Eight Bells: Donald Street, Jr.

Published on May 2nd, 2024

Donald Street, Jr., 93, died April 30, 2024 in County Cork, Ireland. He spent his final day working on the 92-year-old Gypsy, readying her to be the first Dragon launched for the season.

Street spent most of the 1950s and 1960s cruising the Caribbean —before the guidebooks, before the mooring balls, before the amenities. In fact, he wrote the books and drew the charts, and it’s in large part thanks to his efforts that the Caribbean is so accessible today.

His Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles, published in 1966, literally opened the Eastern Caribbean to cruising yachtsmen and made chartering possible. What makes him all the more legendary is that he did most of this aboard his 46-foot engineless yawl, Iolaire, built in 1905. He has made 12 transatlantic crossings, all of which were hand steered with no autopilot.

He was a frequent Scuttlebutt commentator, often sharing stories from his early years growing up in Manhasset Bay on Long Island. He had little tolerance for boats being abandoned at sea, with inadequate bilge pumps as a reoccurring topic. Following a recent death by seasickness, he was quick to share his remedy.

His life couldn’t have been any bigger or fuller. From growing up getting schooled in sailing by the likes of Jack Sutphen, Arthur Knapp, and his sisters, to serving on submarines during the Korean war, and quitting a NYC banking career early on to go sailing in the Caribbean. His most recent passion has been racing his Dragon in Glandore, with a predominantly teenage crew that he trained.

He is survived by his wife Trich and children Dory, Donald, Richard, and Mark (Ted), and nine grandchildren.

For a SAIL magazine profile, click here.

comment banner

Tags: ,



Back to Top ↑

Get Your Sailing News Fix!

Your download by email.

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We’ll keep your information safe.