Dodge Morgan, Solo World Sailor, Dies At 78

Dodge Morgan, who became the first American to sail around the globe alone without stopping after setting out from Bermuda in 1985, died this morning [Sept 21]. He was 78. Morgan died in Boston of complications from cancer surgery, his fiancee, Mary Beth Teas, told “The New York Times”. He lived on Snow Island, Maine.

Morgan, a wealthy businessman, set out from Bermuda on the 60-foot sloop “American Promise” on November 12, 1985. He returned to the island on April 11, 1986, making the 27,000-mile circumnavigation in 150 days, smashing the record of 292 days set by a British sailor, Chay Blyth, in 1971. Morgan was only the fourth person in history to complete a solo, nonstop circumnavigation of the globe.

Morgan originally began his voyage on October 14, 1985, from Portland, Maine, but had to put in at Bermuda for weeks of repairs when the boat’s electronic steering conked out.

He circled the tip of Africa and sailed across the South Pacific, past Cape Horn, and back north to Bermuda. He carried 650 pounds of tools and spare parts, 300 pounds of clothing and 1,600 pounds of food, most of it freeze-dried.

“I found that the solitude didn’t bother me so much,” Morgan told the “New York Times” after the trip. “I felt that the worst thing that could happen was death, but I came to terms with that before I left.”

Upon arriving back in Bermuda — where he was greeted by cheering crowds — Mr. Morgan celebrated with his favorite meal, a cheeseburger, and then declared he was “gonna stay ashore awhile.” His trip made headlines around the world and was not repeated by another American until 2005.

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