If you are less so, reading the enotation is quick and easy and doesn't distract from the reading itself. There are also numerous notations tied to geography, idiomatic phrases and bits of history. Often the enotations are just fun in their own right. For sufficient reasons, I left that timepiece at home, where the Dutchman left his anchor.
Sailing without stop forever doesn't require an anchor, which the Dutchman, therefore, left at home. The annotations can also add context. Two other features are included in this edition. The original illustrations are included, which can be blown up to full screen size with a click, a feature not usually available on a Kindle book. Also each paragraph is numbered making it easier to keep track of if reading as part of a book club or study group. Slocum's achievements and books are amazing. However, since they take place in the late s, and involve sailing, there are many, many terms which most people reading them today don't know.
That can make the reading tedious.
Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum
But, with an instant ability to see what each term means, the real impact of the story and Slocum's accomplishment comes through. He was the first person to sail around the world alone. A beautifully written yarn from start to finish, with plenty of humor, excitement, and interesting characters throughout. A must read book! See all 6 reviews. What other items do customers buy after viewing this item? Sailing alone around the world: A voyage beyond imagination Kindle Edition. A Literal Journey Kindle Edition.
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Sailing anywhere alone is dangerous enough to be exciting, even if you don't leave sight of land. Sailing alone around the world is a tremendous accomplishment even today. Imagine, then, what it would have been like to do it in the late 19th C Note: Imagine, then, what it would have been like to do it in the late 19th Century, without electronic navigation, a radio, an outboard motor for getting in and out of ports, or even a good clock. Well, you don't have to imagine it, because between April and June Captain Joshua Slocum made the trip, and in he wrote a book about it.
Here it is for you to read, the story of the first person ever confirmed to have sailed around the world alone, written by the man himself. The book concerns itself largely with how he did it, rebuilding an old oyster boat into a world cruiser, choosing his course, repairing and modifying his boat en route, finding the occasional cargo to sell further along his voyage and meeting helpful people along the way.
He had a few adventures but doesn't make much of them. Never does he hint that he considered himself an unusually good sailor; but then, in his day, people who had spent decades at sea on sailing vessels weren't as rare as they are today. The Age of Sail was ending. A large part of Slocum's voyage was his hopes that sailing, book sales, and paid lectures would give him the resources he needed to see him through his old age. In a sense they did see him through to the end of his life. Getting low on money again, on November 14, , he sailed south intending to explore the coast and rivers of South America.
He was never seen again.
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Nov 21, Monty Milne rated it really liked it. How I envied Captain Slocum when he described days spent in peaceful reading, his bark gliding over sunlit seas, always bang on course - even after hundreds of miles. I did not envy him at all when wild seas broke over him, and he spent exhausting nights reefing sails and untangling rigging. I have done a lot of sailing - thanks to being the son of a fanatical yachtsman - but I have never been more than a semi-competent deckhand. Slocum's unerring navigational instinct filled me with awe, especi How I envied Captain Slocum when he described days spent in peaceful reading, his bark gliding over sunlit seas, always bang on course - even after hundreds of miles.
Slocum's unerring navigational instinct filled me with awe, especially when I recollect a time on my father's yacht in the Aegean, many years ago, when we emerged from below deck to see my two younger teenage brothers , stark naked at the wheel, silhouetted against a starlit sky and laughing wildly with the intoxication of the warm breath of Aeolus rushing over the wine dark sea Slocum must have been rather odd - and one gets glimpses of his oddity from time to time - but this does not detract from his achievement, or the power of his writing.
The pages exhale the flavour of the ocean, just as a good oyster does as it slips down one's throat. And some of the incidents while the boat is at anchor are just as fascinating - such as his meeting with President Kruger of the Transvaal, refusing to believe Slocum had sailed round the world because the Bible told him the earth was flat - and the Indians of Tierra del Fuego, howling with rage as their barefoot attempts to rob the sleeping Slocum are thwarted by the tin tacks spread liberally on the deck.
And the whole book is given added poignancy by the knowledge that after it was written, Slocum and the Spray made another voyage - and were never heard of again Oct 24, Alan rated it it was amazing Shelves: One of the great maritime autobiographies, beginning in New Bedford--well, across the harbor in Fairhaven where Slocum reworked an unpromising vessel for a year or slightly more. An old oyster sloop, it had been out of commission since when seven years later Slocum was offered it for free, moving it from Poverty Point up to his house on the Acushnet River.
I taught Sailing Alone a couple times to my Freshman Comp class at a local community college, the last in a five book course that would One of the great maritime autobiographies, beginning in New Bedford--well, across the harbor in Fairhaven where Slocum reworked an unpromising vessel for a year or slightly more. Slocum is a first-class ironist, and he parodies such voyage stories as RH Dana's: There was never s ship's crew so well agreed" Many passages are well known, such his politically incorrect but life-saving use of tacks, and his adding a rear mast to sail N from Magellan Straits into the Pacific.
Then there are the barrels of fat he picked up and used to produce and sell donuts to the Islanders, at Valima, Samoa where R L Stevenson had lived.
Sailing Alone around the World
Local descendants of Slocum vehemently denied that he'd ever done any such thing. But I had taught the book several times, and they must not have completed it. Jul 15, Duncan rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: In Joshua Slocum, forced from the sea when square riggers finally lost their place permanently to steamships, rebuilt a small oyster smack and began to sail it around the world.
Radio was in its infancy and the world was not quite completely at war yet. He left Boston and tried to sail around Cape Horn three times. Failing this, he went the other way, completely around the world. Along the way he was greeted as a hero, feted by yacht clubs and navies, chased by pirates, buffeted by typhoons In Joshua Slocum, forced from the sea when square riggers finally lost their place permanently to steamships, rebuilt a small oyster smack and began to sail it around the world. Along the way he was greeted as a hero, feted by yacht clubs and navies, chased by pirates, buffeted by typhoons and visited by the ghost of Columbus.
His boat Spray is almost as famous as he is. He navigated with a tin clock using the celestial movements of the moon to find his position and tied himself to his mast during storms. He was the first person to sail around the world alone. His memoir of the journey is personable and amusing, as well as instructive for those of us who dream sometimes of casting off. His language is laconic and spare but his personality is generous.
As a story teller is a sure pilot. This book is a classic and is thoroughly enjoyable. Apr 18, Tuck rated it it was amazing Shelves: The Hard Way Around: Nov 19, Wdayne rated it it was amazing. I finished this book a couple of weeks ago, and I still think about it daily. That is the mark of a great book to me. Josh Slocum was not afraid of the ocean, he understood it's every breath. When you read this tale you feel like you can do it too, and I rank this with one of the most impressive feats that a person could accomplish even today.
This is basically the old man's diary. He tells the state of the world from a worldly perspective, in other words he's seen both sides of the globe and he I finished this book a couple of weeks ago, and I still think about it daily. He tells the state of the world from a worldly perspective, in other words he's seen both sides of the globe and he knows the truth. He knows a bit about sailing and boats also.
I would recommend this book to anyone, but to those with an adventurous soul, this book will change the way you think about moving through the world. Apr 28, John Behle rated it did not like it. I thought I would like the o's style of writing. Hey, heading off on a globe-girdling trip in your home rehabbed 36 footer is gutsy. I had heard of this saga. But it did not fill my sails.
I surmise that 38 months at sea would get to be tedious. That is what I started feeling. Jan 31, Mihai Leonte rated it liked it. I loved reading about his route and tracking it on Google Maps as I went through the book. And also his experiences with the locals on all the islands and capes. His tendency to "humble-brag" every other chapter became annoying really fast and by the end of the book I was glad to put it down because of it.
Despite the recommendation from a fellow member of the Adventure Reading Group I was a little leery going in as I thought that due to copyright date the writing style might be a little too old school and bland. I also enjoyed reading about his seamanship skills and ability to navigate, at times not having to determine longitude because he knew where he was by the ripples in the sea. Some of the views of the people he encountered seemed out of date even for the late s. I guess it goes without saying but reading this book enforced the notion that it was a very different world just over a hundred years ago.
Captain Slocum also had a very nonchalant attitude towards being the first person to sail solo around the world and after over three years at sea he writes about sailing into a tornado just off the coast of New York as though it was just another day on the seas. My only complaint about the book was that he seemed to get bogged down in writing about passing through Strait of Magellan. It took a long time but it seems to take up a disproportionate amount of the book while he also wrote sparingly about some other areas that I thought could have been expanded on.
Jan 19, Ned rated it it was ok. After hearing about this book many times in the NYT Book Review, various online publications , I finally decided to sit down and read it. A man, all alone, sailing around the world with his tiller lashed and reading belowdecks, what's not to love? Quite a lot, actually. Slocum glosses over the parts that would interest modern readers storms at sea, exotic islands and belabors his meetings with now insignificant historical figures, e.
You can almost hear Slocum dropping names and crowing over his brushes with late 19th century celebrity.
There are warning signs early on, as the unreliable narrator gives an embarrassingly transparent account of hitting someone else's boat in harbor, and somehow managing to fault them for it. It would have been an effective fictional device, but here it merely presages a self-absorbed, ultimately dull author. After finishing this book and reading up on Slocum, I was dismayed but unsurprised to learn that the author was arrested for child molestation in and denied all memory of the incident.
What did surprise me was learning that modern analysis of his boat's design revealed it to be supremely unstable and that his death at sea was only a matter of time and luck. I was fortunate not to be aware of this fact while I was reading; a full third of this book is given over to loving detail and boasting about the boat that ultimately killed the author. The only mystery of Sailing Alone Around the World is why so many people tolerate the banal musings of a sociopath; he may have had the greatest view in the world, but it's one he never bothers sharing with the reader.
Jun 06, Sylvester rated it liked it Shelves: What an undertaking this was! While reading this book I was continually amazed at the understated courage of Capt. Slocum and his thorough knowledge of the sea. He has this way of making it sound almost every-day, or, at least not nearly the astounding endeavor that it really was. Not only was he in danger of storms and winds and of losing course, but he was also in danger from land — and he had tricks up his sleeve for this, which are humorous from the vantage point of my spot on the couch — not so much, think, in the actual moment.
Another thing I loved — J. I did a lot of reading while in a canoe when I was a kid, but a sail-boat would really take the cake. An incredible man and voyage. Stevenson next — one of the books Slocum had on his trip. Voyage of the Snark 2. Sailing Alone Around the World 3. Mar 03, George rated it really liked it Shelves: The title says it all.
This is the true story of the American who decided to sail around the world by himself in a boat that he built. It takes place during the late 's, when steam was taking over commercial freight. The journey is full of adventure and altruism. He runs from and shoots pirates, battles storms, avoids warships in hostile waters, dines with noblemen and women stationed or vacationing around the globe, and mixes with the locals in the south pacific.
And he is usually welcomed The title says it all. And he is usually welcomed with generosity and hospitality. Why someone would attempt this is difficult to say, but I find it to be the most intriguing aspect of this great feat. Surprisingly the author doesn't get into it too much. I'm guessing its complicated and personal What distinguishes this mid-life crisis is that Slocum is a man of vast nautical skill, cunning and bravery.
He navigates by the sun and stars, and alone does the work that an entire crew usually does - captain, crew, shipbuilder and cook. I recommend this to anyone that likes true stories of adventure. Nov 16, Ach rated it really liked it. If I was the first person to sail round the globe solo - in a wooden boat I designed and built - I'd think I was awesome.
If Joshua Slocum felt that way he doesn't show it, and that's what I really like about this book.
There's lots of description of amazing stuff, but mostly it's about things he saw, rather than the stuff he did. I harpooned him and took out hi If I was the first person to sail round the globe solo - in a wooden boat I designed and built - I'd think I was awesome. I harpooned him and took out his ugly jaws. But Slocum was a professional sailor, so the voyage you read about is the one a professional would see, not the one I imagined. Even the trip around the Cape of Good Hope, his "the greatest adventure," is short, and mostly about how lucky he felt that his boat didn't sink.
This is about as understated an adventure story as there could be, and all the better for it. Nov 10, Ryan Miller rated it it was amazing. I loved this book. Slocum's circumnavigation of the world was an incredible feat, but the greatness of the story is the way he went about it.
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He came across an old clam boat sitting in the middle of a field in New England and fixed it up - the boat was about a hundred years old already! He fixed the boat up and set off.
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- Tom the Turkey (The Adventures of Tom the Turkey Book 1);
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He wasn't motivated to set the record of the first solo circumnavigator, but just loved the adventure. He was self deprecating throughout the book - he always gave credit to the I loved this book. He was self deprecating throughout the book - he always gave credit to the Spray, his boat.
My favorite part of the book was the end, when he talks about how the journey affected him. He said he felt and looked at least ten years younger. He said he had been happy since the day he saw the old boat sitting in the empty field and started fixing it up. Slocum was a true optimist throughout. This book is funny, light-hearted, and a great adventure story. I'm sure I'll read this book again someday, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves reading and dreaming about adventure. May 28, Rozzer rated it it was amazing Shelves: Because this is the ultimate travel book.
This is the relation of a one-man journey literally around the world on the surface of the ocean before the existence of radios and other nice, self-preserving gadgets. In the very late 's, this man, a professional sailor, took his final voyages by himself in a tiny though well constructed sloop. Facing the travails of the sea alone. I don't think any of us today can really appreciate what he faced. And no one hereafter ever w Why?
And no one hereafter ever will. Videos About This Book. Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In he wrote a book about his journey 'Sailing Alone Around the World', which became an international best-seller.