Des Sleighthome

[SABREMAN]

It's with a twinge of sadness that I read of the sailing away into the sunset of Des and although I've never met the man feel his touch and advice in all my sailing activities. I for one will miss his contributions in the yachting press and used to turn straight to his articles when YM landed on the doorstep. Wherever you are Des, the world is a sadder place for your passing and I will sink a nip in your memory tonight.

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[Gunfleet]

hear hear NM

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[Peppermint]

Re:End of an era

but Old Harry lives on.

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[Mirelle]

Alas, yes.

Apart from Old Harry, the teabag chucker contest, the astonishing practical experiments and the rest, was'nt it somehow reassuring to know that YM was commanded by a man who kept a 24ft GRP Trident on the Orwell?

I did meet him - at a Little Ship Club lecture, 25 years ago - and he taught me a shackle-less, bowline-less, idiot proof means of securing headsail sheets that allowed a quick sail change, which I use to this day. Sometimes I think we are going backwards.

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[claymore]

Re: Alas, yes.

Is that where you feed a loop through one side then stick the end through the loop and pull it tight.
Terrible description but to a man of advanced baggywrinklemaking ability, easily understood!
Yes it is a shame about DS.


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Claymore
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[MUS]

Co-incidently I finished reading his book last night (Funny Old Life).

It made me realise that Sailing isn't all about regulations and RYA certificates, but about having fun, and being able to laugh at your cock-ups!

He enrichened the sport and made it safer and more fun for all of us.

Here's to you Des!

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[tcm]

has he actually sailed away? Or is he sadly dead?

Q: A very erudite YM contributor/ex-editor has died.

"Don't worry", say the production team, we can keep this hidden for weeks, months or even years."

"Certainly not, there should be a period of mourning a nice memorial service and a several page spread all about his adventurous life in the next issue." say the editorial gang.

"Ah yes, but if we admit he's no longer on the staff, then we might have to employ someone else who won't be as good, and also the readers like it with a vast array of expertise at our disposal. And we can't very well keeop using all his stuff in a monthly up-to-the-minute magazine once he has officially died, can we? It'll be okay, if we just hush it up and keep writing the answers/articles ourself, copy the stuff from yonks ago and use "i remember once" a lot to reinforce the illusion of the wise old sailing sage carrying on and on and on."

What do you think? How would Des answer this question, and would he have used a euphemism like "sailing away"?

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[Twister_Ken]

Des has sailed beyond our horizon

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[Robin]

A Very Sad Day

I grew up with Des in the mags and his books (and the one by his wife Joyce too). His Trident Tinker Liz must have made an impression since I bought one too, 1967 vintage and still going strong locally.

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[Gunfleet]

Beyond our Ken! NM

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[pvb]

Just before Christmas...

Just before Christmas, there was a little piece in YM by Des about "Skowing". “Skowing?”, I thought. There’s a nautical term I hadn’t heard before. But, reading the article, I found it was yet another piece of good advice from JDS. And I began to reflect on the influence he'd had on me and on so many thousands of other sailors over the years.

So I wrote him a letter, basically to say that the knowledge he's shared has been invaluable in helping me to sail more confidently and safely. And that his input has remained uniquely different; a wonderful blend of common sense, humour and down-to-earth practicality. Above all, just to say “Thank you” for enriching my sailing experience.

A week or so later, I received a reply from him. Here's what he wrote:-


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"Dear Peter,

Thank you so much for writing, it gave me a real lift which I can well do with, confined as I am nowadays to crutches and an electric Noddy-kart.

Having started my sailing at the bottom end, rising up from the mud like some cut-price Aphrodite with Woolworth as my chandler and foreshore watermen and rascals as mentors, my approach has always been a bit basic. No regrets, I would still rate tallow-and-turps and tar-and-cement as hi-tech and never could understand the owner's manuals that accompany clever-dick electronics.

I have a passion for tradition of the practical sort, rolling stoppers and timonoggies, shroud knots and swifters. A forgotten language but - like skowing - much of it is still relevant in today's yachts.

Best wishes,
Des Sleightholme"

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It's sad news.


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[Mirelle]

Re: Alas, yes.

Yes, that's the one! You need to be able to just shove a doubled end of jibsheet through the clew cringle. (I have puzzled sailmakers for years now by specifying the diameter of the clew cringle when ordering headsails!)

Having shoved a small loop through the cringle, you shove a short end, seized or spliced onto the sheet, through the loop that has gone through the cringle, on the far side of the cringle, and pull tight. JDS explained it better - in the course of a lecture on "first time foreign", as I recall!

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[Peppermint]

Re:The tone

towards the end of the book is quite sad isn't it? The age imposed limitations didn't sit to well with JDS. At least where he's gone there's some pretty good shipmates gone before.

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[claymore]

Re: Alas, yes.

My daughter used to sail toppers and we used this knot (with a parrel bead)through the headboard of the sail as it got the sail right to the top of the mast. I tried it on my genoa once as I don't like shackles flogging around - but it pulled out once or twice so I reverted to a stopper knot. Do you just make sure you pull them really tight?

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Claymore
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[jimi]

Goodness gracious

When was that photo taken, did'nt know the old brownie's could do colour!

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[Sybarite]

To paraphrase a saying in the Koran " there is an horizon to man's understanding (and memory) which goes beyond the horizon one can see "

Some people mark you in your hobby of sailing. Old Billy Smith at the local Whiterock boatyard (in his pedantic way) and like for everyone else here, Des was another part of my sailing education and I don't think I can add anything else but want to echo what you have all said in tribute to him.

I would like to have met him.

John


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[vyv_cox]

Great shame. We learned a lot from his articles and books. We often use his great expression "cheese and lump it" to describe the type of meal that can be expected in adverse sea conditions. One of the most amusing writers around, and combined with his common sense and knowledge of boating, a real gem of the genre. Will be greatly missed.

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[claymore]

Re: Goodness gracious

Cheeky young bugger!

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Claymore
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[longjohnsilver]

Re: Goodness gracious

Is that the same photo you've got on your bus pass?

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[claymore]

Oi!!!

Just fancied a change - anyway Parrotdroppingsfeatures how are you?

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Claymore
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