For more than 5,000 years, the sea has challenged, rewarded, and punished the brave sailors who set forth to explore it. This history of the sea and sailing tells the remarkable story of those individuals--whether they lived to tell the tale themselves or not. From the early Polynesian seafarers and the first full circumnavigations of the globe, to explorers picking their way through the coral reefs of the West Indies, this book tells the compelling story of life at sea that lies behind man's search for new lands, new trade, conquest, and uncharted waters. The great milestones of nautical history from the discovery of America to the establishment of the Royal Navy, the naval history of the Civil War, the Battle of Midway and modern piracy are all charted and set in their cultural and historical context. A Short History of Seafaring is a unique compendium of awe-inspiring tales of epic sea voyages that always involve great feats of seamanship, navigation, endurance, and ingenuity.