Canadian Olympian in sailing from 1964 Games and sailmaker Ed Botterell has passed away
by Sail Canada 5 Dec 2024 23:47 UTC
Ed Botterell © Sail Canada
It is with great sadness that Sail Canada shares with the Canadian sailing community the passing of Ed Botterell on December 2, 2024, at the age of 93.
With his background growing up in Montreal and sailing at the Royal Saint Lawrence Yacht Club, Ed Botterell represented Canada at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where he took the 11th position in the Dragon class along with Joseph J. MacBrien and Lynn Watters.
After competing in a variety of different one-design classes, including 14 International, Lightning, Swiftsure, Shield, and Saber Scows, Ed Botterell sailed with the Red Jacket crew, which won the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) in 1968, and he helped put C&C yachts on the map as one of the world's premier racing yacht builders. He logged over 45,000 ocean racing miles over the course of his life, notably at the Fastnet race, at five Marblehead to Halifax races, at six Bermuda races, as well as at 13 SORC circuit and six Key West series events, among others.
In 1968, he went into sailmaking and joined Ted Hood with Hood Sails to open the Canadian loft in Kingston, before moving the loft to Toronto 10 years later, and he then joined Doyle Sails in 1991.
Among many other Canadian sailing endeavours, he was a strong advocate of the Nonsuch sailboat classes, making sails and offering friendly advice along with designer Mark Ellis.
"On behalf of the Sail Canada community, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ed Botterell," said the Chair of Sail Canada's Board of Directors, Kate MacLennan. "Ed's passion for sailing took him to the 1964 Olympic Games. Beyond that, as a sailmaker, he was a key part of the Canadian sailing scene for over 50 years sharing his passion with countless Canadian sailors young and old."
More information about Ed Botterell is available here.