I think Joshua Slocum is the sailor being referred to. He was the first man to sail around the world in his boat the Spray a gaff-rigged oyster boat. He made this voyage in 1895 without GPS, epirb, weather fax, winches and navigated by dead reckoning (clock and sun shots). According to Wikipedia his boat was so well balanced it could (in the right conditions)sail itself. Something sadly amiss with most modern craft that need assisted steering vanes etc.
