Ron Holland! Guess what?

- Ron was in town last week. That is Ron Holland, one of the most talented Yacht Designer in the world. We go back something like 45 years. First, I met him at the Tower, the Carter Offshore office; a submarine observation Tower, lookout for U. Boats during WW11. At the time, Dick Carter was at the top of the rarified world of yacht design, and we always had a string of visitors and clients. - -

- Subsequently, I saw him in Sardinia during the 1973 One Ton World Championship. Where Ydra, a Carter boat, won. Let it be said that another upcoming young yacht designer, Doug Peterson, stole the show by coming in second, but would have won the event except for a navigation mistake.

- Anyway, for Ron, the occasion last week to come to Newport was two-fold. One, to make the Introduction to a Film at the Jane Pickens Theatre about Warwick Tomkins, aka the "Commodore", his Life at Sea, around boats, and more. Ron Holland met Mr Tompkins in 1968 when he landed in San Francisco. The second reason to reveal by the same Filmaker Oleg Harencar the trailer of a Documentary about Ron himself. He is also working on a book.

- After living a long time in Ireland, this son of New Zealand has recently moved to Vancouver. B.C. He was on his way to Europe; I guess he positioned himself to be halfway either way.

The day before that film event, at the Clarke Cooke House, where the bi-monthly meeting with drinks in hand for the local people involved in the Boat Industry, we are together with Ron, Jennifer Steward, and another very good Designer, Ted Fontaine.
Daniel Forster, no introduction needed, is in the middle of the first photo above.
Good Times.