Bill Pinkney: First African American to sail around the world solo via Capes, dies at 87

A Chicagoan and sailor named Bill Pinkney created history and inspired a lot of people 31 years ago with his voyage around the world.
Capt. Pinkney passed away on Thursday, as we learned. He was 87. Thousands of children watched Pinkney’s every nautical mile in 1992 when he was sailing alone at sea.

Pinkney, a native of Chicago’s South Side, made history by becoming the first African American to complete a solo voyage around the globe via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and Cape Horn in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in southern Chile. It represented a feat of bravery and perseverance.

In addition, Pinkney served as the Johnson Products Company’s director of marketing before taking up the position of director of marketing for the Chicago Department of Human Services in 1980, according to History Makers.

Bill Pinkney: First African American to sail around the world solo via Capes, dies at 87

World-Circling Sailor Bill Pinkney, 87, Dies after Making a Racial Mark. He circumnavigated the dangerous Cape Horn, endured storms and loneliness, and was the first Black person to sail alone across the challenging southern route.