From our friends at Southern Wooden Boat Sailing…
Gordon Ingate – Happy to the End
An exceptional sailor, charming, lovable, cheeky and debonair, a man who also enjoyed playing croquet at Tea Gardens, where he spent much time during the week over the years and until recently.
He was the world’s oldest living sailing Olympian and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) oldest living member, having joined the Club on 1st January, 1949, where he was Rear Commodore in 1965. Gordon was also a long time member of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.
Introduced to offshore sailing by the owners of Wayfarer and Kathleen, entrants in the inaugural Sydney Hobart in 1945, Wingnut became one of the great characters of our sport. He told me his first offshore race, to Lion Island return on Wayfarer, was marred by seasickness. It was not the last time by any means – but it didn’t stop him.
During his late teens, Gordon met fellow sailors, Nina Saalfeld (who he later partnered in boat ownerships) and her daughter, Sally, at Mosman Amateur Sailing Club. He was invited to sail on Jasnar, owned by Nina’s husband, Colonel Albert Saalfeld. Read on.
