In April of 1895, a Nova Scotian by the name of Joshua Slocum set sail from Boston with the goal of circumnavigating the globe by himself. Three years and 46,000 miles later, he would publish the story of his journey, Sailing Alone Around the World, an instant classic that has since never been out of print. A decade later, in 1909, Slocum set sail for the Amazon and was never seen again.

More than a century later another Nova Scotian adventurer, RC Shaw, leaves his home in Cow Bay on a bicycle bound for Slocum’s childhood home of Brier Island. Travelling down Nova Scotia’s South Shore, Shaw sets off on a journey to chase the ghost of Joshua Slocum, casting aside reason and attempting his own miraculous sea crossing.

Rollicking, refreshing, and undeniably adventurous, Captain Solitude is one man’s story of whimsical spirit-rousing, saltwater transcendence, and the discovery of the hidden layers and characters of Nova Scotia’s coastal crown.

RC Shaw has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of King's College. His most recent publication was the lead essay in the February/March 2018 edition of The Surfer's Journal. He lives with his wife and young family in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia.

R.C. Shaw's profile page