Donald Avenue, Jr., 93, died April 30, 2024 in County Cork, Eire. He spent his remaining day engaged on the 92-year-old Gypsy, readying her to be the primary Dragon launched for the season.
Avenue spent many of the Nineteen Fifties and Sixties cruising the Caribbean —earlier than the guidebooks, earlier than the mooring balls, earlier than the facilities. The truth is, he wrote the books and drew the charts, and it’s largely due to his efforts that the Caribbean is so accessible at this time.
His Cruising Information to the Lesser Antilles, printed in 1966, actually opened the Japanese Caribbean to cruising yachtsmen and made chartering attainable. What makes him all of the extra legendary is that he did most of this aboard his 46-foot engineless yawl, Iolaire, inbuilt 1905. He has made 12 transatlantic crossings, all of which had been hand steered with no autopilot.
He was a frequent Scuttlebutt commentator, typically sharing tales from his early years rising up in Manhasset Bay on Lengthy Island. He had little tolerance for boats being deserted at sea, with insufficient bilge pumps as a reoccurring matter. Following a latest demise by seasickness, he was fast to share his treatment.
His life couldn’t have been any larger or fuller. From rising up getting schooled in crusing by the likes of Jack Sutphen, Arthur Knapp, and his sisters, to serving on submarines throughout the Korean warfare, and quitting a NYC banking profession early on to go crusing within the Caribbean. His most up-to-date ardour has been racing his Dragon in Glandore, with a predominantly teenage crew that he educated.
He’s survived by his spouse Trich and kids Dory, Donald, Richard, and Mark (Ted), and 9 grandchildren.
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