Commander Michael (‘Mike’) Cudmore OBE Royal Navy

I met Mike through our mutual interest in maritime history, after we had both retired, . He was a most likeable but unassuming man who didn’t talk about himself but I understand that he joined as a Cadet (E) in 1954 and served in various parts of the world including the Falklands Campaign in which he was awarded the OBE. He left the service in 1986 as a Commander and went into the aviation industry for nine years followed by a period as a consultant. Like most servicemen of his time he was introduced to offshore sailing in Windfalls. A regular offshore sailor for over forty years, he sailed principally in European waters and in 1998 crossed the Atlantic in a 28 foot Twister. He was Chairman of the RNSA Air Branch for five years, a member of the Royal Ocean Racing Yacht Club and the Society for Nautical Research. He leaves a widow and two children.

His lasting memorial will be his book “THE WINDFALL YACHTS ~ A Legacy of Goodwill” which was published in October 2007. It was clearly a labour of love and the product of extensive research into the history of the Windfalls; some of these yachts will be familiar to, and sailed by, all those who entered the Royal Navy through Dartmouth between the end of World War 2 and 1959. The book is likely to become a sailing classic. All proceeds go to Seafarers UK (King George’s Fund for Sailors).