Irving McClure Johnson; Wrote About Yachting Adventures

Irving McClure Johnson, 85, a veteran yachtsman whose cruises aboard the schooners he named Yankee became the subject of several books and TV films. He owned three sailing vessels, each named Yankee, and for nearly 60 years sailed them around the world with his wife, two children and several neophyte sailors who served as his crew. One of his adventures--which he wrote and lectured about across the country--included the discovery of the anchor of the HMS Bounty off Pitcairn Island, where mutineers had scuttled the British warship. He also wrote for National Geographic magazine, which produced two films for national television. In Hadley, Mass., on Wednesday.