The Publisher
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Apr 26, 2010, 12:22 PM
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EIGHT BELLS: Mickey Spillane
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Mickey Spilane, sailor, died near his winter home in Brazil. Apparently Mickey was hang gliding about an hour north of Rio with friends. As he was taking off from the ramp built at the edge of the cliff, a gust of wind turned his glider sideways and he plummeted to the bottom of the canyon.
He inspired and taught hundreds of sailors of all ages and skills.
I met Mickey in the late 60’s. We were rafted up to Bill Snaith’s Figaro on which Mickey had his first job as boat captain. In the morning, Mickey was asleep on my boat, but that’s a longer story.
He captained some of the most successful race boats of the era.
In 1971, Mickey was running Yankee Girl and took her across for the Admiral’s Cup.
In 1972, Mickey came aboard Charisma. He delivered the boat to Brazil for the first Rio Circuit where he met his future wife Alice. They both describe it as “lightning from across the room”. She, a non-sailor, sailed back from Brazil with him.
He was captain on Ted Turner’s American Eagle and was involved with Turner’s successful America’s Cup effort.
In a effort to spend more time at his home in Newport which he made a welcome center for sailors from around the world, he became a foremost delivery skipper with a reputation for doing long, safe deliveries and bringing the boat home in better shape than when it left.
What inspired so many was the way he shared his contagious, overwhelming sense of confidence. Anything could be done and everything was easy. A hurricane at sea? – we’ll just sail around it. A woman’s ear torn by the mainsheet in a jibe? He just stitched it up. Build a house, disassemble a 120 foot tree, branch by branch? Just get a ladder, climb up and do it. No problem!
Typical of Mickey’s manner on a boat, a helmsman, sawing away at the wheel, was having trouble steering the old Maxi Tempest on a Trans Atlantic race and asked Mickey for help. Mickey took the wheel and held the helm steady while still facing aft and chatting. The boat settled down right on course.
Thanks Mick for helping us all steer course a little easier.
-- Eric Camiel
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