched on June 10, 1875, the Mohawk was owned by William T. Garner and was the largest racing yacht of the time at 140 feet. The yacht’s doomed maiden voyage began on July 20, 1876, off Staten Island with the entire Garner family on board. A sudden violent gust of wind struck the yacht making it capsize. The accident had no survivor as everyone on board drowned. The yacht was later recovered and renamed the Eagre. The Eagre participated in a survey of the Nantucket Shoals led by Lieutenant E.M. Hughes.

The Vasa was constructed at the command of King Gustavus Adolphus as the flagship of the standby regiment. The ship was under the command of Captain Sofring Hansson who received the command to set sail on the ship’s maiden voyage on August 10, 1628, from Alvsnabben. After a journey of approximately 4,200 feet to Tegelviken, water began filling the ship from the open gun ports. A strong wind had filled the ship’s sails, and because it was unstable, it was unable to right itself when forced on the port side. Thirty people died in spite of all the efforts of ships nearby. The ship was salvaged in 1961 and is now a major tourist attraction.

Safety Standards on Present-day Vessels

To prevent a catastrophic loss of life on a transport vessel stringent safety requirements have been set up. All ships are required to have enough lifeboats for all the people on board and the crew expected to be trained on proper evacuation procedures. Transport vessels are only certified once they have proven to have met all the required safety measures.

• World Facts

More in World Facts

The Largest Countries In Asia By Area

The World's Oldest Civilizations

Is England Part of Europe?

Olympic Games History

Southeast Asian Countries

How Many Countries Are There In Oceania?

Is Australia A Country Or A Continent?

Is Turkey In Europe Or Asia?

Personal tools

• Create account

Navigation menu

• View source
• View history
• Recent changes
• Random page
• Community portal
• Admin noticeboard
• Wiki Discord
• Official Website
• Official Forums
• Official Discord
• Official Twitter
• Official YouTube
• Official Twitch
• Official Facebook
• Official Instagram
• Official TikTok
• Official Support
• Official Player's Guide
• Community Subreddit
• Community Discord
• SoT Interactive Map
• What links here
• Related changes
• Special pages
• Printable version
• Permanent link
• Page information
• Page values
• Cite this page

In other languages

Maiden voyage.

The Maiden Voyage is a standalone introductory Tall Tale released with the December 2019 Sea of Thieves Festival of Giving (2019) Content Update.

• 1 Mechanics
• 2.1.1 Pirate Lord Dialogue
• 2.2.1 Cooking and Fishing
• 2.2.2 Cannon Fire
• 2.2.3 The Rowboat Cave
• 2.3 Secrets
• 3 Pirate Lord's Journals
• 4 Quest Items
• 5 Commendations
• 9 Patch history

The Maiden Voyage is very different from any other Tall Tale in the game, but it is listed as such under the Reputation Menu with its own Commendations , Rewards and Titles .

The main difference is that this Tall Tale is a solo adventure and cannot be voted on. Instead, players are tasked with completing this voyage after creating their pirate in the Infinite Pirate Generator and before setting sail to the Sea of Thieves . The Maiden Voyage can always be replayed from the Main Menu, where there is a designated button for the voyage in the bottom-right corner.

The Maiden Voyage

The main NPC related to this Tale is the ghostly Pirate Lord himself, guiding the player through the main aspects of the game on Old Sailor's Isle , a large island hidden in the Devil's Shroud .

Players are introduced to eating food , fighting with weapons , using equipment items and a X Marks the Spot Map to dig up an Old Sailor's Chest , maintaining a Sloop 's mast , repairs , sails , anchor and wheel and shooting cannons .

After all of these actions are performed, the player can then sail through the Devil's Shroud towards The Sea of Thieves .

Pirate Lord Dialogue

Pirate Lord

You look a little worse for wear, my friend. You must be on quite the journey. I should eat something, if I were you. A full belly can do wonders for your spirits. Once you're in good health, we'll speak properly.

After eating the Banana

There, you look better already. Maybe even strong enough to reach the Sea of Thieves. These days they call me The Pirate Lord, but back when I discovered this place I was just a bold explorer like you. I dreamt of finding uncharted waters filled with treasures and rife with danger, where every sunrise brought a new adventure... You've been brave to make it this far. Not many do. Now you've one last crossing to make. You'll want some trusty steel at your side, though. There's a sword in those trees whose owner doesn't seem to need it any more.

After receiving the Cutlass

There's far more to being a pirate than a blade in your hand and a love of other people's money. It's about finding your way through ancient caverns by lamplight, digging up long-lost treasures... ... and raising a frothing great tankard of grog when you live to tell the tale! For all of that, you'll need the right equipment. You can start by taking this old shovel.

After taking the Shovel

I stowed a few belongings around here back in the day. The map will show you the way.

After giving the Old Sailor's Chest to the Pirate Lord

Ah, my old chest! Let's see if she still hides her secrets.

After switching to the Flintlock

A fine weapon. She'll serve you well out there.

After you are done with your Equipment

There! Now you look like a true pirate. There's plenty more to see, so why not stretch your legs and explore? I'll be here when you're ready to leave.

Once you are ready to leave

Well now, I'd say you're as ready as you'll ever be for what's ahead. Allow me to show you the path... The Shroud is beginning to part, but you have one more task before your journey continues. You may be ready to sail, but your ship still needs repairs. Go, and tend to her wounds!

Once you set sail

Other Interactions

Cooking and fishing.

In addition to the base mechanics, Old Sailor's Isle is hiding the introduction to a couple of additional mechanics, hinted at in the Maiden Voyage Commendations , hidden in the Tall Tales section of the Reputation Menu.

Curious players can learn the cooking of food, by either killing any of the island's chicken for meat , or catching some fish with a fishing rod (which by itself is introduced when taking out the fishing rod item) and putting these food items on a campfire . There are two campfires on Old Sailor's Isle , one right by where the player spawns near the Pirate Lord , and another hidden inside a Cave.

Cannon Fire

Players are taught how to use the Cannons once they are aboard their Sloop , however attentive players will find an additional Cannon on the shipwreck of the Magpie's Fortune with a handful of Cannonballs in the Cannonball Barrel below. Here, players are taught that they can not only shoot Cannonballs out of Cannons, but also themselves!

The Rowboat Cave

At the island with the tallest peak, players will find a closed-off door with a Lever to open it. This will lead players to a hidden Cave with an additional Campfire and two steps of interactable objects to reveal the Cave's final secret. Players will need to drop a drawbridge by using a Capstan and then use a Pulley to lift another wooden door. This will lead players to a lonely Rowboat with a complete tutorial on how to use these small vessels.

Despite being a tutorial island, Old Sailor's Isle has quite a few secrets hidden away, which are all hinted at in the Maiden Voyage Commendations . The most notable secret is the rowboat cave described above, however, there are still a few hidden valuables on the island. Upon careful searching, players can find up to 10 journals hidden away on Old Sailor's Isle , which are all documented with their locations in the "Journals" section below.

The ultimate hidden secret of Old Sailor's Isle is the Pirate Lord 's Hideout below the Magpie's Fortune. A more attentive player can find that there is a locked hatch below the massive shipwreck, seemly requiring a key.

Pirate Lord's Journals

There are 10 journals written by the Pirate Lord that are hidden on Old Sailor's Isle during the Maiden Voyage. All 10 of these Journals have to be found and read for A Storied Crossing Commendation . The Journal transcriptions are presented below, with the Expand button showing the exact locations of each Journal. Reading these Journals is also part of Seasons ' Trials.

Regarding Merfolk

Inside the cabin of the shipwreck found on the northwest point of the island.

A new landmark! This stricken ship certainly wasn't here during my last visit. There's no sign of her crew, so perhaps they fell overboard and met their end. Things are very different on the Sea of Thieves — thanks in no small part to my own adventures, I must confess. We have an... arrangement... with the merfolk who live deep under the waves. Should any pirate become lost at sea, stranded, they'll help them back to their ship. If you should find yourself flung overboard, traveller, look for the merfolk's beacon before the sharks get your scent. You'll be glad you did!

The Sea of the Damned

In the cave hidden behind the waterfall found southwest of the campfire along the starting path.

Not all my journeys to this island are happy ones. Today I stumbled onto this poor soul, map still in their hands. To think, they were so close... No matter how swiftly we sail or how sharp our aim, it is only a matter of time before the Reaper's hand clamps down upon our shoulder. I am fortunate to have had a friend with wisdom enough to know this. Thanks to her, I live on beyond my years... at least in spirit. For younger pirates, another hope presents itself. When they perish, their souls are saved from drifting alone through the Sea of the Damned. If you should die on the Sea of Thieves and find yourself in the Ferryman's company, know this: he deserves your respect, for he has made the greatest sacrifice of all...

They Gave It a Name

On the railing to the right of the Magpie's Fortune' s wheel .

'The Sea of Thieves'. That's what they're calling it nowadays. The genie is out of the bottle, and more pirates are finding their way there every day. Some are looking to hide — from their enemies, from their pasts, from the Grand Maritime Union - while others have heard the call to adventure. It's only a matter of time before they reach this island, too. Maybe they'll be dreaming about all the Sea of Thieves has to offer, just as I was. If that's the shape of things to come, I'd be a fool to complain. Instead, I'll stow a few supplies around the place for those who need them. Things work differently beyond the Shroud. Better, for the most part, but newcomers will have to think on their feet if they're to survive.

Lost Secrets

On the railing of the Magpie's Fortune' s Crow's Nest .

Blast it all! The key to my ship's hold is missing. It must have slipped from my pocket at some point in my time here. Between this and that business with Rathbone, I'm developing a bad habit of losing the keys to my belongings. Perhaps it made its bid for freedom from my jacket when I climbed up for a drink of fresh spring water. It's another lost treasure now.

So Near and Yet...

Resting next to the broken barrels on the lowest level of the front half of the Magpie's Fortune .

You've really done it this time, Ramsey. It's one thing to return to your favourite island and quite another to wreck your ship at the heart of it! I was bound to get careless sooner or later. This place has been my little secret for so long now. I couldn't wait to get back here. To dream... I'm so close to the Shroud, I feel like I could reach out and touch it. I'm not ready to sport a hook for a hand, though. Not yet, anyway! What lies on the other side? Piles of glittering gems? Huge leviathans the size of galleons? Even better... Might there be a future for pirates like me? Next time, things will be different. I'll visit Magpie, the Shipwright, and buy a new vessel. Take my time, find a crew. We shall sail together.

The Lords of the Sea

Resting on a rock in foliage to the left of the ladder by the bridge below the shipwreck's bowsprit.

Once, long ago, I was standing atop these cliffs and staring out to sea, quite lost in my own thoughts. Suddenly, there was an almighty crashing sound. It was a kraken, and one of the largest I'd seen for quite some years! I was so startled, I couldn't help but take a leap backwards in surprise. Once I'd picked myself up, battered and bloody, I decided to install this ladder in case any future visitors took a tumble in the same way. Nowadays, thanks to that fool Merrick, krakens aren't the only sea monsters to watch for. Megalodons are once more roaming freely beneath the waves. They can prove quite the challenge even for experienced pirates. Why, I once battled a monstrous pale skinned beast at—well, I'll save that tale for another time.

Paintings from the Past

On the ground atop the peak of the second island, near a stool and rock painting.

Of all the unsolved mysteries that haunt my dreams, none are more tantalising than the long-lost people known to pirates as 'The Ancients'. Their legacy can be felt all across the Sea of Thieves, from ruins that lurk under deep waters to clifftop paintings that shame my humbler efforts. They clearly had a great wealth of knowledge and had mastered many curses and other arcane powers... and yet, something drove them to leave. Maybe some great war or calamity struck their civilisation? Perhaps it was simply time for them to move on. The truth, as it always has, eludes us all.

Making Camp

In a crate by the campfire inside a gated-off cave found along the tunnel through the tallest peak. Use the nearby lever to access the cave.

Even with all the wonders I've experienced, it's the simple things in life remain the most enjoyable. Tonight, that's a hot meal roasted over a roaring fire. Fresh fruit's all well and good, but if you take the time to properly prepare a meal, you'll feel all the better for it. The trick is to keep an eye on the dish and serve it up when it's perfectly cooked. No amount of grog can wash away the taste of burned food. With care and a bit of practice, even a humble splashtail can keep a pirate in good health with a full belly. At least they're good for something!

A Ship That Fits

Found by following the path past the campfire where "Making Camp" is found down into the lowest area with the rowboat. The journal is up on a ledge near a grate and ladder to the left if entering the cave from the gated path.

We've all seen what happens when huge armadas try to make it through the Devil's Shroud, and it's not pretty. Screaming sailors and splintered ships. I learned long ago that smaller crews have a better chance of making it along the twisting routes that provide safe passage to the Sea of Thieves. A lone traveller is best served by a sloop. They're small and nimble, though their size comes at the expense of firepower. Larger crews must learn to sail a brigantine, or even the mighty galleon - a commanding sight with her eight cannons and three great sails. Then, of course, we have the humble rowboat. These tiny craft can be carried by the other larger ships and are perfect for retaining the element of surprise...

My Secret Plan

Resting on a stool inside the locked hold of the Magpie's Fortune . See the secrets section above on how to access it.

If you're reading this, you've broken into my strongbox, which makes you a worthy pirate indeed! Worthy enough to hear my plan. Transforming this old stomping ground of mine into a safe haven for travellers has sparked something deep within my soul. It is the flame of an idea — a great tavern, far more magnificent than the usual pubs and alehouses, known only to truly legendary pirates. A den that sold only the finest plunder, where hardened adventurers and cunning sea dogs could meet to swap stories of gold and glory. If you make it to the Sea of Thieves, and should your heart desire a real challenge, heed my words: seek Athena's Fortune. I shall be waiting.

Quest Items

• Old Sailor's Chest
• Old Sailor's Key

Commendations

The following Title can be equipped at the Vanity Chest after finishing the Maiden Voyage:

• When the player finds and sits in the rowboat , a rendition of "Row Row Row Your Boat" starts playing.
• With this in mind it is quite possible that Old Sailor Isle is south of Thieves' Haven, just beyond the Devil's Shroud.

The final scene of the player entering the Sea of Thieves, sailing towards what's Thieves' Haven .

Patch history

• The parting sequence and passage through the Devil's Shroud during the Maiden Voyage have received a suite of improvements to visual fidelity, enhancing the visuals of the Shroud itself and clarity of direction for players.
• There is no longer an invisible wall blocking the path when exploring Old Sailor Isle during the Maiden Voyage.
• During the Maiden Voyage there should now be a ‘Climb Ladder’ prompt while on the crow's nest of the fallen mast.
• Introduced.
• Pages using Tabber parser tag
• Pages with broken file links