Tributes to David Luckenbach 12/17/50 to 2/23/2010

Please also read this letter from a friend sent to me before the memorial service. I know you are sailing a brand new Flying Scot now. Fair Winds. Sail on David -- A.K. In the wake of our recent Loss of David Luckenbach, and because he loved this event so, The Stillhouse Hollow Sailing Club 2010 Event this year will be termed "The David Luckenbach Memorial Bridge Too Far Regatta" S.W. "He's somewhere on the ocean now, the place he ought to be, One hand on the starboard rail, he's waving back at me" Jimmy Buffett David will be surely missed in both the sailing and online sailing community. I'm a member of a crew of Chrysler sailboat owners. We will miss his contributions greatly. Many of our members will add a black stripe to our mast this season to remember Dave. --J.A. Jackson, MI I am so very sorry to hear such sad news. Although I did not know David in person his passion for sailing and sincere desire to be of service to others are attributes that I respected and admired about him. I have always believed that those of us who love the sport of sailing believe life is more about the journey then the destination. David is someone who made a difference and passed on the gift of mastering the wind to others and for that we can all remember him fondly and be inspired to do our part in honoring David’s memory. My sincere condolences to you during this difficult time and best wishes for the continued success of the Sailing Texas website. R.E. Penticton, B.C. Canada His website is a huge source of information. I have used it extensively while researching boats; I would hate to see his site go. G.L. I just wanted to say my thoughts and prayers are with you. David didn't know me but I sure knew him through his tremendous work on the Sailing Texas website. His passion for sailing and his willingness to share his story with all of us Sailing Texas followers will forever be remembered! God Bless and Take Care! P.L. Dear Alison: I am so, so, sorry. I could tell from his writing what a wonderfully kind and generous human being David was. I can only guess at how terrible this time has been for you, and the dimension of your loss. I pray and hope that you will once again find joy on the other side of your grief. J.E. Please accept my deepest sympathy. I am just one of David's students who was touched by his love of sailing and good nature. He was a fine human being, and I feel lucky to have stumbled across his path. You will be in my prayers. C.J. Susie and I were very saddened to hear the news of David's death. With all you two have been through, as ridiculous as it might sound, you deserved a miracle. Hopefully, the stress of the past year will subside and you will be left with wonderful memories of a truly special man. As you know I met David as most people, through sailing. I was lucky enough to take one of his weekend-long sailing lessons. However, it was not his obvious knowledge and love for sailing that struck me. Rather it was his undeniable love for people. His easy smile and unique way of looking at the world were a breath of fresh air compared to the usual parade of folks who react to life as TV commercials insist they must. My favorite story is when David explained why he likes tongue piercings, because they allow us not to waste time figuring out the person we are talking to is an idiot. Too funny! However, it sums David up in a nutshell. He was completely comfortable in his own skin and was a true individual. David will be missed, but his spirit will live on in the multitude of folks like myself who had the pleasure of getting to know him! - A.C. So sorry to hear of David's passing. He has helped so many of us in the sailing world. G.L. I've never been much more than a lurker on the Sailing Texas website, but what began as a way to entertain myself looking at boats became much more as I learned more of David's pre-cancer story and subsequent battle with cancer. I've been blessed with good health so far and hope to never face the battle David fought so bravely. But he was an inspiration. The more I found out about him, the more I liked him. I have so much respect for a man whose tenacity lead him to scrape a living out of sailing because he loves it, when it would have been so much easier to make money doing something else that he didn't love. He lives on as an inspiration to me, and many others. D.W. As a nurse and a sailor I have been following David's story, hoping for a happy ending. I know there are no words to ease your sorrow right now, so let me just thank you for continuing to carry on the site. It has brought me countless hours of sailing dreams, and that's priceless in my busy life. I sent a small donation via paypal, I wish it could be more, but I wanted to do something at least to show my support and appreciation for David's great labor of love. Hopefully it helps just a little. Again, you have my deepest condolences. J.O. Please accept our sincerest condolences on David’s passing. David taught my two young sons, how to sail on Lake LBJ five years ago. It is a gift that they will have for the rest of their lives. They called him “Captain Dave”. -- S.M. Dear Alison, This is to say how very sorry I am for you. It is possibly a relief but that does not really help you. M.H. Norfolk, England I just wanted to send you a note to let you know how much i have enjoyed David and his teachings. I have for months now, followed him and I am terribly sorry to hear of his passing. I know that he will be deeply missed. I hope that you can continue his work and we pray that you and your family will find peace and comfort. R.K. I hope you keep the site up, it is a special place of refuge for the sailing addicted. I once had a chat with one of my many weight loss surgery support groups and the topic of addiction came up and I stated publicly to my group " I am addicted to Sailing Texas web site" No one got it, but to see what is posted for sale and let the cares of the day drift away as I walked the virtual docks of sail boats. Sounds weird but when one is boat obsessed one is boat obsessed, it is a great cyber escape. I never met David. I only e mailed him just that once. But his work with ST has enriched and touched my life in many ways. Dear Alison, I am so very sorry to hear of your loss. Dave provided a wonderful service, but more importantly shared his unique personality and love of sailing with novices and experts alike. While I never met him, I feel I got to know him through his postings on the site. The Sailing Texas site is my favorite sailing site, and it helped me sell a boat last year. I hope it will continue as long as possible as Dave’s legacy. K.K. Pittsburgh, PA I am sure your loss is profound and my wishes for you to find some place of peace with this loss as much as possible. I am sure there are untold numbers of others in all corners of the world who were touched by David / the site / his candor and courage in facing his illness. A.D. Sailing Texas has giving me countless hours and years of enjoyment and even helped me sell my boat. I’ll miss David. Thank you so much. My prayers are with you and your family. God bless you. -- K.S. I am so, so sorry to hear of David's death. He was such a boon to a large sailing community. He has provided a great service to so many sailors over the years. He even taught one of my friends how to sail. We all admired his passion for the sport, and SailingTexas.com is by far the best website out there. I'm an inveterate sailboat nut and have bought and sold several boats via your website. P.G. I always appreciated David’s passion for sailing and his dedication to his website; he will be missed by many I’m certain. B.H. David will be missed by many like myself that never had the opportunity to meet him but felt we knew him through this website. I admire the life he lived but more importantly how he lived it. My prayers are with you. B.K. Simpsonville, SC As I learn to sail better and pass on what I know to others, I will be sailing with and for David. His passion for sailing and teaching has had a profound influence on me. R.M. Fair winds, my friend; peace be with you. P.C. My deepest condolences to you and David’s family, I have been visiting David’s web site for years and always enjoyed his wit, banter and of course the on-line training courses and sailing tips. His web site was like a stress revealer to me as each day I could dream of what boat I could not afford. David has added so much to my life and has helped through so many hard times, without ever knowing it. As an alternative school teacher I have visited Sailingtexas.com, as a wonderful stress reliever and to help cope with tragedy that I've seen so many times. So, as you can understand, David's web site lifted me up and gave me hope when times where tough. It has always been a safe place to go and "hide", so that I could re-energize and then get back to school. My hope is that David will somehow know that he has touched my life and given me so much joy. As a Christian, I actually believe that we have an amazingly loving God, who will restore us in heaven. Jesus loved sailing and with his grace will give us back our memories and lives. In short, God bless you David and thank you for everything that you have done. B.B. Dear Alison: I just got home tonight, and heard from a friend, of the loss of our mutual friend, David...I am crying!!!!.... I know David well enough to know, "He is in a Better Place!" All of us that knew David through 'Sailing Texas,' will, Alison, continue to support you and Sailing Texas any way we can! Let us know what we can do to help you! Love. M.H. Texas. R.I.P Dave and thanks for all the helpful info. there has not been a week that I haven't visited his site. It is how I knew what my C-22 was and how I also came to look at the C-26's for the first time. My thoughts go out to his family. I have been praying for David and am sorry to hear that he has crossed over. A verse from the Bible: One day He went on board a boat--both He and his disciples; and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the Lake." So they set sail. Luke 8 verse 22. I hope to meet David on the other side of the lake. G.B. I'm so sorry to hear of David's death. You have our fondest wishes. You don't know me at all. I'm just a 60 year old guy who loves boats and found the sailingtexas website. It is perfect. Not slick and full of "features" just basic and honest. D.S. Dear Alison, What an extraordinary mixture of sadness and relief must be involved in your mind at present. It must be a relief for David to have left what must have been such a life of pain and bewilderment with his only life-line being you beside him all the time. M.H. Queensland, Australia Alison, Just wanted to add my condolences. I enjoyed my brief interactions with David over the past few years. Bought a boat and sold another through the site, and learned some things from David's postings as well. He'll certainly be missed (a genuine one-of-a-kind) but I also think you're a trooper to pledge to keep David's creation going. I have learned a tremendous amount from the site and the instructional videos David produced. He had obvious passion for sailing and for life with the selfless explanations about his health. He will be missed. R.A. I am so very sorry to hear such sad news. Although I did not know David in person his passion for sailing and sincere desire to be of service to others are attributes that I respected and admired about him. I have always believed that those of us who love the sport of sailing believe life is more about the journey then the destination. David is someone who made a difference and passed on the gift of mastering the wind to others and for that we can all remember him fondly and be inspired to do our pat in honoring David’s memory. My sincere condolences to you during this difficult time and best wishes for the continued success of the Sailing Texas website. R.E. I extend my sympathy for the loss of David. He made the world a better place -- especially the sailing world. I often visit Sailing Texas for a quick sailing "fix." Viewing the listings and photo gallery is always pleasant. It was all held together by David's personality and love of sailing. -- D.S. I am so saddened to hear of David’s passing just now. Visiting this website DAILY for now 5+ years I feel he is a part of my life. And last summer when in the hospital I corresponded via email and felt I really got know a truly wonderful human with terrific spirit. My deepest sorrow – David and family are in my prayers. -- F.W. Hello Alison, We are so, so sorry. We really don't know what to say, as it must have been just too awful for words. C.H. Sussex, England. What a loss! I will add a black stripe at the foot of my mast this season to remember all the sailors we've lost this year. Sail big and sail free Dave. Dear Alison and family, I have been following your journey for some time now, and I have to tell you what a pleasure it is to see Grace in action. Your family has blessed me in so many ways that I can't even begin to count them all. The sailing world stands with their sails at half mast through this time, to honor a GREAT man. May God continue to shine on you and bring joy as WE remember the love, laughs, and light that this fine man has shared with us all. For all this I Chris Stiers salute you and most of all DAVID, a man of good salt and season. God bless. Chris and family of St. Petersburg Florida. My whole family and sailor friends extend our condolences. Dave was such a great guy. I never met him personally, but corresponded with him via internet about sailing and selling my first boat. Sailingtexas idea is great and must live on. I visit the page on a daily basis. It inspired me to start my own little web page about my boat and my sailing experiences. Our hats off to Dave. He will be remembered as a great man! Thank you so much for your dedication to Sailingtexas! A.D. I did not know David personally, but knew he was a very kind and generous person just from his web site. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and the rest of the family. May God comfort you during these times. J. We don’t know you personally, but I suspect that many of us feel like we have lost a dear, close, personal friend. David gave me a lesson on my new little DaySailor II on Lake LBJ (more sailing time than the two hours paid for) about four years ago and we have bought and sold boats on the website. D.P. My visit to the Sailing Texas website is a daily occurrence because I love all boats and try to keep up with prices and the market as a hobby. My wife and I have chuckled at his dry wit, laughed out loud at the lost baggage recording and enjoyed his little lessons and tips. We are grateful to you for keeping us informed and we pray for your peace of mind. A.P. I interacted with Dave about 2+ years ago when he listed my boat on his website for me. Through the email exchanges I was able to glean that he was an honest and honorable man. His vision of getting used sailboats into the hands of those who want to sail has done a lot for the sport he had such a passion for. I am saddened…he will be missed! G.M. David will surely be missed. He was a fantastic guy. I am sure he is at the tiller somewhere where we do not know. Hope to see you sometime soon at the lake. Cap. J. I am so sorry for loss. I only knew David through his web site. I feel safe in saying, his passion for sailing was surpassed only by his love for his family. I am sure he made a "lift" in this "header". However, for those left behind, it will be a while before regain momentum. HS David was always ready to share information and tips he had discovered and sincerely wanted help share the joy of sailing. D.L. I have been a fan of SailingTexas for many years. No matter if we were living in Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, the Keys, or now Austin your web site has always been a favorite of mine basically because I guess David's kind nature came through even over the internet. May God bless you always and I hope that continuing SailingTexas is a good adventure for you. Thank you to David and you for all you have done encouraging others to love life - S.M. He was a special guy, he was only diagnosed last May 2009 with brain and lung cancer and managed to completely document his fight over the next ten months right on his website. Pictures, xrays, hospital videos and all! Even closeup pictures of the 34 staples that put his skull back together after brain surgery last May. He did it hoping to help someone else in the future by showing the treatments that are possible these days. I am so sorry to hear about your loss. My family will remember you in our prayers. David was very encouraging and helpful in instructing me on how to sell my boat. I am very grateful. T.W. I know you know this, but he was a fantastic teacher. I feel I learned more in those two days with him than I could have in any other sailing class. I even feel a little guilty for looking for a motor for my boat to get it in and out of the marina (but a 22 going into a slip is a little harder to control than a Flying Scot aiming for a dock in Sandy Creek). B.C. Loving hugs for you and heavenly light and peace for David who's sailing the heavenly seas. H.B. I am sorry to read of David's passing. I never met the man but as a fellow sailor I felt a connection to him. I have always thought that each minute spent sailing adds an hour to one's life. Maybe this is not so but it has added hours of joy to my life. David made it easier for people to find the boat of their dreams. I am happy that Sailing Texas.com will continue. D.O. It is with great sadness that I read of Dave's passing. First drawn to this site while searching for a new boat, I often returned during the cold Minnesota winter days to dream of boats and to check on Dave's condition. He was a credit to sailing, and the human race in general. I am very pleased to read that this site will carry on in his memory. Fair winds Dave.. C.B. David was a mensch. We are all richer for his time on earth, even if known only through the website. Thank you for sharing him with us. Our prayers are with you. A.G. I just opened up the Sailing Texas website and was shocked and saddened to read of David's Passing. The sailing community has lost a wonderful man and a great enthusiast and coach. We can be thankful that David followed his passion and touched so many lives. What a privilege to have known him if even so briefly. I thank you for continuing the sail texas site and I hope it does wonderfully for you. It is a tremendous legacy that You and David have created. I wish you every comfort and may your heart find peace and joy in the knowledge that we serve a kind and loving creator. My deepest and most fervent prayers for you during this difficult time. With love and kind thoughts. D.A. Don Alexander PS, last may I purchased a very used 74 Catalina 22, worked diligently to revive it and enjoyed it from July 4th through October of last year. David's voice comes to me all the time during my ongoing trials and tribulations. David will not be forgotten. Alison, I'm sorry about the loss of your husband David. I only knew him from some of the videos on sailing texas and he seemed like a gentle, fun-loving guy. He will be missed. Take care. M.W. We've never met or corresponded, but when after a 30 year hiatus from sailing, sailingtexas.com was one of the first web sites I visited after re-acquiring the sailing bug. David did much for his fellow man, and I'm thankful to have been lifted by his efforts - it sure wasn't a header. Please keep the dreams alive. No response necessary, I just wanted to help let you know David's passion did a lot of good. Condolences, C. H. Alison, I am so sorry for your loss. May you be comforted that a stranger in Washington state shares your sorrow and will be thinking of you in the days to come. God's blessings to you. M.M. Our hats off to Dave. He will be remembered as a great man! A.D. We were so very sorry to hear of David's passing. We thought a lot of him and will miss seeing him at our club events and I'm sure the sailing community, as a whole, will miss him also. Sailing Texas is a wonderful service to sailors everywhere and I know that he would be proud to know that you are going to carry it onward. I'm so sorry to hear of David"s passing. Sailing Texas has been my home page for years, I bought one of my sailboats from a listing, and I visit the site almost every day. I regret that I never got the chance to meet David; and yet I feel as though I have lost a friend. I'm sure there are many others who's lives have been enriched by his work who feel the same. I'm grateful to know that you will be carrieing on with David's work with the website. I have had you and David in my prayers since he shared his condition with everyone; and I will continue to remember you as you go through this difficult time. God bless you, may the peace of the Lord be with you. Fair winds, David. D.H. I am truly saddened to hear of David's passing, may God bless his soul. I took a class from him in 2005 and enjoyed every minute of it. David was truly an old school sailor. When the class had ended and David was reviewing how we had done, he said to me "you are good". I consider that a high complement and will remember it forever. May he have fair winds and following seas on his new journey. B.O. My deepest sympathies to David's family on his passing. I never met David but several years ago I sent him an email about sailing and he promptly responded, and I became an instant fan. I learned much about sailing from his instructions on the Sailing Texas website. Always wanted to sail with David and learn from his great store of sailing knowledge. He seemed a very genuine guy, not pretentious, and I think once he was your friend, he would have been a friend for life. I am very saddend by David's passing and will miss his writing on the Sailing Texas website. I offer you my deepest condolences. David was a good man and he will be missed in the sailing community. D.B. I am deeply saddened by your loss of David. Although I never met him, reading Sailing Texas, and especially his story of fighting cancer, made me wish I had known him (and you) personally. A.L. Washington, DC I was so saddened last night when I Googled his name and found out he only passed a few days ago. I have been thinking about him lately. He was such a sweet man, and he gave me sailing lessons a few years ago. He was the only sailor/captain I knew that taught for the pure joy of it and to enrich others. It sure won't be like sailing with David. All of us sailors will truly miss him. M.O. God Bless you and your family.... David is one of those people that makes Heaven the place you want to sail to.... and I bet If he could film it he would post it as well.. ;-) We all know that!!! God Bless. Y.C. We are profoundly sad to hear of David’s passing. He was courageous, a true gentleman, and a joy to be with on the water. We consider it a privilege to have sailed with David, and to have been welcomed so graciously into your home. We will remember David with affection. Our memories of his friendly, patient willingness to share his expertise will remain with us always. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. T. and M. P. Alison, My condolences for the loss of David. I just saw the article. Everyone always had nice things to say about him. God Bless, Be strong! R. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. As many have mentioned, a lot of us have never actually met David in person, but through his honest, personal, and genuine writing on website, we ALL felt like we really knew him nonetheless. I, for one, checked the Sailing Texas site daily, whether I was in the market for a boat at the time or not (have bought and sold several through the site), and corresponded with him enough that he is listed in my Contacts. For instance, one of my boats has been sold three times off Sailing Texas, and all the info can still be found on the site - that's amazing. I lost my brother to brain cancer last year at about the same time David began his struggle, and his detailed heartfelt journey provided me with much insight. My brother always wanted to come visit and learn to sail with us, but just never found the time. Now I take some comfort in knowing that David is talking him through a peaceful tack to a long broad reach up in heaven. Fair Winds & Tight Sails, JCN. My mother sent me the video of you and David having breakfast with the deer. I thought that was really special and I decided to check out the sailingtexas.com website to see if I could learn more about you. I was so sad to hear that David had recently passed away. I could tell from the website that he had touched a lot of people in his life and I just wanted you to know that he is still touching people with that video. I have sent the video to my friends, along with some information about Mr. Luckenbach and the sailingtexas.com website, and have made a contribution to help keep the sailingtexas website up and running. Alison, I am very sorry for your loss and just wanted to reach out to you. M.W. I am so sorry to learn about David. May God's hand comfort you as you grieve David's passing. I want you to know that the boat we bought through your website has been a blessing to my wife and I. We have enjoyed many wonderful sails aboard and look forward to many more. If it had not been for David and his website, we likely would not have known about our boat. Know that I will be thinking of you and your family and praying that all of you will be comforted. Thank you so much for all your efforts to communicate to the world David’s plight. I am not a Dr, but one could see in the images that his was worsening and I'm sure we all hoped the Drs and all those “above” us would cure it. You don’t know me. I'm just another sailor who visits the sight regularly. Alison, I am so sorry, I am also so glad that you got to have 4 years together and that you were in his life when he needed you. God must think you are some woman to be up to so many difficult challenges. All my love, M.S. Caifornia I never knew David, but I have been logging onto Sailing Texas for years now, and he clearly was a great man. It's a tribute to him that you're continuing the site. Please accept condolences from a total stranger in your loss. I'm not sure how to express my condolences and sympathies. I am so sorry for the pain that you have been through, and are going through. I have been praying for many months now for David and for you, and I will continue to do so. My Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer late last year. You and David's openness on the internet about his illness and treatment have been a valued source to both my father and I (my Dad took up sailing 44 years ago when I was 6, and we've both been longtime fans of sailingtexas). I thank you for sharing. David has been a huge credit to our sport of sailing. He and I interacted several times, and we tried to line up sailing on my Hunter 35.5. I really regret that we never made that happen. M.T. I just read the news of David's passing, and wanted to tell you how much I have appreciated him and the sailingtexas.com web site. I just got my cruising boat this month and sailingtexas did help keep me feeling enthusiastic throughout the long search. It's funny how when we do what we love we have such strong, positive effects on others, isn't it? And most of the time we never even know them or what has happened. It's sort of "under the radar" - and beautiful. R.F. Lost for words....... My thoughts are with you all...I.R. I am so sad to hear of David passing. I did not know David at all, other than the videos and comments he made on his web site. I only got interested in sailing a couple of months ago and found the web site. I found his videos very informative and entertaining. He helped me so much to understand the basics of sailing and even tying knots Again, I did not know David personally, but knew he was a very kind and generous person just from his web site. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and the rest of the family. May God comfort you during these times. J.C. I never met Dave but feel that I knew him through the website. So sorry to hear of your lose. You and your family will be in my thoughts. J.C. Des Plaines IL Alison. The best thing that happened to David was you. His courage in facing cancer and your support are shining examples of how to handle problems. He was a great guy and introduced me to sailing many years ago, I nearly capsized his boat and he was just as smooth as silk. He will be missed. I offer my sincere condolences to you and David's family. Though we never met nor spoke by phone, we communicated by email occasionally about his disease. I was my honor and privilege to pray for him. My prayer at this time is that he is rejoicing with God in heaven, in perfect health. My prayer for you and David's family is that God will make His presence known in your lives, comfort you, and bring you His peace that passes understanding. L.T. From a total stranger who enjoyed looking at the website and checking sailboats for sale, my condolences on the news of David's death. I read up on his progress after being diagnosed and it made me sad to hear of your loss. David seemed like a very good person and I am sure he will be missed.....P.P. I was saddened to read of David’s passing. I found the Sailing Texas website several years ago and have gone to it almost daily ever since. I’ve enjoyed his videos and his video sailing lessons. He seemed to really love sailing and being able to teach sailing. Last July; I saw an ad for a Catalina 22 on your website that was located in my area. I’m happy to say that boat is now mine and my wife and I enjoy our times on her. I doubt I would own her if not for all of David’s hard work in putting together his website. It would be the greatest tribute to David’s memory to keep Sailing Texas going. Our prayers are with you in this time of loss. G.S. Columbus Georgia I'm so sorry to hear of David's passing. Even though I was never lucky enough to meet him, I always thought he seemed fortunate to be doing something he really loved. He was such a positive influence on so many people through his sailing videos and web site. Please also read this letter from a friend sent to me before the memorial service. 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