Across Islands and Oceans
A Journey Alone Around the World By Sail and By Foot
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Narrated by:
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Spencer King
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By:
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James Baldwin
About this listen
Across Islands and Oceans is the memoir of 25 year-old James Baldwin and his epic two-year, solo circumnavigation in Atom, his trusty but aging 28-foot sailboat.
Early on and "as broke as [he] dared to be", James determined not only to sail around the world, but also to hike across every island that he visits. His inland forays are unique in the literature of circumnavigators as he finds danger, humor, friendship, and romance in places most sailors will never visit. James' story unfolds in his earnest exploration of distant lands and seas, his meditations on the people whose lives he touched, and his greater voyage to explore his own private ocean of solitude.
His adventure is not merely an attempt to seek thrills, nor even to tempt death, but rather a voyage of discovery as he set out in the direction of his youthful dreams to meet the life he imagined.
"Go seek what you will, where you will, but be a seeker all of your life." (James Baldwin)
©2012 James Baldwin (P)2017 James BaldwinListeners also enjoyed...
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Great listen - great narrator
- By Jonathan on 01-10-19
By: Porter Fox
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Black Wave
- A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them
- By: John Silverwood, Jean Silverwood
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie, Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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When John and Jean Silverwood, both experienced sailors, decided to give their four children a taste of life on the high seas, they hoped the trip would offer important learning experiences - not only about the natural world but about the beauty of human life stripped down to its essence, far from civilization. But the adventure that awaited them would surpass anything they could have imagined.
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What Wave
- By James on 09-03-08
By: John Silverwood, and others
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Skeletons on the Zahara
- A True Story of Survival
- By: Dean King
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Everywhere hailed as a masterpiece of historical adventure, this enthralling narrative recounts the experiences of 12 American sailors who were shipwrecked off the coast of Africa in 1815, captured by desert nomads, sold into slavery, and subjected to a hellish two-month journey through the bone-dry heart of the Sahara. The ordeal of these men - who found themselves tested by barbarism, murder, starvation, death, dehydration, and hostile tribes that roamed the desert on camelback - is made indelibly vivid in this gripping account of courage, brotherhood, and survival.
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Haunting
- By thawstone on 06-05-16
By: Dean King
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Jungleland
- A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure
- By: Christopher S. Stewart
- Narrated by: Jef Brick
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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On April 6, 1940, explorer and future World War II spy Theodore Morde (who would one day attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler), anxious about the perilous journey that lay ahead of him, struggled to fall asleep at the Paris Hotel in La Ceiba, Honduras. Nearly seventy years later, in the same hotel, acclaimed journalist Christopher S. Stewart wonders what he's gotten himself into.
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If only REI sold ruby hiking boots...
- By Mel on 01-25-13
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Sahara
- By: Michael Palin
- Narrated by: Michael Palin
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
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Michael Palin is off again, this time to the seemingly desolate Sahara Desert. There's no easy way across, as he and his team discover on their most challenging expedition yet.
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A wonderful journey.
- By David on 05-22-05
By: Michael Palin
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The Old Ways
- A Journey on Foot
- By: Robert Macfarlane
- Narrated by: Robin Sachs
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In this exquisitely written book, Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge, England, home to follow the ancient tracks, holloways, drove roads, and sea paths that crisscross both the British landscape and its waters and territories beyond. The result is an immersive, enthralling exploration of the ghosts and voices that haunt old paths, of the stories our tracks keep and tell, and of pilgrimage and ritual. Told in Macfarlane’s distinctive voice, The Old Ways folds together natural history, cartography, geology, archaeology, and literature.
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A perfect pairing of prose and narrator
- By chris on 11-05-12
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Getting Stoned with the Savages
- A Trip through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu
- By: J. Maarten Troost
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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After two grueling years on the island of Tarawa, Troost was in no hurry to return to the South Pacific until he began to feel remarkably out of place in modern America. He knew it was time to set off again for parts unknown. Here he tells the story of his time on Vanuatu, a cluster of islands where he struggles against typhoons, earthquakes, and giant centipedes but finds himself swept up in the laid-back, clothing-optional lifestyle of the islanders.
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My new favorite author!
- By L. Worthington on 08-28-07
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Sudden Sea
- By: R.A. Scotti
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In the tradition of The Perfect Storm, Sudden Sea hearkens back to a natural disaster that struck terror in the hearts of many. In this narrative, listeners experience the Great Hurricane of 1938, the most financially destructive storm on record.
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Very professional and interesting
- By Careful Consumer on 08-09-23
By: R.A. Scotti
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The Sea Hunters II
- By: Craig Dirgo, Clive Cussler
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
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From the authors of the number-one best-selling The Sea Hunters comes more unforgettable true adventures with famous shipwrecks.
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A wonderful insight into Clive Cussler.
- By Rjs194943 on 02-14-18
By: Craig Dirgo, and others
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Headhunters on My Doorstep
- A True Treasure Island Ghost Story
- By: J. Maarten Troost
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Entertainment Weekly calls acclaimed author and essayist J. Maarten Troost a "funny, candid, and down-to-earth travel companion". Both witty and poignant, Headhunters on My Doorstep follows Troost as he retraces Robert Louis Stevenson’s path through the South Pacific. Somewhere between AA meetings in Tahiti and discovering how the Island of Merrymaking got its name, Troost reconnects with himself, his family, and the beauty of life.
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Another great South Pacific Book from Mr. Troost
- By Michael on 08-29-13
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In the Kingdom of Ice
- The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
- By: Hampton Sides
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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In the late nineteenth century, people were obsessed by one of the last unmapped areas of the globe: The North Pole. No one knew what existed beyond the fortress of ice rimming the northern oceans. On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds in the grip of "Arctic Fever." The ship sailed into uncharted seas, but soon was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew abandoned the ship.
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Superb tale that unravels at an iceburg's pace
- By Mel on 03-19-15
By: Hampton Sides
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Visit Sunny Chernobyl
- And Other Adventures in the World's Most Polluted Places
- By: Andrew Blackwell
- Narrated by: Ax Norman
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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For most of us, traveling means visiting the most beautiful places on Earth - Paris, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon. It’s rare to book a plane ticket to visit the lifeless moonscape of Canada’s oil sand strip mines, or to seek out the Chinese city of Linfen, legendary as the most polluted in the world. But in Visit Sunny Chernobyl, Andrew Blackwell embraces a different kind of travel, taking a jaunt through the most gruesomely polluted places on Earth.
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Better than I predicted
- By Paul Luthi on 08-23-13
By: Andrew Blackwell
What listeners say about Across Islands and Oceans
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bob
- 06-06-20
I’ve fallen in love with Baldwin’s style.
The spiritual aspects can become incessant but his descriptions of people and places are second to none. I feel like I’ve been to some of these islands in the South Pacific. I read his second book first and now I’m just waiting for my next credit to pick up the third.
The narrator struggles with a few terms, but he gets you there.
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- javi
- 06-22-20
Exceptional story!
This was a phenomenal book! I would highly recommend this book to anybody that is interested in sailing. He shares his adventures on the high seas and in remote parts of the world in ways that leave the reader captivated. A must read!
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4 people found this helpful
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- T. Shirley
- 12-28-18
fantastic!!
I loved every single minute of this audio book!! extremely interesting and well written! thx!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Den Ardinger
- 04-30-22
A yachtsman's dream voyage
I very much enjoyed this book. As a yachtsman myself, it is, unfortunately, a voyage that I can only read about (or listen to in this case). The tremendous courage needed to do this is astounding. There is daily risk that goes far beyond what the average person encounters. What I found interesting is that he not only sailed the oceans but when he came to an island, such as Papua New Guinea for example, he thoroughly explored it by walking all over the place even if there was great risk to do so. I really admire courage like this. I highly recommend this book.
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- John J. Elert
- 11-19-21
Wonderful story and very narrative
I loved the fact he was so interested in staying and exploring ports and Island in a completely un-tourist manner. In some locales he immersed himself in the local communities for extended periods, before moving on to the next port of call. He truly made the effort to visit as many places as he could, that Joshua Slocum, the good-like hero of many sailors and dreamers, had visited so long before.
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- ThunderInTheSun
- 10-08-18
A true sailor' s quest
As a young man, this is something I always dreamed of doing. Now, I have sailed vicariously freely around the world. Thank you James Baldwin for this wonderful adventure as your first officer!!
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7 people found this helpful
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- BG
- 02-14-24
Perfect for the armchair adventurer
Exciting, philosophical and raw! Looking forward to reading another of his works. Sail on and let the mind dream!
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- Jon
- 05-03-19
Amazing Adventures
First, I must say that one of the reviewers had given a misleading review - he claimed that James Baldwin was a black man and complained that the narrator was a white man. This is not true - I think the reviewer had mixed up the author with another James Baldwin who was also a writer, playwright and activist. This caused a little confusion to me as I listened to the story picturing young James as a black person exploring various islands inhabited by colored people. I did not realize until half way through the story that James is white! This is actually important as I had to reimagine what it would be like for a white person to befriend the locals on his many exciting and challenging adventures.
Second, I am awestruck at this story and the courage and bravery of a 25 year old to go on this journey of spirit and discovery of nature and humanity. I didn't want the journey to end and now I am looking forward to listening to Jame's other books. The writing is a great mix of humor, education, and poetry. It is also an excellent resource for anyone contemplating long passages at sea.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Shawn Bailey
- 06-18-22
Excellent Read
I loved the story narrative of not finding the path in life attractive where you slog away in a boring and dreadful job for moments of joy only found on some packaged vacation. The best part and always so true is travel around the world is not just for rich people but frugal people with courage and a sense of adventure combined with a savvy interest in many things equals an interesting life worth reading about. Well done!
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- M. Bishop
- 03-10-19
A good read for young people
I think young people who would like to escape the virtual morass of the internet should read this book and think about escaping and living a more authentic life. James did it on a shoe string and balls.
The story is well told and James seems to be a genuenly decent person.
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3 people found this helpful