Dear Fleet 20 members:

Many of us knew Louis as a passionate sailor and successful retired businessman. He was also a wonderful family man and a loyal friend. To Etchells sailors worldwide he was much more.

In 1967, at a special meeting in New York, Skip Etchells needed ten orders to begin production. At the end of the meeting, he had nine. At the last minute, Louis tabled a cheque for a boat he had never sailed and became the last of the original founding sailors. As a result, Fleet 1 formed at the Larchmont Yacht Club and the rest is history.

In the mid-1980s, Louis founded our Fleet 20 and kept promoting the class until it was a success in Miami.

In 1997, after participating in the class for 30 years, he was nominated for a Life Membership. The nomination was unanimously approved and Louis became only the fourth member of this elite group. The award was presented at the North American Championships at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto.

That same year he was presented with the Piana Cup - an annual trophy - at the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club where it now resides. Every year the Cup is presented to the winning skipper of the Piana Cup which is the first regatta of the Jaguar Series.

Just a month ago, he called me to discuss or some might say "dictate" what we should be doing to get more participation on the local scene.

This past week, while reflecting upon Louis, I truly realized how much he has added to our lives as Fleet 20 members. Think of all the friends we have here and around the world and the wonderful venues that many of us have traveled to as a result of Louis' dedication to Fleet 20 and the class as a whole. He touched us all.

Let's all have a great regatta tomorrow (April 24th 2004) in his honor. Nothing would make him happier than a competitive regatta and good turnout.

Kindest regards,

Robert Bell