Lecture: "Sailing Alone: A History" by Richard King
by Herreshoff Marine Museum 11 Aug 2024 19:19 BST
September 5, 2024
The Herreshoff Marine Museum Lecture Series presents "Sailing Alone: A History" presented by Richard J. King.
Hosted in the Hall of Boats, located at One Burnside St.
Richard King returns to the Herreshoff Marine Museum to speak about his new book Sailing Alone: A Surprising History of Isolation and Survival at Sea. King weaves the story of his own solo Atlantic crossing (aboard a 28' Pearson Triton, likely built right here at this boatyard) with the history of mariners who have crossed oceans alone, beginning in the late 1700s. Sailing Alone focuses on mariners' personal motivations and the social pressures and contemporary technologies that influenced their adventures. Meanwhile he examines their relationship and observations of the marine world from their small, quiet platforms at sea. Rich is a lively presenter, they'll be spectacular historical photographs, and he personalizes every book signing with one of his own color illustrations!
Richard J. King is the author of five books of nonfiction about our relationship with the global ocean, including most recently Sailing Alone: A History. He was last at the Herreshoff Museum presenting Ahab's Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick.
Rich earned his PhD in writing and sea literature from the University of St. Andrews. He has been sailing on tall ships for over thirty years, traveling throughout the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as both a teacher and a sailor. He is a visiting associate professor with the Sea Education Association (Woods Hole, MA) and a research associate with the Literature Department at the University of California Santa Cruz.
In 2007, he sailed alone across the Atlantic in a 28' sloop from Portland, Maine, to Lisbon, Portugal (he was aiming for Scotland). He lives in Santa Cruz, CA, with his spouse and child.
Click here to purchase a ticket:
Full Series Pass:
Members: $125
In-Person Tickets:
Members: $15
Non-Members: $20
Virtual Tickets:
Members: $10
Non-Members: $15
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Tickets are non-refundable but they are transferable.
Virtual Lectures are hosted on Zoom Webinars. We strive to record and distribute all lectures but it is not guaranteed.
Lecture Series schedule available here.