When I started working at Torresen Marine I knew very little on the subject of sailing. In an attempt to further my education I would take home the VHS tapes from the store shelves. It was Irving Johnson: High Seas Adventurer that I recall most fondly. That is where I discovered Mr. and Mrs. Irving and Electa Johnson. If you are unfamiliar with the Johnson’s let me take this opportunity to introduce you to them and their legacy.

Irving Johnson was born July 4th, 1905 in Hadley, Massachusetts. After training throughout his teens for life at sea, Irving immediately served on two vessels as Captain and Chairman. In 1926 he joined the Merchant Marine. Whilst in the Merchant Marine he served on several vessels, including freighters, steamships, and the J-Boats. It was on these adventures that he would also test his filmmaking skills. Aboard the sailing vessel PEKING he documented the voyage around Cape Horn. This 16mm footage would one day be edited to make his famous film, “Around Cape Horn”.

Eventually Irving took a job aboard the schooner WANDER BIRD where he would meet Electa, known to most as “Exy”. (I have tried to locate her maiden name, but have ended the search in vain.) Electa had recently accompanied a friend aboard the WANDER BIRD for a weekend cruise. It was after this short venture that she would leave her job and join the W.B.’s crew officially. The couple would meet, as it is retold on “a rough autumn day in 1931 off Le Harve in the English Channel. Electa had purchased a Siamese kitten in Paris. The kitten did not take to the sea and died. To console herself, Exy decided she needed a haircut, especially since there was a young crewman aboard who liked to cut girls’ hair, if it were the right girl.” Apparently she was the right girl as one haircut and one year later Electa would marry the would-be barber, Irving Johnson.

Irving and Electa Johnson would, from this point forward, embark on 7 global circumnavigations. Crews were generally handpicked amateurs and comprised of “4 girls, 16 men, 1 doctor, and a mate.” The crew shared expenses, and sailing experience was not required. The vessels used in these ventures varied over the years, but most flew under the name YANKEE.

YANKEE’S global adventures were interrupted when Irving was called to service by the military during World War II. It was his knowledge of the Pacific Islands that would be utilized for navigational advice. The Johnson’s, now with two children in tow, would be moved to Honolulu, where they would find themselves on December 7th, 1941. The Pearl Harbor attack and WWII would keep the Johnson’s from their travels until Irving was discharged from service.

Next month I will wrap up with a 2nd article on the Johnson’s. In the meantime be sure to check your local library, and the Internet for any information on this amazing couple.

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