Captain Joshua Slocum

Captain Joshua Slocum (1844 - 1909?) was the first man to sail around the world alone and eventually recorded his journey in the book, Sailing Alone Around the World. Slocum was a revered sailor, seaman, and writer of some note.

Slocum was born in Mount Hanley, Nova Scotia, within view of the Annapolis Valley and the Bay of Fundy. Slocum was Canadian-American, the fifth child of John and Sarah Slocum. Slocum refers to his father as a man who was good with a boat, and could make anything as long as he had a knife and a nearby tree. Slocum Senior was a stern man who was not afraid of the wind and refused to take a back seat to anyone. Although Slocum was a leather worker by trade, his love of the sea translated to his son.

By age fourteen, Slocum was ready to head out to...