Donald Attig

Donald Attig (born February 2, 1936) is an inventor, boat designer, entrepreneur and yachtsman.

Biography

Donald Attig was born in Pontiac, Illinois. He attended St. Mary’s Grade School, Pontiac High School, Flanagan High School, Our Lady of the Snows, Our Lady of the Ozarks, Sweezy School of Watch-making and Eureka College. He is also known as Don Attig but prefers the AKA Donnacha Attig, given to him by his neighbours of 22 years, in Donoughmore, Co. Cork, Ireland. At various times, he has been an inventor, plastics engineer/formulator, boat designer, entrepreneur, yachtsman, gold prospector, forestry worker, fireman on steam powered railroad engines, soldier, missionary, building contractor, roofing contractor, CEO, janitor, restaurateur, author, Chaplin, social worker and pastor.

Benchmark Records

Between the ages of 71 and 73 he was involved in establishing International Benchmark records in the fields of Endurance Challenge and Adventure Challenge:

Organizer and co-crew in first transit of the entire Shannon Navigation and beyond in a one ton plus live aboard boat without an engine. It was previously thought to be impossible to achieve this feat. The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and the UK. To make the transit from the start of the Shannon Navigation at the Inishmagrath marker, on Lough Allen, in County Leitrim to the end of Shannon Navigation at Killaloe, in County Clare and beyond to the Port of Tarbot in the Sea Estuary required dealing with 33 bridges, 6 locks, and nine lakes. One of the locks, Ardnacrusha has a descent of over 100 feet. Guides warn boaters, using large full powered cruisers, to only cross the larger lakes in company. The very strong flow though many of the bridges often throws full powered boats out of control, causing them to smash into the bridge piers. This results in major damage and an occasional sinking. Each of the 4 turbines at the Ardnacrusha power station which is running dumps 100 tons of water per second into the narrow, constricted, tail race. This maelstrom must be negotiated for the transit to the estuary. The prevailing wind is from the south west and funnels up the Shannon channel. During the 2007 record establishing effort Jack Donovan of Ballincollig, Co. Cork (who was 60 at the time and had been living with full blown MS for over 2 decades) and Donnacha rowed well over 90% of the time. Most of that was in a zig-zag pattern due to the wind resistance of the large topside area and almost flat box type bow of the one ton plus of boat and gear. When they reached Tarbot their Satellite navigator indicated that the pair had travelled 268+ miles. A portion of this distance was due to the zig-zag course they were forced to take much of the time. At the end of their efforts they had blazed a path for those interested in Adventure Challenge and Endurance Challenge to attempt to follow. The various obstacles to the achievement of this feat make it a unique challenge on our planet. Donnacha and Jack started their benchmark establishing effort on June 29 at Cormongan beach on Lough Allen at 10 A.M. They had to row from that spot to the Inismagrath marker at the top of Lough Allen to officially begin the first ever attempt at an engineless transit of the Shannon in a boat equipped with live aboard accommodations. Mr. Stephan Haeni, a Swiss National living at Cleighran More witnessed their arrival and departure at the Inismagrath Marker. They completed the Shannon Navigation on Saturday, July 28 entering the Killaloe canal at 4:20 P.M. At that point many Benchmark records had been established. The Coast Guard attempted to dissuade the pair from continuing on and would have prevented them from continuing on, if they could have done so legally. Omar’s River Bird left Killaloe at 4:20 P.M. on July 28.Their anchor was dropped in the bay of the sea port of Tarbert at 8 P.M. on August 8, establishing the final Benchmark records of the effort. Senior Citizens Jack Donovan and Donnacha Attig had become the first crew to transit the entire Shannon Navigation and beyond in a engineless boat with full live aboard capability. Their record setting efforts were carried out during the wettest summer on the Shannon since the disastrous years of 1947 and 48.

Donald Attig (aka Donnacha) established more Adventure Challenge and Endurance Challenge records by making the same basic trip single handed in the same vessel, Omar’s River Bird. At 1:30 A.M. June 26 Donald Attig started at Cormongan beach on Lough Allen, in County Leitrim. He was driven back by the wind and had to anchor 30 meters from the beach. It was over two days before he could up anchor and start for the marker at Inismagrath. Thus over two days into the effort he had made only 30 meters progress and had over 250 miles over the bottom to go to meet his goal. At 12:05 A.M. on August 16, 2008 his efforts ended successfully at the Seaport of Foynes. Another international benchmark record established for others to attempt to equal or better. Donnacha was 72 years, 6 months and 2 weeks old when these new records were established.

Donald Attig (aka Donnacha) became the first person (we know of) to complete the entire Erne Navigation single handed in an engineless live aboard boat. He used the same boat for this effort as was used in 2007 and 2008. This Benchmark Record Establishing effort started at Belturbet, Co Cavan at 6:30 P.M. when HE Priscilla Jenna, Ambassador to Ireland from South Africa officially launched Omar’s River Bird into the Erne River, at the Dunking Pool Jetty. Other dignitaries were present at both the launching and reception at the 7 Horseshoes in Belturbet. The effort was completed Sunday August 30 at 7:45 P.M. when Omar’s River Bird was rowed up to the Public dock in Beleek, County Fermanagh, by Donnacha. Included in the Benchmark records established would be the total of miles covered, over the bottom in the three contiguous years in an engineless live aboard boat. Also each record benchmark established over the three years has the additional claim of having a person over 70 involved in its establishment.

All three of the above Benchmark establishing efforts were witnessed by thousands of persons and recorded at length in the media and press. The members of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland supported, followed and chronicled the efforts. In 2007 the Lough Derg branch of IWAI awarded the boat and crew honorary membership in their annual Lough Derg rally. In the same year, the IWAI Cruising Club formally welcomed the boat into Foynes harbour, where it returned after completing the Benchmark establishing efforts at Tarbert. They also made the crew and boat officially part of the 2007 Killaloe to Killrush Cruise in Company.details about those Benchmark record establishing efforts can be found at www.donattig.wordpress.com this web site includes links to a RTE documentary segment from a Nationwide program aired on July 6 2008, and a Fermanagh TV segment filmed Aug. 13 2009.

Other highlights Donnacha retired the first time while still in his twenties to design, build and voyage upon a 26 power cruiser, the Mary Nomad. Using it he became the first man from his area to make the water journey from Seneca Illinois to New Orleans. Several other locals had failed in the attempt due a lack of reliable fuel docks. Several places Attig had to walk back and forth for miles with fuel cans to refuel the yacht. He made local records by reaching New Orleans, where he lived on the Yacht in the West End area. From there he moved around the Gulf Coast, settling for a while in a remote and isolated Cajon bayou village. From there he crossed the Gulf of Mexico to St. Petersburg and lived on the Mary Nomad. Eventually tiring of being retired he gave the Yacht to an old friend R.D.Buck Wrightam and returned to Illinois to start another company.

He lived on the 3 mast sailing ship, which he had built under the Irish Flag at Long Ira’s Island, Livingston County Illinois, for ten years. Having sailed to Ireland in 1977 and travelled to many places from there, including ocean crossings. Two of his five children, Omar Brendan and John Paul, were born on the vessel. With stand by back up he performed the function of “midwife” for the birth of 3 of his children, including Omar the first born.

In 1971 he developed the world’s first all moulded conventionally appearing housing system, after (and primarily because of the challenge that) 28 United States companies each spent over one million dollars attempting to do so, without success. 22 national governments sent representatives to the grand opening of the prototype on the Duquoin, Illinois Fairgrounds. Some photos of this feat are on the web site http:www.donattig.wordpress.com.

Co founder of a storage battery manufacturing company in 1968. Starting in a 1,000 square foot building, within 6 months plant had grown to a 3 story factory providing batteries to a wide variety of clients; including original equipment replacements for Ford Tractor Company and Case Tractor Company distributors, and Roof Mowers. (largest weed mower company in the world at the time) Also supplying all replacement batteries for Ruan Leasing. (largest truck leasing company in the world at the time)

Owned and operated several boat and construction companies in Florida and Illinois.

1968 By permission of the Honourable Brian O’Kelly he became the first person to build a 3 mast sailing ship in the US under the Irish Flag from the keel up. The Tern Schooner was built 60 miles from the nearest water that would float it and almost 2,000 miles by water from the sea it was designed to function in. Attig skippered the vessel over 5,000 miles on rivers and the inland waterways system before putting it properly to sea. In the process he became the first man to get a sailing vessel to Oak Lawn Manor, on the Bayou Teche in Louisiana, since the civil war. At one point he had to careen the vessel by hanging anchors and other heavy weights from the three masts and drag it through a sand bar with the vessel’s hand operated windlass. All this inland voyaging caused the authorities no end of trouble as it would not fit into their systems. They had no category for a foreign flag vessel which entered U.S. waters at the Port of Seneca on the Illinois River, in the very heartland of the nation. In the end the Customs department was forced to get an appropriation from the United States Congress to open a new filing system for the vessel. Donnacha reports that they were not overly pleased with this as after all their trouble the department could only charge him two dollars and ten cents stamp duty for documents to clear the country and assumed that they would never use the filing system again.

Over the years Attig wrote articles for boating magazines, including Practical Boat Owner, Britain’s most widely distributed yachting magazine. He also turned his hand to writing books under several names. In 1998, after 40 years of research into the expanded meaning of the Hebrew and Greek texts and period documents, he wrote THE WOMEN BEHIND PILATE CAIAPHUS AND SIMON PETER using the Irish form of his name, Donal Attig. It was published by Equality Press, Second floor, Princes St. Cork City, Ireland.

References

1. The Pantagraph Bloomington Normal, Illinois Oct. 17, 1968 page A5 By Bob Pollitt “Pontiac Mariner Building Seaworthy Prarie Schooner”
2. The Pantaghraph Bloomington-Normal, Illinois July 6, 1969 Page A-5 By Bob Pollitt “New Industry ‘Mushrooms’”
3. Pontiac Daily Leader Pontiac, Illinois Jan 7, 1969 page 2 “Pontiac Ship Starts Long Trip to Ireland”
4. The Pantagraph Bloomington-Normal, Illinois June 18, 1969 page A 3-3 “Journey To The Sea Begins”
5. The Pantagraph Bloomington-Normal, Illinois July 6, 1969 page A-5 by Bob Pollitt “New Industry ‘Mushrooming’”
6. Peoria Journal Star Peoria, Illinois Aug. 10, 1969 page B-1 by Marcus Al Agatucci “Chenoa Firm May Be Midwest’s Fresh Mushroom Center”
7. The Daily Times, Ottawa, Illinois August 18, 1976 “Dream sailboat leaving Seneca”
8. Southern Illinoisan Carbondale, Illinois August 19, 1973 page 33 By Cindy Harrell “Sea Lord Manufacturing – Chester boat firm handling Wankel engines”
9. Southern Illinoisan Carbondale, Illinois Sept. 20 ,1973 front page (2 articles on invention) by John Trimble “New device may aid area coal industry” “Coal device inventor Attig says he fell in love with area”
10. Randolph County Herald Times Illinois Nov. 8, 1973 Section 2 page 6 photo of Don Attig and his working model of coal smoke emission scrubber with caption
11. The Daily Register Harrisburg, Illinois January 17, 1974 “Smokestack gas scrubber for high sulfur coal burning explained to C. Mills group”
12. Randolph County Herald Tribune Illinois Jan. 31, 1974 section 1, page 7b
13. The Daily Times August Ottawa, Illinois No byline August 16, 1976 “Dream sailboat leaving Seneca”
14. Journal Star Peoria, Illinois Sept. 2, 1976 page B1 by Juanita O’Hara “Home is a 67 foot Schooner”
15. St. Charles Banner News St. Charles, Missouri Sept. 28, 1976 Front page Linda Kessler “ ‘Crewman’ Delivered Aboard Ship
16. Alton Telegraph Alton, Illinois Nov. 2, 1976 page A-3 By Mary Hendricks “Irish ship and new baby have just begun to see the world”
17. Globe Democrat St. Louis Mo. Oct. 4, 1976 By Byron St.Dizier “2 became 3 before taking on the world by sail”
18. St. Charles Banner-News St. Charles, Mo. Oct. 8, 1976 page 3 “SALING Family Finds Life a Breeze Aboard Schooner”
19. The Daily Iberian New Iberia, Louisiana Jan. 4, 1977 Front page By Jim Bourgeois “Schooner owner says ‘This is the ultimate freedom’ ”
20. Gulfport Star Journal Gulfport, Mississippi April 14, 1977 page 2 By Judy Robison “World cruise on schooner made family affair”
21. Daily Herald News Punta Gorda, Florida May 4, 1977 page 5 By John Lear “Baby Born Aboard Schooner”
22. Evening Echo Cork, Ireland June 12, 1978 front page By Kevin Mills
23. Southern Illinoisan Carbondale, Illinois Jan 15, 1978 by Chris Moenich “Parents marvel at couple’s ocean odyssey”
24. Wide-Waters Yacht Club Soundings Wide-Waters Yacht Club Seneca Illinois Jan edition 1978 page 2 “From the Crow’s Nest”
25. The Stuart News Stuart Fla. April 30, 1979 page A6 By T.R. Bellon “Retirement for small family turns into mission on high seas”
26. The Okeechobee News Okeechobee, Florida August 14, 1980 Page 1 B “Adventure”
27. The Sunday Pantagraph Bloomington-Normal, Illinois June 6, 1982 page 2 By Barb Kueny “ ‘Mission family’ on the move for God”
28. The Post Ft. Pierce, Martin County Florida Nov. 2, 1983 section C page 1 By Rick Ackermann “Man’s Account Is God”
29. News Tribune Ft. Pierce Florida. Dec. 4, 1983 Lifestyle section page 1 By Malinda Gladfelter “With God at the tiller”
30. The Post Martin County, Flordia. Oct. 3, 1984 page B 4 Photos by Milt Putnam “Family Sails on Spiritual Missions”
31. The Times-Herald Hampton Va. Nov. 18, 1986 B4 of Living section By Chuck Bauerlein “Maritime missionaries”
32. Evening Echo Cork, Ireland Sept. 10, 1988 Front page By Pat Crean “Bible couple cast their nets”
33. Daily Leader Pontiac, Illinois Wednesday May 30, 2007 Front page lead story “Pontiac native ready to set sail”
34. The Corkman Muskerry Edition (Ireland) June 14, 2007 news section page 3 “First-ever shannon transit is voyage with a difference”
35. Irish Examiner Cork, Ireland June 26, 2007 local news page 10 By Eoin English “Shannon odyssey to raise money for Indian orphans”
36. The Guardian Irish Edition July 7, 2007 Lifestyle page 31 By Simon O’Duffy “Senior citizens attempt new Shannon record”
37. The Ballincollig Advitiser Ballingcollig, Co. Cork, Ireland July 2007 edition “SHANNON CHARITY CHALLENGE”
38. Inland Waterways News Inland Waterways of Ireland Association Magazine Vol. 34, Number 3, Autumn 2007 edition page 4 “LOUGH ALLEN TO THE SEA”
39. News Of The World Irish edition July 6, 2008 page 23 By Danny Conlon “PENSIONER’S OARSOME BID TO BY NEW LIMBS FOR BY GENIUS 9”
40. Irish Daily Star Sunday Dublin 6, Ireland July 6, 2008 page 36 “RIVER ROW FOR LITTLE TONY”
41. Irish Independent Dublin July 7, 2008 News page 11 Photo by Keith Heneghan “Donald sets sail in bid to help orphan”
42. The Athlone Voice Athlone, Ireland July 8, 2008 page 9 By Stephen Errity “Shannon charity rower to pass through Athlone”
43. Leitrim Observer Carrick On Shannon, Ireland July 11, 2008 page 2A Photo by Willie Donnellan “Charity row on slow boat from Chinna”
44. Limerick Leader Limerick, Ireland August 11, 2008 front page By Gerard Fitzgibbon “Donnacha puts his back into Shannon charity challenge”
45. Irish Examiner Cork Ireland Aug 21, 2008 Regional News page 11 By Sean O’Riordan “Man, 72, rows shannon in mercy mission”
46. Daily Leader Pontiac, Illinois Sept. 8, 2008 front page “Attig meets Irish challenge”
47. The Impartial Reporter Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, N.I. Aug. 20, 2009 by Rodney Edwards “Charity rower in voyage of hope”
48. Cork County Counsel’s Web site for the week of July 12 to 18, 2009 under the MAYOR’S WEEK section
49. The Evening Echo Cork Ireland July 18, 2009 page 26 in News section By Kieran Dineen “I’ll row ton weight for Indian charity”
50. Various IWAI blog pages

External links

• Shannon Rower Donald Attig reaches Limerick
• Donald Sets Sail in Bid to Help Orphan
• [1] Link to RTE Nationwide TV segment. Please click on BOY OF HOPE segment when taken to RTE
• [2] Link to Fermanagh TV segment of Don Attig rowing through Enniskillen on August 13, 2009