sailing alone around the world PDF
Preview sailing alone around the world
LossoftheAquidneck shipsafestforallweatherandallseas. ThusthevoyagewhichI amnowtonarratewasanaturaloutcomenotonlyofmyloveof adventure,butofmylifelongexperience. SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD Onemidwinterdayof,inBoston,whereIhadbeencast upfromoldocean,sotospeak,ayearortwobefore,Iwascogi- tatingwhetherIshouldapplyforacommand,andagaineatmy breadandbutteronthesea,orgotoworkattheshipyard,when Imetanoldacquaintance,awhaling-captain,whosaid: “Come toFairhavenandI’llgiveyouaship.But,”headded,“shewants somerepairs.” Thecaptain’sterms,whenfullyexplained,were morethansatisfactorytome. TheyincludedalltheassistanceI wouldrequiretofitthecraftforsea. Thegiftofa I was only too glad to accept, for I had already found that I “ship” couldnotobtainworkintheshipyardwithoutfirstpayingfifty dollarstoa society, and as foraship tocommand—therewere not enough ships to go round. Nearly all our tall vessels had been cut down for coal-barges, and were being ignominiously towedbythenosefromporttoport,whilemanyworthycaptains addressedthemselvestoSailors’SnugHarbor. ThenextdayIlandedatFairhaven,oppositeNewBedford,and foundthatmyfriendhadsomethingofajokeonme. Forseven yearsthejokehadbeenonhim. The“ship”provedtobeavery antiquatedsloopcalledtheSpray,whichtheneighborsdeclared hadbeenbuiltintheyear. Shewasaffectionatelyproppedup inafield,somedistancefromsaltwater,andwascoveredwith canvas. Thepeopleof Fairhaven, I hardlyneed say, arethrifty andobservant. Forsevenyearstheyhadasked,"Iwonderwhat CaptainEbenPierceisgoingtodowiththeoldSpray?"Theday Iappearedtherewasabuzzatthegossipexchange:atlastsome onehadcomeandwasactuallyatworkontheoldSpray.“Break- ingherup,Is’pose?” “No;goingtorebuildher.” Greatwasthe 3 CHAPTERI boysonthebay,withchancesgreatlyinfavorofbeingdrowned. WhenaladIfilledtheimportantpostofcookonafishing-schooner; butIwasnotlonginthegalley,forthecrewmutiniedattheap- SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD pearanceofmyfirstduff, and "chuckedmeout"beforeIhada chance to shine as a culinary artist. The next step toward the goalofhappinessfoundmebeforethemastinafull-riggedship boundonaforeignvoyage.ThusIcame"overthebows,"andnot inthroughthecabinwindows,tothecommandofaship. My best command was that of themagnificent ship Northern Masterofthe Light,ofwhichIwaspart-owner.Ihadarighttobeproudofher, shipNorthern Light By for at that time—in the eighties—she was the finest American sailing-vessel afloat. Afterward I owned and sailed the Aquid- CaptainJoshuaSlocum neck, a little bark which of all man’s handiwork seemed to me the nearest to perfection of beauty, and which in speed, when the wind blew, asked no favors of steamers, I had been nearly Lossofthe twentyyearsashipmasterwhenIquitherdeckonthecoastof Aquidneck Brazil, whereshe was wrecked. Myhomevoyage to NewYork with my familywas madein thecanoe Liberdade, without acci- dent. Illustratedby My voyages were all foreign. I sailed as freighter and trader Returnhome THOMASFOGARTYANDGEORGEVARIAN principallytoChina,Australia,andJapan,andamongtheSpice fromBrazilin thecanoe Islands.Minewasnotthesortoflifetomakeonelongtocoilup Liberdade one’sropesonland,thecustomsandwaysofwhichIhadfinally almostforgotten. Andsowhentimesforfreightersgotbad, as atlasttheydid,andItriedtoquitthesea,whatwasthereforan oldsailortodo?Iwasborninthebreezes,andIhadstudiedthe seaasperhapsfewmenhavestudiedit,neglectingallelse.Next TOTHEONEWHOSAID:“THE‘SPRAY’WILLCOMEBACK.” in attractiveness, after seafaring, came ship-building. I longed tobemasterinbothprofessions, andinasmallway, intime, I accomplished my desire. From the decks of stout ships in the worst gales I had made calculations as to the size and sort of 2 CHAPTERI Ablue-noseancestrywithYankeeproclivities—-Youthful fondnessforthesea—-MasteroftheshipNorthernLight—Loss oftheAquidneck—ReturnhomefromBrazilinthecanoe CHAPTER I Liberdade—Thegiftofa“ship”—Therebuildingofthe Spray-Conundrumsinregardtofinanceandcalking—The launchingoftheSpray. Ablue-nose InthefairlandofNovaScotia,amaritimeprovince,thereisa ancestrywith ridgecalledNorthMountain, overlookingtheBayofFundyon CHAPTERII Yankee one side and the fertile Annapolis valley on the other. On the Failureasafisherman—Avoyagearoundtheworld proclivities northern slope of the range grows the hardy spruce-tree, well projected—FromBostontoGloucester—Fittingoutforthe adapted for ship-timbers, of which many vessels of all classes oceanvoyage—Halfofadoryforaship’sboat—Therunfrom have been built. The people of this coast, hardy, robust, and GloucestertoNovaScotia—Ashakingupinhome strong, are disposed to compete in the world’s commerce, and waters—Amongoldfriends. it is nothing against the master mariner if the birthplace men- tionedonhiscertificatebeNovaScotia.Iwasborninacoldspot, CHAPTERIII oncoldestNorthMountain,onacoldFebruary,thoughIam Good-bytotheAmericancoast—OffSableIslandinafog—In a citizen of the United States—a naturalized Yankee, if it may theopensea—Themaninthemoontakesaninterestinthe be said that Nova Scotians are not Yankees in the truest sense voyage—Thefirstfitofloneliness—TheSprayencountersLa of the word. On both sides my family were sailors; and if any Vaguisa—AbottleofwinefromtheSpaniard—Aboutofwords Slocumshouldbefoundnotseafaring, hewillshowatleastan withthecaptainoftheJava—ThesteamshipOlympia inclinationtowhittlemodelsofboatsandcontemplatevoyages. spoken—ArrivalattheAzores. Myfatherwasthesortofmanwho,ifwreckedonadesolateis- land,wouldfindhiswayhome,ifhehadajack-knifeandcould CHAPTERIV findatree. Hewasagoodjudgeofaboat,buttheoldclayfarm SquallyweatherintheAzores—Highliving—Deliriousfrom Youthful whichsomecalamitymadehiswasananchortohim. Hewas cheeseandplums—ThepilotofthePinta—At fondnessforthe notafraidofacapfulofwind,andhenevertookabackseatata Gibraltar—ComplimentsexchangedwiththeBritishnavy—A sea camp-meetingoragood,old-fashionedrevival. picnicontheMoroccoshore. As for myself, the wonderful sea charmed me from the first. At the age of eight I had already been afloat along with other CHAPTERV 1 SailingfromGibraltarwiththeassistanceofherMajesty’s tug—TheSpray’scoursechangedfromtheSuezCanaltoCape Horn—ChasedbyaMoorishpirate—Acomparisonwith Columbus—TheCanaryIslands—TheCapeVerdeIslands—Sea life—ArrivalatPernambuco—AbillagainsttheBrazilian government—Preparingforthestormyweatherofthecape. CHAPTERVI DeparturefromRiodeJaneiro—TheSprayashoreonthesands ofUruguay—Anarrowescapefromshipwreck—Theboywho foundasloop—TheSprayfloatedbutsomewhat damaged—CourtesiesfromtheBritishconsulatMaldonado—A warmgreetingatMontevideo—AnexcursiontoBuenos Aires—Shorteningthemastandbowsprit. CHAPTERVII WeighinganchoratBuenosAires—Anoutburstofemotionat themouthofthePlate—Submergedbyagreatwave—Astormy entrancetothestrait—CaptainSamblich’shappygiftofabagof carpet-tacks—OffCapeFroward—ChasedbyIndiansfrom FortescueBay—Amiss-shotfor“BlackPedro”—Takingin suppliesofwoodandwateratThreeIslandCove—Animallife. CHAPTERVIII FromCapePillarintothePacific—Drivenbyatempesttoward CapeHorn—CaptainSlocum’sgreatestsea adventure—ReachingthestraitagainbywayofCockburn Channel—Somesavagesfindthecarpet-tacks—Dangerfrom firebrands—Aseriesoffiercewilliwaws—Againsailing westward. CHAPTERIX Repairingthe_Spray’s_sails—Savagesandanobstreperous anchor—Aspider-fight—AnencounterwithBlackPedro—A visittothesteamship_Colombia_—Onthedefensiveagainsta fleetofcanoes—Arecordofvoyagesthroughthestrait—A chancecargooftallow. CHAPTERX RunningtoPortAngostoinasnow-storm—Adefective sheet-ropeplacestheSprayinperil—TheSprayasatargetfora Fuegianarrow—TheislandofAlanErric—Againintheopen SAILINGALONEAROUNDTHEWORLD Pacific—TheruntotheislandofJuanFernandez—Anabsentee king—AtRobinsonCrusoe’sanchorage. CHAPTERXI TheislandersofJuanFernandezentertainedwithYankee doughnuts—ThebeautiesofRobinsonCrusoe’srealm—The mountainmonumenttoAlexanderSelkirk—RobinsonCrusoe’s cave—Astrollwiththechildrenoftheisland—Westwardho! withafriendlygale—Amonth’sfreesailingwiththeSouthern Crossandthesunforguides—Sightingthe Marquesas—Experienceinreckoning. CHAPTERXII Seventy-twodayswithoutaport—Whalesandbirds—Apeep intotheSpray’sgalley—Flying-fishforbreakfast—Awelcomeat Apia—AvisitfromMrs.RobertLouisStevenson—At Vailima—Samoanhospitality—Arrestedforfastriding—An amusingmerry-go-round—TeachersandpupilsofPapauta College—Atthemercyofsea-nymphs. CHAPTERXIII ON BOARD AT ST. KILDA. RETRACING ON THE CHART Samoanroyalty—KingMalietoa—Good-bytofriendsat THECOURSEOFTHE“SPRAY”FROMBOSTON Vailima—LeavingFijitothesouth—ArrivalatNewcastle, THE“SPRAY”INHERPORTDUSTERATDEVONPORT,TAS- Australia—TheyachtsofSydney—Aduckingonthe MANIA,FEBRUARY, Spray—CommodoreFoypresentsthesloopwithanewsuitof “ISITA-GOIN’TOBLOW?” sails—OntoMelbourne—Asharkthatprovedtobe THE“SPRAY”LEAVINGSYDNEY,AUSTRALIA,INTHENEW valuable—Achangeofcourse-The“RainofBlood”—In SUITOFSAILSGIVENBYCOMMODOREFOYOFAUSTRALIA Tasmania. THE“SPRAY”ASHOREFOR"BOOT-TOPPING"ATTHEKEEL- INGISLANDS CHAPTERXIV CAPTAINSLOCUMDRIFTINGOUTTOSEA Atestimonialfromalady—CruisingroundTasmania—The THE“SPRAY”ATMAURITIUS skipperdelivershisfirstlectureonthevoyage—Abundant CAPTAINJOSHUASLOCUM provisions—AninspectionoftheSprayforsafetyat CARTOONPRINTEDINTHECAPETOWN“OWL”OFMARCH Devonport—AgainatSydney—NorthwardboundforTorres ,,INCONNECTIONWITHANITEMABOUTCAPTAIN Strait—Anamateurshipwreck—FriendsontheAustralian SLOCUM’STRIPTOPRETORIA coast—Perilsofacoralsea. CAPTAINSLOCUM,SIRALFREDMILNER(WITHTHETALL HAT),ANDCOLONELSAUNDERSON,M.P.,ONTHEBOWOF CHAPTERXV THE“SPRAY”ATCAPETOWN ArrivalatPortDenison,Queensland—A THESPRAYINTHESTORMOFNEWYORK. lecture—ReminiscencesofCaptainCook—Lecturingforcharity READINGDAYANDNIGHTTHE“SPRAY” atCooktown—Ahappyescapefromacoralreef—HomeIsland, PASSEDBYTHE“OREGON” SundayIsland,BirdIsland—AnAmerican AGAINTIEDTOTHEOLDSTAKEATFAIRHAVEN pearl-fisherman—JubileeatThursdayIsland—Anewensignfor PLANOFTHEAFTERCABINOFTHE“SPRAY” theSpray—BoobyIsland—AcrosstheIndianOcean—Christmas DECK-PLANOFTHE“SPRAY” Island. SAIL-PLANOFTHE“SPRAY” STEERING-GEAROFTHE“SPRAY” CHAPTERXVI BODY-PLANOFTHE“SPRAY” Acallforcarefulnavigation—Threehours’steeringin LINESOFTHE“SPRAY” twenty-threedays—ArrivalattheKeelingCocosIslands—A curiouschapterofsocialhistory—Awelcomefromthechildren oftheislands—CleaningandpaintingtheSprayonthe “MONANDADOOG” beach—AMohammedanblessingforapotofjam—Keelingasa AFUEGIANGIRL paradise—Ariskyadventureinasmallboat—Awayto LOOKINGWESTFROMFORTESCUEBAY,WHERETHE“SPRAY” Rodriguez—TakenforAntichrist—Thegovernorcalmsthefears WASCHASEDBYINDIANS ofthepeople—Alecture—Aconventinthehills. ABRUSHWITHFUEGIANS ABITOFFRIENDLYASSISTANCE CHAPTERXVII CAPEPILLAR AcleanbillofhealthatMauritius—Sailingthevoyageover THEYHOWLEDLIKEAPACKOFHOUNDS againintheopera-house—Anewlydiscoveredplantnamedin A GLIMPSE OF SANDY POINT (PUNTA ARENAS) IN THE honoroftheSpray’sskipper—Apartyofyoungladiesoutfora STRAITOFMAGELLAN sail—Abivouacondeck—AwarmreceptionatDurban—A “YAMMERSCHOONER!” friendlycross-examinationbyHenryM.Stanley—Threewise A CONTRAST IN LIGHTING—THE ELECTRIC LIGHTS OF Boersseekproofoftheflatnessoftheearth—LeavingSouth THE"COLOMBIA"ANDTHECANOEFIRESOFTHEFORTES- Africa. CUEINDIANS RECORDS OF PASSAGES THROUGH THE STRAIT AT THE CHAPTERXVIII HEADOFBORGIABAY Boundingthe“CapeofStorms”inoldentime—Arough SALVINGWRECKAGE Christmas—TheSpraytiesupforathreemonths’restatCape THEFIRSTSHOTUNCOVEREDTHREEFUEGIANS Town—ArailwaytriptotheTransvaal—PresidentKrÃijger’s THE“SPRAY”APPROACHINGJUANFERNANDEZ,ROBIN- odddefinitionoftheSpray’svoyage—Histerse SONCRUSOE’SISLAND sayings—DistinguishedguestsontheSpray—Cocoanutfiberas THEHOUSEOFTHEKING apadlock—CourtesiesfromtheadmiraloftheQueen’s ROBINSONCRUSOE’SCAVE navy—OffforSt.Helena—Landinsight. THEMANWHOCALLEDACABRAAGOAT MEETINGWITHTHEWHALE CHAPTERXIX FIRSTEXCHANGEOFCOURTESIESINSAMOA IntheisleofNapoleon’sexile—Twolectures—Aguestinthe VAILIMA,THEHOMEOFROBERTLOUISSTEVENSON ghost-roomatPlantationHouse—Anexcursiontohistoric THE“SPRAY’S”COURSEFROMAUSTRALIATOSOUTHAFRICA Longwood—Coffeeinthehusk,andagoattoshellit—The THEACCIDENTATSYDNEY Spray’sillluckwithanimals—Aprejudiceagainstsmall CAPTAINSLOCUMWORKINGTHE“SPRAY”OUTOFTHE dogs—Arat,theBostonspider,andthecannibal YARROWRIVER,APARTOFMELBOURNEHARBOR cricket—AscensionIsland. THESHARKONTHEDECKOFTHE“SPRAY” CHAPTERXX LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS InthefavoringcurrentoffCapeSt.Roque,Brazil—Allatsea THE“Spray”FrontispieceFROM aphotographtakenin Aus- regardingtheSpanish-Americanwar—Anexchangeofsignals tralianwaters. withthebattle-shipOregon—OffDreyfus’sprisononDevil’s THE“NorthernLight,”CAPTAINJOSHUASLOCUM,BOUND Island—ReappearancetotheSprayofthenorthstar—Thelight FORLIVERPOOL, onTrinidad—AcharmingintroductiontoGrenada—Talksto CROSS-SECTIONOFTHE“SPRAY” friendlyauditors. “IT’LLCRAWL” “NODORGNORNOCAT” CHAPTERXXI THEDEACON’SDREAM Clearingforhome—Inthecalmbelt—Aseacoveredwith CAPTAINSLOCUM’SCHRONOMETER sargasso—Thejibstaypartsinagale—Welcomedbyatornado “GOODEVENING,SIR” offFireIsland—Achangeofplan—ArrivalatNewport—Endof HEALSOSENTHISCARD acruiseofoverforty-sixthousandmiles—TheSprayagainat CHARTOFTHE“SPRAY’S”COURSEAROUNDTHEWORLD— Fairhaven. APRIL,,TOJULY, THEISLANDOFPICO APPENDIX CHARTOFTHE“SPRAY’S”ATLANTICVOYAGESFROMBOSTON LINESANDSAIL-PLANOFTHE“SPRAY” TO GIBRALTAR, THENCE TO THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN, Herpedigreesofarasknown—ThelinesoftheSpray—Her IN,ANDFINALLYHOMEWARDBOUNDFROMTHECAPE self-steeringqualities—Sail-planandsteering-gear—An OFGOODHOPEIN unprecedentedfeat—Afinalwordofcheertowould-be THEAPPARITIONATTHEWHEEL navigators. COMINGTOANCHORATGIBRALTAR THE“SPRAY”ATANCHOROFFGIBRALTAR CHASEDBYPIRATES ISUDDENLYREMEMBEREDTHATICOULDNOTSWIM ADOUBLESURPRISE ATTHESIGNOFTHECOMET AGREATWAVEOFFTHEPATAGONIANCOAST ENTRANCETOTHESTRAITOFMAGELLAN THECOURSEOFTHE“SPRAY”THROUGHTHESTRAITOF MAGELLAN THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T SHIP WITHOUT ANOTHER CHAPTERI F ig u re 1 : T h e N o r th e r n L ig h ,t C a p ta in J o sh u a S lo c u m , b o u n d fo r L iv e rp o Figure5: Thedeacon’sdream. ol, 1 8 8 5 . IwasdelightedtoreachWestport. Anyportatallwouldhave D been delightful after the terrible thrashing I got in the fierce raw n sou’west rip, and to find myself among old schoolmates now b y wascharming. Itwasthethofthemonth,andismylucky W . number—afactregisteredlongbeforeDr.Nansensailedinsearch T a ofthenorthpolewithhiscrewofthirteen.Perhapshehadheard be ofmysuccessintakingamostextraordinaryshipsuccessfullyto r. 19 4 LossoftheAquidneck CHAPTERII amazement. “Willitpay?” wasthequestionwhichforayearor landofBirds,calledGannetIsland,andsometimesGannetRock, Therebuilding moreIansweredbydeclaringthatIwouldmakeitpay. whereon is a bright, intermittent light, which flashed fitfully oftheSpray My ax felled a stout oak-tree near by for a keel, and Farmer across the _Spray’s_ deck as she coasted along under its light Howard, for a small sum of money, hauledin this and enough and shade. Thence shaping a course for Briar’s Island, I came timbersfortheframeofthenewvessel.Iriggedasteam-boxand among vessels the following afternoon on the western fishing- apotforaboiler. Thetimbersforribs, beingstraightsaplings, grounds, and after speaking a fisherman at anchor, who gave weredressedandsteamedtillsupple,andthenbentoveralog, meawrongcourse,theSpraysaileddirectlyoverthesouthwest wheretheyweresecuredtillset. Somethingtangibleappeared ledgethroughtheworsttide-raceintheBayofFundy, andgot everydaytoshowformylabor,andtheneighborsmadethework into Westport harbor in Nova Scotia, where I had spent eight sociable. ItwasagreatdayintheSprayshipyardwhenhernew yearsofmylifeasalad. stemwassetupandfastenedtothenewkeel.Whaling-captains Thefishermanmayhavesaid"east-southeast,"thecourseIwas came from far to survey it. With one voice they pronounced steeringwhenIhailedhim;butIthoughthesaid"east-northeast," it "A ," and in their opinion "fit to smash ice." Theoldest cap- andIaccordinglychangedittothat.Beforehemadeuphismind tain shook my hand warmly when the breast-hooks were put toanswermeatall,heimprovedtheoccasionofhisowncurios- in, declaringthathecouldseenoreasonwhytheSprayshould itytoknowwhereIwasfrom,andifIwasalone,andifIdidn’t not“cutinbow-head”yetoffthecoastofGreenland.Themuch- have"nodorgnornocat."Itwasthefirsttimeinallmylifeatsea esteemedstem-piecewasfromthebuttofthesmartestkindofa thatIhadheardahailforinformationansweredbyaquestion. pastureoak.ItafterwardsplitacoralpatchintwoattheKeeling IthinkthechapbelongedtotheForeignIslands. Therewasone Islands,anddidnotreceiveablemish. Bettertimberforaship thingIwassureof,andthatwasthathedidnotbelongtoBriar’s thanpasturewhiteoaknevergrew. Thebreast-hooks,aswellas Island, becausehedodgedaseathatsloppedovertherail,and alltheribs,wereofthiswood,andweresteamedandbentinto stoppingtobrushthewaterfromhisface,lostafinecodwhich shapeasrequired. ItwasharduponMarchwhenIbeganwork hewasabouttoship. Myislanderwouldnothavedonethat. It in earnest; the weather was cold; still, there were plenty of in- isknownthataBriarIslander,fishornofishonhishook,never spectorstobackmewithadvice. Whenawhaling-captainhove flinchesfromasea.Hejusttendstohislinesandhaulsor"saws." insightIjustrestedonmyadzawhileand“gammed”withhim. Nay,haveInotseenmyoldfriendDeaconW.D—-,agoodman NewBedford,thehomeofwhaling-captains,isconnectedwith oftheisland,whilelisteningtoasermoninthelittlechurchon Fairhaven by a bridge, and the walking is good. They never the hill, reach out his hand over the door of his pew and "jig" "workedalongup"totheshipyardtoooftenforme. Itwasthe imaginarysquidintheaisle,totheintensedelightoftheyoung charming tales about arctic whaling that inspired me to put a people,whodidnotrealizethattocatchgoodfishonemusthave doublesetofbreast-hooksintheSpray,thatshemightshuntice. goodbait,thethingmostonthedeacon’smind. The seasons came quickly while I worked. Hardly were the 5 18
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