Show Navigation

Image 1 of 1

Harry_Spencer_1.jpg

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download
ONE of Cowes's best known characters and founder of internationally renowned Spencer Rigging has died..Harry Spencer, MBE, was born in Gurnard in September, 1925. He lived with his parents in Cowes and was educated at Denmark Road School..He spent much of his youth with his father at Cowes Golf Club and left school at 14, entering J. S. White's. This was the start of his colourful career, which included shipyard apprentice, pattern maker, yacht hand, yacht yard foreman, mate on coastal vessels, delivery skipper, shipwright, sail maker and rigger. .All of these were achieved before he settled back in Cowes and eventually founded Spencer Rigging and later, Spencer Thetis Wharf and Thetis Engineering..As well as the usual day-to-day work, such as yacht rigging and towing work, Harry and his colleagues completed many unusual and challenging projects, including the rigging of Radio Caroline, converting an Arctic trawler into a three-masted topsail schooner, carving a miniature Edinburgh Castle in the tiller end of the Duke of Edinburgh's yacht, the manufacture of all the mast, spars and rigging for the Warner Bros. replica of HMS Bounty (still sailing today) and towing a 140-tonne Princess Flying Boat with 200ft wingspan across the River Medina with his beloved launch, Domino..Harry approached life with vigour and determination. The more challenging the problem, the more determined he would be to overcome it. He was a larger-than-life character with a heart of gold..He passed away peacefully on Thursday last week and leaves his wife, Ross, two sons, Mark and Rafe, and four grandchildren.
Copyright
©Patrick Eden
Image Size
2548x3600 / 4.3MB
https://www.patrickeden.co.uk
Contained in galleries
Black and White Archive
ONE of Cowes's best known characters and founder of internationally renowned Spencer Rigging has died..Harry Spencer, MBE, was born in Gurnard in September, 1925. He lived with his parents in Cowes and was educated at Denmark Road School..He spent much of his youth with his father at Cowes Golf Club and left school at 14, entering J. S. White's. This was the start of his colourful career, which included shipyard apprentice, pattern maker, yacht hand, yacht yard foreman, mate on coastal vessels, delivery skipper, shipwright, sail maker and rigger. .All of these were achieved before he settled back in Cowes and eventually founded Spencer Rigging and later, Spencer Thetis Wharf and Thetis Engineering..As well as the usual day-to-day work, such as yacht rigging and towing work, Harry and his colleagues completed many unusual and challenging projects, including the rigging of Radio Caroline, converting an Arctic trawler into a three-masted topsail schooner, carving a miniature Edinburgh Castle in the tiller end of the Duke of Edinburgh's yacht, the manufacture of all the mast, spars and rigging for the Warner Bros. replica of HMS Bounty (still sailing today) and towing a 140-tonne Princess Flying Boat with 200ft wingspan across the River Medina with his beloved launch, Domino..Harry approached life with vigour and determination. The more challenging the problem, the more determined he would be to overcome it. He was a larger-than-life character with a heart of gold..He passed away peacefully on Thursday last week and leaves his wife, Ross, two sons, Mark and Rafe, and four grandchildren.