Sailor and author David Gendell is an Annapolis native with an extensive sailboat racing background. The oldest of three boys, he grew up as a “River Rat,” swimming, sailing, crabbing, and cruising with his family in and on the Chesapeake Bay. He first earned his Coast Guard Captain’s License at age 19. He first raced from Newport to Bermuda at age 22, one week after graduating from college. In 1995, he cofounded SpinSheet, a Chesapeake Bay sailing magazine, and served as editor for twelve years. In 2004, he cofounded PropTalk, a Chesapeake Bay powerboating magazine. Both magazines remain in production.

David is the author of three nonfiction books including “Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse: A Chesapeake Bay Icon” (The History Press, 2020), the first and only book devoted to the 1875 lighthouse.

His second book, “The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory” (Lyons Press, 2024) and features a Foreword from America’s Cup Hall of Famer Gary Jobson. “The Last Days of the Schooner America” won the 2025 Brewington Book Prize from the Maryland Center for History and Culture.

His third book, “Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry” was published by Lyons Press in August 2025 and features a Foreword from Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch, USN (Ret.), the 1963 Navy football captain.

David lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and is a frequent public speaker in the Chesapeake Bay region on the subjects of sailing and history.

David Gendell Q&A with SpinSheet Magazine (August 2024)

“The Last Days of the Schooner America” Book Launch Video from T2P.TV (August 2024)

David Gendell and “The Last Days of the Schooner America” on the Latitude 38 “Good Jibes” Podcast (September 2024)

David Gendell Q&A with PropTalk magazine (October 2024)

American Schooner Association Webinar on YouTube: David Gendell and “The Last Days of the Schooner America.”

“Battles at Annapolis” Book Launch Video from T2P.TV (December 2025)