''American Promise'' is a

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

used by Dodge Morgan in 1985–1986 for a record-breaking 150-day, 27,000-mile solo

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Mage ...

of the planet.

History

''American Promise'' is a Bermuda rigged sloop, boat that was designed by 1974 America's Cup winner

Ted Hood Frederick Emmart Hood (May 5, 1927 — June 28, 2013) was an American yachtsman and naval architect. He founded the sailmaker Hood Sails in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1952. Hood Sails operated until purchased by Quantum Sails in 2017. Hood fo ...

for Dodge Morgan's solo round-the-world record attempt. The boat was the last to be built by CW Hood Yachts in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends into the northern part of Massachusetts Bay. Attache ...

. The company relocated to

Portsmouth, Rhode Island Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged ...

in 1986. Hood recalled it was designed for sturdiness rather than speed: "Everyone said there's no way that boat is going to get around the world in record speed, but it did." It was completed at a cost of $1.5 million. ''American Promise'' departed from

Ordnance Island Ordnance Island is located within the limits of St. George's Town, Bermuda. It lies close to the shore opposite the town square (King's Square), in St. George's Harbour. History The only island in the town, it covers just and was created ...

, in St. George's,

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

, on November 12, 1985, and returned there on April 11, 1986, completing the journey in 150 days, 1 hour, and 6 minutes. As ''American Promise'' sailed into St. George's Harbor, Morgan's project manager, Grant Robinson, noted that the boat looked spit-and-polished. He radioed, "She doesn't look any the worse for wear at all. We see you've still got some paint on her." Morgan replied, "What do you mean 'some paint on her'? She's only been used once." As Morgan disembarked, his wife, Manny, and his two children handed him a cheeseburger and a bag of popcorn. He told the crowd that had gathered to greet him: "It takes three things to sail around the world alone. A good boat, an iron will and luck. To do so in record time takes a great boat, an iron will and extraordinary luck. And, my friends, here is a great boat." Morgan was the fourth person and the first American to sail solo around the globe with no stops.

Legacy

Morgan wrote about his voyage in a book titled ''The Voyage of American Promise'', published by

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

in 1989. Morgan commissioned The New Film Company, Inc. of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, to produce a film about his journey. Producer Christopher G. Knight placed six film cameras on ''American Promise'', three above deck and three below. One in each set was programmed to come on twice a day during daylight hours and run for 30 seconds, thus enabling Morgan to film himself. He used the cameras as a film log and shot over nine hours of film that was ultimately edited into the 57-minute film, ''Around Alone''. This became the first featured film in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series, ''Adventure''. It first aired in March 1987. Morgan's voyage was also the focus of a series of psychological papers, including an entire issue of the ''Journal of Personality'' devoted to analyzing Morgan's life, his experience of the voyage, and the ways in which it may have affected his personality development.

References

{{Reflist Individual sailing vessels History of Bermuda 1985 ships