[MHml] Sad Loss

[David N. O'Steen]

Tom  LaMers writes:
>With regret I share with the group the death of Thomas Firth Jones on
>October 9, at home.  Tom was both a sailor, designer and builder with
>many small boats to his credit.  He wrote well and extensively about his
>interests and we have these to remember him by.  Most notable of his
>sailing adventures were his seven trans Atlantic crossings  in small,
>self-built and designed cats and tris chronicled in his book "Multihull
>Voyaging" and in an article in Multihulls Magazine.  Tom was a master at
>devising pleasing names for his various designs and also his books.  My
>favorites were: his book title "Low Resistance Boats" and his ply kayak
>"Chingadera".
Oh, he'll be missed! Thomas F. Jones was a truly independent thinker, not
just accepting standard practice or wisdom, but working out for himself
principles and procedures for designing, building, and sailing boats. His
simple, small, less expensive, do-it-yourself voyaging is mostly out of
fashion these days, but it's still a viable and inspiring approach.

One of my favorite quotes is from Multihull Voyaging, I think, where he
states something to the effect of "today's sailors have replaced thinking
with shopping", assuming and accepting what's sold by manufacturers as
being the best and only choice for them, rather than closely examining
one's real priorities and needs for a boat.

Long may his spirit and ideas wave.

David O'