Book about alchemist searching for philosophers stone, sailing starship on the cover.

[sambraga]

I'm looking for a book, i think it was published by DAW, a starship with sails viewed bow on looks like a clipper ship, it was about an alchemist and apprentice looking for the philosophers stone....ends up finally making it and making gold and elixir of youth with it. Hope someone can help me find it.

 

[alchemist]

Re: Book about alchemist searching for philosophers stone, sailing starship on the co

Oh the fun we had on that trip. I got spacesick, y'know. Round asteroids and avoiding pirates, what a laugh with the young fella. Unfortunately I got so drunk I can't remeber what I called that diary. Sorry!

 

[CassFrank]

This is Star Winds by Barrington Bayley (1978, DAW) and is just as OP described including alchemists, flying ships, and the philosopher’s stone.

From back matter: “The sails were the product of the Old Technology, lost long ago in the depleted Earth, and they were priceless. For with those fantastic sheets of etheric material, ships could sail the sky and even brave the radiant tides between worlds and stars.

The alchemists who had replaced the scientists still sought the ancient secrets…and Rachad, apprentice to such a would-be wizard, learned that the key to his quest lay in a book abandoned in a Martian colonial ruin long, long ago.

But how to get to Mars? There was one way left—take a sea vessel, caulk it airtight, steal new sails, and fly the star winds in the way of the ancient windjammers.”

Star Winds - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Sounds like an interesting book!