Richard Francis Chudley

Richard Francis Chudley, “Dick” to his friends and family, was born in Exeter, Devon, ‘jolly-old’ England on October 2nd 1935. Born to purveyors of poultry, he worked around the shop in Exeter, but being land locked he was not to be! As a youngster he spent his summers with family in Lustleigh in Dartmoor but also at Exmouth on the sea, where he learned his love of the water! Those summers were spent having much fun in boats, learning to sail and row the sandy shores of Southern England.

At fifteen years of age Dick, moved to London to live, learn and train aboard the HMS Worcester anchored on the River Thames, at the Thames Nautical Training College. He fondly remembered sleeping on the ship at night, in his hammock, to the rock n’ roll of the ship, as the tidal waters lifted Worcester up and down.

Dick worked as a cadet sailing the seven seas with the Royal Mail Line, out of London. Vancouver, BC was to be one of his ports of call. In 1957, he immigrated to Canada. Having experienced the beauty of the west coast of Canada, he settled in Victoria, after landing first in Prince Rupert. His move to Victoria coincided with his work in the Naval Reserve aboard the HMS Malahat from 1960-1971. He was also the Proctor of the newly constructed and organized Student Union Building, in the early years of the University of Victoria.

His love of the sea and everything boats, continued as he imported sail and power boats from Albin Marine in Sweden, including the Vega 27’ and the Albin 25’. He enjoyed them so much, he bought one for himself! These boats remain popular family cruising craft to this day, in local waters and across North America. When Albin Marine could no longer produce them, Dick then built the Coaster locally in Sidney, all before joining the BC Ferries in 1980. He got to know the Gulf Islands, as Captain of the Queen of Nanaimo, until his retirement in 1999.

He was never happier than when cruising the Gulf Islands with his first mate, family and friends on board.

Dick’s favourite quote, which he lived out, was none other than from Ratty to Mole, in Kenneth Grahame’s classic novel, The Wind in the Willows: “Believe me my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”