"After my efforts on the Greg Gregory Obit in the recent magazine, I'd feel like a real Jonah writing another. But sadly there is a need, with the news that Brian Ellis, Merlin Champion in 1964 and 1966 - has died out in Australia.\r\n\r\nBecause it is easy to post pictures there, I have done a short Obit on the Pure Magic F'Book page which I will now copy over onto the Merlin F'Book page.\r\n\r\nDougal"

Apologies all - I put my post up late last night (having been working on one of the earlier Chapters of Pure Magic) and muddled up the Ellis's - thank you to Robert Harris for setting the record straight!\r\nD

"Dennis Ellis was a very different Ellis. \r\n\r\nI've known Brian Ellis for about 60 years so I'm very sad today. He suffered from ill health for some time and had to cancel a trip to the UK to meet old friends a few years ago. \r\n\r\nI first met Brian in the 1950s when we both raced Yachting World Cadets at Burnham-on-Crouch where he won Cadet Week more than once.\r\n\r\nCurrent Merlin Rocket sailors probably won't have heard of Brian Ellis. Crewed by the late Ken Ellis (no relation) as Dougal wrote he won two Championships in the 1960s, I raced against them in both of those Championships and consider Brian to have been one of the finest sailors this class has seen. \r\n\r\nWith Pam and their children they emigrated (twice in fact) to Newcastle NSW 100 miles or so north of Sydney where Brian was soon racing 16ft skiffs on Lake Macquarie. From 1988 - 2001 he was Chairman of the Belmont 16s Sailing Club on the lake.\r\n\r\nI last saw Brian and Pam with my daughter Jane, Derek King and others in late 1988 when we had dinner with them at the 16s Club."

For those interested I've received an email from the Belmont 16 Foot Sailing Club saying that Brian Ellis passed away on the 19th of April after a long illness. As well as his sailing prowess in the 16s Brian served the club as a director and in other roles for more than 40 years. His funeral will be held next Friday.

A correspondent has sent me this Tribute to the late Brian Ellis by his adopted club in Australia.