description Joshua Slocum Overview
Joshua Slocum was a Canadian-born American mariner and writer who completed the first documented solo circumnavigation of the world. Between 1895 and 1898, he sailed the rebuilt 36-foot sloop Spray from Boston across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans before returning to the United States. He described the voyage in Sailing Alone Around the World, a memoir that became an enduring work of maritime literature.
insights Ranking position
Joshua Slocum ranks #18 of 180 in the Explorer ranking, behind Jacques Piccard, ahead of Don Walsh.
help Joshua Slocum FAQ
What boat did Joshua Slocum use for his solo voyage?
Slocum sailed Spray, a rebuilt oyster sloop measuring roughly 36 feet. He began from the Boston area in 1895 and completed the voyage in 1898.
What route did Joshua Slocum take around the world?
He crossed the Atlantic, passed through the Strait of Magellan, traversed the Pacific and Indian oceans, and rounded the Cape of Good Hope before returning to New England. The voyage avoided the Panama Canal, which had not yet opened.
Which book did Slocum write about the circumnavigation?
He published Sailing Alone Around the World in 1900. The book combines navigation, encounters ashore, storms, repairs, and Slocum's dry accounts of managing Spray alone.
What happened to Joshua Slocum after his famous voyage?
Slocum disappeared after sailing Spray from Massachusetts in 1909 on a voyage toward South America. Neither he nor the vessel was recovered, and he was later declared legally dead.
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