During Black History Month, it is worthwhile to remember early African-American shipmasters. Who was the first? That is hard to say. Paul Cuffee is a good candidate. An updated repost.
Paul Cuffee was born on Cuttyhunk Island, MA on January 17, 1759, the seventh of ten children of Kofi or Cuffee Slocum and Ruth Moses. His father, a freed black man, was a member of the Ashanti people of Ghana. His mother was a Native American of the Wampanoag Nation of Martha’s Vineyard. Cuffee Slocum was a skilled carpenter, farmer, and fisherman, who taught himself to read and write. In 1766, Cuffee Slocum was able to purchase a 116-acre farm in Westport, Massachusetts.
Paul Cuffee went to sea at 16 on whalers and merchant ships, where he learned navigation. During the American Revolution, his ship was captured by the British and Cuffee was imprisoned for three months in 1776 in New York. He returned home to Massachusetts and in 1779 built an open boat which he used to run the British blockade, bringing trade goods to Nantucket and ports on the Massachusetts coast.
Sailors on the Japanese submarine 
In honor of Black History Month, an updated repost about the barrier-shattering naval engineer 
We recently posted about the 
A repost in honor of Black History Month. 
With the arrival of the newly elected administration, Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and underground railroad “conductor” is back in the news and may, before too very long, grace our currency.
This is a bit last minute, but I see a 
Sometimes the magic just doesn’t happen. The New York Yacht Club’s 
Here is a heartwarming video for a cold Saturday (at least cold here on the West bank of the Hudson River.) A body surfing pet duck on Australia’s Gold Coast has become a local celebrity for riding the waves.
The 
On 
The operator of the ex-Cunard 
