Ethelyn Jones Shinn Dies at 84; Yachtswoman and Cruising Writer

Ethelyn Jones Shinn—an active ocean racer and cruising writer for yachting publications—died March 25 of heart failure at her home in Coronado, according to a U-T San Diego obituary.

She was 84.

After attending UCLA, she went to New York where she worked as a fashion copywriter at Vogue and Mademoiselle magazines, said her death notice.

“She returned to Coronado, where she met her husband, Robert A. Shinn. They had two sons, George and Clay,” said her obituary.

Shinn, known as Lyn, raced and cruised the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, Southern California, Mexico, and Japan and was the associate editor for a weekly news magazine in Okinawa, the notice said.

In 1980, her husband retired as a naval captain and they returned to the family home in Coronado where she continued writing and became very active with activities at the San Diego Yacht Club and America’s Cup campaigns, the obituary said.

A memorial celebration was set for 4 p.m. Friday, April 5, at Christ Episcopal Church in Coronado. A celebration of life will be 3-5 p.m., April 10 at the San Diego Yacht Club, 1011 Anchorage Lane, San Diego.