sad news. i talked with dave and visited him on his boat during the san juan trips. he had many stories to share sailing his M15 throughout the puget sound, san juans and places connected. fearless sailor that trusted his boat to get him to port safely. :: Dave Scobie --- On Sun, 10/23/11, Larry E Yake <leyake@juno.com> wrote:

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

Larry, Sorry to hear of David's passing. I had the pleasure of getting to know him during our 2009 San Juan trip. He was exactly as you describe, but I am happy to say I spent enough time with him to see that softer side too. May he rest in peace. Jim Ellsworth M-17 #603 Grace -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Larry E Yake Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 5:10 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Sad news 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 ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1831 / Virus Database: 2092/4570 - Release Date: 10/23/11

Well said, Larry; we really hoped to see David again. We had some long and rewarding talks with him on the docks, but he definitely chose not to make the first move in the social sphere. It is a pity he gave you heartburn from time to time, but I have run into a lot of sailors with that independent spirit, and they help make cruising in minimalist boats a unique "sport" (or should we say passion?) . Thanks for passing the news along. Tom Jenkins M17 Scintilla On Oct 23, 2011, at 5:09 PM, Larry E Yake wrote:

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 <IMG_0350.JPG>