Teddy Seymour was the first African American to sail around the globe on his own. Seymour was born in Yonkers, New York. He attended Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, on a track scholarship. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for seven years, including in the Vietnam War. Seymour then relocated to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he was a school teacher. After deciding to sail around the globe, it took Seymour seven years to prepare.
Seymour’s sailing odyssey began (February 24, 1986) and ended (On June 19, 1987) in Frederiksted, St. Croix. Several years earlier, Seymour purchased his sailboat, a 35-foot sailing boat known as “Love Song.” He paid it off by working multiple jobs as a night watchman, teacher, sailboat charter captain for tourists, and waiter.
Seymour made only 12 stops and accomplished the circumnavigation with very little money ($3,200 in cash and $2,000
on a credit card). By his own account, his trip was a “no-frills circumnavigation of the world.” While at sea, Seymour consumed beans, brown rice, and fish that he caught while sailing.
Seymour went first through the Panama Canal and crossed the Pacific and Indian Oceans before passing through the Suez Canal. Along the way, he stopped in Yemen, Greece, Israel, Australia, and several South Pacific islands. It took him only 16 months to cover 20,000 miles (89 miles per day on average). For his accomplishment, Seymour received the Golden Circle Award from the Joshua Slocum Society.
According to uncommonexperiences.net, en. Wikipedia. Source of photo: internet
