Back in the 19th century, Joshua Slocum became the first person to sail solo round the world, after which he vanished without trace at sea. In a new series, we profile the most extraordinary solo circumnavigators in history.
The American Joshua Slocum was already in his mid-50s when he set off on his greatest voyage in 1895. Behind him lay a career as a captain on large merchant sailing ships, two marriages, several shipwrecks, adventurous rescues and the slow decline of an entire era.
An oyster-fishing boat and a new plan
When, in 1892, a whaling captain friend of his offered him an old oyster boat called the ‘Spray’, Slocum probably had no idea that this new chapter in his life would earn him a place in the history books. This was the era of industrialisation. At that time, many tall ships had already been stripped of their rigging and converted into coal barges. Some of their retired captains spent their early retirement at Sailors’ Snug Harbor, a seamen’s home in New York. Not so Joshua Slocum.
The ‘Spray’ lay derelict on shore near New Bedford. The ship was in a sorry state: although a tree was growing through its planks, there was no mast. Despite all the adversity, Slocum set to work and breathed new life into the boat. He spent 13 months refitting it and spent a total of $553.62 on materials. In the end, he could no longer afford the chronometer. For one dollar, he bought a second-hand tin watch. It was to be his only timepiece during his circumnavigation of the globe, at a time when the ship’s clock, alongside the sextant, was one of the most important instruments on board.
Two months in the Strait of Magellan
On 24 April 1895, Slocum set sail from Boston. The route took him via Gibraltar and back across the Atlantic to Brazil. Having reportedly had his only nautical chart eaten by a goat right at the start of his journey in the Caribbean, he relied on his experience as a captain and his memory of previous voyages.
The journey continued through the notorious Strait of Magellan in southern Patagonia. For two months, the ‘Spray’ battled its way through this strait with its winding side channels, sharp reefs and islands – and, by both today’s and yesterday’s standards, completely blind. Absolute calm could turn into a hailstorm in the blink of an eye. On top of that, Slocum struggled with the greatest adversity of single-handed sailing: loneliness. He shouted orders to imaginary sailors and gradually lost his mind during the voyage. His voice sounded hollow across the endless ocean.
He crossed the Pacific, stopping off at the Juan Fernández Islands and Samoa. From Sydney, he sailed 2,700 nautical miles in 23 days to Cocos (Keeling) Island in the Indian Ocean. By his own account, he spent less than three hours at the helm. On 27 June 1898, he returned to Newport, Rhode Island. After 46,000 nautical miles and three years alone at sea, Joshua Slocum had become the first solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe.
The mother of all single-handed boats
Even back then, people were pondering the extent to which his boat had contributed to the single-handed sailing pioneer’s success. He himself described the ‘Spray’ as well-balanced and so stable on course that he rarely had to steer it. This fact led time and again to replicas being built, though their performance at sea rarely fully matched that described by Slocum. This suggests that his success was largely down to Slocum’s seafaring skill.
The mysterious end of Joshua Slocum
His Book *Sailing Alone Around the World* was published in 1900 and became a global success; it has been reprinted several times and translated into many languages, including German. The school leaver had not only enjoyed an impressive career as a captain, but had also written a classic of travel literature that is still read today.
However, his attempt to settle down did not really succeed. In 1909, Slocum left Martha’s Vineyard for South America and was never seen again. Perhaps the ‘Spray’ sank in a storm, or perhaps he fell overboard. To this day, rumours persist that he was run over by one of the steamships he so detested. However, there is no certainty. In 1924, Joshua Slocum was officially declared dead. Click here for a detailed profile here.
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David Ingelfinger
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