Leo White, 76, born Leopold Zeigfreid Schlichtinger, began his fourth single-handed circumnavigation in April from his old home, Rockledge, Fla., sailed to Bermuda and then to his most recent home on St. Thomas where he arrived in May. Sometime later he left for Trinidad. No one knows exactly when, except Leo, and he is too ill to say.
British author D.H. Clark said in 1998, "Leo is the oldest circumnavigator in the world." Clark, who has written "Blue Water Dream, An Evolution of Single Handers," and "East Coast Passage," clearly qualifies as an expert in the subject.
According to the log found on his 29-foot Cascade sailboat, Leo passed the tip of Venezuela and was 80 miles from Trinidad when he decided to turn back. The trade winds were not cooperating and "for a multitude of reasons" he returned to St. Thomas, according to the log.
He arrived back on St. Thomas on Friday, June 11. The next day, after visiting Kmart where he purchased a sack full of groceries, he stopped by his favorite restaurant, Wendy's.
At Wendy's he suffered a myocardial infarct but was resuscitated by two medical students from Roy L. Schneider Community Hospital.
He is in the hospital's critical care unit awaiting tests. His sister, Catherine Moore, is on island being assisted by the Victim Advocate's executive director, Lynn Falkenthal.
Leo White began his sailing dream in 1976, when he sold all his earthly possessions and went to sea.
According to Moore, "as a child we were raised a couple blocks from the bay on Staten Island. At night, after completing his homework, Leo would periodically pretend to go to bed and later slide down the drain pipe and go sailing with his friends."
Getting out of the U.S. Army following World WarII, White became a heavy crane operator at the new space center building in Florida. When his brother died at the age of 51, White decided to take his brother's advice and "live life to the fullest."
White moved to the Virgin Islands the first time in 1983 and began his first circumnavigation, taking 2-1/2 years and lasting some 27,000 miles on his 12.5-meter Gulfstream yacht "Lucky Leo III."
His third circumnavigation took place between 1994 and 1998. After losing "Lucky Leo III" on a reef off Papua, New Guinea, he completed the sail with the 29-foot Cascade "Valkyrie."
According to his sister, White "has completed well over 100,000 miles of serious blue water sailing."
The Joshua Slocum Society, a society dedicated to circumnavigators, supports a "35 Lucky Leo" fan club.
White's only income is his Social Security check, which he claimed in an article for "Florida Today" is responsible for some of his courses.
The Southern course through the Magellan Passage was dictated because "I'm on a fixed income. All the other times I've gone through the Panama Canal. But the fees have gone up to $1,500 for my boat size (29 foot) and I cannot afford that."
Anyone interested in an excellent 29-foot boat, which is known as one of the world's most hearty sailing vessels, should contact White's sister Catherine Moore. She can be contacted at (340) 774-5764 and faxed at (340) 777-4886.
Additional information can be found at the Joshua Slocum Society's Golden Circle Recognitions Web Page by clicking here.
