Posted by Peter Roche on December 21, 2000 at 13:22:33 from 193.123.213.9:
In Reply to: Re Martin Lewis posted by Keith Paull on December 17, 2000 at 17:02:11:
I cannot tell you how saddened I was at the news of Martin's sudden death. I knew he was ill and waiting for a triple by-pass operation but it still came as a great shock.
From the instant Martin and I met at a Meeting called by himself, Russell Royle and Ron Watts at Pin Mill Sailing Club in October 1990 to examine the possibilities of setting-up an East Anglian branch of the newly formed TARS, we became friends. Despite our differences we remained frinds and went on to organise many local events together, including TARS first ever AGM in Ipswich in 1991, and two further AGM's.
The one memory that I know Martin shared was of us standing on the foreshore at Brightlingsea discussing the finances of the Ipswich AGM, neither of us having a clue about financial matters but both of us possessed with the kind of enthusiasm that only committed amateurs are blessed with.
Although his death came as a shock I'm sure the manner of his passing must have brought a knowing smile to the faces of those who knew him well; for Martin had two passions in life, sailing and ballet, and how appropriate that a ballet-loving sailorman should weigh anchor and set sail for the last time while ingrossed in one of those passions.
Regretably, the last words that passed between us were coloured by the events of the past two years and the strain those events had placed on our friendship.