Eddie Jordan

Rob Humphreys writes, ‘My first contact with Eddie was in 2008 when he phoned me, saying he wanted to spend more time sailing and asked what we had in the 40-50ft range. I described our Elan designs and arranged to meet up at the forthcoming Southampton Boat Show. He placed a deposit on an Elan 450 and the following season he and Marie spent a lot of time sailing around the Adriatic. Come the end of the season he called again saying they had loved the boat but that they wanted something bigger, and did we have a 60 footer? I explained that we had a range of Oysters so he promptly bought a brokerage Oyster 655. At that time we were designing the Oyster 885 but it was at that development stage where we couldn’t talk about it. But as soon as the news was out, after a season with the 655, he placed an order for the first-in-class 885, again to be called Lush. Eddie loved the boat and took part in the Oyster World Rally, joining the boat as often as his F1 commitments would allow.

I crewed with him on a number of Oyster regattas, together with one Richard Hadida who went on to play a hugely significant role later in the Oyster story. More recently I sailed with Eddie on his new Oyster 495 - again the first of the marque - and then Tom did a series with him the following year. As a design business and as a family - Jo had designed the interior on his Elan 450 - we were all touched by Eddie’s huge presence and big heart, where his unique character delivered warmth and friendship so often concealed in a ruse of mock abuse, disarming to anyone who didn’t know him but hugely funny to anyone who did. When Tom sailed with him and I didn’t he didn’t hold back in telling me and everyone within a hundred yards that Tom was much the better sailor and that I was a traitor!

Whilst he’d had four of our designs, we will remember him much more for his friendship and huge but amiable personality. RIP Eddie