George Hazen 1951–2020
George Hazen, whose work revolutionized yachting as a pastime, a sport, and an industry, died from cancer on December 23, 2020, in Annapolis, Maryland. He was 69. Many boat owners… Read more »
Obituary
Frank Butler Farewell
Frank Butler, founder of the largest builder of sailboats in the U.S., died November 15, 2020, in Long Beach, California. He was 92. Butler founded Catalina Yachts in 1969, in… Read more »
Farewell to Dugie Freeman
In 1969, Dugie Freeman and his father, Ed, along with Jim Howard formed Freeman-Howard, a company that built oceangoing commercial fishing boats. The first one was an all-steel Edwin Monk–designed… Read more »
Tullio Abbate – A Tribute
The scene was filmed somewhere in the Mediterranean, off the French coast. A speedboat bearing the signature “Tullio Abbate” and the name Mister Nicolas on the hull was running on… Read more »
Farewell to Rigger Brion Toss
Master rigger Brion Toss, 69, died June 6, 2020, in Port Townsend, Washington, after a few months’ illness. The news from his family arrived as softly as a Northwest mist:… Read more »
Eight Bells: James D. Rosborough
James Douglas (Doug) Rosborough, founder of Rosborough Boats of Halifax, Nova Scotia, died on April 23, 2020, a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was 91. A self-taught designer, Rosborough… Read more »
Eight Bells: Edward Donald Fry
Edward Donald Fry, designer and builder of a diverse portfolio of military, commercial, and leisure vessels, died on Nov. 21, 2019, in North Fort Meyers, Florida. He was born in… Read more »
Olaf Harken: 1939-2019
A hard-working, innovative leader in the sailing world died October 21, 2019, in his longtime home of Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Olaf Harken was 80. With older brother Peter the two began… Read more »
