I once knew a writer who,
after saying beautiful things about the sea,
passed through a Pacific hurricane and he became a changed man.— JOSHUA SLOCUM
Remembering Dave Ruedel
August 15 BYYB Posting—
The sad news this morning came abruptly into my hurried schedule. At the time, I could manage only a word or two, but the day has ended now, and evening is falling over the horizon with its quieter moments.
It's strange, isn't it? I mean how we come to know someone whom we never met personally. Dave and I only corresponded; we never spoke, not even over the phone, and yet, I knew him and appreciated the kind of man he was.
Dave was quite ill the last year, yet he was willing to serve as a BYYB officer. That in itself says a lot about a person, I suppose. I never saw a complaint from him, nor an unkind word in any of his postings. I admired his humility and his dependence on God. I never knew him, and yet I knew him well.
He certainly did an outstanding job with his cabin layout. Admittedly, he left the interior plain and unpolished, but he made good use of the available space. From the photos I have seen, the cabin looked very well organized, and very warm, and welcoming — much like Dave himself, I suppose. You couldn't do much better than that.
I bought a marine radio because Dave had bought one for his own boat. He always had something nice to say about my boat even when the craftsmanship was less than polished. I was not alone, for Dave wrote similar encouraging words to other builders. I remember well his words when my nautical berth did not work out as planned.
Dave even found time to write a couple of articles for Gaff Rig. We were very desperate at the time for any article. The magazine had just started up again, and we found ourselves largely in uncharted waters. I honestly did not know if our gaff rig effort would survive its maiden season, but we did, and it was largely because of Dave and people like him. You might say he threw a lifeline our way.
One of Dave's articles told about a misadventure on Kentucky Lake. It was filled with folksy humor, but that humor was always self-directed. Dave was not the kind to make fun at someone else's expense, but he did laugh at his own efforts and antics— that in itself won my heart.
I had always wanted to sail with him.
I feel that I have lost a friend whose voice I never heard.
May I offer my deepest condolences to his
family.
May God be with you, and may God be with Dave.
Back Yard Yacht Builders
A non-commercial association of amateur boat-builder enthusiasts.
All our wooden boats are Stevenson designs.