Eight Bells: Vic Porter
Victor Butler Porter of Decatur, Indiana, serial entrepreneur and chairman emeritus of Formula Boats, died October 24, 2021, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the age of 90. In an announcement,… Read more »
Obituary
Farewell to Tom Johannsen
Last July, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Tom Johannsen at age 88, a trailblazer in the development of lightweight foam-cored composite laminates, and a true gentleman… Read more »
Over the Bar: Rodger Martin
Yacht designer John Rodger Martin died on May 14, 2021, and is survived by Patty, his wife and sailing and business partner. I met Rodger and Patty in the small… Read more »
Dan Harper Obituary
Anyone who has been around boats in a professional or obsessed way for more than a few years has encountered new technologies or materials that promise to change the future… Read more »
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 »
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 »
