Vito Dumas (Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 26, 1900 – March 28, 1965) was a prominent Argentine solo sailor and adventurer, known for his remarkable achievements in long-distance single-handed sailing.

He battled ferocious hurricanes, suffered from scurvy and severe infections, endured scarcity of water and food supplies, and even faced perilous encounters with whales.

This route, previously considered impassable since the 16th century when European explorers set sail, came to be known as the "roaring forties" – a circumnavigation along the 40th parallel in the southern hemisphere, unobstructed by land masses and subjected to the relentless onslaught of fierce winds and monumental waves.

Admirable sailors such as Moitessier, Robin Knox Johnston, and Chichester regard Dumas as their esteemed "Maestro" in the art of navigating through tempestuous conditions.

With only three landfalls, the legs of his trip were the longest that had been made by a single-hander, and in the most ferocious oceans on the Earth; but most of all, it was a powerful retort to a world which had chosen to divide itself by war.

Dumas was the inspiration for an Argentine tango entitled Navegante, written by Jaime Yanin (music) and José Horacio Staffolani (lyrics).