My Boats
A Life by Sail and Oar
Duncan Spencer fell in love with boats at the age of six, and more than eighty years later, that passion continues to carry him across open water—and through the extraordinary stories of a life defined by adventure, endurance, and reflection.
In My Boats: A Life by Sail and Oar, Spencer recounts five transatlantic crossings in small boats, including a record-setting voyage in a twenty-footer, along with ten journeys to Cuba and a lifelong competitive rowing career that continues to this day. With candor and insight, he reflects not only on his achievements but also on the mistakes and hard-won lessons that shaped his understanding of boat design and modern sailing.
Written in lyrical prose and vivid detail, Spencer’s story extends well beyond the water. He recalls a childhood marked by both privilege and trauma while reflecting on a life that intersected with many pivotal moments in modern history.
Spencer began his journalism career as a dictationist at The Washington Star and went on to cover wars, riots, the America’s Cup, and numerous trials and national crises. He is the author or coauthor of four books, including one that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Duncan Spencer
Duncan Spencer is an award-winning journalist and author and a trophy-winning athlete in both sailing and rowing. He is the author and co-author of four previous books and numerous magazine and newspaper articles in publications including The Washington Post, Regardie’s Magazine, and Sailing Magazine.
A graduate of Yale University (1962) with an MA from Oxford University (1965), Spencer was captain of the varsity crew at Yale and a member of the prestigious Blue Boat for three years at Oxford. He worked for the Washington Star (later the Star-News) from 1965 until it folded in 1981 and later wrote a column for Roll Call and then The Hill newspapers in Washington.
His sailing adventures include five transatlantics, the first in a twenty-foot sloop that, with a twenty-nine-day crossing, broke the record for small boats going from Newport, Rhode Island, to Ireland. He has sailed to Cuba nine times and made numerous voyages up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
Now eighty-five, he continues to row in local, national, and international competitions.
Spencer has lived in Washington, DC, since 1965. He is married to journalist Megan Rosenfeld and has five children and six grandchildren.
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