YACHT DESIGNER DON PYE DIES
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28 Aug 2019
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Don Pye has died aged 93. Pic: Holman & Pye
INDUSTRY DATABASE
HOLMAN & PYE
Yacht designer Don Pye has died aged 93 following a heart attack.
Don partnered with Kim Holman in 1964 and the pair formed Holman & Pye, designing yachts for several production yards including Bowman, Wauquiez, Seamaster, Hustler and Oyster.
After David Cooper joined the business, the firm became respected throughout the sailing world for designing practical seagoing yachts with great performance.
The company had a close relationship with Oyster and the boatbuilder’s founder Richard Matthews designing the UFI 34 and other UFO models before the first Oyster branded yacht – the Oyster 37 – in 1978.
Rob Humphreys took over the design of Oyster yachts after Don retired from Holman & Pye in the mid-1990s, with many of his original concepts still incorporated in the yacht designs.
Today around 5,000 yachts designed by Holman & Pye are still sailing around the world – and winning races – including six Rustler 36s that took part in the 2018 Golden Globe race around the world for amateur sailors.