PAGE 4 • SPRING 2009 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SAILING ASSOCIATION
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LIVING THE DREAM
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I berthed her in Ballena Bay
Marina in Alameda, Calif.
Then, in 1980, my wife and
I sailed our boat Tangaloa
south through the Panama
Canal to Florida. It was a
wonderful three-year
adventure filled with lots of
“stories” and memories.
My instant love of the sport
gave rise to a dream of
introducing sailing to other
African Americans, still a
minority in the sailing
community. I was fortunate.
I had my friend Hank to
introduce me to sailing. Most
people, and especially
African Americans, have no
such person. African
Americans are not widely
recruited to join yacht clubs; and, except for a
handful of African American Sailing Organizations,
there is very little outreach to the black community
by the sailing industry.
So, I figured that since the industry is missing the
boat and not targeting African Americans, why
don’t I target African Americans and have them go
sailing with me?
A Friend and a Dream
My good friend, Captain Bill Pinkney, 71, had his
own sailing dreams. In 1985, remembering Call It
Courage, Armstrong Sperry’s classic adventure tale,
Captain Bill began planning a remarkable solo voyage
around the world. It would be the ultimate
inspirational legacy to leave his grandchildren.
In August, 1990, at the age of 54, Pinkney left
Boston on his 47-foot (14-meter) cutter, Commitment.
(Top) The Black Boaters Summit gives sailors of color the chance
Opting for the more challenging southern route, his journey
took him to Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Uruguay, and
to come together to learn and have fun. (Below) The captains
Bermuda—and through tropical storms, 70-mile-an-hour
gather for a group photo on an inviting beach.
winds, and 55-foot waves. After 22 months and 32,000
nautical miles, he sailed safely back to Boston’s harbor. After being introduced by a mutual friend fifteen years ago,
Bill and I planned how we could work together to attract
Bill is the real deal. Not only did he circumnavigate the African Americans to sailing. I had a few entrepreneurial
globe alone, but he chose the most difficult passages in skills that I used to organize the effort. Pinkney used his
the world. As the first African American to sail the world reputation as a master mariner and a positive role model to
alone, Captain Bill’s voyage was followed by hundreds of draw people to the trips, and Black Boaters Summit was
schoolchildren via computer and on satellite radio and born.
television.
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