Ted Hood has passed away at the age of 86...

Impossible to overstate the influence he had on sailing, and the scope and variety of his accomplishments/achievements... I'm hard pressed to think of anyone else who has "done it all" to the extent that he did... As a racer, sailmaker, yacht designer and builder, his hand shows in many of the most seakindly and beautiful boats ever created...

I had the great pleasure of meeting Ted briefly aboard his Expedition 55 at the Annapolis Show a few years ago... What an elegant, distinguished gentleman he was, the 5 minutes or so we spent chatting was definitely the highlight of the weekend, for me... The guy has always been one of my idols in the sport, and some of his whale-bottomed keel/centerboarders have always been on my short list of Dream Boats...

RIP Ted, they don't make 'em like you, anymore...

best regards,

Jon