By Don Sanford

On Sunday June 16, 2013--Father's Day, we lost a good friend and respected competitor when Bruce Renwick and his brother Rick died in a plane crash on Madeline Island near Bayfield. I'm not exactly sure when Bruce started sailing with our club but I do know he was sailing long before I sailed my first E Boat race in 1977.

In those days, Bruce crewed with the legendary Dr. John Mendenhall and the equally legendary Emily Early. When Doc traded in his E Boat, Pretzel Jr. IV, for the Annie Allen Bruce made the move as well. After Doc's death, Bruce picked up her tiller, that is how most of us know him today.

Annie Allen didn't have the best sails, her rigging was occasionally subject to failure but she had the best skipperand crew. Bruce was one of these guys who could always make a boat go, no matter what condition the boat, its sails or its crew were in. Occasionally I'd look over at her from my perch on White Squall and see some kind of horrible spinnaker mess that made me think she'd be an easy mark. That never seemed to be the case. A recovery was made, heads were calm and she'd be back in the hunt in just a few boat lengths.

Bruce was the consummate sailor. Fast in any condition and just as happy to congratulate you for a victory as he was to receive the same. Fair winds my friend.