Nick Dewhirst , Key player for Multi Olympic Comeback passes Away

Just when the first Worlds of the new Olympic Cat class is being taking place at The Hague in Netherlands  where more than 60 crews from all over the globe are seeking for their Olympic dream, one of the key characters in the process of having Multis back to the Games, died at on a sudden heart attack.

I know first hand the work done by Nick Dewhirst as I was included the reports and updates he prepared through that obscure period where many of us wanted to even break bonds with ISAF. 
A Multihull World  Council was formed in that direction, but also Nick and others continued to lobby hard inside ISAF committees sending reports, explaining to office people totally out of touch on what was going on in the sailing world  that from 10 classes spots at least one should went for Multis, as 10 monohulls were not a real life representantion of Sailing racing scene. Image: Bob Carter via Yachts&Yachting.

Nick was chairman of the UK Catamaran Association , President of  WC  on International Small Catamaran Handicap Rating System, and the leading voice to organize the different cats classes efforts on the comeback operation

Imagine what we have now with the AC, the several new 30′ classes, the continued growth of the small cats scene and an overall high exposure and not having Multis as an Olympic sailing event.
What would be sailing in 2013 without Multis?
Easy to picture that the chance of becoming more popular would reach zero, in the Era of extreme sports, Sailing had its own gem that some people wanted to hide and force to oblivion , but thanks to people like Nick Dewhirst and specially on his excellent work maintaining the troops together we still have Cats as the Flag Ship of Olympic Sailing.

At the first event in Palma I mentioned him as many other times, destiny wanted us to remember his work again on this special day too. 
Thanks Nick for your work, the Nacra 17 Olympic Class Worlds this week will be surely held in your Memory.
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Comments from Darren Bundock: “Saddened to read about the passing of Nick Dewhirst over the weekend. A great loss to the multihull community. The man that united the fight to get multihulls back into the Olympic Games.

I first met Nick at Eurocat regatta in 2008 when he presented me with a T-shirt stating “Cat sailors too fast for the Olympics”. Nick led the fight and kept my inbox full for the next 4 years with his tireless work to get multihulls back to where they belong. It’s ashame he won’t see the Americas Cup this year and multihulls sailing in Rio in 2016.”