Gerry Spiess

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Gerald F. Spiess (January 24, 1940 – June 18, 2019) was an American schoolteacher best known for having sailed his Script error: No such module "convert". home-built sailboat Yankee Girl solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1979 and across the Pacific in 1981.[1][2]

Sailboat construction

Spiess designed and built the boat in his garage in suburban White Bear Lake, Minnesota, from plywood. After a test launch in the local lake, Spiess transported the boat to the East Coast for launch.[3] He sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on June 1, 1979, arriving in Falmouth, England, after a 54-day Atlantic crossing.[4][5]

Legacy

In 1991, a tribute song[6] was written about Spiess's journey with Yankee Girl.

See also

  • Tinkerbelle, the story of a similar sailing feat in 1965.

References

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  4. Los Angeles Times July 24, 1979
  5. New York Times Notes on People July 25, 1979
  6. Across the Atlantic and Pacific in 10' Sailboat “Yankee Girl”!; Kori Derrick (February 3, 2017)

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Further reading

  • Broken Seas. Bree, Marlin. 2005. Marlor Publishing. (Template:ISBN)

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