American Promise is a
Bermuda rigged
sloop, boat that was designed by 1974
America's Cup winner
Ted Hood 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. The company relocated to
Portsmouth, Rhode Island 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, in
St. George's,
Bermuda, 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." ==Legacy==