Sailing Alone

A Surprising History of Isolation and Survival at Sea

By: Richard J. King

Narrated by: William Hope

2024 National Outdoor Book Award Silver Medal Winner

“A masterfully curated collection...You don’t have to be a sailor to be blown away by this fascinating, bighearted book.”
—Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea, Travels with George, and Second Wind

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.

Excellent book and narration

I'm a big fan a solo sailing stories and this is a wonderful book. It has introduced me to many obscure but fascinating adventures. Well done.

A compendium of adventures

Very good, the reader did a good job, but can use a primer of sailing terms.

A synopsis of several better books perhaps.

Ok but no page turner. Maybe it recommends some interesting books. A few more words to meet review criteria.

Enjoyable and informative

I enjoyed this book very much. It is well organized, informative, and engaging. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in sailing.