Eight Bells: Michelle Slade

The 2009 Moth World Championship were held at the famed Cascade Locks, Oregon, and Michelle Slade traveled from San Francisco to report on the event. She was well-established in the sport, making a living doing this sort of thing, but she went there on her own dime. Because it needed to be done.

Born in New Zealand, eventually making the USA her home, she wasn’t good at sitting still. Pickle ball was her latest vice, but she always had a lot of balls in the air. Working for Scuttlebutt was one of them, extending from that Moth Worlds for five years. She remained in touch through the years until she passed away July 20. She was 64 years of age.

Michelle spent a lifetime promoting the sport and its people, but was quiet about her illness. She was remarkably fit and eager to support the sailing media at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Her friend, Latitude 38 publisher John Arndt, provides a tribute to this fallen angel.