Sailing - Winter series at Dover RCYP and Water Sports Centre.Always Competitive!!

Competing in Two Medway Marathons, first in Barry's boat then mine. Really great days on the water.

A good friend during my time in Hythe through the 1st Hythe Scouts ' Leadership Team'

For the encouragement , guidance and instruction he gave us at HSSC.

Sad loss of a lovely man.

Always will be grateful for steering our Club through the Man of Kent which he did splendidly and with good humour

Met Barry when he came from London Electricity Board.

We worked together in South East Electricity Planning.

Then after my retirement in 1996 we learned to play golf and used to play weekly before reporting for work as Consultants with SEEB and EDF.

Generally our golf games continued until the last few years

Back in back in the 90's and following a fine days Scorpion racing, you and I sat in the bar and were instrumental in bringing on board the windsurfers - an important cornerstone for the clubs longevity. Happy memories of sailing with you and Simon at Hythe and Saltwood Sailing Club.

Whilst whilst I did not know Barry very well, I believe he was a true gentlemen with core values that are missing in many people these days.

I do know he was competitive though as I remember when we played golf with you both at London Beech Barry wasn't playing his best that day but he was determined to carry on - however meant shots it took - and finish the ban

Me which led to us walking up the 18th in the dark! It was fun though.

The funeral services were lovely. Some sad but also some funny moments. Good memories

We watched the best firework display ever.

He was always so glad when I ate so well.

We always had lovely family dinners with him.

We will raise a glass to Barry and remember him fondly

Back in about 1991 I was casting around for some extra sailing time, having just sold my half share in a Scorpion the my friend John. I got talking to Barry who offered me the crew spot in Bavasiri iv. Over the next few years we enterd just about everything that you could from Hythe to Redoubt to Dover winter racing. The racing was always hard and spending time on the Redoubt pond certainly sharpened my boat handling. Trips to Ireland were arranged usually involving a lot of night driving and staying at Barry's Father in laws in the Lake District for a night. I learnt a lot from Barry during our time sailing together, I missed our chats when he left to work in India and even more so when I made the decision to move overseas permanently in 2001 to New Zealand. I never had the chance to catch up on my infrequent short trips back and its one thing I could kick myself for not doing.

Gary Willis

Nelson New Zealand

When I was a teenager, i had the wonderfull opportunity to go quite often at Barry and Val's for a couple of days or a week. Those little holydays were pretty exciting for me, they were at the same time; a visit in my english family, a language trip and I knew that Barry would take me with him to all kinds of places, teach me a lot, english, but also sports or even mechanic and boat repairing.

One day, as we went together to a shop selling pieces for engines, vehicles of all nature. Suddenly I saw a lawn mower exposed outside, and just asked Barry "what s english for this?"  "A Lawn mower" my mentor and teacher answered. I was glad to learn such a word that you barely use, but prooves that you start to make your vocabulary richer and richer in a foreign language. And I couldn t resist to seize the occasion to teach Barry the french word for it "do you know what's french for it? Tondeuze à gazon" (pronunciation is quite tricky ) he then tryed to repeat it until he got it quite accurately, and I was so proud t I teached him something!

Later, this particular word, became a  joke between us, and I liked to ask him, most of the times when we would meet, as a test " Barry, what s french for lawn mower ?"  and look at him searching in his vast memory for that peculiar and probably useless french word.Needless to say He was successful in finding it most of the time ! 

For me it was also a little symbol of everything, every words he ever taught me, and among all the good memories I have with him, this little anecdot came to my mind, to represent that Barry is for me someone who can brings so much knowledge, experience, motivation and skills, like a mentor, like a teacher, like a grand father