Zeb Tilton was Martha's Vineyard's Paul Bunyan, its John Henry, and Casanova. Zeb was Captain of the Alice S. Wentworth, the sweetest schooner along the coast. She was a working vessel, but with Zeb at the wheel she could out-sail America's Cup yachts, slip into coves, and navigate up rivers. Zeb Tilton, they said, could reach Chicago on a heavy dew. As he moved cargoes along the coast, he became a legend, and in the early days of the mass media, a national celebrity. This is Zeb's story, the place he came from, the way he lived, the legacy he left. His great strength, his loves, his work ethic, his wit, his skill at handling a vessel under sail made him a genuine American folk hero.
—Gordon Massingham