"The Voyage of Detroit"

A 35-foot boat. One engine. An entire ocean that did not ask to be impressed. The Voyage of Detroit is the true story of a man who looked at the Atlantic in 1912 and thought, “Yes—this seems reasonable.” Witty, tense, and occasionally soaked in seawater, Thomas Fleming Day’s account proves that bravery, stubbornness, and a very loud motor can take you farther than common sense ever would. If you enjoy adventure, dry humor, and the kind of confidence that borders on madness, this voyage is well worth coming along for. This 156-page paperback is sure to delight the salty sea captain in all of us! The Voyage of Detroit , by Thomas Fleming Day, is a thrilling first-hand account of an extraordinary early 20th-century nautical adventure. In 1912, Day, a famed sailor and founding editor of The Rudder magazine, set out to prove the reliability of internal-combustion engines at sea by voyaging across the North Atlantic in a small 35-foot powerboat named Detroit . Chronicling the voyage from New York to St. Petersburg, Russia, he describes the constant challenges of life aboard the low-freeboard vessel—being frequently awash, enduring deafening engine noise, battling storms, and coping with dangers including fire and near disaster. The narrative captures both the technical details of the journey and the spirit of early motor-boating exploration, offering readers an adventurous glimpse into pioneering marine travel that few would dare to replicate.