Customer Reviews

Lone Voyager: The Extraordinary Adventures Of Howard Blackburn Hero Fisherman Of Gloucester

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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?

After having read The Perfect Storm, I was interested in other stories about the fishermen of the Gloucester area. This book fit the bill perfectly--just as harrowing as The Perfect Storm, but with a happier ending.

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.

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.

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.