Sailing alone around the world
by Joshua Slocum · first published 1800
82% recommend18% neutral
Why HN recommends it
First-person account of the first solo circumnavigation of the world, valued as a classic adventure memoir about sailing alone; engrossing and a good read for anyone interested in sailing or ocean voyaging.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Joshua Slocum, one of the most famous of American sea captains, really was the first to single-handedly circumnavigate the world. The epitome of Yankee independence, he had risen from a seaman to the captain of his own ship. Marooned in Brazil, he built a "canoe" in which he returned to America (see The Voyage of the Liberdade). At loose ends at fifty-one, he was offered an old oyster boat which he rebuilt into the 37' Spray and in 1895 he took off from Boston for the Straits of Gibraltar. He is a captivating writer as well; observant, humorous, and evocative: "For, one day, well off the Patag
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> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_Alone_Around_the_World Yes, the Joshua Slocum book, a classic well worth reading. My book isn't in the same league, but it's developed a loyal following over the years -- it's online and free: http://arachnoid.com/sailbook…
on “SpaceX update: The engine did not explode” ↗Two of my favorite books about sailing are: Sailing Alone Around the World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_Alone_Around_the_World about Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail around the world alone Confessions of a Long Distance Sailor https://arachnoid.com/sailbook/…
on “42-inch yacht still hoping to become the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic” ↗This is a good book, I'd also recommend the story of the first man to sail around the world alone, Joshua Slocum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_Alone_Around_the_World https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6317
on “Home is a small, engineless sailboat (2018)” ↗I've been listening to audiobooks from Librivox and stories of the circumnavigation of the globe have been interesting: - _Sailing Alone Around The World_ Joshua Slocum - _Around the World on a Bicycle_ Thomas Stevens Apparently the first person do circumnavigate the globe using commercial transport was an Englishman (anyone know the name?) who did it…
on “In Korean wilds and villages (1938)” ↗Erskine Childers' "The Riddle of the Sands", an analysis of German naval ambitions pre-WWI masquerading as a tense work of fiction. Joshua Slocum's "Sailing Alone Around the World". Slocum does that. George Ade, any of his works: he was the logical successor as a humorist to Mark Twain, yet his work doesn't wear all that well since he was in love with turn-of-the-20th-century…
on “Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?” ↗Wow, that was interesting. re: ""The handwritten cards show that in 1925, decades before he wrote his novel The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway was borrowing Joshua Slocum’s memoir, Sailing Alone Around the World."" A bit off topic, but Joshua Slocum’s book "Sailing Alone Around the World" sort-of changed my life after I read it when I was about 10. His writing was so good, I felt like I was sailing with him.…
on “Legendary Paris bookshop reveals reading habits of illustrious clientele” ↗Joshua Slocum - Sailing Alone Around the World A fascinating account of the first solo circumnavigation of the world. Definitely a digital detox that will prep you the next book in this list http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6317 John Esquemeling…
on “Ask HN: Good books written before ~1900?” ↗I really think that the subject of solo circumnavigation should be a natural part of the study of history. To expand on this, also see: - Joshua Slocum _Sailing Alone Around The World_ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6317/6317-h/6317-h.htm - Half-Safe: The Story of the Jeep/Boat That Drove Around the World https://gearjunkie.com/motors/half-safe-jeep-boat-overland-a... - The First…
on “Thomas Stevens (Cyclist)” ↗I love “Sailing Alone Around the World” by Joshua Slocum. He was the first to do so. I always wanted to build a replica of his boat (plans are available) and do some solo sailing, but maybe not around the world.
on “Sailing from Berkeley to Hawaii in a 19ft Sailboat” ↗Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Sloacum.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗Another great book about the same topic (sailing around the world), albeit written in a slightly different time: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_Alone_Around_the_World
on “SpaceX update: The engine did not explode” ↗…Born To Run which gave me new insight into running, a sport I'm just getting started with. Currently reading Cooper's About Face (only technical book on the list :-) and about to start Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗They exist, but generally for more significant voyaging. For example - Joshua Slocum - Sailing Alone Around The World (1900) - H.W.Tilman - Mishief Among The Penguins (1961) - Sir Alec Rose - My Lively Lady (1968) - Annie Hill - Voyaging on a Small Income (1993) at least are on my bookshelf
on “50k Boat Names” ↗