Monday the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club (HMBYC) received the very sad news that staff commodore and lifetime member Dick Schubert passed away suddenly while he and his wife, Tami, were on an extended cruise in Mexico aboard their sailboat "Journey."
Schubert suffered from a carotid artery aneurysm, which is a failure of the artery supplying blood to the brain.
“While there is little of a positive nature in any of this, we are relieved to hear that the boat was in port when Dick fell ill and that friends from the States were visiting at the time, providing support and solace to Tami,” said HMBYC commodore, Ray Durazo.
Schubert and his wife lived aboard their boat for several years before they set out on their adventure to Mexico. It was always his dream to leave it all behind for the cruiser's life.
"It is every sailor's dream to sail off into the sunset," said Durazo. "However, there are only a few of us who actually get to live the dream, and that's what makes Dick and Tami so special. They didn't just dream the dream. They lived it."
Schubert will be most remembered for is his kindness and interest in others, said Durazo.
He was one of the HMBYC's earliest members and devoted himself to teaching others of the wonders of sailing. He was known as a "sailor's sailor," said Durazo, and could dive into the darkest reaches of his boat's bowels to find the source of an operational problem and fix it with his mind and his hands.
"He was one of the most approachable people I have ever known, always willing to share his experience and expertise," said Durazo. "He could look into the rigging and spot an issue that would have escaped a normal human's notice. He could look out into the horizon and see the squall in the far distance that he needed to prepare for."
Best of all, said Durazo, was that Schubert could anchor his boat off a humble Mexican fishing village and soon be a favorite visitor of the locals. He ate in their little restaurants and Tami sang with their musicians, and together they blended into the scenery as if they had always lived there.
"There are only a handful of such people that you will ever know," said Durazo. "We are blessed to have known Dick Schubert."
There will be a memorial service for Schubert as soon as Tami can finalize procedural matters in Mexico and secure the boat.
“In the meantime, she has asked that people do not bombard her with phone calls and/or other communications at this very difficult time," said Durazo. "We will keep you informed as additional information becomes available.”
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