Ted Gozzard, a veteran of the Canadian boating industry, passed away last week at his home in Bayfield, Ontario.
Gozzard started designing and building cruising yachts in the early 1970s when he founded Bayfield Boat Yard (BBY) with his brother Hayden. Before selling his shares in the company in 1979, BBY had delivered over 1,500 full-keeled cruisers from 25ft-40ft.
In 1982, Ted Gozzard decided to found his own yard – Gozzard Yachts in Goderich, Ontario. The family owned business specialises in custom and semi-custom sail and powerboats and is particularly well known in Canada and the US.
A statement on the Gozzard Yachts website says:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Ted passed away peacefully at home on May 15, 2014. As many of you know, it has been a difficult struggle for both Ted and Jan since his stroke almost five years ago… but even so he kept on adding value to every one’s lives right until the end.
We have been receiving many letters of condolences from our friends and extended family… thank you for all your kind thoughts.
Many have also been asking about memorial services etc. and we thought it appropriate to bring you all up to speed on what has been occurring. Ted was a modest man and he was never really comfortable with the fame thrust upon him as result of art he created… his wishes were simple and we have already carried them out. He did not wish to have a traditional memorial service and instead we are in the process of best sorting out how commemorate and celebrate his life in an appropriate way, time and place. Of course all the boats he was responsible for creating does a pretty fine of that regardless.
Still there are many that wish to share their thoughts, some privately and some more openly. For those who wish to share your thoughts with the rest of our extended family, owners and industry, please forward emails to our info@gozzard.com account. We will attempt to find a way to share them with everyone, perhaps using our web page Thoughts of a more personal nature can be forwarded to our personal email accounts.
