OCC Flying Fish 2021-1

OBITUARIES & APPRECIATIONS Diana Russell Diana Russell was born on 20th December 1943, the elder of two daughters of the Hon Edward W C Russell and Barbara K Russell. She grew up in Washington, DC and attended The Potomac School and The Madeira School. Diana graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1965. For a short time she lived in historic Georgetown, Washington, then moved up to New York City to pursue her interest in naval architecture. Diana loved ‘messing around in boats’ and, especially, sailing anything she could get her hands on.

In the early 1970s she joined the renowned yacht design firm of Sparkman & Stephens. She was a pioneer in computer programming, writing the firm’s nascent, empirically-based performance prediction system into yachting’s first computational Velocity Prediction Program.

Her work inspired Olin Stephens, the firm’s founder, to co-lead the subsequent, large-scale development of the original VPP for yacht handicapping through a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Diana sailed as much as she could, including transatlantic and in the North Sea, and joined the OCC in 1978 Diana Russell following a 2640 mile passage from Gran Canaria to Barbados aboard the 38ft Wild Hunter. No degree of physical discomfort could stop her from following her deep love of boats wherever they took her. She loved to study how they moved through the air and water and how she might design them to move more efficiently. All aspects of boating dynamics interested her.

Diana had an extremely inventive, creative mind and held several patents. She specialised in small boat design, especially hull profiles. She had a constant curiosity about the science of sailing, and delighted in the study of hydrodynamics as she perfected her own boat designs. Shortly before her death she was working on a wakeless judging boat to be used for rowing races. She also had ideas for a wind-powered oceangoing container ship, all in keeping with her environmental awareness and concerns.

Eventually Diana founded a small company called WingSystems which manufactured and sold tenders, dinghies and windsurfers.

In addition to the OCC, Diana was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian YC for around 40 years. She was also a member of the New York YC, the Royal Ocean 233