I am sad to announce the passing of a fellow sailor, David Barnhart. Those of us who had the privilege of getting to know David and sailing the San Juan Islands with him will remember him for his gruff manner, his dry wit, the twinkle in his eye, and his dogged determination to reach our destination, often long after everyone else had arrived, without any help from anyone. David had health problems that made him appear frail and in need of assistance, but he was tough as hickory and fiercely independent. If you sailed back to check on him you were likely to get yelled at. Just give him time, and eventually his little yellow M15 Buttercup would come puttering into port. Take the time to get to know him, and you were rewarded with glimpses of the clever witty soft spoken man behind the curmudgeon persona. 2005 was the first year David joined our Montgomery San Juan and Gulf Islands Cruise. He made it through the entire two week, two hundred mile cruise in his tiny M15, and in following years was the only M15 sailor to return regularly without upgrading to a larger boat. Future trips won't be the same without David and Buttercup. He will be missed. David was 78 and succumbed to a very aggressive form of cancer of the esophagus on Wed. Oct 19th at Harrison Hospital, Bremerton, Washington. Funeral mass will be at St. Mary's of the Sea Catholic church, Monday October 24 at noon. Larry Yake
