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Lone Voyager: The Extraordinary Adventures Of Howard Blackburn Hero Fisherman Of Gloucester | 
 enlarge | Author: Joseph E Garland
Publisher: Touchstone
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy Used: $2.38
You Save: $20.57 (90%)
New (19) Used (33) Collectible (1) from $2.38
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 654711
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Sub
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0684872633
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.45092
EAN: 9780684872636
ASIN: 0684872633
Publication Date: July 7, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: nice rarely if ever used UNMARKED tight softcover, light edge wear, no bends, no bumps, MM5L1NV
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Like countless Gloucester fishermen before and since, Howard Blackburn and Tom Welch were trawling for halibut on the Newfoundland banks in an open dory in 1883 when a sudden blizzard separated them from their mother ship. Alone on the empty North Atlantic, they battled towering waves and frozen spray to stay afloat. Welch soon succumbed to exposure, and Blackburn did the only thing he could: He rowed for shore. He rowed five days without food or water, with his hands frozen to the oars, to reach the coast of Newfoundland. Yet his tests had only begun.So begins Joe Garland's extraordinary account of the hero fisherman of Gloucester. Incredibly, though Blackburn lost his fingers to his icy misadventure, he went on to set a record for swiftest solo sailing voyage across the Atlantic that stood for decades. Lone Voyager is a Homeric saga of survival at sea and a thrilling portrait of the world's most fabled fishing port in the age of sail.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
Why didn't I read this years go? June 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Though I live in Gloucester and have spent a good many evenings in Howard Blackburn's establishment with his pictures and newspaper articles hanging on the walls, I only recently discovered this book. What a wonderful adventure! The first chapter, which tells the story of the fishing trip during which Blackburn lost his fingers and toes, sets the stage well for the rest of the adventure. And what an adventure it is! Here in Gloucester they talk of the days of "iron men in wooden ships" and Blackburn was the toughest and most indomitable of all those iron men. After surviving the trip that opens the book, he goes on to start his famous tavern in Gloucester, cross the Atlantic twice on his own, sail around Cape Horn and up the Pacific Coast bound for the Klondike, and undertake a perfectly fascinating trip up the Hudson River, through the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi.
Because I wrote a book based in the seafaring history of Lake Erie I was particularly gratified to read that Blackburn wrote that of all the waters he ever crossed he considered Lake Erie to have been the worst --- even worse than the Grand Banks in the Atlantic.
Author Joe Garland is well known both as a historian and a sailor and both those skills are well used in the telling of this tale. This is an extraordinary story of an extraordinary man told by an extraordinary writer. What more does a reader want?
The Real Iron Man January 10, 2007
Howard Blackburn accomplished a feat of endurance and spirit that equals any. This is a well told tale of the man who froze his hands to the oars of his dory to row 100 miles in January off Newfoundland. Gripping and substantial, this book stays with you.
A Hero You Just Might Have Missed June 2, 2004
It would be too easy to simply say that Howard Blackburn rose above his adversity. I should like to have known more about, or even known him - fisherman, retailer, sailor and philanthropist - here is a man of legend among men of iron. Howard's tale is marvelous; a testament to the pioneers and explorers who follow their restless dreams without compromise. Lone Voyager is a fascinating and enlightening look into the industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the men who fought long odds and the compelling draw of a man possessed of his visions.
Wonderful book about life at the turn of the century (1900) March 3, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Howard Blackburn was one cool dude! I mean the guy gets caught away from the mother ship and rows for 5 days to live but it costs him all his fingers and that's just the first two chapters! You've got him going off to the Yukon on a gold rush jaunt, a couple of single handed trips across the Atlantic. A circumnavigation of the Eastern US via the Great Lakes and the Misissippi River and around Florida. He just won't quit.Anyway I bought the book because of the stories about dories, and was hooked by all the other adventures as well. BTW there is a rowing race of 22 miles in open Atlantic called the "Blackburn Challange" The folks of Glouster loved him.
Lone Voyager July 20, 2000
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found an old copy of this book and read it a year ago. An incredible true story. I`m glad to see that it is available in paperpback again.
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