20 years ago when I started thinking about transitioning from monohulls to cats, the first thing I did was to subscribe to Catsailor Magazine where Rick always had great articles about 'how to'. When I moved to Florida where the water is so much warmer than in New Hampshire, I decided it was time to try catamarans. I found a old beater Hobie 18 and I called Rick to ask how to set it up, how to sail it, and most importantly, how to right it! On my first drive down to the Keys, I stopped in to meet Rick and Mary and he was great fun.

Through his and Mary's efforts to keep catamaran racing alive we have all benefitted, with this web board we can exchange knowledge and ideas from around the world. I have been very fortunate in meeting and sailing with Dermot in Ireland, Andi in Switzerland, David in Dubai, and Opher in Tel Aviv, all due to Rick's generosity in providing this web board. Everything I know about cat racing I've learned from you guys here on this board, which would not have been possible without Rick and Mary's commitment to the sport.

Rick will be greatly missed, the Tradewinds regatta is already missing him. I hope someone close to him can figure out a way to keep this web board alive so we can continue to keep the sport active and communicate with each other easily.

Fair winds and following seas Rick. We all owe you a great debt of gratitude for the years you've spent working hard to keep the sport alive.