It is with regret that the Yare Sailing Club announces the death of Dave Valentine. He was a long-standing supporter of the Yare Sailing Club, although his first allegiance was always to the Green Wyverns. The GWYC have circulated this tribute:

I write to you with a touch of sadness, as I have to tell you about the death of our friend David Valentine, who died peacefully in his sleep on the 15th of October at home surrounded by his family, as he wished it. David was the last member of the historic 1947 inaugural cruise. Since that time he has served the club in many capacities and always with great enthusiasm for the perpetuation of our way of life on the Broads.

His love of the Broads and our club has led him to sail most club weeks until recently, when his stamina only allowed him to manage a couple of them (a feat that taxes some of us who are much younger). He managed to keep waterborne until almost the end, sailing with us on the Tony Tompkins cruise this year, when he was still on great form entertaining us.

It has been my great privilege to be entrusted with his pride and joy, Puck, as her custodian over the last few years. I am sure you will join me in wishing him well on his final sail into the history of the club.

Andy Garnham
GWYC Commodore

His funeral was held at 2pm on Friday 2 November at Harwood Park Crematorium, near Stevenage.  This was very much a celebration of David’s life and the noise level in the waiting room prior to the service was a testament to this, as old friends met and the family circulated.  No reverent hush here. 

After a fitting Humanist service, attended by around 30 of David's sailing friends, as well as his large family and other close friends, nearly everybody adjourned to a near-by pub to celebrate having known David, lift a glass to him and browse though old photographs of him with his family, in Sri Lanka with his adopted family and on his beloved Puck.  I venture to suggest that the day was just as David would have hoped.

MAK