John Wayne and the Wild Goose

Posted by John Crandall Feb 12, 2007

Known affectionately as "the Duke", John Wayne entertained us through several generations. In his later years he lived near Newport Beach, just south of Los Angeles where he had a beach house, and a yacht, The Wild Goose. His house has been torn down, but The Wild Goose sails on. It is now a tour boat offering dinner cruises to John Wayne fans young and old alike.

Built from a retired Navy minesweeper, the custom interior of the yacht has a stong masculine feel with polished wood almost everywhere you look. It was here that the Duke in his later years often entertained, and his card games with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr, and other big name stars of the time remain a legend unto themselves. On cruises guides point out where his house used to stand, and tell tales of how the Duke enjoyed himself and entertained in the sunny waters off the Southern California Coast before his death in 1979.

Everybody of my generation will always remember John Wayne, and gladly settle down in front of the TV on a Saturday afternoon to watch one of his great movies for the hundreth time, and it pleases me to know that The Wild Goose goes on as well. There was a fairly popular book on this subject published in the early 90's by two men named Bert Minshall and Clark Sharon. I haven't read it. They want a hundred bucks for it on Amazon.com. So if you come across a copy, hang on to it, and I'll be watching for it myself in my favorite used book stores.