Donald Attig

Donald Attig (born February 2, 1936) is an American inventor, naval architect, entrepreneur, and yachtsman. Early life and career Attig was born on February 2, 1936, in Pontiac, Illinois. He attended St. Mary's Grade School, Pontiac Township High School, and Eureka College. In his twenties, he cruised in a powerboat he built himself and was among the first to make the journey on the Illinois River from Seneca to New Orleans. After reaching New Orleans, he sailed along the Gulf Coast, eventually crossing the Gulf of Mexico to St. Petersburg, Florida.

Boat design and early sailing In 1968, Attig became the first person in the United States to build a three-masted, Irish-flagged sailboat from the keel up. For ten years, he and his family lived aboard and voyaged on the schooner, covering more than 5,000 miles on rivers and inland waterways before taking it to sea. During that period, he developed the seamanship skills that he later applied in his record-setting sailing endeavours. In 1977, he sailed with his wife and newborn son to Ireland, among other passages. Two of his five children, Omar Brendan and John Paul, were born aboard the vessel. For years, Attig and his son Omar offered free sailing excursions on the schooner to at‑risk youth from Northern Ireland. After Omar's death in a car crash, Attig donated the boat to the VEC Youthreach program.

Benchmark records Between the ages of 71 and 73, Attig undertook endurance and adventure benchmark voyages on Irish inland waterways in an engineless liveaboard boat. In 2008, he traveled the full Shannon Navigation to the seaport of Foynes, County Limerick, in the same liveaboard boat. In 2008, he completed a motorless liveaboard transit of the River Erne Navigation.

During these efforts, the greatest distance was covered by rowing. In addition to bridges and currents, the reach near the Ardnacrusha power station and prevailing south‑westerly winds further increased the difficulty. For hydrometric data, see published flow and level charts by the operator.

2007 benchmark efforts Challenge boat featuring berths for a family, an enclosed toilet room, and a cast‑iron heating stove. During the 2007 record‑establishing effort, Jack Donovan of Ballincollig, County Cork (who was aged 60 at the time and had been living with multiple sclerosis) and Attig rowed well over 90% of the time. They primarily rowed in a zigzag pattern to compensate for the wind resistance, which was increased by the boat’s large topside area and the nearly flat, box‑type bow of the liveaboard vessel and its equipment. When they reached Tarbert, their satellite navigation device indicated that the pair had traveled more than .

Shannon Navigation attempt Attig and Donovan started their record-setting attempt on 29 June 2007 at 10:00 a.m., departing from Cormongan Beach on Lough Allen. They rowed from there to the Inishmagrath end-of-navigation marker at the top of Lough Allen. They undertook the first recorded attempt to navigate the Shannon in a boat with liveaboard accommodations without using an engine. Stephan Haeni, a Swiss national living at Cleighran More, witnessed their arrival and departure at the Inishmagrath marker. They completed the Shannon Navigation on 28 July 2007, entering the Killaloe Canal at 4:20 p.m., marking the moment when the official Shannon Navigation had been transited in an engineless liveaboard boat. Their record‑setting efforts were carried out during the wettest summer on the Shannon since 1948.

2008 single-handed feats Attig later undertook further endurance and adventure "benchmark" voyages, repeating the route single‑handed in the same vessel, Omar's River Bird. RTÉ's Nationwide aired a segment about "Shannon Challenge 2008."

2009 benchmark records

Attig is reported to have completed the River Erne Navigation single‑handedly in an engineless liveaboard boat on the same boat that was used both in 2007 and 2008. Travel guidance notes that Upper Lough Erne can be shallow and complex to navigate, while Lower Lough Erne is wider and deep, with open‑sea‑scale conditions in wind.

This attempt began at Belturbet, County Cavan, on 6 August 2009 at 6:30 p.m. The effort concluded on 30 August 2009 at 7:45 p.m. at the public dock in Belleek, County Fermanagh.