Eight Bells: Don Trask
Chris Boome sent us a note letting us know that Bay Area sailing legend Don Trask has passed away. He wrote, “Today we lost a real hero to West Coast Laser sailing as well as humanity in general. I just received this from Jill Trask Mack’s husband [Bo Mack]: ‘Our patriarch has gone to join his beloved Nancy in heaven. He passed away peacefully and Katy and I were with him.'”
“An amazing man, his grip strength and salesman’s bravado were only eclipsed by the love in his heart for his family and many friends. We will miss him terribly but know he is in a better place.
“Donald J. Trask — End of Watch, September 29, 2025.
“May every yacht club on the Earth ring 8 bells.
“Don was a friend, a mentor, a role model for how to be a great husband, father and the kind of person who gives so much for others. He did while still being in the midst of the competition part of our wonderful sport of sailing, which is about friendships as much as whatever happened on the water.
“God Bless Don.” — Chris AKA Boomer.
We’ll have more on Don Trask in the future, but at Latitude 38 we remember him for his racing success, building Lasers and the Laser fleet, building J/24s and the J/Boat fleets, building the J/Boat dealership Sail California, helping numerous sailors, and building sailing everywhere.
We leave you with this video shared on YouTube by Gerard Sheridan:
Great video remembering a great man and sailor. I first met Don at the ’73 O’Day Cup Finals (Singlehanded National Championships) in Barnegat Bay, NJ, sailed in Lasers. Don Trask and Chris Boome both competed, and I lodged with them during the regatta. It blew like hell, was a real endurance test, and I was spent after each day’s racing. I was a 19 year old kid, and they were quite a bit older, but every afternoon after the racing was over the two of them still had enough juice left to play a couple of sets of tennis. What a couple of studs!
Truly an Icon of Bay Area sailing, and sailing in general. A smart and generous man besides
Don Trask took me on my first J24 race. (magician with that boat, as well as the Laser) Don Trask supported our small sailing school with advice, sold enough boats into our fleet to allow us to thrive, even sponsored my membership in a local YC. Don was one of a kind and will be missed.