Sad day for the class.

Sail In Peace Pete Boxer. It was with great sadness that we heard of the passing of a great and much loved GBR sailing character and Pete passed away at home surrounded by his loved ones.

Pete was an Essex boy from Clacton. From an early age he sailed at the Clacton SC and soon became a very proficient windsurf sailor, something he’d continue for many years. Growing up alongside such other sailing luminaries as Grant Piggott and the late great Carl Jones, be trained with Grant as a sailmaker at Dolphin Sails . However, he thought that maybe it was not for him, despite being good at it, and left for other pastures, eventually going into the shipping industry.

He'd sailed Tornadoes in his youth, so cats were in his blood. He first came to the A-Cat in about 2016 or so, and bought a Tool named Alice, from Richard Hargreaves, another BACCA member. He sailed that boat until the end. His flyweight build and sailing skill meant that he was pretty much the king in the light stuff. His trademark style of kneeling upright next to the mast, and deep downwind angles made him pretty much unbeatable.

Pete was universally like by all who met him. His ready smile, quiet wisdom and vast knowledge were his trademark. He was always ready with advice if asked and was enthusiastic in his encouragement of others. His restored 1968 orange old VW Camper, almost as old as him, was a hub for sailors. His hugely amusing and wonderful Irish wife, Eilish, kept him in check and mothered us all with food and beverages at open meetings.

Everyone will have a story about Pete, all of them to be told with a smile and he was always a good person to have in your life. Despite suffering lifelong medical conditions, he always gave the impression that his life was pretty much sorted from his point of view. He leaves his daughter and three sons with us.

We are all the richer for knowing him.