Dr Michael Humphries – 30 July 1946 to 30 January 2025
We are all very sad to hear that Michael recently passed away after enduring a long and debilitating illness. He leaves a wife, Susanna, to whom we send our love and much sympathy.
Michael has been a personal friend to both of us for more than 35 years and was a founding member of Britannia Sailing Trust since its inception in 2014. As well as supporting the Trust with regular financial donations, he was also a “hands on” Trustee of our charity, holding the Office of Treasurer for seven years until 2021 when he became too ill to manage. He was a “doctor of sums” as he called it, holding a PhD with specialist knowledge of the use of timber in construction. He was a chorister, musician, cook, traditional sailor and all-round Gentleman. A lover of
classical music, opera, good food and wine.
He was intelligent, funny, totally reliable, and possessed a superb baritone voice which he used often, and to the surprise and joy of his companions, would break into operatic arias whenever he felt the urge! He sang at our 25th wedding anniversary which we celebrated at Doune on the Knoydart peninsula – an unforgettable moment. One of the sadnesses latterly was that he was unable to sing anymore.
His name will be engraved permanently on our Roll of honour on ritannia amongst all our other friends who have helped us along the way, and we will always be grateful to have had the privilege of knowing him. We like to think that he will be in the good company of other great seafaring friends recently passed, and happily singing again in Fiddlers Green.
If you click on this link – you can see a clip of Michael speaking about his enthusiasm for old boats.
( with thanks to Michael Jackson for editing it for us)
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