“I feel sure he's charming potential customers in the River Styx boatyard as we speak!”
Tributes are being paid to yacht builder Nick Stratton, following his death at the age of 83.
Nick’s interest in sailing was sparked during his time in the Royal Air Force, where he won major sailing regattas. This passion took him away from the RAF in 1971 and back to his childhood home in Ballyholme on Belfast Lough with his wife, Lucy, and their young son, Miles.
It was then that he became involved in the Fireball class at Ballyholme Yacht Club. Legend has it that Nick and a friend built eight Fireballs in the club’s changing rooms one winter.
They soon co-founded Weatherly Yachts with designers the Brown Brothers, and built their next boat, a Ruffian 23 - in a pig shed! But Nick was pleased with the happy tale; nine more were sold at the Hobbies and Leisure Exhibition in Belfast the following week. Forty of those little offshore cruisers were then produced, with further models to follow including the Ruffian 30 and 8.5. The prototype Ruffian 30 competed in the 1974 half ton cup, surviving a 360 degree roll off La Rochelle Coast.
In 1975, during the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland, the family moved to Scotland, where he formed Nick Stratton Yachts.
Nick commissioned designer David Thomas to produce a series of highly successful yachts – Intro, Hydro, Bolero, Toledo and Big Bolero. Hydro and Bolero both won the Tomatin Trophy sailing regatta (now known as the Scottish Series) outright with a rare perfect scoreline in 1977, and production of over 120 yachts followed. The firm moved to a new premises at Rhu Marina on the West Coast of Scotland in 1980, where they became agents for the Sigma range of yachts and built up a solid base for the future brokerage business.
Nick’s son, Miles - who learned the art and business of yacht sales while working alongside his father - established Miles Stratton Marine in 2023. Having taken the helm at Nick Stratton Yachts in 2007, Miles is proud to be continuing his father’s legacy with the same passion and commitment to excellence:
“In the world of boats, my dad was commonly known as the Oracle”, said Miles. “If you don’t know, ask the Oracle!
“His passion for his business, sailing, gliding, his family and friends was inspiring. His outlook was always sunny, even in the hardest of times. Nothing was ever a problem because a problem always had a solution. I learnt by osmosis from a great man with boundless energy and zest for life. It was a true privilege.”
Nick, elder son of Flight Lieutenant Noel Stratton AFC and Nora Stratton, met and married Lucy (nee Hayden-Keatley) during his posting at RAF Bishops Court, on Hogmanay in 1966. An unaccompanied posting to RAF Labuan in Borneo was then followed by an extended tour of duty at RAF Seletar in Singapore, where their son Miles was born, on Halloween in 1968.
In 2012, Nick suffered a stroke which affected his speech, memory and balance. He continued to glide, ski and also took up curling until he was 75 years old.
Nick’s warmth, charm, kindness and laughter will be remembered by all those who knew him.
AS
