Philip Marsham was bred to the sea as far back as the days when he was cutting his milk teeth. His mother died when he was but a child. A few years later, he ran away from school to join his father aboard the ship, Sarah. In his nineteenth year, Phil was stricken with fever while his father sailed with the Sarah. Phil was sent to regain his health at an inn owned by Moll Stevens. This was in London, England, during the reign of Charles I.