My husband, Chris Westwood, who has died aged 82, had an overriding passion for sailing. Learning in a homemade Mirror he became adept at reclaiming dinghies, and regularly raced on the River Medway in Kent. Chris’s appetite for mastering sailing techniques was noticed at Deptford Sailing Centre in south London, where he taught Inner London Education Authority-funded evening classes for 10 years from 1975, while working as a civil servant.
He was a member of many sailing clubs on the River Thames and Medway, and a dinghy captain and secretary at Greenwich Yacht Club, where he and I met in 1988; Chris also supported disabled people, helping them to sail on the tideway. He later became a committee member at Erith Yacht Club. He loved racing to win, despite saying he wasn’t competitive, and enjoyed cruising up the east coast of England. A tower of strength to me and to female friends, Chris encouraged us to build careers and pursue sailing, despite widespread misogyny in the sport.
Born in Pembury, Kent, to Maude (nee Peppiatt), a journalist, and Lindsey Westwood, a lab technician at Guy’s hospital dental department, after the second world war Chris attended Chislehurst and Sidcup grammar school. He began to study economics and English at Sheffield University in 1962, but was “asked to leave” – as a student union journalist who spent a lot of time reviewing plays and gigs, he found little time for lectures.
Chris joined the library of the Ministry of Transport in 1966, before a spell at the Department of Environment. He returned to Transport a few years later, working on special load routes, HGV licensing for drivers, operators’ and transport tribunals, and liaising with trade unions and his Irish and European counterparts. His sharp intellect and pragmatism eventually led him to the Highways Agency (now National Highways), where he managed road schemes for London – including improvements to the A12 and A13, and the doomed East London River Crossing, which was first proposed in the 1970s and ultimately dropped in the 90s.
Chris and I married in 2018. He welcomed early retirement, aged 52, in 1995, during the shrinking of the civil service that Margaret Thatcher had planned – it meant more time for sailing.
Chris loved to read, enjoyed gardening and jazz, and was an obsessive collector of marine paintings, books and ephemera.
In his later years he had many health issues, finding the need for medication or check-ups tedious, as they interfered with “life”. He defied the odds several times, with medical staff surprised by his endurance and determination. Latterly he bravely decided to refuse treatment that would potentially extend his life, wanting to remain independent, a goal that he achieved.
He is survived by me.
