William Wheeler Robinson (October 4, 1918April 3, 2007) was an American

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

well known in the national and international sailing community for his 27 nautical books, speaking engagements, and contributions to nautical publications. Robinson was born in Elizabeth,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

from 1935 to 1939, graduating with a degree in English. He received a commission in the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

in 1941 and served as an officer until 1945. He commanded a 110-foot wooden

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

subchaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

- hull number SC 743 - in the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

- serving honorably in troop and ship convoys and in the invasions of Arawe,

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

and

Hollandia Hollandia may refer to: * HVV Hollandia, Dutch football team * Hollandia Victoria Combinatie, defunct Dutch football team * ''Hollandia'' (1742 ship), a ship of the Dutch East India Company, wrecked in 1743 on her maiden voyage * Jayapura, a city ...

. LTjg Robinson was awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

(with gold star denoting a second award) for his command's performance under air attack. He was a sportswriter at the Newark Evening News (1947–1955) and then the

Newark Star Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

(1955–1957) following his return to civilian life. He developed a nationally syndicated boating column while at the

Star Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the ''Staten Island Advance'', all of whi ...

. Robinson was an associate editor of '' Yachting'' magazine from 1957 to 1967 and executive editor from 1967 to 1978. He served as an editor-at-large for ''Yachting'' from 1978 to 1986, when the publisher was sold. He then served as an editor-at-large for the competing ''Cruising World'' magazine from 1987 to 1996. Throughout his career and his retirement Robinson traveled extensively as a writer, sailing cruiser and racer. He wrote sailing and nautical-themed books and contributed articles to numerous professional journals. He served as a speaker and featured guest on cruises and at sailing events worldwide. With his late wife, Jane Dimock Robinson (deceased 1997), he lived in Rumson, New Jersey from 1946 to 2002 and maintained a boat and winter residence in Tortola,

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

throughout his retirement.

Bibliography

*''The Science of Sailing'' (1960) *''New Boat'' (1961) *''A Berth to Bermuda'' (1961) *''Where the Trade Winds Blow'' (1963) *''Expert Sailing'' (1965) *''Over the Horizon'' (1966) *''The World of Yachting'' (1966) *''Better Sailing for Boys and Girls'' (1968) *''The America's Cup Races'' (1970 revised edition of Herbert Lawrence Stone's 1914 book) *''Legendary Yachts'' (1971, revised 1978) *''The Sailing Life'' (1974) *''Right Boat for You'' (1974) *''Great American Yacht Designers'' (1974) *''America's Sailing Book'' (1976) *''A Sailor's Tales'' (1978) *''Cruising, the Boats and the Places'' (1981) *''South to the Caribbean'' (1981) *''Where to Cruise'' (1984) *''Islands'' (1985) *''Caribbean Cruising Handbook'' (1986) *''80 Years of Yachting'' (1987) *''Cruising the Easy Way'' (1990) *''Best Sailing Spots Worldwide'' (1991) *''Destruction at Noonday'' (1992, historical fiction) *''The Sailing Mystique'' (1994) *''A Winter in the Sun'' (1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Bill 1918 births 2007 deaths American sailors American print editors American male journalists People from Rumson, New Jersey American magazine editors Maritime writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers