Ian Nicholson

Speaker at the first Clyde Cruising Club winter meeting for two years was club member of over 60 years Ian Nicholson.

A young 93 year old Ian continues to cruise and race in club events throughout the sailing season.

Tonight Ian spoke of his naval architect father David who in the late 1930’s became chief measurer working across four boatyards on the Clyde who switched from boatbuilding to building fuselages for flying boats. The fuselages and wings were built in separate factories and precision measurement was essential.

This work led to his father solving the problem of flying boat refuelling initially from the water and later from the air. In flight refuelling essential during the Falklands War and during the Cold War was pioneered and developed in the UK from David Nicholson’s original concepts.