When Muriel Simpson married Alistair McMillan of Howth, she knew that boats and sailing would become a significant part of her life, as he had become a Junior Member of Howth Sailing Club in June 1941, while by 1967 he was so active in club affairs afloat and ashore that he was one of the energetic group in HSC – led by the legendary Howth 17 sailor Norman Wilkinson – who were working for the amalgamation of Howth SC with Howth Motor Yacht Cub to create Howth Yacht Club.
This was successfully achieved in 1968, and thus Muriel's widely mourned death has severed another direct link with a busy time in Howth's sailing and harbour development. But her passing has much greater significance than that, as she celebrated her Hundredth Birthday in May 2020, and so Howth Yacht Club is marking the loss of its oldest member.
She had lived a full life, alert to the end. Alistair was into all forms of sailing – racing and cruising, inshore and offshore, and in boats of all sizes from dinghies and Howth 17s up to Ian Morrison's Robert Clark-designed 47ft Querida (ex-Moonduster). But when the McMillan family acquired firstly a Folkboat and then a Shipman 28 for a busy racing and cruising programme, Muriel soon concluded that going racing was the most effective way to spoil a pleasant sail, and thus her involvement was exclusively for day sailing and cruising.
This was something which they expanded as a couple after Ian and Sheila Morrison bought the new Hallberg Rassy 42ft ketch Safari of Howth, and the McMillans were aboard for many Mediterranean ventures.
By this time they had raised their family of three sons John, Murray and Russell, and while the boys were of an age to be sailing the family's Heron dinghies, the horizons weren't so wide. But though the parents were later to enjoy foreign cruising, while life was at the stage of being largely centred around the Howth peninsula they were much involved in community affairs, with Muriel being a leading light in the Howth & Sutton horticultural society, while with Alistair she formed one of the most formidably successful "Collecting Couples" for the Howth RNLI, a role they filled with energy and devotion for 44 years, while Muriel was also a pillar of the HYC Bridge Group.
Although Alistair pre-deceased her by several years, Muriel had much to interest her, with five grand-children and four great-grandchildren, and hers was indeed a fulfilled life with a wider family circle, and many friends. Our thoughts are with them all.
WMN
