Bill Garden Passes Away

Renowned yacht designer and naval architect William ‘Bill’ Garden passed away on April 29 near Sydney, B.C. He was 92.

A Canadian by birth, Garden lived in Seattle until the late ’60s, when he moved back to B.C. His designs were a tremendous influence on the industry and many have gone on to cruise the world successfully, though none have set any speed records. Some of the boats his pencil has been credited with drawing are the Mariner 36, Rawson 30, Formosa 51, and CT 41, among many others. Stout full-keel cruisers with a reputation for stability.

By all accounts, Garden was a generous and humble man who freely shared his knowledge and advice whenever asked. We know he’ll be sorely missed by those who knew him.