Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail single-handed around the world, logging 46,000 nautical miles between 1895 and 1898.
An inspiration to the sailors who followed in his wake, the seaman and adventurer documented the voyage aboard his sloop, Spray, in a celebrated memoir published in 1900, which has been released in a new coffee-table version. Sailing Alone Around the World: The Illustrated Edition, with an introduction by award-winning author Geoffrey Wolff, mixes Slocum’s narrative with photographs, maps, artifacts and period illustrations, taking readers on a voyage that seemed inconceivable 120 years ago. (Zenith Press, $35)
Marine safety refresher
Time on the water breeds confidence, accompanied by respect for the uncertainties that come with being at the mercy of the sea. Safe Skipper: A Practical Guide to Managing Risk at Sea, by British sailors Simon Jollands and Rupert Holmes, offers advice and tips suitable for any skipper, whether day boating or embarking on an offshore passage. The book is broken into sections — Preparation, Boat Handling, Communications, Equipment and Maintenance, and Emergencies — and each contains well-tested counsel on reducing the risk of accidents and equipment failure at sea. (Bloomsbury Publishing, $25)
Summer camp and a pirate ship
The Pirates of Dingley Dell, by Bret Corbin, is an account of a unique summer camp in Vermont during the 1920s and ’30s. Boatbuilder and engineer Francis Godfrey Baker ran Adventurers’ Camp, where the campers built a pirate ship — in addition to other structures — then lived aboard during voyages on Lake Champlain. Over 11 summers, Baker used the ship, named Aladdin, to lead intrepid youngsters on life-changing experiences that taught seamanship, self-reliance, teamwork and camaraderie. This is the first in-depth account of the camp, and the first time rare photographs of the boys’ activities have been published. (Red Barn Books, $18.95).
This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue.