bilbobaggins
N/A
From the Class Association chairman, Stuart Ede...
[ QUOTE ]
Dear Catapult sailors past and present,
I am sure you will be saddened to hear that Jon Montgomery, the designer of the Catapult, that has given us all so much pleasure over the years, died yesterday.
Jon had been suffering from lung cancer for the last couple of years. He soldiered on remarkably through both chemo- and radiotherapy, until about three weeks ago when he entered his final decline. Typical of Jon, in his last few weeks he had, with his son Alex's help, because he was in a wheelchair, been preparing various tips to go on the new class website.
Jon was a remarkable man who had a vision for a unique catamaran that would become a design classic, which he took from the drawing board to reality on the water. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his vision, amazing expertise and dedication. He was also a great guy to know, and I am glad we were able to demonstrate our deep affection for him and for his design at the Catapult 25th Anniversary Regatta at Bala in 2007.
Alex rang me with the news this afternoon, and at this stage details of Jon's funeral are still to be worked out. I will pass on the details as soon as I know them. Alex and his mum, Sue, will be giving some thought to whether they would prefer a small family ceremony or one which would be open to friends from the Class Association and elsewhere. Alex thinks that Jon would have preferred donations in his name to the RNLI instead of flowers. I'll confirm that when I have more details.
I suggested that I might contact the yachting press, but Alex had already had the better idea of talking to Jeremy Evans, of the Yachts and Yachting Multi Mad column, who over the years has made clear in print his admiration for Jon, not just for the Catapult, but also for Jon's revolutionary Quatrefoil radio-controlled model catamaran that Jon had been campaigning very successfully, and which he hoped might one day be adopted by a syndicate and turned into a full size, ocean going, round-the-world record breaker. Certainly Jon's passing needs to marked for all he has done for sailing.
I am sure all our sympathies go out to Alex and Sue.
Yours with a heavy heart
[/ QUOTE ]
That's a loss to many, and to me.
I dinghy-camped his rugged Catapult design in Hebridean, Norwegian, Swedish and Corsican waters - and at Weymouth Speed Week.
/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
[ QUOTE ]
Dear Catapult sailors past and present,
I am sure you will be saddened to hear that Jon Montgomery, the designer of the Catapult, that has given us all so much pleasure over the years, died yesterday.
Jon had been suffering from lung cancer for the last couple of years. He soldiered on remarkably through both chemo- and radiotherapy, until about three weeks ago when he entered his final decline. Typical of Jon, in his last few weeks he had, with his son Alex's help, because he was in a wheelchair, been preparing various tips to go on the new class website.
Jon was a remarkable man who had a vision for a unique catamaran that would become a design classic, which he took from the drawing board to reality on the water. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his vision, amazing expertise and dedication. He was also a great guy to know, and I am glad we were able to demonstrate our deep affection for him and for his design at the Catapult 25th Anniversary Regatta at Bala in 2007.
Alex rang me with the news this afternoon, and at this stage details of Jon's funeral are still to be worked out. I will pass on the details as soon as I know them. Alex and his mum, Sue, will be giving some thought to whether they would prefer a small family ceremony or one which would be open to friends from the Class Association and elsewhere. Alex thinks that Jon would have preferred donations in his name to the RNLI instead of flowers. I'll confirm that when I have more details.
I suggested that I might contact the yachting press, but Alex had already had the better idea of talking to Jeremy Evans, of the Yachts and Yachting Multi Mad column, who over the years has made clear in print his admiration for Jon, not just for the Catapult, but also for Jon's revolutionary Quatrefoil radio-controlled model catamaran that Jon had been campaigning very successfully, and which he hoped might one day be adopted by a syndicate and turned into a full size, ocean going, round-the-world record breaker. Certainly Jon's passing needs to marked for all he has done for sailing.
I am sure all our sympathies go out to Alex and Sue.
Yours with a heavy heart
[/ QUOTE ]
That's a loss to many, and to me.
I dinghy-camped his rugged Catapult design in Hebridean, Norwegian, Swedish and Corsican waters - and at Weymouth Speed Week.
/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
