Sailing Alone Around The World by Captain Joshua Slocum – An Audio Book Review

Blurb:

Challenged by an expert who said it couldn’t be done, Joshua Slocum, a fearless New England sea captain, set out in April 1895 to prove that a man could sail alone around the world. A little over three years and forty-six thousand miles later, the proof was complete. This is Slocum’s own account of his remarkable adventures during the historic voyage of the Spray.

Whether Slocum was more accomplished as a writer or sailor is hard to say. His writing style is fast paced, witty, and exhilarating, an absorbing match to his harrowing adventures – adventures that included being chased by Moorish pirates off Gibraltar; escaping a fleet of hostile canoes; being submerged by a great wave off the Patagonian coast; an encounter with Black Pedro, “the worst murderer in Tierra del Fuego”; and foiling a nocturnal attack by savages by strewing carpet tacks on the Spray’s deck.

Captain Joshua Slocum (1844–1909) was the first person to circle the globe alone entirely by sea. This remarkable achievement made Slocum the most famous North American sailor of all time.

Author: Captain Joshua Slocum

Narrator: Bernard Mayes

Publisher: Blackstone Audio

Genre: Non-Fiction

Running Time: 7hrs 25mins

Audio Release Date: 26/09/2012

My Rating of ‘Sailing Alone Around The World’ 5 out of 5

Purchase: Audible, Amazon

Review:

This was so much fun.

I really felt like I was along for the ride with Captain Slocum as he told of his solo travel around the world in The Spray. The narrative was written in a charming, matter-of-fact and ‘well, I don’t see why I can’t do the impossible’ kind of way that summed up the stoic, hard-working mentality that flowed through this man’s veins.

He tells of building his ship, travels to wild lands, his encounters with strange and ferocious people, the kindness of strangers who want nothing more than to see him succeed upon his journey and much, much more. I can only imagine (very well due to the good captain’s meticulous account) the loneliness a person must feel when journeying between countries, or the excitement at seeing so many new sites that weren’t available at a simple request to Google images.

It takes a very strong-willed and strong-minded person to do what Captain Slocum did; to be responsible for the repairs, the maintenance and the safety of yourself upon such a unpredictable beast that is the oceans of the world. His accounts of far flung places and peoples are very intriguing and respectful of both the people and their traditions. 

If you’re interested in anything to do with sailing/the ocean/adventuring etc … or you’re simply an American who wants to revel in the glories of a person from your country’s past, dive into this and let Captain Slocum take you around the world with him. He might have been alone at the time, but there’s no reason to keep him so. Slip aboard, enjoy the ride, and, if you’re like me, just be utterly miserable that it wasn’t longer.