Gerry Spiess
Gerald F. Spiess | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1940 (age 83–84) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | School teacher |
| Known for | Sailing single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean in a 10-foot (3.0 m) sailboat |
Gerald F. (Gerry) Spiess (born 1940) is a school teacher best known for having sailed his 10-foot (3.0 m) home-built sailboat Yankee Girl solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1979 and across the Pacific in 1981.
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.[1] He sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on June 1, 1979, arriving in Falmouth, England, after a 54-day Atlantic crossing.[2][3]
References
- ^ Spiess, Gerry; Bree, Marlin (1981). Alone Against the Atlantic. Minneapolis: Control Data Publishing. ISBN 0-89893-506-7. OCLC 7577810.
- ^ Los Angeles Times July 24, 1979
- ^ New York Times Notes on People July 25, 1979
Further reading
- Broken Seas. Bree, Marlin. 2005. Marlor Publishing. (ISBN 978-1892147097)
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