In April 1895, Captain Joshua Slocum set sail from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, in Spray--a thirtysix-foot, nine-inch gaff-rigged sloop--with one thought in mind: to be the first person to sail around the world alone.
Joshua Slocum (1844-1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. A naturalized American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer, he disappeared in November 1909 while aboard his boat, the Spray.