Tom joined CJCOA in 2006. We, are greatly saddened with his sudden and unexpected bowel cancer diagnosis and subsequent death just a few months later. He will be very much missed. By friends, families and skippers.

Tom was a past President of the CJCOA.  Also an active member of the CMYC. He started a beginners sailing session on a Monday afternoon that is highly appreciated.

He accepted the position of Sailing Master of the CMYC and did an awesome job. He taught many of us the ins-and-outs of the lakeside computer program. He was one of the first skippers to arrive at the lake – and the last to leave, ensuring the Clubhouse was securely locked up. He was notable for his comments that he appended to the Saturday race results. Always cheerful.

Tom kept us honest with racing rules! He had an extensive knowledge of the rules and kept up with any changes. He presented this knowledge in a series of articles attached to the race results in a very readable format.

Tom wrote about his sailing experience: “My interest in boats was nurtured by my grandfather and father who owned a seagoing fishing boat in Scotland, my grandfather was a great storyteller, so us grandchildren were blessed with marvellous tales of the sea. When we emigrated to NZ in 1949 my grandfather bought a dinghy and would take us kids out fishing with nets or lines. This started my love of anything that I could float on. But the fishing gift died because my brother and I couldn’t catch a fish to save ourselves.

My first boatbuilding effort was a rusty corrugated iron and tar boat in my teenage years. As my interest in surfing waned (surfing was my first sea-sport), I built a flat-bottomed canvas canoe and later converted it to a gaff rigged sailboat. My fascination of sail was born! Although that old canoe was slow, it taught me the rudiments of sailing. By then I was married to my first wife and our first proper yacht was an Idle Along, followed by a Cherub, an OK Dingy, then I built a Farr 3.7. By this time my first marriage had ended, and I met Thysje. We converted the Far 3.7 to twin wiring boat, with addition of a jib and spinnaker and what great fun we had with that boat. However, orphan classes have limited fun, so I built a Phoenix and we sailed that until Thysje’s health started to deteriorate. Next, was a gentler Sigrid 6 trailer yacht, but still it was too much for Thysje so I bought another Farr 3.7 until I had a sail in a Europe Dinghy and loved it and bought it.

When Thysje’s health improved, a new small boat class caught her eye. The Firebug is 2.4m long with a single sail and a roomy cockpit. So, I built one for her and bought another for me. We sailed those 2 Firebugs for a couple of years against each other and learned lots and that was our most enjoyable big boat sailing time.

 In 2006, Thysje then became interested in radio-controlled yachts. She bought a Witchcraft from Bob Wing. I went along as support until she got to know the yacht club members. But that was unnecessary because many dinghy sailors we knew were now radio sailing, Peter Vincent, Peter Crofts, Graham Mander are names that spring to mind. As I watched from the side-lines, I remember thinking “This would be a piece of cake”. So, I built J-146 and joined the fray later that year. Well, I immediately found radio sailing is anything but “a piece of cake” and still struggle to find the way through those shifty winds.

A few years ago, Thysje’s interest turned to photography so I inherited her boat J-150, then in 2018 was given J-20 in Martin Taylors will. So, I had 3 J-boats and felt like the upper crust of society. I sold my Europe Dinghy and Firebug which finished my big boat sailing career in 2022.”

Yes, Tom has been a wonderful friend and greatly missed.