The Middle and Modern Passages organization attracts sailors interested in the maritime and waterfront history and culture of Black, African and Indigenous Peoples worldwide. We sail to various destinations, contributing to festive and informative events, as we meet with professors, musicians, boat mates, and cultural icons along the way. There's much to discover.
Sailors are always learning.
Our sailing vessel is a 47-foot custom fiberglass sailboat built in Italy in 1984. The sailors will be responsible for ongoing maintenance and safety routines, cooking, medical assistance, navigation, and watch schedules. The vessel has logged many miles worldwide and is being improved to engage the world's oceans again.
Looking for the narrative and story.
Middle and Modern Passages creates opportunities to learn, discover, and research various maritime, sailing, fishing and waterfront trade cultures.
Black Maritime History
We actualize this important history, using the sailing vessel itself.
Black sailors and enslaved boatmen were at the center of freedom seeking activities throughout the United States and the Americas, actively planning nautical escape routes, disseminating information,
and participating in broader marronage activities. Career sailors like Paul Cuffe and Olaudah Equiano are well documented through their own writings and the works of many historians. We look for continued research to interpret this history and to uncover new stories and places of interest.
