Talk:Joshua Slocum/Archive 1

Date of Final Voyage and Death
Ann Spencer, in "Alone at Sea", goes to some length to produce references which suggest the date of death was November 1908, and not 1909. She discusses the discrepancy against the official date. Perhaps the article should acknowledge that this question exists... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.238.34.93 (talk) 15:46, 12 January 2010 (UTC)

Newport
I assume Newport was Newport, Rhode Island. It isn't one of the Newports in Great Britain, is it? -- Zoe


 * There is also a Newport, Oregon, a Newport, Washington and Newport Beach, California which makes more sense if he was sailing around the world. --mav

Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia was not a province of Canada in 1844.--jglees And as Nova Scotian is not a nationality and as he was born a british subject, it would be most correct to describe him as Brithish-born. However, that description may be misleading to some and totally unnecessary (there is no reason to include that fact about British Imperial nationality law), and thus, in conformity with the Chambers Biographical Dictionary, we should simply refer to him as American, and appellation, in the geographical sense if not always in the national sense, that he had borne since birth.--jglees


 * plus it says later in the article that he was born in Nova Scotia, a fact not being overlooked or ignored, I agree it is too confusing to try and say where he was born and what his nationality was (unrelated bits of info) in one sentence. -- Stbalbach 13:02, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

Pronunciation
Does anyone know how to pronounce "Slocum"? Is it "SLOCK-um" or "SLOAK-um"?


 * Everyone I have ever heard say it says the latter, SLOAK-um or SLOKE-um. That includes people whose last name's are Slocum. These are people from New England anyway, perhaps there are regional differences. Glippy00 05:20, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Pronounce Slocum
In Britain it is pronounced as Slowcum. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.98.46.224 (talk) 23:48, 25 January 2007 (UTC).

46000 miles
I doubt the 74000km as an equivalent for 46000m as the latter probably are nautical miles, with an equivalent of about 1.8km. Could anybody please clarify this. Thank you 194.246.46.15 14:05, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

From where?
"In November 1909 he set sail for the Orinoco River in Spray and disappeared." - Set sail from where? -- 201.51.252.63 21:22, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

From the Vineyard. 24.136.6.69 20:44, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

Vessels
The article makes no mention of the Northern Light or the Aquidneck, possibly Slocum's most important commands before his solo circumnavigation. Also, there are important personal details missing, e.g. the death of Virginia. 24.136.6.69 04:35, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

"tells us"
Several times (esp. first circumnavigation), the article states "Slocum tells us . . ." Hunh? Not only is this considerably less formal than expected in an encyclopedia article, but it smacks of being lifted from another work, with no citation. This is bothersome. --Piledhigheranddeeper (talk) 16:12, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Wives
His first wife died, but there is no mention of his re-marriage. There's one passing reference to his wife in later life, making it look like this is Virginia being referred to, but that's not the case. Can someone add about his second marriage (date, wife's name, that she didn't like sailing very much, etc.)? --Piledhigheranddeeper (talk) 16:23, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Canadian-American?
If he was born in Canada surely he was Canadian?--Charles (talk) 10:39, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

If he took American citizenship surely he's an American. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.224.121.88 (talk) 19:33, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Sloop or Yawl
The spray was rigged as a Yawl during the circumnavigation. Was it sloop-rigged when he went missing, as the first paragraph seems to say? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 147.222.246.34 (talk • contribs) 01:14, 27 June 2007


 * If I remember aright he converted Spray into a sloop while on the trip – I think after some damage. Can't find my copy to check...  Richard New Forest (talk) 15:56, 12 January 2010 (UTC).

No Spray started out as a sloop as Slocum describes her as such in his account of sailing round the world. His initial long boom broke so he shortened it and he later added a "jigger" mast to make her into a yawl during his round the world voyage, possibly in preference to extending the main boom. Sketches or pictures of her nearing "Crusoes" island and later in Australia show her as a yawl

snippets
If joshua Slocum was born in Canada in 1844 wouldn't this make him a citizen of the British Empire?

Some years ago there was an American book that dealt in part with the last voyage of Joshua Slocum. The relevant section read "by his own admission, Slocum was beginning to suffer from black outs".

Does anybody else have any information about this comment?AT Kunene (talk) 15:36, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

True monument
Isn't the true monument to Joshua Slocum the book "Sailing Alone Around the World"? This book has never gone out of print and most years is regularly reprinted.

It's a special moment on that beach in Nava Scotia. Having worked his way up the to commanding a crack sailing ship this was becoming worthless as the shipping world had increasingly turned to the more reliable steam ship. In his fifities, Slocum was on the beach and likely to be completely forgotton on the pages of history.

As he stoood on that beach and surveyed the remains of the "Spray", then deciding to purchase and restore the vessel, at that special moment everything that would make Slocum almost immortal was just about to begin.212.138.68.113 (talk) 12:54, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Above
This is AT Kunene writing the monument addition above. Although I am logging in correctly the next section tells me that I am not logged in. What's wrong?212.138.68.113 (talk) 12:57, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Bad part of his life
I remember reading somewhere that in middle-age he was prosecuted for indecently assulting a young woman. Not mentioned.

I added a section on his later life that incorporates that "bad part". By the way, Slocum was in his early sixties when this occurred. 24.136.6.69 03:38, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

While I'm at it, the definitive biography of Slocum is "Joshua Slocum" by Teller (1971). Teller devoted several decades to studying Slocum's life and compiled extensive primary source materials. For any period in Slocum's life, Teller's work is the best compilation. 24.136.6.69 20:42, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

Shouldn't there be exact dates for when Slocum was arrested and released? If it's known that he spent 42 days in jail, there should be specific dates for his arrest, his release, and possibly, the date that the crime allegedly took place. One shouldn't be expected to go read a book, assuming it's still available, to find out information that should be listed in the article. Jtyroler (talk) 13:59, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

Yankee
Slocum claims in (Sailing Alone) that he considers himself a Yankee. Is this worth mentioning? I like calling him Canadian, but if he didn't call himself Canadian I don't know if it's entirely proper. Andrew 10:18, Apr 12, 2004 (UTC)


 * "Yankee" also means (or meant) anyone from the North Atlantic coast of North America; roughly from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia. It's one of those cultural regions, like the Pacific Northwest, that largely disregards the international border. In the case of "Yankees" (often called "Yankee sailors" to distinguish them from the American generic), one's personal patriotism might be more strongly associated with this regional identity than with either nation. I come from these sorts of "Yankees" -- on both sides of the line -- and have always assumed Slocum used the term to designate his culture, like my own forebears did, not his citizenship. Laodah 17:28, 22 July 2016 (UTC)