He learned not only to sail, but the finer points of what makes a boat sail fast, at Dell Quay.

He joined the Royal Navy for National Service, and though he was seconded to submarines, he spent much of his time racing yachts in the Mediterranean and northern Europe.

Midshipman Milne joined the international force sent to the Greek island of Kefalonia when a major earthquake struck in 1953.

He was later promoted to sub lieutenant.

In 1954, Milne served a five-year apprenticeship at the Thornycroft shipyard in Southampton.

Milne took a keen interest in the flat-bottomed American scows raced on the Great Lakes, and experimented with a similar concept designed to be built from a plywood kit.

The result was the 4.93m Fireball, a 2two-man performance scow later equipped with a trapeze and spinnaker which he completed in 1961 while working for Norris Bros.

Yachts & Yachting magazine took on Milne as assistant editor, and he later became editor.

Milne produced more than 40 class dinghies, production cruisers and powerboat designs.

The Fireball earned him the Duke of Edinburgh Design Prize in 1975. He was an accomplished offshore yachtsman.

He is survived by wife Margaret, sister Judith two daughters Sue and Tessa and three grandchildren.

SAILING ACTION: CHICHESTER

A CROWD of interested spectators from all three sections of Chichester Yacht Club gathered on the terrace outside the club room to watch representatives do battle in the club toppers.

The dinghy section had been barred from choosing the teenage sailors who usually race this class, to minimise the imbalance between those who do and don't ordinarily sail capsizable boats.

Roger Millett, Robert Payne and Ian Payne formed their team.

The course was from the club pontoon, in a Le Mans-style start, round three nearby marks, and back to the pontoon, where the sailors were swapped for second and third rounds.

All three boats started in fine style and Millett seemed to be secure in the lead before the first mark, but then had a gear failure.

He caught up again, and approached the pontoon with a hail to his team-mates to find a piece of string to tie the mainsheet lead block back on the boom. This done, Robert set off and then Ian.

The yacht section sailors, though experienced, found the toppers cramped and rather too tippy, while the motor section sailors came ashore declaring they would like to have rather more practice before the next encounter, but excited about the sense of speed which being so close to the water engendered.

All had needed assistance from the patrol boat to recover from upsets on the down-wind legs.

The race was the idea of Commodore James Beaton, who hovered with his camera at the ready and presented a cup for the competition.

This Saturday, the club expect a good fleet for an open meeting for solos.

FELPHAM

Local sailors and visitors revelled in the sun and strong breeze that made the yearly regatta a success.

In the first two races, race officer Roshan Verghese set P-shaped courses into a south-westerly breeze.

The high-performance trapeze boats found it hard-going and could not compete well on handicap.

Heavy-weather specialists Steve Popple (Phantom) and Peter Jones (Blaze) traded places throughout the first race with Blaze national champion Mike Lyons.

Popple got ahead down the final run with Jones holding Lyons off.
The wind increased in the second race and some boats found it difficult not to capsize.

Popple, from Shoreham Yacht Club, showed excellent upwind speed and took a second win.

Jones, from Felpham, and Lyons, from Burghfield, were within touching distance of each other but Lyons injured his arm and had to retire, allowing Jones to take second on handicap.

Olly Ponsford (RS 600) and Tim and Sally Cutsforth (4000) were accustomed to conditions and were third and fourth on handicap.

Regatta rules state all three races are counted, so a significant number of boats put to sea in difficult conditions as the wind increased to 25mph.

On a triangular course, the faster boats pulled away but found it difficult to turn the corners and there were many capsizes.

Mark Ponsford (5000) and experienced crew Nick Farrer pushed their twin trapeze boat to a convincing win.

Popple liked the conditions but his new boat was not able to cope. His tiller broke and he retired.

Jones pulled away and took another second with Ross Fisher and Simon Caird third and fourth.

As the results were confirmed, Peter Jones took the overall win from Olly Ponsford in second and Mark Ponsford in third.