Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

Simon 'Fumesy' Russell passes away

by Mark Jardine 6 Jan 2021 21:29 GMT
Simon Russell concentrating upwind during the XOD Central Solent Championships in 2006 © Eddie Mays

One of sailing's great characters has been taken from us by Covid. Simon Russell, known by all as Fumesy, suddenly passed away on Tuesday.

His sister Amanda said, "It is with great sadness we share the news of the sudden passing of my brother Simon 'Fumesy' Russell. He was much loved by his family, his girls and Audrey and a great many friends in the sailing and motorcar world. We are all absolutely devastated and in shock. He will be missed always and in our hearts."

He was known the world over in sailing, having raced in fleets such as the Etchells, Melges 24s, Ultra 30s, Mumm 30s, the X One Designs and many more.

Simon worked in the marine industry for over 25 years, most recently as a Director of Sportsboat World, after eleven years as Corporate Sales Manager at Musto, where he focused on growing the team sales business. Before that, he spent ten years at Jack Holt Ltd as a Technical Sales Manager in the dinghy and keelboat hardware division.

He crewed for Stuart Childerley in the Etchells, winning the World Championship together with Nik Pearson in 2001 at Lymington and then defending the title with brother-in-law Roger Marino in 2002, racing on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.

Stuart said, "Fumesy had time for everyone and always knew somebody who'd be able to help when needed. It was only when you got really close to him, the friendship he provided and the attention to detail in his sailing was immense. We saw his determination to succeed in the Etchells, the XODs and everything that he does, but we'd all be happy to spend time with him in the boat park, bimbling on the boat, being so thorough in our preparations on race days. He had all the ingredients and characteristics of a world-class sailor, which became evident in the final results, but most of all it was just fun doing things with Fumesy."

"I remember during the 2001 Etchells Worlds we'd done a 10 out of 10 gybe in a massive squall, which Bob Fisher wrote about in his report of the event. What he didn't know was that Fumesy was head down in the boat, both spinnaker sheets cleated off, and he was just chatting away! He knew he'd put everything in as good a position as possible to get through it all, and the loads on the Etchells meant he couldn't play the sheets once the squall hit. We've chuckled about that story so many times. I'm going to miss his little chuckle."

Nik Pearson said, "After sailing with Stuie and Fumesy I basically retired from Etchells sailing. We won the Easter Regatta, the South Coast Championship, the Nationals and then the Worlds. After sailing with them I wasn't ever going to sail with anyone better.

"We were winning the 2001 Etchells Worlds by a country mile, but then had a bad day with an OCS and a 20th, meaning we had to finish within 13 places of Australian Cameron Miles in the final race. He went and did a horizon job with us back in the 20s, but we clawed our way back up the fleet to win the Worlds. I'll never forget that final beat as I was talking through the shifts, saying when we needed to tack, only to find Stuie and Fumesy were chatting about nappies! They both had young babies at the time, and that relaxed attitude is how you win World Championships. It was so good hearing his chuckle that always lightened the mood. He was one of those friendly guys that you were just proud to know."

Roger Marino, Simon's brother-in-law who sailed together with him in many events said, "He could be grumpy, opinionated and yet chuckle at the same time, which is why I loved him. That's what we expected from him and it kept us all grounded. One uplifting thought today, with the flood of messages which have come in, his mum has found the impact he had on others heart-warming."

Christian Brewer, fellow sailor in the XODs, who raced with Fumesy in the 1999 Mumm 30 Worlds, said, "He was always smiling. He was a fellow petrol-head with his Lancia Delta Integrale which was his pride and joy. Being around him made you feel good about life - he was such a positive person. He was so meticulous and did so much work on his XOD 'Swallow' before winning the Captain's Cup in 2007."

In total Fumesy won the XOD Captain's Cup three times, the trophy which (ahead of his first victory in 2002) he famously said was more difficult to win than the Admiral's Cup. His most recent victory was in the 2019 event, together with his great friends Richard Faulkner and Ben McGrane, making him the current holder of the famous cup.

XOD legend Stuart Jardine said of Simon, "He sailed in the right way; clean, courteous and always with a smile. We had many a battle with him out on the racecourse, but it was always accompanied with great chat and plenty of laughter. It was an honour to be asked by him to helm at the Mumm 30 Worlds in 1999. We will all miss him terribly."

Covid-19 has taken away one of the great characters of the sailing world far too early. Our thoughts are with all his family, Audrey, his daughters Marcie and Lucie, his parents, sister Amanda and his many friends.

Sail on Fumesy.

Related Articles

For the love of small, fast boats - the Cape 26
Chickens, eggs, and boats. Until now, had never, ever put that lot together! The proverbial chicken, an egg, and boats. Not entirely sure I had ever pondered that until after my recent conversation with Davey James and Mark Mills. The genesis for the discussion was the reveal of the new Cape 26 OD.... Posted on 6 Apr
The Proving Ground
Why the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS is such an important regatta The end of an Olympic quadrennial cycle often brings sailing campaigns to an end. Some partnerships in doublehanded classes split, with helm and crew going their separate ways, while others use the time to reflect on their future. Posted on 1 Apr
The most important job in sailing
How Nick Scott is delivering radical change to competitive sailing pathways in the UK I am putting forward that falls to Nick Scott and his team. Namely to secure its competitive future by addressing challenges and delivering radical change while bringing people on that journey with him. Posted on 31 Mar
Revealing the Secrets of the 'Impossible' XR 41
An out and out race yacht, but also a sporty cruiser, thanks to its modular interior The XR 41 from X-Yachts was quite a departure from what they'd been doing for the last 15 years: concentrating on high-end Performance Racing Cruisers. This is an out and out race yacht, but it's also a sporty cruiser, thanks to its modular interior. Posted on 27 Mar
Going to publish the 'F' word – Again!
Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing Now we published the first one back in June last year. It did really well, thank you. Very much appreciated. Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing, and are keen to get into the foiling world. Posted on 23 Mar
RYA influences MCA's changes to regulations
Interview with Niall McLeod to see how Sport and Pleasure Code of Practice affects us The RYA have been working closely with the the government to make sure that new regulations for leisure vessels are not too restrictive. It seems that any group which operates a "coded" vessel should be thankful. Posted on 18 Mar
No more excuses
2025 is all about the club sailors, the weekend warriors, the open meeting stalwarts I was wondering if things were going to slow down in sailing after the huge events of 2024, namely the Olympics, America's Cup and Vendée Globe but, if anything, they've speeded up. Posted on 17 Mar
The oldest video footage of sailing in Ireland
A look back into our video archive, from 1926 to 1980 As we prepare for St Patrick's Day tomorrow, let us direct our exploration of the video archive towards anything Irish. We have discovered several videos from Ireland, starting as early as the 1920s! Posted on 16 Mar
Two boats. Same Direction.
You know the deal… It means there's a race on. You know the deal… It means there's a race on. So, the second South Pacific Superyacht Rendezvous is set for August 26 to 29, 2025. If it is even half as much fun and interesting as the first one, then it will bolster its burgeoning reputation. Posted on 9 Mar
The 600 Sweet Spot
The world of offshore racing is booming around the world The world of offshore racing is booming around the world. Record entries, some of the world's fastest yachts and highest profile campaigns, and a plethora of Corinthian teams have the 'classics' on their bucket list. Posted on 4 Mar