A WOMAN from Nefyn has adapted a book from Welsh to English for the benefit of her children.

Elinor Ellis from Nefyn has launched her adaptation of The Captain’s Wife, which was written in Welsh by maritime historian, Aled Eames.

Elinor wanted to adapt the book for her daughter and son who are not Welsh speakers, but whose ancestry is frequently mentioned in the publication.

The main part of the book is the diary of Ellen Owen, Minafon, Tudweiliog, when she was travelling with her husband Captain Thomas Owen who was the master mariner of the Cambrian Monarch. The diary records a voyage home from San Francisco round the Horn.

It is one of the few diaries written in Welsh by a woman in the age of sail (between the 16th century and the mid 19th century).

The Captain’s Wife is a tribute to a generation of women who faced great dangers at sea but also travelled the world with their master mariner husbands.

Of the translation, Elinor explained: “I adapted Aled Eames’ book into English for the benefit of my daughter and son who are not Welsh speakers.

“I must emphasise that it is not strictly a translation but an adaptation, with anecdotes of my own included in italics."

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