RS—The Brainchild of Legendary Yacht Designer Ed Dubois
Ed Dubois began his career working for naval architect Alan Buchanan in Jersey. He also worked for Gorey Yacht Services in Jersey and wrote for Yachts & Yachting. In 1976, he designed his first yacht for George Skelley, a Jersey-based restaurateur. She was called Borsalino Trois.
Dubois founded his own company, Dubois Naval Architects, in 1977. He designed Police Car for Peter Cantwell, who won the Admiral’s Cup in 1979. By 1986, he had designed his first superyacht, Acquel II, and later Esprit for Neville Crichton in 1987. Subsequent superyachts include Timoneer, Tiara, Silvertip, Kokomo, Ganesha and Mondango III.
Dubois was a fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and the Royal Academy of Engineering and received an honorary doctorate from the Southampton Solent University in 2004. In 2007, the two-day Dubois Cup regatta was named after him.
According to The Daily Telegraph, he was “one of the world’s foremost yacht designers.” He was also called “a legend in his own time” by Yachting.
In memoriam: Ed Dubois (1952-2016)
On March 24th 2016, we received the devastating news that our close business partner and personal friend , Ed Dubois (64), had passed away.
I met Ed Dubois for the first time in 2006 when WINDY was in the process of engaging a new designer for our new generation of powerboats. I loved his styling and elegant design language as much as his visions and work ethics. By coincident we were asked to build the now famous T52 tender to M/Y AGLAIA and this project became the beginning of a new area for WINDY within the yacht industry. The WINDY SR52 Blackbird is today an icon admired by everybody in the marine industry; – concept – styling – quality of build – performance and strength. A true thoroughbred.
DUBOIS and WINDY connected extremely well and we have since then launched the price winning WINDY 39 Camira – the price winning DRACO 27RS and the DRACO 22RS. WINDY and Ed had so much unfinished work, but life is fragile and unpredictable. Our good friend Ed Dubois contributed directly to the changes WINDY made in 2012 and the SR52 opened door to new markets for us.
Ed will be remembered as a true gentleman with extraordinary visions and skills for modern yacht & boat design.
Our thoughts goes to his family and bereaved.
Knut Heiberg-Andersen
President / CEO
Windy Scandinavia AB / Draco Boats AS
