Teddy Seymour
Encyclopedia
Teddy Seymour is the first black man to sail around the world
solo.
On June 19, 1987, Teddy Seymour became officially designated the first black man to sail around the world when he completed his solo sailing circumnavigation in Frederiksted, St. Croix
, of the United States Virgin Islands
.
On June 18, 1992, the Bay State Banner wrote the following:
Society, the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey
, Sea Magazine, St. Croix Avis, New York Times, among many others, all acknowledge his accomplishment. The Legislature of the Virgin Islands has also declared a resolution to preserve his contribution to the history of Virgin Islands maritime culture and world sailing.
He was given the prestigious Golden Circle Award recognition, by the Joshua Slocum Society:
Joshua Slocum Society World Solo Circumnavigation Sailing Logbook
In 1994, the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey, a 150 year old non-profit maritime agency in NYC that promotes the welfare of seafarers, held a special black-tie ceremony to celebrate Teddy's sailing feat. Seymour said little at the ceremony but did attend.
. For over 20 years (and counting), the Virgin Islands Pace Road Runners club hosts a 4 mile "Toast-To-The-Captain" road race in honor of Seymour.
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
solo.
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...
, of the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
.
Circumnavigation
Aboard his 35-foot (11m) Ericson, MK I, Alberg hull design, full keel, fiberglass boat, entitled Love Song, Teddy circumnavigated the earth, making only 12 stops. On February 24, 1986, after years of preparation, and with only a small pocket of money, Seymour began his sailing trip from his home port of St. Croix. He finished his trip exactly where he had started a year and a half later.On June 18, 1992, the Bay State Banner wrote the following:
"Lacking corporate sponsors and media coverage, Seymour's 16-month journey was in every bit a solo effort. 'The easy part was sailing around the world,' said the 51-year-old Seymour in a telephone interview with the Banner. 'I've almost lost my life on many occasions.'
'I've been through Vietnam, I've lived in L.A. where the cops hassled me just because I was a black man running down the street in a sweatsuit.'
Born in Yonkers, New YorkYonkers, New YorkYonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, Seymour attended Central State UniversityCentral State UniversityCentral State University, commonly referred to as "C-State", is a historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is the only public HBCU in Ohio.-History:...
in OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
on a track scholarship. In 1965, Seymour began a seven-year stint in the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, serving in Vietnam as a captain.
After relocating to the Virgin Islands where he took a job as a primary school teacher, Seymour began planning his journey. It took seven years of paying off $62,000 in bank loans for the purchase and preparation of his 35-foot sailboat before Seymour left Saint Croix, headed for the Panama CanalPanama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
"I worked as a school teacher, a night watchman, a waiter and I chartered my boat," he explained.
Restricted by a $5,200 travel budget, $2,000 of which was on a credit card, Seymour limited his stops to 12 ports including several South Pacific Islands, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, South Yemen, IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Seymour routed his journey through the Mediterranean via the Suez CanalSuez CanalThe Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
after he was advised by a U.S. Counsel to stay out of Durban, South Africa, where he would have had to stop before passing under the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good HopeThe Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
.
Unfortunately, the Mediterranean was in the middle of its worst winter in 42 years. Dogged by gales and a damaged navigation system, Seymour made his longest layover in Pilos, Greece, where he waited over 30 days for the repairs and better weather.
After a two month 2,000 mile (3,200 km) journey, Seymour passed through the Strait of GibraltarStrait of GibraltarThe Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
with $38 worth of food and headed for home.
Although he was certified by sailing authorities as being the 161st person to make the circumnavigation solo, he received little mention in the press outside of a few sailing magazines.
World Sailing Records & Awards
The Joshua SlocumJoshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Canadian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he told the story of this in Sailing Alone Around the World...
Society, the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey
Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey
The Seamen's Church Institute of New York & New Jersey, founded in 1834 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, serves mariners through education, pastoral care, and legal advocacy. With a budget of over $7 million dollars, SCI is the largest, most comprehensive mariners’ agency in North America...
, Sea Magazine, St. Croix Avis, New York Times, among many others, all acknowledge his accomplishment. The Legislature of the Virgin Islands has also declared a resolution to preserve his contribution to the history of Virgin Islands maritime culture and world sailing.
He was given the prestigious Golden Circle Award recognition, by the Joshua Slocum Society:
Joshua Slocum Society World Solo Circumnavigation Sailing Logbook
In 1994, the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey, a 150 year old non-profit maritime agency in NYC that promotes the welfare of seafarers, held a special black-tie ceremony to celebrate Teddy's sailing feat. Seymour said little at the ceremony but did attend.
Running Achievements
Teddy won an athletic scholarship to attend to college, and is a former All-American cross country road runner star at Central State University in Wilberforce, OhioWilberforce, Ohio
Wilberforce is a census-designated place in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,579 at the 2000 census. The community was named for the English statesman William Wilberforce, who worked for abolition of slavery and achieved the end of the slave trade in the United Kingdom and...
. For over 20 years (and counting), the Virgin Islands Pace Road Runners club hosts a 4 mile "Toast-To-The-Captain" road race in honor of Seymour.