SOME years ago, in an Atlantic port, I met a young Ameri-
can who had built himself a "tabloid" cruiser. The word tabloid was
then used to describe a vessel so small and compact that an active
man could sail it anywhere single-handed. This little cruiser was
about twenty-five feet on the water line, and he was starting off alone
for the Panama Canal and beyond that for some vague destination
in the South Seas. I asked him why, and his reply was, "Just for the
hell of it."

This seems a good title under which to consider the adventures
of some of the men and women who have sailed the Atlantic in
small vessels. Both the title and the account are informal as befits
the character of the people and their ships. The stories of the little
vessels, their cruises, and their "captains" that make up this section
have been selected for a variety of reasons. Some are here because
their stories have already been told in books that can be recom-
mended as good reading; others because their stories never have been
told; others because the events are so extraordinary that they should
never be forgotten.

All the stories show that the ocean can be both tough and tender
in its handling of the "little fellows" that, year by year, put to sea
with a kind of contemptuous daring. No doubt there are omitted
here some accounts that should be included and vice versa. It would
indeed require special and lengthy research to list all the small ships

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