Product Description

Joshua Slocum's epic solo voyage around the world in 1895 in the 37-foot sloop Spray stands as one of the greatest sea adventures of all time. Starting from Boston in 1895, by the time he dropped anchor in Newport, Rhode Island over three years after his journey began, he had cruised some 46,000 miles entirely by sail and entirely alone. It remains one of the major feats of single-handed voyaging, and has since been the inspiration for the many who have gone to sea in small boat."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #545602 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-30
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'It is a timeless work that can be read again and again, and a story that totally absorbs the reader with it's enormity and honest endeavour' RNSA Journal; 'Slocum's prose is a model of its kind: honest, vivid, salty, and at times, lyrical' Traditional Boats and Tall Ships; 'One of the all-time classic sailing narratives' Classic Boat

About the Author
Joshua Slocum, a Massachusetts merchant, lived a long and adventurous life at sea. He became a legend by being the first person to sail around the globe alone in 1895 in a 37-foot sloop, Spray, that he rebuilt himself from a derelict oyster sloop. He is possibly the best known single-handed sailor ever to have lived.

Customer Reviews

The best part of Slocum is, his life's based on a true story
I have read any number of books by small boat sailors, but never have I enjoyed one more than this. Why? I love success stories, and Capt. Slocum was the sort who assured his success before he set out. He anticipated, and prepared for every contingency, and he succeeded in spite of doubters. But, what really sets the book apart is its language and the scope of knowledge of this third-grader. I gave most my other 'sea' books away, but will keep this one forever.

An understated epic of seamanship and adventure
I share other reviewers' enthusiasm for this book, but for me astonishment and admiration are the dominant emotions it evokes. At an age when most of us are ready to start taking it easy, and long before the days of modern aids to navigation and survival, Captain Slocum cobbles together his tiny boat and sets off around the world single-handed, braving wild seas and fending off wilder but barefoot natives with tin tacks scattered on the deck. Don't look for any modern angst or self-revelation as to why he decided to do it, or what drove him to persist when, for instance, it took him exhausting weeks of battling to get round the Horn. The whole saga is so quietly told that the man's huge competence, sagacity and sheer fortitude emerge only slowly. I'm no sailor, but this is one sailing book that I will always keep to hand for inspiration.

Top shelf true adventure reading!
Slocum eases the reader on an adventure around the world, baiting us along with peaceful respect for the sea, and a love of sloitude. No hollywood storms or disasters. He is as good at story telling as he is at sailing. I would recommend his work to non-sailors and non-adventurers alike. This is a slice of history as he visits the South Pacific and South America in the 1800's, quietly cruising past a world just comming to grips with expansion into unknown cultures and countries. A wise "old Salt" and a teriffic story teller!