Glyn Charles (4 September 1965 – 27 December 1998) was a British

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

. He competed in the Star event at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. He was one of six sailors to die during a storm in the

1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race The 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the 54th annual running of the "blue water classic" Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It was hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia based in Sydney, New South Wales. It was the most disastrous in the ...

Early life and education

Charles was educated at

Pangbourne College Pangbourne College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school located in the civil parish of Pangbourne, in the English county of Berkshire. It is set in 230 acres, on a hill south-west of the village, in an Area of Outstanding Nat ...

, where he took up sailing, and at

Portsmouth Polytechnic , mottoeng = Let us follow the Light , established = 1870 (Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Art) , type = Public , budget = £282.5 million (2020/21) , chancellor ...

. After five years' experience, he became a member of the British Youth Sailing squad, and at the age of 22 was national champion in the Laser dinghy class.The Old Pangbournian Record: Old Pangbournian Obituaries and Death Notices 1917-2016, pp. 37-38

Sailing career

Charles subsequently began yacht sailing. In 1988 and 1992, he competed for a place in the three-man

Soling The Soling is an open keelboat that holds the World Sailing "International class" status. The class was used from the 1972 Olympics (Kiel) until the 2000 Olympics (Sydney) as " Open Three Person Keelboat". Besides the Olympic career of the Soli ...

event, but lost to

Lawrie Smith Lawrie is a (patronymic or paternal) family name of Scottish origin which means "crafty." Variants of which include: Laurie, Lorrie, Larry, Laury, Lawry and Lowrie. It is also used as a given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Lawrence. Surn ...

; in 1996, he beat Smith for selection in the two-man

Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

class, participating in the

Atlanta Games The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, where he came 11th. At the time of his death he was preparing a campaign to race a Star in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. After missing selection for the 1992 Olympics, Charles undertook offshore racing, first representing Great Britain in the 1993

Admiral's Cup The Admiral's Cup was an international yachting regatta. For many years it was known as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing. The Admiral's Cup regatta was started in 1957 and was normally a biennial event (occurring in odd-numbe ...

; he would participate in the event four times. He funded his endeavours by racing various types of boat on behalf of others, and received support from prominent sailing philanthropists.

Death

Charles drowned whilst participating in the 630-mile

Sydney to Hobart race The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately . The race is run in ...

, sailing the ''Sword of Orion''; intense conditions battered the 115-boat fleet, sinking five, and causing 66 to retire, with 55 crewmen requiring recovery in Australia's biggest maritime rescue. As the yacht rolled 360 degrees, Charles was washed overboard into 40-foot waves and 80-knot headwinds. Last seen on the surface of the water at 5:10 P.M. on 27 December, thought to have sustained injuries when the boat rolled, his body was not recovered. The inquest found, after tests conducted on the lanyard Charles was wearing, that it did not meet the required Australian standard, and had failed at the stitching.

Personal life

Charles lived at

Emsworth Emsworth is a town in the Borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, England, near the border of West Sussex and located at by the south coast of England. It lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large and shallow inlet fr ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, with his girlfriend, Annie Goodman, also a sailing enthusiast. He was survived by his mother and sister.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Glyn 1965 births 1998 deaths British male sailors (sport) Olympic sailors of Great Britain Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Star Sportspeople from Winchester People lost at sea