Vale – Jim Merton
Jim joined the South of Perth Yacht Club in 1992, arriving with an impressive record in International 14ft skiffs. With a talent for sailing, an inquisitive mind and organisational skills that came with his work at Telstra, Jim was at the forefront in the development of the class. At the recent world championship hosted by the Perth Dinghy Sailing Club, his contribution was publicly acknowledged and he was a guest of honour.
It is not well known that Jim was an integral part of the development of the M27 yacht, in concert with Julian Murfield. The 27 footer was designed to appeal as a low budget river racer, using a Soling rig to keep costs manageable.
When looking for a cruiser racer, Jim sought a design that he felt would last him for the rest of his life. After a diligent search, he settled on the Cole 32 as the design closest to his needs, finding the moulds and painstakingly restoring them in his shed in Kalamunda.
He talked over his plans with fellow club member Brett Jackson, who was looking to buy a similar craft. With his typically wicked sense of humour, Jim offered to make the first boat from the mould for Brett, “so that by the time he made his own, he would have worked out all the bugs in the system.” With a wry smile, Brett agreed that his boat is not as good as the one Jim built for himself, as it always sails better on one tack than the other.
Omega, Jim’s Cole 32, performed consistently well in SoPYC division 2 events and it was a sad loss when he retired and moved to Busselton. Jim still sewed all his own sails for the boat and as recently as February this year, won the Premier Cruising Division of Geographe Bay Race Week.
Jim was as humble as he was talented. He never bragged about his achievements but waited for others to draw it out of him.
He was a thorough gentleman who leaves a gaping hole in the Western Australian sailing community.
Vale – Mike Whitaker
As a member of South of Perth Yacht Club, Mike Whitaker always flew under the radar. He was an active and enthusiastic time trialler, as Nikki Kukura and Cherry Callcott (who both acted as his navigator on the boat Getaway at some stage) will attest.
With his wife Jan, Mike was a regular at the Club, too. They would rarely miss a Thursday “Chase the Ace” and often enjoyed club dinners. Mike enjoyed a drink, particularly at the legendary Saturday afternoon raft up, where he would try and sing “Gloria” while invariably forgetting the lyrics.
Mike and Jan were neighbours of Dave Moroni in Saunders Street, Como and they became very good friends, both later relocating to Mandurah. He needed his friends around him when he was diagnosed with heart issues requiring surgery. Though he recovered, there was worse to follow, with a form of leukaemia diagnosed. The stress of dealing with the condition caused shingles and reluctantly Mike and Jan moved to Queensland, where doctors felt the climate would give them a better outcome.
To take advantage of the latest treatments however, it was necessary to return to Perth. Despite his illness, Mike remained in good spirits every time he came to the Club to mix with friends but eventually he lost his battle and passed away last Monday.
Mike shared ownership of a Riviera boat with Peter Dalton for some years, and the pair borrowed David Moroni’s Broome Time in an invitation event to win first place.
We say goodbye to a quiet achiever, a wonderful man widely admired by all who knew him, who stared adversity down and lived life to the full. Our sympathies go to Mike’s widow, Jan.
