Ted Hood Passes Away

Sailing icon and pioneer Ted Hood passed away on Friday at the age of 86. Founder of Hood Sails, Hood Yacht Systems and Ted Hood Yacht Designs, he skippered 1974’s winning America’s Cup boat, Courageous, after supplying sails to many winning AC boats for nearly two decades. He went on to design a number of popular boats, and was responsible for the development of the modern roller furler. The list of his accomplishments would go on far too long for this space — we recommend reading his obituary on TedHood.com — and to say he influenced our sport is the understatement of the year. He will be missed by many, and a celebration of his life will be held in Newport, RI later in the summer.