Sailing alone : a surprising history of isolation and survival at sea / Richard J. King.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

King, Richard J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Single-handed sailing.

Sailing--Psychological aspects.

Survival at sea.

Sailors--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xviii, 490 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Edition:

First United States edition.

Place of Publication:

[New York, New York] : Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2023]

Summary:

"A story as vast and exhilarating as the open ocean itself, SAILING ALONE chronicles the daring, disastrous, and often absurd history of those who chose to sail across the ocean, in very small boats, alone. Sailing by yourself, out of sight of land, can be invigorating and terrifying, compelling and tedious - and sometimes all of the above in one morning. But it is also a wide expanse of time in which to think. Sailing Alone tells the story of some of the remarkable people who, over the last four centuries, have spent weeks and months, moving slowly over the world's largest laboratory: a capricious and startling place in which to observe oneself, the weather, the stars, and countless sea creatures, from the tiniest to the most massive and threatening. Richard J. King profiles characters famous, diverse, international, and obscure, from Joshua Slocum of 1898 to modern teenagers daring to take the challenge. They see strange hallucinations, lie to us (and themselves) on their travel logs, encounter sharks, befriend birds, and experience ESP, all part of the unnerving reality of extended isolation. And some disappear altogether. Sailing Alone also recounts the author's own nearly catastrophic solo crossing of the Atlantic, and the mystery of his inexplicable survival one sunny afternoon. An enormously engaging new book for skippers and armchair voyagers alike"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

List of figures

Preface

Ann Davidson and the meaning of life

Seabirds

Shackford, 'Rob Roy', and 'Centennial' set the stage

Wind, ships, sleep, engines, wind

The first solo circumnavigator: Joshua Slocum

Sharks

Just cruisin' with Harry Pidgeon

Sea turtles, fish, squid

Florentino Das: For family

Pets, companionship over the rail

Kenichi Horie against the North Pacific

Extrasensory perception

Sharon Sites Adams had the right to sail alone

Self-steering

Bernard Moitessier and a sea of spiritual solitude

Landlessness, loneliness, death wish

Tevake and the voyage of no return

Animism, the boat

Sailing while black: Teddy Seymour plays his love song

Dolphins, whales

Bill Pinkney and Neal Petersen: for the children

Ships again, rescue

The case of youth: Laura Dekker, Jessica Watson, and Abby Sunderland

Storms, waves

The environmental epiphany of Ellen MacArthur

The solo sailor survives and tries to find meaning

Dramatis personae

Notes

Selected bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index.

Notes:

Place of publication from publisher's website.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: King, Richard J. Sailing alone

ISBN:

9780593656044

0593656040

OCLC:

1395539467

Publisher Number:

99996609828