Written by Alex Bach
The glory and mystique of the sea voyage has been around since the dawn of our recorded age and the advent of the first canoes.
As the mystique grew over the years and as our shipbuilding got better, our awe only continued to rise for epic sea voyages. Now, we’ve entered an age when solo sea voyages are possible and the mystique continues to grow.
At Schumacher Cargo Logistics (where we take part in sea traveling by shipping hundreds of boats overseas each year) we’re always looking for the latest stories on exciting solo ventures.
Here Are a Few of the Latest Crazy Solo Sea Voyages:
Eric Loss–don’t let the last name fool you–set sail on his solo sea adventure in November of 2011. Eric set out to circumnavigate this crazy ball of water and land and more water, taking his 36-foot boat, the Oddysey, 2000 pounds of food, 110 gallons of fresh water, a Kindle and himself. Eric even had to undergo a full capsize during his voyage, but made it out safely and continued on his journey.
A 16-year old girl from the Netherlands became the youngest person ever to complete a solo circumnavigation. Laura Dekker, took off on a 518 day voyage from Gibraltar when she was just 14 and arrived in the Caribbean in January of 2012 all by herself. This would be an impressive journey from anyone but is just astounding for her age.
Recently, a 64-year old woman, Diana Nyad, made a 53-hour solo swim from Cuba to Florida…without a shark cage. Other than a body suit, gloves and a protective mask at night to prevent against jelly fish, Diana was unprotected in these notoriously dangerous waters.
Reid Stowe took his 70-foot schooner, Anne, on the longest sea voyage in history, a mind blowing 1,152 days at sea. Reid had started out on the journey with the company of his girlfriend, Soanya, who had stayed aboard for 300 days before succumbing to homesickness, which turned out to be pregnancy. Stowe had to wait until he pulled his schooner into New York to meet his son.
What could make this record breaking story even cooler? The schooner Reid took was home-built, constructed by his family three decades before his adventure.
