Stanley Dewsnap 1926-2003

Stan was a very special dad captivated by the romance of sailing and the sea.  He read widely on the subject taking in everything from Conrad to Hiscock.  He taught himself navigation (including celestial) without ever setting foot on a boat.

He inspired me, as a young boy with tales of adventure and travel repeated from his reading and this led to us both taking our first hesitant cruising steps by chartering a yacht together on the River Blackwater in the late 60s.

Some years later, we made our first channel crossing together in a little Macwester 26 making a reasonable landfall a mile or two down the coast from our planned destination, Cherbourg.  (If I remember correctly the Bannes Rocks was our first sight of land)  This was also Dad's first introduction to foreign travel and French cuisine. 

We shared many happy holidays together with our common passion for sailing bridging the generation gap that can so often keep fathers and sons at a little distance.  From creek crawling off the East Coast, to sailing round the Channel Islands, the joy of sailing and being at one with nature never waned.

His enthusiasm for nature was not normally matched by eloquence.  One night after a beer in a pub in Pin Mill, as we rowed down river back to the boat, he was struck dumb by the beauty of the phosphorescence in our wake and dripping from the oars, which sparkled like little pin-pricks of light in the darkness.  After observing this phenomenon for several minutes, he was moved to comment  "Look at them, they are glowing like, like..."   - and it this point he searched for inspiration - which quickly came to this inveterate smoker  - "like a thousand fag ends!" 

Even to this day I can't look at the beautiful lines of a traditional yacht without hearing Stan's admiring comments in my head, in fact I can't get on a boat without very pleasant memories of him being very near the surface.  Any competence I have in being able to sail, maintain engines or troubleshoot electrical problems is entirely down to knowledge he passed on to me.

It is truly a wonderful gift to have been blessed with a dad and a sailing companion like Stan Dewsnap.

Don Radcliffe 1951 -2000

For 36 years I had the privilege of having Don as a close friend.  We were as different as chalk and cheese, but we had that close relationship happens rarely when people remain on exactly the same wavelength throughout their life.

We grew up together and stayed firm friends even though we lived half a world apart for much of the time.  We could start a conversation one year and finish it when we next met the following year, as though there had been no interruption.

We sailed together throughout our adult lives, indeed I am pleased to have been the one that introduced Don to sailing.  Don was the prudent one, measuring risk and making sure kit was maintained properly.  I was the reckless one, pushing the boundaries all the time both in terms of cruising grounds and the weather we sailed in.

That we had the adventures we had was very much down to me; that we survived to tell the tales was very much down to Don and his thorough professionalism.  Between us we made a decent crew.

Tragically Don died very prematurely at the age of 49 leaving behind the family to whom he was devoted.  Prior to his illness we used to dream of doing the AZAB (Azores and back) two handed race or really long ocean passages when we were older and family commitments eased.  Sadly it was not to happen.

As his illness progessed roles reversed and instead of me being the one saying lets drop everything and go for a sail, he took up this role with gusto as he realised his time was limited. 

In one particularly deep conversation we had, when he knew the condition he had(Paraproteinaemia) was going to kill him sooner or later,  he passed on some very sage advice which I shall never forget and which has played a part in our decision to sell up and sail.

"We base our lives on the predication that the tomorrow will be better than today.  When you know that the reverse is true, then you think very carefully how you spend today"

Don was a gifted man, highly intelligent, industrious, conscientious, modest, self-deprecating, kindly and highly principled.   He lived for his family and would spend endless hours with his children. He had a charming smile and a ready laugh; he derived immense pleasure from the simple things in life whether that be a sail in the Solent or a beer afterwards.

My life has been enriched beyond measure by his friendship and is much the poorer for his passing.