Gerald F. Spiess (January 24, 1940 – June 18, 2019) was an American schoolteacher best known for having sailed his home-built sailboat Yankee Girl solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1979 and across the Pacific in 1981.
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. He sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on June 1, 1979, arriving in Falmouth, England, after a 54-day Atlantic crossing.Los Angeles Times July 24, 1979New York Times Notes on People July 25, 1979
Legacy In 1991, a tribute songAcross the Atlantic and Pacific in 10' Sailboat “Yankee Girl”!; Kori Derrick (February 3, 2017) was written about Spiess's journey with Yankee Girl.
See also Tinkerbelle, the story of a similar sailing feat in 1965.
References
Further reading Broken Seas. Bree, Marlin. 2005. Marlor Publishing. ()