Robert W. "Bob" Davis

(1st June 1918 - 31 October 1998)

An artisan in the world of wooden boat building, Bob Davis was a superb craftsman who shared his joy of boats with those he met. There was never a time during his life when Bob was not building a boat.

He built boats from the size of small dinghies to 45-foot ketches on his own, including making the patterns for the bronze castings and making the spars and oars.

He was born and brought up in Oakville, Ontario. He knew the yacht builders of the earlier part of this century who were constructing some the famous classic yachts such as "White Wings" in the local area. He also visited the many famous yards in the Eastern United States, including those of Herreshoff and Henry B. Nivens. He gained international recognition during the 1930's with his work on International 14's.

During the Second World War he was in the Maritimes staying at Alexander Graham Bell's home with Casey Baldwin and working on small watercraft for the war effort and ship repair.

His first large yacht was a double ender, and he sailed her to the Bahamas and back. She is still going strong owned by a family in Eastern US. His next large vessel "Kindly Light" graced the waters of Prince Edward County for many years and is still sailing the Great Lakes.

Bob, with his wife Doris, moved to Picton and spent the second half of his life in the County. He traveled often to different boat shows, yards and races. Between Canada, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean and the United States, Bob would visit and share his knowledge about the yachting and the boats.