Sailing Alone Around the World

I consider myself a fairly solitary person. I’m quite comfortable being alone for long periods of time. But, I cannot imagine the stretches of isolation that Captain Joshua Slocum experienced during his journey around the world onboard the Spray.

Slocum rebuilt his 37 foot yawl beginning in 1892 and after she was done:

…at last the time arrived to weigh anchor and get to sea in earnest. I had resolved on a voyage around the world, and as the wind on the morning of April 24, 1895, was fair, at noon I weighed anchor, set sail, and filled away from Boston, where the Spray had been mooored snugly all winter.

No big deal. Just getting in his boat and sailing around the world. And he accomplished the feat, returning home in the early hours of June 27, 1898, forty-six thousand miles and more than three years and two months later. Many of those months were spent alone. Just Slocum, the ship, and the sea.

The Spray. (Source: Wikipedia)

Sailing Alone Around the World is Joshua Slocum’s travelogue about his three year solo trip around the world. During his voyage he crossed the Atlantic three times and went through the straits of Tierra del Fuego twice. He met many interesting people and kept native pirates from taking his ship with mere thumbtacks expertly placed. He ate unlucky flying fish that landed on the Spray and shared his boat with a mischievous goat for a time. It’s a fascinating book not only for the journey, but also for how Slocum describes it.

I highly recommend the book for anyone who enjoys sailing, adventure, or just an interesting story.

The book