- Date Of Birth: February 27, 1939
- Date Of Death: August 14, 2010
- State: Maine
Donald D. Wakeman, a respected yachtsman and naval engineer died on Saturday, the 14th of August at his summer home in South Bristol, Maine, aboard his beloved boat Avatar of an apparent heart attack. Don was a member of the Cruising Club of America, The New York Yacht Club, The Storm Trysail Club and The Field Club of Sarasota, Florida. The walls of his study are lined with photographs chronicling his many achievements on the water. He twice defended the America’s Cup. In 1964, while serving as a First Lieutenant in the Unites Sates Army, he was given leave at the request of the Admiral of the Navy to sail on board the 12 meter Constellation. And again in 1967, he sailed on the 12 meter Intrepid. Later, as a Corithian Crew member on the blue water racing yacht Ondine, he sailed around the world, first across the Atlantic Ocean winning the Trans Atlantic Race and setting a new speed record for an Atlantic crossing, and then on to Tasmania to win the Sydney-Hobart Race before continuing across the Pacific Ocean. Trained as a naval architect, Don worked as a project manager for Sparkman and Stephens in New York. In 1967, he married Elizabeth Gibson Wakeman, and together they moved to Greece where he ran the ship building operations for Olympic Yachts. Upon returning to the United States he assumed the position of Vice President of Boston Whaler. As a former college hockey player at St. Lawerence University, Don continued to play hockey three times a week. Don is survived by his wife of 43 years, Elizabeth, and his two daughters Ashley Hartford Wakeman and Lindsay Gibson Tusk.
