Eight Bells: Wade Edwards

Longtime Etchells racer and former Class Governor Wade Edwards lost a fierce but brief battle with metastasized neuroendocrine tumors on Monday, July 4th evening, surrounded by his family.

Wade touched many lives as a sailor, racer, friend, leader and family man. His colleagues have been effusive in their praise; the most common refrains include: wonderful man, amazing person, patient, kind, caring, giving, considerate, supportive, true friend, passionate, Corinthian, teacher, and mentor.

Wade was a lifelong sailor and racer, winning bullets at Grosse Pointe Farms’ (MI) Crescent Sail Yacht Club as a youth and young adult, at Tulane in college, and more recently from Marblehead’s (MA) Corinthian Yacht Club.

He is a former Express 27 National Champion; won his class in several Chicago-Mackinac Races; won many Snipes regattas; and scored local and regional Etchells championships aboard Riva, Etchells 1221. His Corinthian Trophy wins include the 2008 North Americans in Annapolis, finishing 5th overall, in addition to the 2009 North Americans in Toronto and the 2010 Nationals in Newport, finishing fourth overall in both regattas.

Wade was the owner and director of the Boston Sailing Center, the most popular sailing school/sailing club in New England, and a former Commodore of the Small Point Yacht Club (Small Point, Maine), where he was a perennial champion in the Starling Burgess Small Point One-Design Class.

Wade is survived by his lovely wife Aliza, daughter Robin and her husband Brian Bonomi, sons Chad and Win…and friends and fellow racers worldwide.

Visiting hours will be Saturday, July 9, from 4 to 7 pm at Dee’s Funeral Home in Concord, MA. There will be a service with reception to follow at 2 pm on Sunday, July 10, at First Parish in Concord, MA.

Courtesy of Etchells North American Class and Wade’s longtime friend and sailing associate, Timo Platt.