Sad news, another giant in the recreational sailing industry passes... Ted Irwin died after a fight with cancer, he was in his early to mid-70s, I believe...

Irwin Yachts built over 6,000 boats, he was responsible for getting a LOT of folks out on the water... here's his story, from an Irwin yachts website - classic example of a guy who started building boats in his back yard, and went on to become one of the most successful boatbuilders ever:

http://www.irwinyachts.com/Irwin_Story/The_Irwin_Story.htm

What many may not realize about Ted, he was a very good racing sailor, winning the SORC back in the early 80's with RAZZLE DAZZLE, a boat of his own design... That's akin to the late Sir Jack Brabham winning the World Driving Championship in a car he built himself, that sort of thing just doesn't happen anymore in the upper echelons of any technical sport...

I first started shooting yacht racing back in the late 70's, and the SORC was on my winter calendar for years... What a fantastic event it was, stretched out over about 3 weeks... That was really the glory days of offshore yacht racing, I can still picture Irwin on the docks of the St Petersburg Yacht Club, joking around with guys like Ted Turner and Tom Blackaller, and always in the company of a very lovely lady, or two... (grin)

Here's a pic of RAZZLE DAZZLE (not one of mine), those were the days, before the boats turned into billboards, and looked like something all of us might sail... RD was basically what was to become the Irwin Citation 41, if memory serves...

Fair winds, Mr Irwin... this is how I will always remember him, the guy had style...