| Farewells to Dick Harrington (W887) Professor Emeritus of North American Wayfarer Cruising last updated: 19 November 2024 at 1133 hrs 2024.11.18 obituary 2024.06.29 an album featuring Dick at various International Rallies 2024.07.09 an album featuring Dick at various North American Rallies 2024.07.21 an album of Dick at various Chesapeake Cruises 2024.11.15 an album of some of Dick's Cruise log photos |
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Hello everyone — Thinking about our upcoming
rally at Hermit Island, I got it in my head this afternoon to try to call Dick Harrington
to see how he was doing. The subject line says it all. Finding the
phone number I had to be out of service, I checked obituaries on line. When I last
talked with Dick to see if he might join us at Wellesley Island - so that must
have been during the
height of the COVID pandemic -
he was doing OK, but not sailing much given the need to care for Jane who was
not at all well. I see from the obituary that she is still alive.
Fortunately, I recall that she had some children who might be able to
step in now that Dick is gone. I certainly wish I had called earlier when
I last thought about it. Please share with other Wayfarers who would have
known Dick. — Margie
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forwarded message: From:
Margaret McKelvey <margaret_mckelvey@yahoo.com> Subject:
Passing of Dick Harrington Date:
June 19, 2024 at 2:29:00 PM EDT To:
Patricia Duff <pharringtonduff@yahoo.com> Hello
Patricia — I have this e-mail address from a 10-year old message from our dear
Wayfarer friend Dick Harrington, so hope it is still current. I was just
trying to call him to see how he was doing and got a recording that the phone
number was not in service. That prompted me to check obituaries and,
sadly, did find one for Dick. What a wonderful sailor and organizer he
was! He very kindly brought my partner, Bill Harkins, and me into the
North American Wayfaring family which has been a very important part of our
lives for over 20 years.
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| Tony Krauss shares some of his many memories of his pal, Dick From: tmk-11044 [mailto:tony.krauss@gmail.com] Prior to Dick’s finding his final love in W887, he owned 2389, a Customflex Mk I built in Toledo, OH. i have no idea how he stumbled across her, but then, he did grow up and learn to sail in the Buffalo, NY area, so who knows? My second-fondest memory of Dick was a pre-race ”meeting” in which i, in a 12’ scow, punched a large hole in 2389’s port bow and my initial thoughts were that Wayfarers must be awfully lightly built. However, when it then dawned upon me that the horizontal beam of my little scow had been cut out of a 2x6, i granted that perhaps it wasn’t all to the Wayfarer’s fault. Dick, ever the gracious gentleman that he was, merely glowered, said nothing, and won. My fondest memory of Dick was when i had the great pleasure of sailing with him at the 1995 Worlds out of TSCC in Toronto on 887 Blue Mist. We had a grand time, and finished in the middle of the 5 boats US boats, not a bad showing, i thought (my memory was that the last 5 of the fleet were all Yanks, but Al’s history shows i was wrong). Those who knew Dick only in passing may have the impression that he could have the outward appearance of being, if not exactly nervous, perhaps at least a bit ”overly attentive”. This was simply his concern for crew, or others in life generally, for whom his solidly analytical engineering mind had not yet attained sufficient data to say to himself ”Yep, they’re OK, now we can move on.” When i failed to raise the centerboard during a practice race, we nosed over under spinnaker; Dick was probably at that moment the calmest i had ever, before or since, seen him. Not a care in the world: it’s simply a small problem that we get to solve. I last saw Dick and Jane when we made the jaunt out to Geauga, OH to pay a little visit some 5 years ago. We went on a little vineyard crawl, which was great fun. At one there was a local musician, Colin Dussault, playing before a small group of folks enjoying the Sunday afternoon. Dick and Jane promptly got up and started dancing in the only open area available. Mary told me the people next to us said words to the effect of ”when we’re old, i hope we’re still dancing like that cute little couple.” But such is my memory: i may be wrong in some details, but my fondness for Dick is not. (1) As an aside to my Canadian friends, Dick at the time lived in a house that a high school friend of mine, originally from Gravenhurst, ONT, had lived in (it is a very small burg) when we were both wayward youths. On
Jun 24, 2024, at 2:18 AM, Uncle Al <uncle-al3854@cogeco.ca>
wrote:
Beautiful stuff, Tony. I, meantime, am going through large swaths of W history
and picking off the best memory pictures – am nearly through the International
Rallies the Dick pics from which will be the first album. The other two will be
based on Dick’s #1 invention, the N.A. Rallies, and his numerous logs. Cheers,
Uncle Al W3854 from Tom and Diane Erickson (W275 Possum) From: terickson275@gmail.com I’m forever grateful to Dick. He was the first Wayfarer I knew. He encouraged me to go to the first North
American rally in Vermont. That began
years of attending rallies and following in his cruising footsteps. Dick was always helpful, always encouraging, always taking
an interest in Diane and me in W275
Possum. God bless him.. Tom and Diane
On Thu, Jun 20, 2024 at 1:34 PM Sean Ring <seanring@msn.com> wrote:
Sad news. Thanks
for sharing. Eternal fair
winds to Dick. from Tom Graefe (W9668) From: Tom Graefe <tmgraefe@comcast.net> Hi all, Sorry
news. Thanks Margie for letting us know. Many
thoughts and feelings at this moment, and warm recollections.
I’ve
attached a picture of a relaxed moment of companionship on Blue Mist, 2003,
cruising in Maine. Take are all, Tom Graefe |
| Ralph Roberts, international cruiser extraordinaire, checks in: From: Mrrmr [mailto:mrrmr@btinternet.com] Next year’s International rally – No. 33 believe it or not! – is planned for Denmark, where the 2025 Championships is due to happen. So the following year (2026) it would seem time to take the event back to N. America, and wherever the annual Rally is due to be held. (The previous rally in N. America, being the 2022 Florida event). What do you think? Best wishes, Ralph |
| from Dick's daughter, Patricia From: Patricia
Harrington-Duff <pharringtonduff@gmail.com> Everyone, Let
me first apologize for sending a "blast" email to all of you, who
have never met me. The email addresses I'm using are derived from old emails
and "cruise planning" messages from 2016 - 2019, which I found in my
dad's papers. Some of these addresses may no longer be in service. For those
emails still valid, I hope I am reaching folks who knew and perhaps sailed with
my father, Richard "Dick" Harrington. Due to declining health and the
disruptive disaster of the Covid years, I'm pretty sure the last time his
dinghy Blue Mist had wind in her sails was late 2019. Dad left us many essays
and stories of his sailing adventures. Unfortunately, he didn't leave me a list
of his "Wayfarer friends" to contact. My
dad, Richard Harrington, passed away on May 9, 2024. You can find his obituary
and photos from family at the link below. While I reached out to someone at the
U.S. Wayfarer Association at the time, I don't believe a notice was ever posted
there. My first objective with this email is just to pass the word a bit as the
sailing community was an important part of his life. https://www.lakeeriecremationandfuneralservices.com/obituaries/Richard-Harrington-14/Obituary If
any of you are still active Wayfarer sailors and are located close to the
Ashtabula, Ohio area (where I have Blue Mist sheltering at a storage unit),
that would be good to know. The second reason I'm emailing you all is that, as
executor of his estate, I need to put the Blue Mist up for sale. As I posted
online, none of us (his daughters) inherited dad's sailor genes, although
we all have our own stories to tell - including the demo on how to bail out
your dinghy after capsizing, no thanks to an overly enthusiastic Golden
Retriever just happy to get a swim. I will soon be making a trip back to unpack
the sailing gear stored onboard and elsewhere, to take photos and figure out
what I should list as coming with Blue Mist. I'd be happy to take any advice
from any of you regarding that prep, and where to list for sale beyond posting
on the U.S. Wayfarer site. Thank
you for reading, and I hope you are all doing well. Patricia
Harrington-Duff Ellicott City, Maryland
From: Kit Wallace [mailto:kitwallace@hotmail.com] Hello Patricia,
Thank you for this note, and remembrance of
Dick. One of Dick's great legacies was setting up the
Wayfarer North American Cruising Rally, which I think is coming up for its
25th anniversary. The largest annual gathering of Wayfarer sailors around these
parts, was nurtured by Dick in the early 2000s, then delighted and perhaps
surprised him by becoming such a popular event. The last time I sailed with Dick was in May of
2019 (photo above) in the Chesapeake Bay when we cruised the islands from Smith
to Tangier and Watts. I would never have discovered these amazing places if it
hadn't been for Dick's enthusiasm for the waters of the Chesapeake and the
watermen who live and fish there. Something wonderful happened on that
occasion when we encountered a pod of dolphins who swam right up beside Blue
Mist and followed us for a while. Magic! Regarding the sale of Blue Mist, I've added Al
Schonborn to this list, an old friend of Dick's who will be glad to hear from
you. He manages the Canadian Wayfarer website and will post an ad. Best wishes, Kit Wallace, W994 |
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From: Brian Laux [mailto:lauxbr@gmail.com] So sad to hear this news. Dick was a great guy and sailor.
Thanks for letting us know. Brian Laux W1445
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From: Paula Eades [mailto:paulizk@verizon.net] Uncle
Al, Patricia ….
Yes, Dick , your father , commissioned me to do a portrait of him . I
started the painting of him on his boat . I was more than half way through ,
when my own father got sick and I went to Iowa to care for him . I have the
portrait here .
I’ll see if I have a photo on my phone ; if not I’ll send you a photo
from my studio .
Patricia , I just loved your Dad and was really, really sad to hear of
his passing . He was the first one of the Wayfarers that I met at our humble
marina, on Smith Island , and I looked forward to his visit and all the Wayfarers , every year . I
miss them and I am very sad to hear of your dad’s passing .
I’m feeling ashamed that I never got his painting finished . I’m sure he wanted
it to leave to you. I
will put the finishing touches on it and get it to you . I’m so glad you’ve
reached out . I look at the painting every day …. And wondered if I’d ever get it
to you .
Your Dad was an amazing man and a dear friend .
Love , Pauli |
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On Fri, Nov 15, 2024 at 9:40 PM Uncle Al <uncle-al3854@cogeco.ca> wrote: Hi, Patricia:
Uncle Al W3854 here, Canadian Wayfarer webmaster. Your dad is well memorialized on my sites as fllows: http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIC/fondly.remembered/Wayfarers.fondly.remembered.html and beyond
I have a lot of Dick’s fine cruise logs on line at http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIC/Cruise.Logs/Cruise.Logs.index3.html . If you have logs material of Dick’s – especially actual photos or negs – that I could borrow, I would love to beef up my coverage of the Dick Harrington legend while I recover from my recent quadruple by-pass.
Dick is one of three Wayfarer pillars who passed away in 2024 and I have dedicated our 2025 version of the annual calendar. A viewing copy is posted at http://wayfarer-canada.org/2025_posted_view_booklet_v08.pdf and the print copy will be mailed to all 2024 CWA members. I am copying Kit Wallace if you should wish to receive hard copy/copies.
Cheers,
Uncle Al W3854
From: Patricia Harrington-Duff [mailto:pharringtonduff@gmail.com]
Uncle Al, This is so awesome! I'm cc'ing my sisters also. I had put
together a chronological collection of dad's stories, mostly hunting and
sailing essays, although some of those were pre-publication copies he mailed to
me and/or part 1 of 2 where I didn't have part 2. I only had the nicely
published copy for a few of his stories. I put together a formatted
PDF document and had a limited number of copies printed for family members. I have a ton of photos in boxes, some of which are from his
sailing. I'll see if any are identifiably from cruises. Might be some notes on
routes or plans as well. Quadruple by-pass sounds like a significant health
challenge. Please take time to heal and don't push yourself too hard. That
said, having some favorite activities to focus on is probably good for all of
us. Kit, I'd be happy to pay for several copies of the calendar,
let me know how to arrange that. Thank you! Patricia
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From: Tom Graefe [mailto:tmgraefe@comcast.net] Hi
Patricia, As other
have written, Dick is very fondly remembered in the Wayfaring crowd. I’d
add he has many friends in the International Wayfaring community (beyond
Canada) as well. Dick was my
cruising mentor, and he and I ran multiple NA rallies together, including the
Hermit Island Rally—starting in 2005 and continuing to last summer for the 7th
edition. Dick and I also had two amazing Maine cruises in 2003 and
2004. So he holds a special place in my heart, and sailing soul. Regarding
your task at hand—selling Blue Mist. As Kit noted, advertising on the
Canadian Wayfarer site is a good place to start. There is a
page with many reflections and pictures of your Dad put together by Uncle Al
(Al Schonborn)on the CWA site now. http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIC/fondly.remembered/Dick.Harrington/Dick_Harrington.html You can get
an idea of how boats are listed on the CWA site by going to: http://www.wayfarer-canada.org/forsale.html There is a
Facebook group for Wayfarers, though most of the boats that I’ve seen listed
are in the UK. That said, it is still a good place to list it. It is
called ‘The Wayfarer Group’ and is a private group, but I am sure you
could request membership and thus post Blue Mist. If you have any problem
I’m happy to post it for you with appropriate directions for contacting you,
once you have the material about Blue Mist assembled etc. In terms of
the way to describe the sailing kit you have in the inventory here are some
suggestions for things to attend to:
I know he
had a variety of other ‘camping’ items that he used for cruising but these are
not as relevant for selling Blue Mist itself. I hope that
helps with this practical challenge—always tough but important, and in this
case with Blue Mist and sailing holding such a central place in Dick’s life,
especially so I am sure. With much affection recalling Dick, take care,
Tom Graefe W9668
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From: Alan Asselstine [mailto:majam41@gmail.com] Patricia and family: I can not add much to the comments of other Wayfarers.
I had the pleasure of meeting your father while cruising northern Georgian Bay
in the 1990's. In the 2000's, we enjoyed sailing, socializing etc
with Dick at the annual cruise rallies. Like others, I learned from Dick
and enjoyed sailing with him. Attached is a picture from 1997 and a cruise to the North
Channel. Alan W7346.
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From: Margaret McKelvey [mailto:margaret_mckelvey@yahoo.com] Hello
Patricia — Your father was so instrumental in introducing Bill (Harkins) and me
to the Wayfarer and to the sailing rallies that have become such a key part of
our lives over the years. He also helped us acquire our own woodie - from
a daughter who had, like you, inherited it from her father. Your father’s
memory lives on in so many ways, including with a young French friend who
accompanied us to a rally at Hermit Island and who still fondly imitates your
dad’s booming voice. Our rally at Hermit Island this past summer was
dedicated to his memory. When
I learned of his death earlier this year, I did send a note to a number of
North American and European Wayfarer friends of his. I will forward some
of the emails that I got back in response. Here’s
hoping that you find a good home for Blue Mist, —
Margie McKelvey
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