This is true. Many of the enslaved people along the coastal areas of the Carolinas,
Georgia, and FL were able to maintain some of the West African maritime navigation skills and some sailed south to caribbean islands and even futher south to central and south america. Desendants of slaves can be found in Belize, Honduras, and Coasta Rica and are called Garifuna. One excellent person to consult is Dr. Jose
Jones who is founder of the National Association of Black Scuba
Divers (NABS)
www.nabsdivers.org. He has lectured on this topic.