Captain Bill Pinkney inspires next generation of adventure seekers with new book

CHICAGO - When Captain Bill Pinkney set out to sail the globe in 1990 at the age of 55, Chicago school children were riding the waves with him for all 27,000 miles.

 "He could be my hero," said one little girl, tracking Pinkney’s journey on a big world map.

Thirty years later, the Navy veteran hopes to inspire the next generation of adventure seekers with his new book "Sailing Commitment Around the World" — named for the vessel he captained during his voyage.

"I think it would inspire them to have dreams and be willing to persevere to make their dreams come true just like I did," said Pinkney from his home in Puerto Rico, where he’s working as a captain with the U.S. Merchant Marine.

He’s now 86-years-old!

Pinkney said he mapped out his voyage with future generations in mind.

"I used my thought process to come up with the fact that my grandchildren were not going to get any money when I'm gone," he laughed.  "So I'd leave them a legacy of something they could brag about to say that their grandfather had done."

His biggest takeaway from his voyage is that hard times don’t last forever.

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"I had some tough times. I got knocked down twice, passed through two hurricanes, almost got run over by a big ship, it's all adversity, but it ends," he said.

The book will be Pinkney’s third.

It offers life lessons for kids and adults.

"No matter how smart you are, or think you are, there's always something to learn," he said.

The book is available HERE.