While reading "Epic of New York City" I came across a throwaway line that Gomez, one of the first explorers to view New York, was a "Negro". For a commander of an important exploration vessel in the 1600s, that's a pretty big deal. I've found no other references to his race one way or the other, and the one google image I found was pretty inconclusive thanks to the beard...
Esteban Gomez sailed with Magellan's fleet, but turned back at the passage of the Straits of Magellan. He was thrown in prison for mutiny, but released after the survivors of Magellan's voyage returned to Spain.
He subsequently persuaded the Spanish to send him on an expedition to try to find the Northwest passage, and explored the coast of Maine.
He was Portuguese, born in Porto in Portugal.
Gomez was born about 1483. I have never heard that he was anything other than European. I suppose it is possible that he was of mixed race (as the Portuguese had been trading down the coast of Africa for some time by the time he was born). However, I think it unlikely.