John Legoe was born at Trefresa Farm near the village of Rock in the Parish of St Minver, North Cornwall.
He was appointed commodore of the Orient Line company, in charge of the new clipper Yatala which made her first voyage to Adelaide in 1865, arriving 27 October after a journey of 88 days.
Once, according to a report difficult to verify, Legoe ran up the Port River under her own sail and safely berthed after a record voyage from London of 64 days.
Legoe fully responsible but in view of his long and faultless service and high character was given the relatively light sentence of six months suspension of his Certificate.
She was chartered by Francis S. Dutton, Agent-General for South Australia, to bring out migrants to Adelaide, leaving Plymouth on 23 February 1874[9] and arriving 10 May 1874, a voyage of 77 days.
His last voyage was in charge of the Hesperus, on which brought his own family from Cornwall to settle in South Australia, left 19 July 1877 and arrived in October.