Captain Pinkney sailed his 47-foot boat, Commitment, into Boston Harbor after
completing a 22-month solo circumnavigation of the globe, a voyage covering
27,000 miles. As the first African-American and the fourth American to sail
solo around the world, Captain Pinkney communicated regularly with students in
Boston and Chicago via satellite, teaching sailing basics along with valuable
lessons in perseverance, dedication and commitment. Born in 1953 in
Bronzeville, a section of Chicago, far from the sea but close to big water,
Captain Pinkney was moved to join the Navy after high school because of the
awe-inspiring sight of near-by Lake Michigan and various nautical stories he
had read.
The "Middle Passage Voyage" took place in 1999. He took nine public school
teachers aboard the 78-foot ketch Sortilege and retraced the route of slave
ships that traveled between Africa and the Americas. PBS produced "Captain Bill
Pinkney's Voyage Home," a documentary about his trip to Africa. Currently
master of the famously recreated Amistad ship, Captain Pinkney helps raise
money and awareness by talking about the Amistad replica, history and dream, as
shown in Steven Speilberg's acclaimed 1997 movie.
