British Landsailing Land sailing in the UK Land & sand yachts, parakarts & land boards
	24th Jan 2011: It is with great sadness that I pass on the news of the passing of Len Warren. Len was taken by a heart attack at the weekend following a short stay in hospital for an earlier stroke. To the Fed, Len was an active and long serving member. There in the early days of the Fylde Club, he had a phenomenal knowledge of the sport and was central to the development of the racing rules as we know them today. His role as Director of Practice meant he was known by everyone and his humour and integrity in overseeing numerous National and International Championships meant he was well respected. Many a pilot has benefitted from a "word" with Len. His commitment to the sport has been exemplary. I met him at my first British Championship regatta twenty years ago and will sorely miss somebody who was part of the regatta experience. Len made course setting an art form with complaints of banks or potholes quickly dismissed with the recommendation to choose a different route. I know we will all miss him, the DoP's fluorescent jacket will never be worn quite like that again.   The funeral was held at Lytham Crematorium on Monday 31st January at 10.30am. If you would like to share your own memories of Len, please send them here. We will add as many of your messages to this page as we can. Rhys Davies British Landsailing Chairman Len stayed with me many times on regatta weekends and we had many long chats. He was a true gentleman and was dedicated to the sport. I and many others will miss him. My sincere condolences to his wife and family. G.T., Wirral I have to say it was a shock to hear Len passed away. I met Len for the first time, I don't know how many years ago. We were a small group of Irish sailors with no racing experience and he let us join the Hoylake regatta. For our first race, he gave us a simple run down of the rules. 1. just don't hit anyone! A true gent and a very special man. Always calm, even when he showed me my tyre tracks crossing within 2 feet of the judges' caravan. Len, we'll miss you hugely. A lovely man, the end of an era. C.B., Dublin Reminiscing and sharing memories are part of our everyday life, but when a friend passes away, those who are left look deeper into those memories and incidents. In the summer of 1976 I took a group of scouts to Lytham St Anne SYC where they had arranged to ‘have a go’ at sandyachting. I had never seen or heard of the sport, I had no concept of what it entailed and thought it was not the best use of our time to make such a long trip. By the end of that day I had bought a heap of wood, metal and cloth which I was told was a DN yacht which just needed putting back together; I was hooked on sandyachting. But more importantly I met a group of people; some of the greatest names in sandyachting that I would call my friends and Len Warren was one of the principle members of that group. The following year after I had built a new Class 4 sandyacht Len issued me with a sailing licence which he had duly signed after observing me sail and complete a short written test. In the following years Len has been that ever present figure who ensures that all those pilots he had trained and observed followed the rules of the game and ensured good sportsmanship. If anyone did not they in his words; "risked wrath of the sailing master, and possibly penalty points". Although he appeared to be very stern on these occasions to emphasis the point he usually ended the words with that wry smile that I will always remember. As recently as the last regatta at Hoylake in 2010 when Len officiated, I spied a fast route which involved sailing through the parking area of the class 3 yacht; no one followed me! As we parked our yachts at the end of the race a message circulated that ‘Len wanted a word with me; a sure sign that the wanted to speak severely to me about the manoeuvre. Would he issue penalty points, or just a word in my ear? Thankfully it was the latter. In future when I sail and am considering split second decisions I will remember Len’s ‘words’ and hopefully make decisions of which he would approve. Thank you Len for all those great memories. M.L., Yorkshire The Wirral Club was the last Club to have enjoyed the membership of Len Warren and we feel privileged to have hosted him. We all remember him with great affection for his assistance to our Club from its first days over 20 years ago and he is sorely missed. He was always courteous and understanding as our less than reliable beach vehicles often left him stranded miles away from anywhere. His work at the 2007 Europeans was tremendous as he guided our faltering footsteps in running this great event for the first time. His unfailing calm and good nature (sometimes in the face of great provocation!) was a lesson for us all. It is truly the end of an era and he will be missed by everybody, a true gentleman. V.W., WSYC Len was for me the person I needed when I arrived on a EC. I couldn't begin to set up my yacht before seeing the man with the always bright shining face. We will remember you like that Len. The whole family will miss you!! H.D., De Panne Salut l'Ami du Vent ,salut l'Ami des gens. Farewell friend of the wind, farewell friend to us all. Lys, France It is with great sadness that I read of Len's passing. He was truly a giant for our sport. Our deepest condolences to Joyce, Adrian and the others of his immediate family. Len came from a time when the sport was a family within itself. I am sure that by now he is organising races in the ethereal Landyacht world. R&S, New Zealand I did my first and only European Championship in Lytham in 1987. Len was then the director of the Ladies class 5. We had a very nice week, and enjoyed having such a kind and friendly man as director. Since then I always enjoyed seeing him at every Championship I went, now not as pilot, but as wife of a pilot (Pascal Demuysere) and mother of 4 children. Len was a very lovable man, and we will miss him on the beach. We send you our deepest sympathy, and we hope, in the future, you can think of him and remember all the good moments together. Ingrid De Clercq & Pascal Demuysere Bastijn, Tyas, Katoo And Zita Belgium If you would like to share your own memories of Len, please send them here. We will add as many of your messages to this page as we can.
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