Gerry Spiess

Gerald F. Spiess (January 24, 1940 – June 18, 2019) was an American school teacher best known for having sailed his 10 ft 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.

Legacy
In 1991, a tribute song was written about Mr. Spiess journey with Yankee Girl.