For those of you who know HG, or Hugh Grant, as some of us called him, I got a message from his wife that he passed away a couple of months back.
I want to pay tribute to him as one of this forum's true gentleman. I never got to meet him in person, but he was a huge support and encourager of me when I was a new boat owner with no sailing friends other than my brother far away.
He helped me from afar with repairs by breaking it down and sending me lists of what do buy to do the job. He always encouraged me when I felt like I'd taken on something too big to handle.
RIP HG
Sad news indeed. Never met Haydn but we corresponded. I copied his idea with the timber headlining in my yacht recently and it is now going to be a constant reminder of a kind old bloke.
That is sad news. Blueh2o and myself were only talking fondly about HG yesterday, about how HG had helped him, sending him parts etc, a nice fella, RIP
Sad to hear. I always enjoyed reading his posts and watching his progress on the boat. RIP HG.
End of an era. The posts from HG02 were a mainstay on this forum for years. And his posts were interesting, poignant and studied.
There was never any anger or carping from Haydn although he sometimes left us mystified about where he was headed or whether there was any forward progress at all. I think we all feel we have a small part of 'Driftwood' and that's due to his heart and soul being shared with us during her transformation.
Fair winds, mate.......
RIP HG, we'll raise a glass to a real gentlemen the next time we're out.
Whoever ended up with Driftwood got lucky, its a testament to the sort of man he was.
Sad day,
SB
Seems like a good time to bring out a classic from John Masefield.
RIP Haydn.
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
That is a real shame. He was the quintessential gentleman. He sent me some parts from my stove whilst I was in Fiji and would not hear of payment.
Rest in peace
HG was a terrific contributor here , and always help-full . I will remember him each time i see a H28, sail on driftwood !! RIP
Sad news.
To quote Eric Bogle "and to every sailor comes time to drop anchor. Haul in the sails and make the lines fast. You deep water dreamer, your journey is over, you're safe in the harbor at last"
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
RIP HG, we'll raise a glass to a real gentlemen the next time we're out.
Whoever ended up with Driftwood got lucky, its a testament to the sort of man he was.
Sad day,
SB
Hi all
I had a fair bit of discussion on this forum and by email with Hayden while he was working on Driftwood as our boats were both Kahn Walker designs and have quite a few similarities
He seemed to change his mind a fair bit during the build on how he was going to do things and Driftwood was bought by a mate of mine down here at Port Huon and she is now sitting on a mooring across the road from our place
When my mates bought her across from Victoria to be honest i was surprised at how much stuff on her was only about 80% percent finished and i wondered why Hayden didn't finish one thing before starting on another but i wonder if the cancer he had was affecting his thought process for the last few years of the refurbishment of the boat and that is why he changed his mind a bit on how he was going to do things
I never had the chance to meet him in person but my mate who bought Driftwood said he was a nice bloke
Rest in peace Hayden and Driftwood is in good hands
Regards Don
Hayden was a true blue Aussie and I had the pleasure of knowing him for years. His dream was to return to North Queensland and live out his days in retirement on the H28. He was a great mechanic versed in diesel as well as petrol engines ,mine trucks etc. Thanks for our friendship and God bless Mate,
RIP Hayden ,
I met Hayden on his boat , Peterson Lakes, Port Phillip. We talk for hours about set up, wiring & future plans.
Real professional , we lost brother sailor. rest in peace.
RIP Hayden
It is sad that another sailor is lost to the family. His posts about the renovation of Driftwood always inspired me and as I trawl with fondness through his posts I draw inspiration from them, I too am doing a renovation on a walker H28 that was much in need of love. He was a great contributor to this forum and I will be forever thankful for his input.
Fair winds and following seas
Rest in Peace
RIP Hayden,
Hayden used to ring me from time to time and the conversations always went on for some time, like an hour or more.
I knew he wasn't well, but not once did he complain or even indicate what was wrong.
When he sold his beloved Driftwood I was a bit stunned and all he indicated was that he had a bit of a problem.
As others have said he was, and still is, an inspiration to all of us for his devotion to sailing and to communicating to all of us.
Truly an Australian Gentleman who has set the bar very high for all of us to follow.
Sail true Hayden.
Phillip
So very, very sorry to hear of HG's passing.
HG was such a gentleman. He will not be forgotten.
I remember him feeling so very deeply when his fellow H28 sailor was lost at sea.
I suggest that, in honour of HG, as we did for Eero (known as Colombo here on Seabreeze), we might each post a sunset photo?
