Spray

Type

Fishing Vessel

Period

19th Century

Nation

United States

Overview: Spray was a 36-foot-9-inch (11.20 m) oyster sloop that retired sea captain Joshua Slocum rebuilt from a derelict hulk and sailed single-handedly around the world between 1895 and 1898, the first voyage of its kind. The vessel and Slocum himself have become icons of small-boat voyaging and self-steering seamanship. Specifications: As rebuilt, Spray measured 36 ft 9 in (11.20 m) in length with a beam of 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m) and a depth of hold of about 4 ft 2 in (1.27 m), for a burthen of roughly 12.71 gross tons. She was rigged as a gaff sloop (converted to a yawl rig in November 1895 during the circumnavigation) and carried a crew of one; propulsion was sail only, with no auxiliary engine. Service History: Originally a Chesapeake Bay oyster-fishing sloop, the boat was a rotting, beached hulk near Fairhaven, Massachusetts by the mid-1880s when Captain Ebenezer Pierce gave it to Slocum. Slocum spent about thirteen months and $553.62 essentially rebuilding her plank by plank, then departed Boston Harbor on April 24, 1895, returning to Newport, Rhode Island on June 27, 1898 as the first person known to have sailed solo around the world. Slocum and Spray disappeared without trace after leaving Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts on November 14, 1909, bound for South America; the cause and location of the loss remain unknown. Notable Facts: Spray was renowned for her exceptional self-steering ability on a balanced helm, allowing Slocum to lash the tiller and go below for extended periods even in open ocean. Slocum documented the voyage in his memoir Sailing Alone Around the World (1900), which became a bestseller and inspired generations of small-boat voyagers; the book's original sail plan and Slocum's own described "lines" have made Spray one of the most frequently reproduced sailboat designs for amateur builders and modelers.