sail beyond something

07:16 Nov 13, 2012 

for Slocum. But how his state of mind at this moment contrasts with what he experienced just a couple of weeks before when approaching Gloucester: "A thrilling pulse beat high in me. My step was light on deck in the crisp air. I felt that there could be no turning back, and that I was engaging in an adventure the meaning of which I thoroughly understood. I had taken little advice from any one, for I had a right to my own opinions in matters pertaining to the sea..." This proclivity to "consider the matter all over again" now and then might have been prompted by his experience – of being shipwrecked at least once (near the coast of Brazil.

18:01 Nov 12, 2012 

The author set sail from Gloucester, MA, out into the Gulf of Maine. The "ledge and rocks" refer to Cashes Ledge and what he calls the "Amen Rocks", actually Ammen Rock, which is the highest point of this ledge. This ledge lies about 80 miles offshore, east of Gloucester and was therefore right in his path to the open Atlantic. It is a very dangerous feature, especially the Ammen Rock, where the depth is only about 9 metres; moreover the tidal variations in the Gulf of Maine are exceptionally large. If he sails over the ledge he may well be shipwrecked.