Sailor and author David Gendell is an Annapolis native with an extensive sailboat racing background. In 1995, he cofounded SpinSheet, a Chesapeake Bay sailing magazine, and served as its editor for twelve years. In 2004, he cofounded PropTalk, a Chesapeake Bay powerboating magazine. He is a Coast Guard-licensed captain and the author of Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse: A Chesapeake Bay Icon, the first and only book devoted to the 1875 lighthouse. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and is a frequent public speaker in the Chesapeake Bay region on the subjects of sailing and history.

Gary Jobson served as tactician for Ted Turner's 1977 America's Cup defense aboard Courageous. As a broadcast journalist, Jobson covered nine America's Cup matches for ESPN and won an Emmy award for his coverage of the 1988 Olympic Sailing event in South Korea. He is the author of twenty-three sailing books.

"The Last Days of the SchoonerAmerica is well written, well researched and interesting... It is well recommended."

The Last Days of the Schooner America is an extraordinary story brilliantly told by David Gendell. While most sailors know of America's famous upset victory in what would become the America's Cup, few of us know that the beautiful and legendarily fast schooner was also an eyewitness to the country's maritime history. America stirred sailors across generations, from blockade-running rogues during the Civil War, to the President of the United States who sought to preserve her during the frantic early days of WWII. Meticulously researched and filled with insights from an author who is also a seasoned sailor, you will find yourself turning pages and hoping for a miracle at the end.

"The Last Days of the Schooner America is a methodically researched history of a boat that clearly captivated the author, perhaps more for her demise than her achievements. Fortunately Gendell, the cofounder of Spinsheet magazine, is an adept storyteller who is able to weave the nearly 100-year history of America into a tale worthy of 300 or so pages."

In The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory, Mr. Gendell writes with authority on the subsequent history of the America.

"Reading The Last Days of the Schooner America should please anyone with an interest in shipbuilding and in this iconic racing yacht."

"A text of flawless prose with an eye to the sheer physical beauty and excitement of the great vessel."

All sailors know about the story of America winning the race around the Isle of Wight, but few know what happened to one of the greatest yachts in the history of the sport. David Gendell tells a beautifully crafted story about the fascinating, sad fate of this engineless vessel that sailed for nearly 100 years.

Gendell deftly weaves together firsthand reminiscences and archival documents to capture a unique moment in history. He also shows the interwoven tension between two seemingly unrelated narratives: the wish to restore a glorious but ancient race boat, and the need to win a world war, all overlaid by the timeless limitations of manpower and waterfront workspace. . . . I strongly recommend this book. History and sailing buffs alike will definitely enjoy learning more about this iconic vessel.

The story of the schooner America's upset win at Cowes is familiar to all racing sailors. The silver cup her owners and crew first won in that race continues to represent the pinnacle of our sport. Although we continue to compete for the cup, the schooner's story after she won the race has not been widely told--until now. The Last Days of the Schooner America is a fast-paced, eye-opening read. The research and descriptions are amazing. An inspiring home-front World War II story runs through the book and is expertly woven into the schooner's final years. A must read for all who love sailing and history.

From the "near fetishized research" that attends the building and infant career of the schooner America--eponymous queen of the America's Cup--author Dave Gendell has turned his gaze and ours to the surprising hole in our knowledge about her last days on the Annapolis waterfront. With rich page-turning prose that reads like a novel, Gendell gives us a work of creative nonfiction that evokes not just one yacht but two fully conceived and populated worlds with ninety years between them. Together with its ample notes and sources, the book will satisfy history geeks through a northeast winter, or armchair readers through a good long gale. Last Days is a story for the ages--an essential addition to America's yachting heritage.

In The Last Days of the Schooner America, David Gendell provides a captivating view into the history of an iconic sailing yacht and the people and places that kept her in our national consciousness for over a century. In his meticulously researched account that reads like a novel, he lets the waning years of the schooner America highlight the important contributions of the Annapolis Yacht Yard, the Naval Academy, and the people of Annapolis during the World War II era. The book kept this Naval Academy history major enthralled!

After two decades of research and interviewing those involved, David Gendell has produced a well-written and compelling chronicle of the most famous schooner in history, focusing on the never-before-told story of her final days ashore in his native Annapolis and the tragically unsuccessful effort by committed believers to restore the iconic vessel during World War II.

There is no doubt that David Gendell tells a good story, and his account of the legendary schooner America is one of his best: true and detailed, well-sourced, and fun to read. Of special interest is the story of what happened to that vessel at a small yacht yard across Spa Creek from Annapolis, Maryland. Gendell's rigorous, careful research into public and private papers, his interviews with men and women who worked in the Annapolis Yacht Yard during the war, and his own sailing experience enable him to fill the book with the suspense, the excitement, and the determination of those men and women who made Annapolis a center of the war effort.

Publisher: Lyons Press

Pub date: 2024-08-06

Length: 368 pages