Following sailing, designing and boatbuilding in New Zealand, I left at the age of 21 to design my first IOR Racing yacht while working at Charley Morgan’s Morgan Yacht Corp in Florida in 1972. My first IOR Design, “Eygthene” won the USA Quarter Ton Regatta on Tampa Bay, creating the chance for me to race her in the World Quarter Ton Cup in England in 1973, which we won.
Berthon Boat was our UK base. The family of David and Catherine May adopted me. That was lucky.
In 2019 I returned to Berthon at Lymington, accepting a lunch invitation with the May family. Many memorable stories were told over a long lunch.Â
