Page 54 - Yachter Spring/Summer 2020
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54 OBITUARY
PASSING OF
A FORMER COMMODORE
Rush Dray who was a member of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club and served as Commodore in 1999, died peacefully, on 1 January 2020, at a nursing home in Suffolk.
His funeral, held at St Michael the Archangel Church in Southampton, was on 21 January and attended by several members of the yacht club, including 4 past Commodores and the current Commodore.
After an illustrious career as an army officer and subsequently holding a senior post at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, Rush retired and, with his wife Joyce, settled in Ocean Village.
Here he revived his great love of sailing which had started when serving with the army in Lagos, Nigeria. As a member of the local sailing club, he learnt in a small dinghy and then progressed to racing in small sailing craft.
On returning to the UK, he continued to sail as, based at Longmoor Camp, the army had two sailing boats moored at Gosport. The Waggoner (a 33-foot vessel) was one of them. Many a holiday was spent with the family or old friends, on trips to the Channel Islands.
He took and passed many exams in sailing.The main one was in 1978, when he spent 49 days at sea for his Yachtmaster Ocean certificate, relying on astral navigation.
Rush loved being an active member of theYacht Club in Southampton. He bought his own boat, a Fisher 26 and, with Joyce, encouraged and taught his children and grandchildren.They spent many happy days at sea.
In 1995 he became Rear Commodore; in 1997,Vice Commodore and in 1999 he became Commodore. Rush loved the racing days and was always out taking an active part. Following his time as Commodore, he was appointed a Trustee to the RSYC.
Even in much later life, when he was unable to sail himself,
he participated and took a great interest in the life of the sailing community. A man of many and varied skills and interests, Rush displayed a great passion for sailing and the sea. His presence as part of so many lives and activities, will be very much missed.
Simon Dray
Painting: Sue Dray
