Famous sailmaker passes

Renowned American yachtsman and the man who started Hood Sailmakers, Frederick. E (Ted) Hood, has passed away at the age of 86 from pneumonia and heart problems.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Hood began repairing sails to help pay for college, using his grandmother’s sewing machine. He would re-cut and repair badly sewn or sloppily cut sails, improving the performance of boats.

His best-known sailing result came when he skippered the yacht, Courageous, to a 4-0 victory in the 1974 America’s Cup. He then built a faster yacht and sold Courageous to Ted Turner, who beat him in it on his way to winning the 1977 America’s Cup.

Hood’s wife, Susan Blake survives him, as do their daughter, Nancy Hood MacLeod; three sons, Richard, Frederick (known, as was his father, as Ted) and Robert; and eight grandchildren.