With enormous sadness and gratitude, I pass along the news of the passing of a great man and friend to all who sail on Barnegat Bay.

John’s life and story are well-recorded in his obituary. The amazing part of knowing John and Gretchen Coyle is those titles of the service they performed for others feel like just headlines, and each of us has our own complete chapters of our story with John. And how much richer our lives became by having John Coyle with us on this journey.

I met John and Gretchen early in my E Scow life, religiously staying with them at Little Beach Farm in Beach Haven for Downbays. We got the full treatment as young, wild guests who brought our own towels and often - trouble. John and Gretchen had no boundaries on accepting sailors who asked for beds. Often, I would be racing and blocking out the Crabbes, Slacks and Fortenbaughs in the driveway to get the better beds.

John and Gretchen would bring the wooden E Scow bar out, make blender drinks, run the party and then ghost away to go to Sink R Swim and close out the books. Then like his blender drinks- rinse and repeat the next night and the next regatta.

Serving on the Board of the Tuckerton Seaport Museum was a lesson in my life. John and

Gretchen worked tirelessly building the grounds, program, and sheds and then personally shared the story of the bay daily with guests.

John made our bay smaller by restoring Whitecap and later A Cat Ghost. He took others sailing up and down the bay, sharing the gift of sailing with others. I will miss his smile that was so bright even that bushy mustache could not contain his joy of being alive, hands dirty, wet shorts from sailing, wearing his Crocks and planning his next adventure just messing around in boats.

RIP my dear friend.

Russ Lucas

Commodore