John (sometimes “Jack”) Claus Voss was a German-Canadian sailor best known for sailing around the world in a modified dug-out canoe he named Tilikum (“Friend” in Chinook jargon). Initially a carpenter, Voss apprenticed on a ship voyaging around Cape Horn and thereafter lived primarily as a sailor. In 1901 Voss began his most noteworthy voyage with his friend Norman Luxton and ending alone in 1904. He chronicled this and other notable voyages in “The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss”. The Voyages described in this book are three in number. The first is a treasure hunt on Cocos Island, with the 10-ton sloop Xora. The second is Tilikum’s famous voyage round the world. The third is Sea Queen’s meeting with a cyclone off the coast of Japan.

“But sailing vessels will always be victims to uncertainty, and no one can rely upon the time of their arrival .. we drifted”

John Claus Voss “The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss” was first published in 1913. This edition was released in 1955 as part of The Mariners Library series by Rupert Hart-Davis. Donated to the library by a pirate captain ❤️

Photos by Anna Iltnere / Sea Library