Tinkerbelle - Robert Manry

[More Wet Feet Coming Soon – Childhood Sailing Photos]
Rebirth of a Dream
Robert and Virginia settled down in Cleveland, Ohio, when he took a job as copy editor at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Plain
Dealer was (as it still is) a morning newspaper, so his editorial shift began in the evening. It became Robert’s habit to read the next
day’s classified ads when he took his lunch break around ten P.M. Eventually, in 1958 he spotted the listing for the tiny wooden boat
that became Tinkerbelle, took full advantage of his head start, contacted the owner, and purchased the boat the following morning for
$160.
After performing essential repairs, Tinkerbelle became the focal point for family vacations. Several years of camping/sailing trips
followed, with the family hauling Tinkerbelle on her trailer to various lakes in the region. Pymatuning Lake was a favorite spot.
In the early years, Tinkerbelle had no cabin or deck, and she was rigged with an awning to serve as a tent at night.
[More Coming Soon]
Thunder Bay – First Voyage in Tinkerbelle – 1964
By the early sixties, Robert was clearly interested in venturing further afield, and he added a cabin to his petite ship. During the
summer of 1964, at the same time he began mentioning a possible trans-Atlantic crossing on a friend’s yacht, Robert made his own
voyage across Lake Erie to Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada. His 10-year old son Douglas joined him on Tink’s first grand cruise.
Together, they sailed 200 miles over the course of a week, putting in to shore and anchoring each night.
[More Thunder Bay Coming Soon]
Falmouth to Falmouth – Trans-Atlantic Passage – 1965
The cruise to Thunder Bay convinced Robert of the seaworthiness of little Tinkerbelle, and upon his return to Cleveland, he secretly
committed to his plan of sailing her across the Atlantic. The following June he departed from Cape Cod, on a voyage that would
amaze the world