Charles Stock RIP

we once met him tacking into the Beaulieu River, what a feat having sailed from the East Coast.
there will never be another CS ;)


I am standing upon that foreshore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength and I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and the sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says “ there, She’s gone” “Gone where” “Gone from my sight, that’s all”. She is just as large in mast and spar and hull as ever she was when she left my side; just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of her destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. “There, she’s gone” there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout. “Here she comes”
 
Farewell and bon voyage Charlie.
Thanks for all the advice and inspiration you gave, both directly and by your writings.
I still expect to see that little brown sail coming down the creek when I look out at dawn.
 
A rather unique legend. Saw Shoal Waters dried out (80% obviously) in Newtown Creek years ago. Wellies were hanging out and I was so tempted to say hello. I didn't because he was downstairs.

I can recall the feeling as if it was yesterday. 'How do I react to a major celebrity?'.
 
Strangely, I started re-reading Sailing Just For Fun last night. It will have an added poignancy this eve. A truly inspirational writer. Not many like him. RIP Charles and thank you.
 
CS

He showed us that there is another way of sailing that does not involve 30 foot lozenges and marina bills.

nothing wrong with 30 foot lozenges you understand

I sail a 23 foot lozenge

He makes me feel stupidly over-equipped with GPS, outboard, internet dongle

he taught me to boil cans, to love mud and forget about pulling a dinghy around

The boat is in good hands

http://creeksailor.blogspot.co.uk/




Dylan on the boat at Brough
 
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Much as I admire the Chay Blythes', Pete Goss's and Dame Mcarthurs of this world, it's Charles Stock who pointed the way for 99 % of us.

Not just an alternative to belting around the Southern Ocean at warp 9 in a highly sponsored high tech boat hanging on by the eyebrows, also a vastly better way to see real nature and enjoy real sailing !

There won't be a Megabank.com.world.universe series relayed in HD about the sort of sailing Charles Stock proposed, but he hit the nail on the head while other people wonder if a bit more carbon fibre might do the trick...
 
I learnt a lot from his writing.

And missed his huge photographic showings.

You sort of hope they will just keep on keeping on.. for ever

In fact I cant thing of any sailor quite like him these days, which is sad. ( 'Our' Dylan aside of course. Taking up the cudgel and continuing to inspire,for a new generation).
 
Blueboatman said:
I learnt a lot from his writing.

And missed his huge photographic showings.

You sort of hope they will just keep on keeping on.. for ever

In fact I cant thing of any sailor quite like him these days, which is sad. ( 'Our' Dylan aside of course. Taking up the cudgel and continuing to inspire,for a new generation).
Click to expand...

Very true, Dylan Winter is the natural successor; doesn't make Charles Stocks' passing any less sad, but I'd think CS would approve.
 
steady on lads

Blueboatman said:
In fact I cant thing of any sailor quite like him these days, which is sad. ( 'Our' Dylan aside of course. Taking up the cudgel and continuing to inspire,for a new generation).
Click to expand...

steady on lads...

flattered.... but his sailing was so stripped out and pure

he really did use the tides

that aside....

the trouble with CS was that he never really grasped the importance of the return key

D
 
Very sad news.

Charles Stock was an inspiration to me as well as, I am sure, to many other East Coast sailors.

I enjoyed immensely his very informative book on his sailing adventures around the East Coast.

Charles has left a unique legacy to East Coast sailing as well to the greater sailing community.

My condolences to his family

Gitane
 
CS came and gave a lecture to the Henley Offshore Group, and in discussing with him later gave encouragement for us to take a narrowboat to the Chelmer & Blackwater navigation, the start of the Tuesday Night Club tidal tours;

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Tour_01/Medplus5.html
http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Tour_01/Medplus5a.html

A couple years later at West Mersea hammerhead he told me of the problems of publishing Sailing Just For Fun and why his second book was published for free on his website.

Often saw in come in places like Havengore etc, once saw him go across the Raysand on a falling tide when I hadn't the courage to do so & had to go down to the Spitway buoys.

Really good Shoal Waters is in such good hands doing the same sort of cruising .
 
Tony

ianc1200 said:
CS came and gave a lecture to the Henley Offshore Group, and in discussing with him later gave encouragement for us to take a narrowboat to the Chelmer & Blackwater navigation, the start of the Tuesday Night Club tidal tours;

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Tour_01/Medplus5.html
http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Tour_01/Medplus5a.html

A couple years later at West Mersea hammerhead he told me of the problems of publishing Sailing Just For Fun and why his second book was published for free on his website.

Often saw in come in places like Havengore etc, once saw him go across the Raysand on a falling tide when I hadn't the courage to do so & had to go down to the Spitway buoys.

Really good Shoal Waters is in such good hands doing the same sort of cruising .
Click to expand...


Tony does a great job of catalogueiing all the crinkly bits of the blackwater

he writes like a demon

http://creeksailor.blogspot.co.uk/
 
A true inspiration and a great communicator in the old fashioned way - this is what I think and this is what I do: take it or leave it. Many of us took it.
 
A real Gentleman.

Charles and Joy are/were near neighbours of mine, I often used to see Charles and Joy going to the shops on their matching red mobility scooters, and like a few other posts have said Charles was , and still is, my boating hero so one day I took the courage to have a few words and ask if he would give one of his illustrated talks at my sailing club , without hesitation he agreed, and naturally the idea of any kind of fee was out of the question. I lost count of the number of members who had a 'dog-eared' copy of Charles' book and asked him to sign it.

I took both he and Joy to and from the club in my car....I had Charlie Stock all to myself for the best part of an hour and a half !....did I ask questions?? you bet....did he answer them....you bet!!....a real Gentleman.....what a day...one I will never forget.
 
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