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Loading... Sailing Alone around the World (1900)by Joshua Slocum
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. NF Readable and light-hearted account of his round the world sailing trip. He was the first to do it alone in the late 1890s, starting from New England and on to Europe, etc. He spent a lot of time on land at various places so it took him over three years. Endnotes and glossary at the end help you keep up with his references, slang, and sailing terms. Worthwhile. Born in Nova Scotia, Slocum was a naturalized American. He set off alone in 1895 and spent three years circumnavigaing the world in The Spray, a 37 foot sloop he mostly built himself. This is his personal account published in 1900. It was fun to read this with a map nearby to follow his route and the remote islands he visited. He didn't inflate his terrific achievement or what he endured apart from saying a couple of times that he felt a bit lonely. Curiously, the account had little about the actual sailing, but concentrated on places and people he met. The journey was not without events: he celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee while in Queensland, Australia and in Samoa met with Fanny, wife of Robert Louis Stevenson. Off the coast of Australia he encountered a whaling ship, a trade new to the seas at the time. The captain assured the crew that to kill a whale was "no different than killing a rabbit". It's only to be expected that the writing is dated and definitely not PC, but it's still an interesting memoir and it set the bar high for the explorers that followed. This is one of several books my son's friend John mailed to me as lockdown entertainment. Memoir of a man's circumnavigation of the world all alone, in a sloop (sail boat) built almost by himself, in the 1890s, what is not to like about this book? The idea itself is so fantastic that reading the account written by the man himself feels surreal. Except for the profusion of sailing jargon, the book is very well written, holding the reader's interest. This book is one of the greatest adventures I have read, more so because it is all true!
Forfatter: Joshua Slocum Da han i 1895 hev opp ankeret og forlot Boston, hadde han brukt et drøyt år på å restaurere et nedslitt skrog. Ut fra beskrivelsen må han ha nærmest ha bygget en ny båt, men navnet - Spray - beholdt han. Slocum seilte avgårde med lite penger og lite utstyr. Han hadde ikke råd til å sette i stand kronometeret sitt (en klokke som går helt helt nøyaktig og derfor avgjørende for riktig navigasjon) og kjøper en blikk-klokke med knust glass. Han navigerer seg allikevel dit han vil - hele tiden. På sin ferd møter Slocum ville Ildlandindianere som vil røve hans skip og hans last, han treffer oppdagelsesreisende Stanley i Afrika og blir kjent med enken etter forfatteren Robert Louis Stevensen på Samoa. Slocum skriver med humor og begeistring og har mange filsofiske betraktninger. Og tenk; vi er ikke bare i forrige århundre, vi er i det før der igjen. Selv om boken er godt over hundre år er den skrevet i et språk som vil glede lesere like mye i dag. Odd Børretzen har skrevet forord til denne utgaven. Forfatter: Joshua Slocum Da han i 1895 hev opp ankeret og forlot Boston, hadde han brukt et drøyt år på å restaurere et nedslitt skrog. Ut fra beskrivelsen må han ha nærmest ha bygget en ny båt, men navnet - Spray - beholdt han. Slocum seilte avgårde med lite penger og lite utstyr. Han hadde ikke råd til å sette i stand kronometeret sitt (en klokke som går helt helt nøyaktig og derfor avgjørende for riktig navigasjon) og kjøper en blikk-klokke med knust glass. Han navigerer seg allikevel dit han vil - hele tiden. På sin ferd møter Slocum ville Ildlandindianere som vil røve hans skip og hans last, han treffer oppdagelsesreisende Stanley i Afrika og blir kjent med enken etter forfatteren Robert Louis Stevensen på Samoa. Slocum skriver med humor og begeistring og har mange filsofiske betraktninger. Og tenk; vi er ikke bare i forrige århundre, vi er i det før der igjen. Selv om boken er godt over hundre år er den skrevet i et språk som vil glede lesere like mye i dag. Odd Børretzen har skrevet forord til denne utgaven. Belongs to Publisher Series — 12 more Is contained inIs abridged in
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. It remains one of the major feats of singlehanded voyaging, and has since been the inspiration for the many who have gone to sea in small boats. 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. Slocum's account of his epic voyage is a classic of sailing literature, acclaimed as an unequalled masterpiece of vital yet disciplined prose. It will be welcomed by admirers of his legendary achievement. 'It is a timeless work that can be read again and again, and a story that totally absorbs the reader with its enormity and honest endeavour' RNSA Journal No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)910.45History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography and Travel Accounts of travel and facilities for travellers Ocean voyages, piratesLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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