The Honorable Bill Garden has Passed

[VirtualVagabond]

I found this on another forum and felt it has a place here.

The Honorable Bill Garden has passed
The Legendary Bill Garden passed at his home in British Columbia at the age of 92.
No memorial service and no obituary printed as per Bill's wishes.....
There will be a brief notice in the next issue of WoodenBoat and that's it....

Bill was adamant that the boats (his work) stand on their own merits, he wanted no idolization or adulation at all.....


What a great body of work he has left in his wake.

His vision for real little sailing ships has contributed so much to the world of sailing, and his designs have turned more heads than any other designer I can think of.
His unique talent captured the lure of the sea, the mystique of sailing, and the basic saltiness so dear to all of us.
In a world of cheap rhymes, he was a true poet.

Sail on Cap'n Bill.
Cest la vie.

[GordMay]

Thanks for sharing the sad news.

➥ William Garden passes away obituary

➥ William Garden

➥ So many nice boats to build and so short a voyage, 2003

➥ Sailboat Designs of William*Garden

[Blue Stocking]

A name to be chiselled into the marble of modern maritime history. RIP Bill.

[boatman61]

A toast to the Voyage of a sailors friend........New Horizons..

[brutb]

A toast to William Garden and his designs that will long live in the minds and spirit of sailors everywhere.

[SkiprJohn]

A true hero of the design world. I had his Mariner 35 design and it was truly a wonderful boat. Many have copied his lines and put their names to them but his beautiful designs are quite obvious.

A great loss.

[Southern Star]

I couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed above - the man really had an eye for pretty lines and a penchant for practicality. He will be missed.

Brad

[brutb]

Gordmay,

Interesting to note the Zee's SV Solitary Bird is a Garden design and it shows how a well designed boat and a sailor can still take it and go where ever he or she wants with this timeless design. The boating world will miss his talents and his humor.
I am sadden with his departure.

[Capt Phil]

The cruising world would not be the same without Bill Garden's contributions in design, observations and selfless support. He is truly an icon to thousands of us who have sailed aboard his boats, large and small. God bless Him... Capt Phil

[BSV2]

Mr. Bill Garden has passed at the fine age of 92. I will think of you every time I sail my CT 41. Thank you!

Lou

[Doodles]

One of the best! RIP Bill.

[James S]

Thanks for letting us know...I understand he may have had a hand in my CT48 as well.
RIP Bill.

[bangkaboat]

Wow. I thought he'd passed some years ago. Just after I left the navy, I was wondering around the waterfront in Esquimalt, B.C., looking at boats at a small dock at the end of Head Road. There was an old guy working on a wood sailboat that had an incredible sheer & very long bowsprit. I asked him what design it was & he replied that it was a Porpoise, designed by William Garden. That was the first & only time that I could say that I fell in love with a boat! To this day, it is the most beautiful boat I've ever laid eyes on. I suppose that that is why I'm a sucker for almost every CT, Formosa or SeaWolf I see. There's something just flat-out sexy about such designs, to me. One day I hope I design a boat that someone feels that way about. Here's to Bill Garden!

[capnorv]

Found out today of Mr. Garden's passing. He was truly an artist, many of his boats have turned my head. Today the boat was the mv Puffin out of Tacoma, a real beaut! Fair winds and eight bells tribute to Bill Garden.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by bangkaboat

Wow. I thought he'd passed some years ago. Just after I left the navy, I was wondering around the waterfront in Esquimalt, B.C., looking at boats at a small dock at the end of Head Road. There was an old guy working on a wood sailboat that had an incredible sheer & very long bowsprit. I asked him what design it was & he replied that it was a Porpoise, designed by William Garden. That was the first & only time that I could say that I fell in love with a boat! To this day, it is the most beautiful boat I've ever laid eyes on. I suppose that that is why I'm a sucker for almost every CT, Formosa or SeaWolf I see. There's something just flat-out sexy about such designs, to me. One day I hope I design a boat that someone feels that way about. Here's to Bill Garden!

RIP Bill. I once owned a Porpoise myself, 44' Porpoise "Orca". The last woody I ever owned. She was a dream. If only we could all leave such a legacy. He certainly lived a full life...