Robert Manry
| Robert Manry | |
|---|---|
 Robert Manry and Tinkerbelle on the cover of his 1967 book | |
| Born |
June 2, 1918 Landour, India |
| Died |
February 21, 1971 (aged 52) Union City, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Copy editor |
| Known for | Sailing single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny sailboat |
Robert Manry (June 2, 1918 – February 21, 1971) was a copy editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer who in 1965 sailed from Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth, Cornwall, England, in a tiny 13.5-foot (4.1 m) sailboat (an Old Town "Whitecap" built by the Old Town Canoe Co. of Old Town, Maine, which he had extensively modified for the voyage) named Tinkerbelle. Beginning on June 1, 1965, and ending on August 17, the voyage lasted 78 days.
At the time, Tinkerbelle was the shortest but not the smallest boat to make a non-stop trip across the Atlantic Ocean (till today the smallest is Lindemann's folding kayak). Manry later wrote about the voyage and its preparation in his book Tinkerbelle, in which the sailor expressed shock and surprise at the huge crowds and armada of small boats that greeted his arrival in Cornwall.
Manry died February 21, 1971, from a heart attack in Union City, Pennsylvania.
A small park in Willowick, Ohio—the town where he lived before his journey—is named after him. Tinkerbelle is on display at The Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bibliography
- Manry, Robert. Tinkerbelle. New York: Harper & Row, 1967.
- Manry, Robert. Tinkerbelle. London: Collins, 1967.
External links
- The Robert Manry Project
- WEWS reporter Bill Jorgenson interviews Manry aboard Tinkerbelle in 1965: part 1 on YouTube, part 2 on YouTube