Stephen A. Rathkopf died peacefully in his sleep on August 17, 2021, at the age of 91. He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley, and leaves surviving four children – Jim, Carolyn, Charley, and Ted – along with eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Daren, of Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

The Captain was born in New York and graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York in 1952. While stationed with the US Navy in San Francisco, Steve met his wife Shirley, and they were wed in 1956. After several years residing in southern California, Steve and Shirley settled down in Palm City, Florida where he helped manage a Hobe Sound flower farm. In 1968, Steve returned to sea for the rest of his career as a tanker captain for the Keystone Shipping Company, becoming Commodore of the Keystone fleet prior to his retirement.

The Captain was happiest when sailing Hobie Cats, fiddling with the latest tech device, or fishing and relaxing at his boyhood cottage on Devil Lake, Ontario. During his retirement years Steve became an expert cribbage player. Steve lived many years in Palm City on the St. Lucie River, then Cumming, Georgia, on Lake Lanier, and in his later years in Seattle, Washington, where he shared a house overlooking the Puget Sound, with his son, Charley, and his family.

The family looks forward to gathering in the near future to reminisce about Steve and his many tales about the sea.

Charles Frank Sanborn, Jr., grandfather, avid sailor, and WWII vet, passed away on August 1, 2021.

Charles was born on June 2, 1925, in Sioux City, Iowa to Charles and Telin Sanborn. He moved to Seattle with his mom, dad and brother Bill and settled in Leschi growing up on the shores of Lake Washington where he lifeguarded at Madrona beach. He attended Franklin High School and later University of Washington where he played football and was a mighty proud member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. His father, Frank, was the engineer and project manager that built the Sigma Tau house where he would spend weekends as a young boy at the construction site. He continued this legacy later through active involvement in keeping up the house for future generations to enjoy.

He married Mary Cram in 1945 while serving in the US Army Air Forces during WWII where he trained on B-17s, but never saw overseas combat. After the war he graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Architecture and went on to work for Keiser Cement. He and Mary built a home on Mercer Island in 1951 where he was a lifelong resident of the Island until his passing.

Chuck or Sandy as he was known to friends was an avid sailor, sport fisherman and duck hunter. Chuck took part in sailboat racing in Puget Sound, becoming the Commodore of the Corinthian Yacht Club, where he was instrumental in organizing youth sailing programs, the Seattle Sailing Foundation and hosting the Star boat and Coronado 25 world championship regattas. He taught his grandkids to sail on his boat, the Scotch Mist, and spent summers navigating the waters of the Puget Sound and the San Juan islands.

He is survived by his son, Patrick, grandsons Reid (Amber) and Andy (Michelle), great grandchildren Ryder, Bayden and Parker. Charles was preceded in death by his wife Mary (2000), son William (2018) and granddaughter Madeline (2017).

Please consider donating to Seattle Children's hospital, the CYC Junior Sailing Program or Puget Sound Youth Sailing in honor of Charles.

Fair winds and following seas.

June Marilyn Vynne (Hellenthal), affectionately called "June Bug" by her family, passed away on August 29, 2021 following a short illness. She recently celebrated her 99th birthday, full of life and surrounded by family, on a beautiful Seattle day.
June was born in Seattle on July 23, 1922, to Frederick and Nora Hellenthal. She grew up in the Rainier Valley where her family settled in the 1880s. Her father was a well-known sailor in the Seattle area, and she spent most weekends with her parents and sisters, Ruth and Dorothy, sailing Puget Sound on their boat, the Gwendolyn II.
June graduated from Franklin High School and the University of Washington, where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority and the Associated Students of the University of Washington secretary in 1942-43. While at the university, she met her future husband, Eustace "Sunny" Vynne, who also happened to be a well-regarded sailor. In the spring of 1943, having graduated early from the UW, she traveled with her mother by train to St. Augustine, Florida to marry Sunny, who was attending Officer Candidate School. She lived at home for the balance of the war while Sunny was deployed to the South Pacific.
After the war, June and Sunny settled in Seattle. June was a devoted Mom and CEO of the home, raising three children in northeast Seattle. She was engaged in all their activities, as well as her primary volunteer activity, a Seattle Children's Hospital guild she had formed with several of her sorority sisters. The Olive Kerry Guild was in existence for 75 years. Sailboat racing and cruising continued to be an integral part of Vynne family life. A highlight of their sailing activities was the 1974 Intrepid America's Cup campaign. Together they raised funds for the "People's Boat" and spent the summer campaigning the Intrepid 12 Meter in Newport, RI.
In the early 1960s, June and Sunny built a home on Brown Island in the San Juan Islands and moved there permanently in 1977. She continued her community involvement in the islands. They were founding members of Islander Bank. June served as a trustee for the San Juan Preservation Trust, was a volunteer firefighter and active supporter of many other island organizations. A devoted Husky, she had football tickets going back to the early 1950s.
June's curiosity, wit, warmth and generosity made her a joy to have a conversation with and led her on many travel adventures. She tirelessly cared for Sunny for 8 years after his stroke, and following his death in 1996, she visited numerous countries around the world and read widely. She could make a human connection anywhere she went.
In 2007 June moved into Parkshore retirement home in Madison Park where she renewed her Seattle friendships. She was active on various committees and three weeks prior to her death was still participating in water aerobics and exercise classes.
June is survived by sons John Vynne (Barbara) and Bob Vynne (Melissa), and daughter Sally Vynne Fenton (Greg-deceased), 7 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. Special thanks to the nursing staff at Parkshore who cared for her with compassion during the last two weeks of her life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Seattle Children's Hospital or the University of Washington.
June Bug had an energy, curiosity and zest for life that was contagious. Her bright light will be missed by all who knew her. We say farewell with a traditional Vynne cheer: "June Bug, Hip, Hip, Hooray, Hip, Hip, Hooray, June Bug".

Len Tangen was born on September 24, 1934 and passed away on September 18, 2021. He was preceded in death by his parents Hans and Julie Tangen and his brother Harry Tangen. He grew up in Ballard and graduated from Ballard High School. He fished with his Norwegian father to earn money for college. He attended and skied for Whitman College and graduated from Seattle University. He owned Thieme, Morris and Starr, Inc insurance brokerage for 30 years. He had a lifelong passion for skiing and sailing. He was a proud member of the Seattle Yacht Club, and he enjoyed spending his winters in Sun Valley.

He is survived by his three daughters Cathy Tangen of Mercer Island, Marybeth O'Neill of Seattle and Terry Bonnofsky (Jurg) of North Bend and five grandchildren Erin O'Neill, Nathan and Kelly Hillard and Ben and Jake Bonnofsky.
The immediate family gathered for a memorial service.

Published on September 26, 2021

Lenhart Tangen | Obituary | Seattle Times

Brian William Miller was born January 19, 1948, in Everett, WA, to Florence (Masemore) and Kermit Miller. He passed away at his home on Whidbey Island after a battle with leukemia, on September 17, 2021, having spent a pleasant summer visiting with family and friends, enjoying the views and sunshine on the deck. He was a beloved son, husband, father, Papa, and friend, whose bright smile and easy laughter will be missed but not forgotten.
Brian grew up in Everett. As a teen, he and his brothers starred in a home-made movie enacting Arlo Guthrie's classic song "I Don't Want a Pickle (I Just Want to Ride on My Motor-Sickle.)" He was once taken in by the police after startling motorists by jumping out of the bushes while dressed as a spaceman. He had a great sense of humor and loved to make people laugh.
Brian met his wife of 51 years, Susan, at a dance at the Bayview Community Hall on Whidbey Island in 1967. They both attended Central Washington State College in Ellensburg. Brian married Susan in September 1970, and graduated in 1971 with a degree in Business. Brian started a career in the insurance industry, and worked for Safeco and later for Pemco Insurance, where he made many long-term friendships. He retired in 2003. Brian and Susan moved in 1972 to a home in Kennydale, where they lived for 47 years, until moving to Whidbey Island in 2019.
His entire adult life Brian was a woodworker. He remodeled their home in Kennydale twice. He also built bookshelves and cabinets for every room in the house. Brian was a carpenter and deck-builder, for himself, his family and friends. He constructed an elaborate floor-to-ceiling wrap-around bottle rack for his wine cellar. He later took up wood turning, carving beautiful bowls from local and exotic woods.
Brian spent many weeknights and weekends pursuing two of his passions: sailing and mountain-climbing. He started sailing when he was in his late twenties, and spent many years racing on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and on weekends; he raced at Leschi, Shilshole, Whidbey Island Race Week and Swiftsure. Many summers and holidays were spent as a family cruising in the Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. Especially memorable were Cabbage Island, Porlier Pass at full ebb, unknown islands in the fog, and, occasionally, waters too shallow for safe passage.
Brian started climbing mountains in 1996. He was soon on training hikes every weekend and some weeknights as he prepared to climb Mt. Rainier. He summitted Mt. Rainier in 1996 and 1998, and also climbed Mts. Baker, Hood, St Helens, Adams, Olympus, Shasta, Whitney and Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, along with many other peaks in the Cascades and the Olympics.
He and Susan enjoyed traveling, and on many occasions were joined by their family or friends on the beach at their favorite place in Zihuantanejo, Mexico. They also took many trips around the United States, and several visits to Europe, both for pleasure, and to watch their son Erik compete in rowing races.
Brian is survived by his wife, Susan (Agren) Miller, sons Erik (Katie) and Kevin (Matt), daughter-in-law Anzara, granddaughters Luisa, Greta, Evelyn and Violet, mother Florence, and brothers David, Jon and Gordy. Brian's wish was for his body to be donated to the University of Washington Medical School Willed Body Program.
A special thank-you to Dr. David Aboulafia, his oncologist of 12 years for his compassionate care through Brian's years of living with multiple myeloma and his final battle with leukemia.
Plans for a party to celebrate his life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (vmmrf.org), Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (lls.org), or your favorite charity.

Bruce Carlson Gage was born January 8, 1957 to Ralph (deceased) and Betty Gage, touching down in the then quaint village known as Seattle, WA. At 64 he packed his spiritual belongings and departed for points unknown on Earth Day, April 22, 2021. He is survived by his loving wife Indra Finch, mother Betty, stepmother Dana, brother Tom (Sue), former wife Helen, son Alex (Inessa), daughter Lauren, and a bevy of cousins.
Bruce enjoyed a myriad of sports, hobbies, and adventures, including mountaineering, skiing, kayaking, diving, gardening, creating music, and above all, sailing- a shared love passed down from his father. Bruce and Indra Finch raced their Tasar from 2003-2015.Given his eclectic interests it is no surprise he traveled the world with Indra from Uzbekistan to the South Seas. From his professional life as a forensic psychiatrist to his spiritual pursuits and lust for adventure, he crossed many folks' paths. Not shy to express his opinions or mince words, Bruce informed, humored, and challenged us; he was never dull.
Bruce believed life should be set at a jogging pace sprinkled with frequent sustained sprints. In recent years, he may have slowed physically, but his quest for knowledge- musical, technical, professional, and spiritual only grew. Perhaps now he has begun his biggest adventure yet- may it be at a jogging pace…

In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity most meaningful to you.

To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.

Mark Orme was born on July 6^th, 1962 to Myrna and William (Bill) Orme in Tacoma, Washing. He spent the early years of his childhood in Bellingham before he and his family eventually moved to Leone, American Samoa and later to Anchorage, Alaska.  After graduating from Dimond High School in 1980, he attended Western Washington University and the University of Chicago for graduate school. He then moved to Seattle to work as a chemist in the pharma/biotech industry, and met the love of his life, Stephanie Belgel-Orme.

Mark loved and cared for his family above all.  He is survived by his wife, Stephanie, three daughters, Chenoa, Sara, and Tessa, and sister, Natasha.

Mark was a passionate and dedicated scientist with a vision in pharmaceutical development.  He was a talented leader and brought an enthusiastic and creative approach to his work through his breath of experience.  He found nothing more rewarding than working with and mentoring other.

Mark was a member of the Corinthian Yacht Club for many years, where he raced sailboats and made lifelong friendships. Through his daughters, Mark also developed a love of soccer. He volunteered as a coach for Ballard Youth Soccer and Seattle United. Mark enjoyed help young players grow, as well as bantering and developing relationships with the kids.

Mark had a deep interest in pacific island culture that stemmed from his youth in Samoa. He enjoyed spending time on the North Shore of Oahu.  His heart’s desire was to spend more time on the island.

Mark passed away peacefully at home with his family on after a courageous battle with cancer.  He will forever he in our hearts and memories; at Mokulela beach, sunglasses in hand, tide in the sand, with a smile on this face and a twinkle in his eye.

Donations in memory of Mark can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org).

As 2020 draws to a close, let us reflect on some of our members who passed away during this past year.  Please click on their name for more information:

1 John Fenton

2 Stan Butchart Jr.

3 Sandy Pratt

4 Janet Footh

5 Doug Fryer

6 Carol Trusk

Janet Barker Footh
1932-2020

(Obituary published in The Seattle Times on April 12. [Click here] to read the full obituary.)

Janet Barker Footh died March 31, 2020 in her home surrounded by family. Born in Seattle on May 25, 1932 to Stuart and Katherine Barker, Janet attended St. Nicholas and the University of Washington. Fond of social activities, she was a member of the Seattle Tennis Club, Sunset Club, and Seattle Garden Club to name a few.

While aprs-skiing in White Pass, Janet met her future husband, Douglas Footh, and set the tone for a lifetime of adventures. They were married on February 26, 1958 in Palm Springs, so her brother, Stuart Barker Jr., on leave from the Navy could attend.

Janet began her sailing career with Doug in their Blanchard Senior Knockabout, and both were very active CYC members for many years. She later won second place at the National Women's Sailing Championship in 1965 and skippered all women racing crews around Puget Sound in the 1970s. She spent decades of happy summers cruising on Norwester, their Kettenburg 50, in Desolation Sound with family and friends.

Janet was an active member of the National Society of Colonial Dames and formed lasting friendships with her Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters. A trailblazer, she was a founding member of the women's masters rowing program coached by Dick Erickson known as Dick's Chicks. In addition, she started the women's rowing program at the Seattle Yacht Club where she continued to coxswain.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

by Wendy Hinman -- As the outbreak of COVID19 rages across our world, we are stunned by news reports of infection and death.  The devastating statistics become personal when we hear that someone we know has died from this highly contagious and deadly virus.

Legendary Thunderbird sailor Sanders (Sandy) Pratt succumbed to COVID19 on March 26th. His longtime crewmember Laura Wagner broke the news to the fleet:

“Prior to this Sandy had been doing great, healthy mentally and physically like he always was! The whole crew—Brian Flaherty, me, Dennis Counts, plus his wife Phyllis, and our son Kallen—saw Sandy for dinner at his new retirement condo in Issaquah last fall.  We met his wonderful partner, Marta, who he met after his wife Letha passed away in 2016.  Sandy seemed well and very happy in his new home!  Sandy will be missed by so many people.”

He is survived by two children and four grandchildren. Sandy's daughter, Barbara, said that he was admitted to the hospital on Sunday the 22nd for the coronavirus. The cruelest part of COVID19 is that such a well-loved and respected man was forced to spend his last moments in isolation. 

We take comfort in knowing that Sandy lived a long and happy life. This strapping man, who was 92 when he died, remained a fierce competitor on the race course to the age of 90. He was a stalwart racer, aggressively maneuvering for room on the starting line.  He’d been a member of Corinthian Yacht Club Seattle since 1957 and rarely missed a race. 

My husband Garth Wilcox and I first met Sandy back in 1991 when we bought our T-bird, Atomic Salsa, and joined CYC. Since then we’ve raced against him and crewed for him. He was always a tough competitor, jovial on the dock, but all business when on the race course. After dispatching his competition, he was always eager to chat with beer in hand about the race. We could spend hours analyzing the race, tactics, strategy, and sail shape. He subscribed to lifelong learning and always sought to find ways to get more drive out of his boat. It was no surprise to us to learn that before retiring from Boeing Sandy had been involved in producing the wing of the 747. His engineering mind was ever tweaking his sails and messing with foil shape in pursuit of another knot of speed. He could ghost along in light air better than anyone.

Sandy was in his eighties when Garth and I left for our voyage around the Pacific. Seven years later when we returned he was still racing Falcon. We rejoined the fleet, racing on Kuma with Stuart Burnell in preparation for the International Championships at Whidbey Island Race Week. Sandy was still just as tough to beat then as ever. 

Sandy raced into his nineties, only stopping because two of his regular crew had a baby and replacing half his crew proved frustrating. Laura Wagner raced with Dennis Counts and Sandy for 10 years. She met her husband Brian Flaherty aboard Sandy's boat. She said

"I always thought Sandy would retire before us but instead we did!"

Sandy’s love of sailing started around the age of seven. He represented the Husky Sailing Club in 1949 at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Sailing Regatta at Berkeley, California in International 14s after he excelled in the qualifier races. In his 20’s Sandy raced a star boat My Sin, appropriately named for his passion.  After his wife Letha told him his Star wasn’t a good family boat, he chose a more family-friendly one-design that he deemed race worthy: the “Thunderbird.” The Thunderbird was designed by Ben Seaborn to help the American Plywood Association sell plywood to the backyard boat builder. Sandy finished wooden Thunderbird hull #711 from a bare hull in 1967 and named it LeBar. He won the Thunderbird International Championship in 1975, besting 75 boats in an intense competition. His hard-earned gold bird proudly adorned his mainsail ever afterward, marking LeBar and his next boat, a fiberglass T-bird he named Falcon (#1177), as a key boat to beat. Fleet member Roger Schip noted,

“Watching him move through the T-bird fleet was like watching a Chess Master.”

Never one to rest on his laurels, Sandy was always focused on the competition at hand, eking out every knot of speed he could. 

A longtime Boeing engineer, Sandy oversaw the manufacture of Boeing 747 wings, fashioning new techniques and tools to overcome challenges in the early years of building this iconic aircraft.  He had an engineer's curiosity and quest for knowledge, constantly probing others to gain new insights and find ways to make his boat go faster.  He was especially good at ghosting along in light air and has schooled many sailors over the years.

Sandy was a mentor and friend to so many over the decades and a stalwart on the race course. News of his passing prompted an outpouring of heartwarming messages and fond memories.

Laura, who I also raced with aboard Stuart Burnell’s Tantivy, reminisced about sailing with Sandy:

"Sandy barked at me a lot that first summer and after a week in Victoria for Internationals I thought for sure I'd quit at the end of the season. But, I loved Dennis and our crew Anthony Colfelt at the time and Sandy was so wonderful off the boat. He was all smiles, stories, and laughs. And he often apologized for yelling at me or at least cheered up 100 % once the race was over. I stayed on all summer as the pit person and by the 2nd season we had found our groove and the barking stopped." 

“Brian and I got to the boat early every Wednesday to haul the boat over on its side with the spinnaker halyard. If anyone came down to Leschi on a Wednesday night they'd see us scrubbing the bottom of Falcon. Dennis often made it down in time after work to do 1 side! It became my job to make sure Sandy had his helmet on.  The 4 of us, Brian, Dennis, and Sandy and I had a great rhythm on the boat after so many years of sailing together. We probably had the quietest boat too. As others have said, Sandy didn't like too much chatter on the boat and if he took your advice on a tactic you should be honored! He was the skipper and the tactician. But, that made it peaceful and quiet and the three of us crew could just get into our rhythm and pull the sheets!  We each drank just 1 beer after every race, not during. This was such a tradition as we sailed in every Wednesday night that I had to hide my root beer or ginger beer label at the beginning of my pregnancy so they didn't suspect anything."

Sandy liked to win and cursed costly blunders. Crewmember Anthony Colfelt noted,

“There are many funny stories of crew members being sent downstairs to hug the mast on the floor to get the boat balanced just right, especially in light winds. But we generally enjoyed his intensity and competitive spirit.”

Many joked about the brief explosions of fiery expletives he would bellow when everything went sideways, especially when he was training new crew. Tim Satre shared how Sandy barked at him for talking too much during a race,

“I don’t need the news, Walter Cronkhite!” Yet his crews were quite loyal.  Dennis Counts raced with him for more than thirty years.

Most everyone remembers Sandy’s jovial personality and hearty laugh and his willingness to teach.  He was the kind of skipper who always shared his knowledge and conclusions for achieving the best performance. Longtime fleet member Kemp Jones said,

“Sandy taught me a lot about making a T-bird go fast when I was struggling to learn at the back of the fleet. He was an incredible gentleman, Jedi, and hero to me.”

Adam Southerland concurred,

“An amazing man, I will never forget the talks after Wednesday races down at Leschi; he kept us motivated and excited even after beating us.”

Anthony Colfelt echoed the sentiment of many when he remarked,

“Sandy was thoroughly decent. He looked out for people and offered his knowledge and assistance to all, generally lifting the caliber of the Fleet.”

Dan Carey remembered,

“He was a great sailor and a fine gentleman. He was fun to be around and to talk with. He always seemed to be smiling and having a good time. It was always nice to gather with him after sailing and discuss the race and other finer points of sailing and boat trim.”

Ballard Sails sailmaker Alex Simanis said,

“Sandy was a legend. I doubt anyone knew T-birds better than him. Sail on Sandy.”

A few years ago, Sandy brought my husband Garth and I the band saw he and many others used during the heyday of building Thunderbirds in the 60s and 70s.  We have used it extensively since then and have made great progress, but are sorry Sandy will never see our finished boat. We have so many fond memories of him, jamming to Bob Marley as we worked on our boats, discussing sail shape and tactics. Ken Lane said, 

“The T-bird flock has lost a loved member.”

Beyond that, as Pam Schwartz summed up what many expressed,

“He was an inspiration to us all.”

It is too early to plan an official tribute to Sandy Pratt since gatherings are not yet sanctioned because of the risk of the Corona Virus.  Sandy was a great fighter and it took a global pandemic to bring him down. In his memory, let’s strive to minimize the number who join him. Stay safe everyone.

Wendy Hinman is an adventurer, speaker, and the award-winning author of two books: Tightwads on the Loose tells the story of her 34,000-mile voyage aboard a 31-foot sailboat with her husband.  Sea Trials details the harrowing round-the-world voyage of a family who must overcome a shipwreck, gun boats, mines, thieves, pirates, scurvy and starvation to achieve their dream. For more information, please visit:  www.wendyhinman.com.