THE END OF AN ERA.

 Bill Bithel was one of the Model Yachtsmen who were invited to 1936 Olympics in Germany to show Model Yachting as a “Demonstration Sport”. He died on the 28^th of December 2006 at the age of 96 Y. O. At Swampscott, near Boston, USA. To me, this is an end of an Era.

 Well, I can say I didn’t know him for that long, about 7 years. But he was an inspiration to me for the knowledge that came from him. I remember, I first heard about Bill from John Snow of Marblehead, President of the VMYG in about 1998, when John and I were talking about early American Model Yacht history and John happened to mention that Bill Bithel just lived “up the road” and he raced in the early era around 1935 to 1949 and actually raced in England in those years.

Well who could resist talking about a ‘blast from the past’? And I said to John had anyone tape recorded old Bill about his exploits around that era? So I taped recorded him at Redds Pond on his exploits.

 There is nothing an Historian (me) likes more than having an “eyewitness” to an old event. The most surprising thing was that Bill had this fantastic memory and if he was clearly questioned, could remember all these fantastic details from that era. I hit pay dirt. I sat him down (at Redds Pond at Marblehead near Boston) and asked him about the (English) designer  Feltwell, the Alexander brothers, Daniels, Ronny Jurd, Admiral Turner, “foul ball” Black and Ains Ballantyne (the New Zealander, who was a mate of Bill’s)  and all the other “Greats”, including Boussy the Frenchman, Sam O Berge from Norway, who Bill had raced against in the 30s at Fleetwood. Bill received a vane gear off Sam O when he went to a championship in England and mentioned little stories about different things pertaining to those meetings. Of him going to the Olympics as a guest of Adoph’s (as he put it) in 1936.

Things, one cannot pick up in the general history sense. I was able to get some more stuff about the Australian entry of that era, Don Mac Pherson ( fromVictoria) in that 1949 All Nations Regatta, that Bill knew about, for he had talked to the man personally at that regatta. So I counted that meeting with him as being so valuable and not to be missed.

 I remember sometime ago reading an account of the 50^th Anniversary of the Marblehead club and they had a visitor there at the Redds pond side, one Herbert Dixey, a charter member and the first Vice Commodore of the club in 1925 who was present at the first Marblehead event in the early 1930s there. I though what a waste that that person could not have been interviewed then (1975). What a story he would have told of the early Marblehead days?

 I liked Old Bill for he was good company and there was always a story to share with him and little technical things he kept mentioning. He was always interested in what was happening with A class in Australia and amazed me just how much he did know about it. He had many contacts in this country through his HAM radio hobby.

 So I will say (not in reverently) of him, that he always enjoyed a “lively” discussion about any subject. He told me about his mate Boussy (the Frenchman), whom I also knew and we both sailed and understood vane racing, so we kinda ‘clicked’ in many ways.

I loved him for he was a good mate and we had a lively correspondence for many years since meeting him. He sent me, some time ago, a whole collection of his model yacht fittings with his familiar stamped initials (WGB) on them that I value because of my friendship with him. He was a renowned sail and fittings manufacturer in the USA.

A noted writer once described Bill as having this amazing ability to “feel” the sailing qualities of a boat before he sailed it.

 I hope, wherever he is, that anyone with him has a patient ear.

 W.G. (BILL) BITHEL . 1910 to 2006 R.I.P.

 Stephen Crewes. Historian ARYA. 2007

 Stephen Crewes. ARYA Historian.2006