A Speck on the Sea : Epic Voyages in the Most Improbable Vessels

Throughout history, the bold, the desperate, and the foolhardy have dared the wide oceans in the tiniest of boats

The unique and wonderful A Speck on the Sea looks back half a millennium to chronicle the greatest ocean voyages attempted in the littlest boats--rowboats, canoes, tiny sailboats, even a pair of wooden floats strapped to one adventurer's feet.

Driven by desperation, a spirit of adventure, or irrepressible exuberance, these amazing feats include:

• Diego Mendez's voyage to rescue Columbus
• William Okeley's 1639 escape from slavery in a folding rowboat
• Hugo Vihlen's 1968 ocean crossing in the six-foot sailboat April Fool
• Ernest Shackleton and William Bligh's death-cheating journeys
• The tragic story of Peter Bird's attempt to row across the Pacific
• And many more

Never have sailors dared the sea in frailer boats. This fascinating history will appeal to sailors and landlubbers alike.