A phantom of the stately Aquidneck - MATT x JOSHUA 1

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MATT x JOSHUA 1


Good morning friends !


Somewhere in the past (124 years ago) a north american citizen was sailing in the same region that our brave Matt is now going through.
- What was his name?
- Yes, yes, we’re talking about that same sailor, who soon after became the first person to circumnavigate the planet Earth, which should be called WATER, in solitary …
- What was the name of his “canoe” ?

- His name was Joshua Slocum and his boat was called “Liberdade” in Portuguese and “Freedom” in English.
In this new series I decided to compare the blogs of Matt and Joshua.
- Look at the first double quotes:


“I had quite a scare last night. I woke up at 2am and right behind me was a freighter. This wasn’t like the friendly visit from the freighter awhile back that honked its horn at me. This freighter had no idea I was…”


Matt Rutherford – “Solo Around the America’s” – 2012


“A phantom of the stately Aquidneck appeared one night, sweeping by with crowning skysails set, that fairly brushed the stars. No apparition could have affected us more than the sight of this floating…”


Joshua Slocum – “Voyage of the Liberdade” – 1888


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Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844 – on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was aCanadian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he told the story of this in Sailing Alone Around the World. Hedisappeared in November 1909 while aboard his boat, the Spray. (WIKIPEDIA)


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Voyage of the Liberdade


After being stranded in Brazil with his wife and sons Garfield and Victor, he started building a boat that could sail them home. He used local materials, salvaged materials from the Aquidneck and local workforce. The boat was launched on May 13, 1888, the very day slavery was abolished in Brazil, and therefore the ship was given the Portuguese name Liberdade. It was an unusual 35-foot (11 m)junk-rigged design which he described as “half Cape Ann dory and half Japanese [sic] sampan”. He and his family began their voyage back to the United States, his son Victor being the mate. After fifty-five days at sea and 5510 miles, the Slocums reached Cape Roman, South Carolina and continued inland to Washington D.C. for winter and finally reaching Boston via New York in 1889. This was the last time Henrietta sailed with the family. In 1890, Slocum published the accounts of these adventures in Voyage of the Liberdade.


Good winds Big Matt !


Good eternal winds Big Joshua !


Fernando Costa, from Cabo Frio, Brazil