Long time merlin stalwart and Shoreham SC member Charlie Hadfield sadly passed away on Thursday 9th October in Worthing Hospital. His funeral is to take place at Worthing Crematorium on Monday 20th October at 12.20pm. For further details please contact me At H.d. Tribe Ltd. Funeral Directors. 01903 234516 or send me an email. There is a downloadable map on the link.

What very sad news.  Charlie was great company and a true gent.  He will be missed.

Very sorry to hear this - Jude and I were only wondering how he was the other day.  Sorry that I won't be able to make the funeral.

GGGG

Very sad. A generous, funny, nice guy.

Very generous.  After giving me a very hard time over "procedures" at the 1999 AGM he gave me a bed in his house at a couple of Shoreham opens. He also gave me some very good skiing advice - "don't go to Chamonix in early January, its too dark".  Too right. He was a character - I will miss him.

Truly a sad day in the Chipley shed. Charlie sailed from he’s hart 
Alan J

I'm very sorry to hear of this. Charlie was a very humourous and engaging chap. I remember him well from both Hamble and Shoreham.  His Merlins were always black (Paint it Black, Back in Black) and he had that fabulous Morgan. A real character.

A sad day indeed.  Alex and I were only talking of hime a month or so ago, with a view to encouraging him to take to the waters again.

Indeed he was the first person I ever sailed with in a Merlin Rocket, he dragged me to Whitstable in his Morgan Plus 8 with the roof down, arrived half deaf, sailed about chatting about all things bloke, (cars, girls and beer), then took me to the bar. Great shame and a great loss.

Indeed this is very sad news for Shoreham SC and Merlin sailors alike. I saw Charlie just some 3 months ago down the club. He had cycled down from Stenying and was looking in good health and was great to catch up with him. Hard to believe so shortly after he is gone!

He had a real love for sailing and also his club. I'm sure many of you will recall him screaming out in excitement a 'ye-ha' or similar as he blasted down a reach, (something I've taken to doing myself as my crews would be able to tell you). 

Charlie was also responsible for bringing me onto the committee at Shoreham when he was Chairman, and I had the 'interesting' and yet enjoyable experience of working with him in that field for some 5 years. 

He will be much missed and surely never forgotten!

Aimimg to be at the funeral next Monday.

Regards, Ross

Picture of Charlie sailing with Dave at Weymouth open 2002

I'm another one who Charlie introduced to Merlin sailing, in fact I think my first three Merlin opens were with Charlie and I definitley remember the 'ye-ha's that Ross is talking about....

He was great fun both on and off the water. Very sad news....

Sad news, nice old bloke , always managed to bring a nice woman to the shoreham dinner as well.

This is extremely sad news, I sailed 2 happy seasons with Charlie, who like many others introduced me to Merlin sailing, drove me around in his Morgan and entertained me with stories of women, sailing and things in the Merlin past.

Although I no longer sail Merlin's, but I will always remember him as one of the most fun helms I ever had the pleasure to sail with.

I cannot make the funeral, but I will be thinking of him on Monday.

Regards,

Nigel Scott

once again, I am another person who charlie introduced to merlin sailing and I did two seasons with him, the first being Whitstable and the second being Abersoch which was great sailing! 

I also saw him down the club a few months ago and had a long chat with him - had just finished his photography degree I believe and was thinking of getting back on the water next year. I said I was sure we could find him a crew. but sadly not to be, will be greatly missed. 

hope to be at the funeral on monday, got to re-arrange a meeting first. bu**er! 

p.s. I'm sure that photo must have been photoshopped, the water in Weymouth isn't really that colour is it?

Terribly sad news, Charlie was brilliant fun.  He introduced not me but my brother Ben into sailing at a tender age of 12 (ish) and they had success at Abersoche Nationals.  He always had beautiful boats and was always smiling especially when he referred to his partner Nicola who he tenderly nicknamed Nickers!  He's the only man I ever knew not to own a television or be remotely interested in it.  He also made a mean meal of Bangers, Mash, Beans+Onions!

He'll be surely missed.

Thank you William for letting us know.  We were very surprised and saddened to hear this news.

Charlie was truly a one off and we greatly admired his notorious insistence on sticking to proper procedures,  despite the unpopularity it sometimes brought upon him. 

I helped him re-set his spreaders once and was amazed the next weekend to find a new toolbox in my boat, with no note of explanation.  Anyway someone had seen Charlie place it there and when I thanked him he said it was a gesture of thanks for the help I had given him, and anyway the shiny boat I had just bought deserved better than the decrepit old toolbox I had been using up till then.

Chrissy and I were only recently lamenting the fact that we hadn't seen him for ages, and now we shant't.  Bless him.

Dan Alsop

I sailed with charlie for 3 great years and every event was a learning experience.  I can honestly say he was never happier than when it was a force 5 south westerly at Shoreham with a huge swell.  I will never forget the yee haa's when screaming down a reach and the enjoyment we got from carving down the waves.  He was a great bloke and introduced me and many others to merlins, he will be sadly missed by the Cooper clan.