Sea K Designs - build yourself or purchase pre-built wood scow dinghy sailboats Sonatina and Chickadee

Chris Koper has passed away

On the 8th November 2006 Chris Koper the master sailor, yacht designer and photographer extraordinaire, passed away in Ontario Canada. For the last two years, Chris had suffered with ALS (a form of motor neuron disease) which, since the middle of 2005 had advanced rapidly. In his last months, Chris was barely able to speak but still keeping in regular contact and directing people around him by means of special computer based aids that made it possible to type messages and even to use a computer based speech system that he controlled by moving his head and using a special clicker between his knees. Chris planned his last year and a half meticulously and lived it to the full. He faced his illness head on and never shied away from talking or writing about how it affected him both physically and emotionally. His writings about his own experience of “living with ALS” and invitations to people around him to write about how they related to him with ALS, led to many inspirational moments and written records.

Although Chris left South Africa in 1969 to avoid the military draft (he was a conscientious objector, just like his father during World War 2), he always regarded this country as his spiritual home and visited here regularly, particularly in the last 10 years. His Canadian wife and he had planned to make this their second home upon retiring. In early December 2005 Chris and Margret came to live in Cape Town for 3 and a half months. During that time, there was a particularly special moment for Chris when he was invited, quite spontaneously, to speak at the prize giving of a junior regatta weekend at Imperial Yacht Club in Muizenberg (of course, his fathers Dabchick, was one of the classes racing ). It was one of those heart stopping moments that will be remembered by all who were there.

Chris will be remembered for his Sea-K-design, yacht designs, C K Imagineering (a name he created himself for his first class collection of photographs) and his inspirational writings created during the time with ALS. All in all, the last 6 or 7 years represented a really creative highpoint in his life at many different levels.

By a process of self discovery and some interesting tell tale “messages” from his late father Jack Koper, that Chris found in envelopes left specifically for him, Chris himself became a yacht designer in the late 90’s. His first design used his fathers Sonnet as inspiration and template. By updating certain key aspects of the Sonnet, this evolved into a thoroughly modern new scow, the Sonatina. With bigger sail plan (one of the “messages” his father left him was, a note on a Sonnet plan that revised her sail dimensions to exactly the sail dimension that Chris had already calculated he would need for the Sonatina), enhanced underwater shape and different sail configuration possiblities, she could be used in a much wider range of wind conditions and skipper or skipper/crew combinations. For his second design Chris again turned to his father for inspiration using the Dabchick as the basis. Chris felt very strongly that in North America particularly, there was a gap for a boat between the Optimist and the club 420, much like the Dabchick has served for decades as the link between Optimist and other bigger boats here in South Africa. So, while again keeping the overall look and feel of the Dabchick, the Chickadee (like the Dabchick, the name is inspired by a type of bird) as she became known, has some key enhancements, most notably bigger rig, more volume in the front of the hull and the higher sides and dished “cockpit” creating a drier and more comfortable boat.

Recently Chris has received various accolades from well known yachting individuals, with the highest accolade being, appointed as fellow of the LSSA, the oldest sailing association in Canada and a personal message of inspiration and congratulation for his designs, recently received from the Fogh family, a distinguished name in North American yachting circles.

In dealing with ALS, Chris was not shy to let the yachting world know what he was facing, and even launched an appeal to “Keep the Dream Alive” on his Sea-K website and in personal interaction with people. His Chickadee design will be used in an “at risk” youth group project, to both teach boat building and a sailing skills in Toronto. A similar appeal was launched here for a South African development project, some 2 months ago in this magazine. When his wife Margrét put him to bed on his last night of consciousness, she was able to tell him that funds had been raised for the youth program to start building his beloved Chickadee. It was heartwarming to know that he fell asleep and into a peaceful state with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, anticipating the legacy that he had so carefully orchestrated beginning to come to life.

One can only but admire and learn from someone who has embraced such a formidable challenge, ALS, yet then lived the last part of their life to the fullest and in the most creative and engaging way that he did. He and his wife Margret faced their fate directly, and put a short term life plan into action with vigour and imagination. They lived a year of incredible adventures and have recorded it in detail and with insight in words and images for us all to read and live.

Chris’s life, his talents and general perseverance have been an inspiration to many.

Chris planned his exit to the last detail, and on 4th of February 2007 (his birth date) his ashes will be scattered on Table Mountain in a spot he had chosen well over a year ago.

Wilfried Braunlich
Hout Bay



Enquiries Chris Koper, Designer Sea K Designs Listowel, Ontario, Canada chriskoper@hotmail.com 519-291-6396	Chris Koper has passed away (born 1943 in Cape Town, South Africa) On the 8th November 2006 Chris Koper the master sailor, yacht designer and photographer extraordinaire, passed away in Ontario Canada. For the last two years, Chris had suffered with ALS (a form of motor neuron disease) which, since the middle of 2005 had advanced rapidly. In his last months, Chris was barely able to speak but still keeping in regular contact and directing people around him by means of special computer based aids that made it possible to type messages and even to use a computer based speech system that he controlled by moving his head and using a special clicker between his knees. Chris planned his last year and a half meticulously and lived it to the full. He faced his illness head on and never shied away from talking or writing about how it affected him both physically and emotionally. His writings about his own experience of “living with ALS” and invitations to people around him to write about how they related to him with ALS, led to many inspirational moments and written records. Although Chris left South Africa in 1969 to avoid the military draft (he was a conscientious objector, just like his father during World War 2), he always regarded this country as his spiritual home and visited here regularly, particularly in the last 10 years. His Canadian wife and he had planned to make this their second home upon retiring. In early December 2005 Chris and Margret came to live in Cape Town for 3 and a half months. During that time, there was a particularly special moment for Chris when he was invited, quite spontaneously, to speak at the prize giving of a junior regatta weekend at Imperial Yacht Club in Muizenberg (of course, his fathers Dabchick, was one of the classes racing ). It was one of those heart stopping moments that will be remembered by all who were there. Chris will be remembered for his Sea-K-design, yacht designs, C K Imagineering (a name he created himself for his first class collection of photographs) and his inspirational writings created during the time with ALS. All in all, the last 6 or 7 years represented a really creative highpoint in his life at many different levels. By a process of self discovery and some interesting tell tale “messages” from his late father Jack Koper, that Chris found in envelopes left specifically for him, Chris himself became a yacht designer in the late 90’s. His first design used his fathers Sonnet as inspiration and template. By updating certain key aspects of the Sonnet, this evolved into a thoroughly modern new scow, the Sonatina. With bigger sail plan (one of the “messages” his father left him was, a note on a Sonnet plan that revised her sail dimensions to exactly the sail dimension that Chris had already calculated he would need for the Sonatina), enhanced underwater shape and different sail configuration possiblities, she could be used in a much wider range of wind conditions and skipper or skipper/crew combinations. For his second design Chris again turned to his father for inspiration using the Dabchick as the basis. Chris felt very strongly that in North America particularly, there was a gap for a boat between the Optimist and the club 420, much like the Dabchick has served for decades as the link between Optimist and other bigger boats here in South Africa. So, while again keeping the overall look and feel of the Dabchick, the Chickadee (like the Dabchick, the name is inspired by a type of bird) as she became known, has some key enhancements, most notably bigger rig, more volume in the front of the hull and the higher sides and dished “cockpit” creating a drier and more comfortable boat. Recently Chris has received various accolades from well known yachting individuals, with the highest accolade being, appointed as fellow of the LSSA, the oldest sailing association in Canada and a personal message of inspiration and congratulation for his designs, recently received from the Fogh family, a distinguished name in North American yachting circles. In dealing with ALS, Chris was not shy to let the yachting world know what he was facing, and even launched an appeal to “Keep the Dream Alive” on his Sea-K website and in personal interaction with people. His Chickadee design will be used in an “at risk” youth group project, to both teach boat building and a sailing skills in Toronto. A similar appeal was launched here for a South African development project, some 2 months ago in this magazine. When his wife Margrét put him to bed on his last night of consciousness, she was able to tell him that funds had been raised for the youth program to start building his beloved Chickadee. It was heartwarming to know that he fell asleep and into a peaceful state with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, anticipating the legacy that he had so carefully orchestrated beginning to come to life. One can only but admire and learn from someone who has embraced such a formidable challenge, ALS, yet then lived the last part of their life to the fullest and in the most creative and engaging way that he did. He and his wife Margret faced their fate directly, and put a short term life plan into action with vigour and imagination. They lived a year of incredible adventures and have recorded it in detail and with insight in words and images for us all to read and live. Chris’s life, his talents and general perseverance have been an inspiration to many. Chris planned his exit to the last detail, and on 4th of February 2007 (his birth date) his ashes will be scattered on Table Mountain in a spot he had chosen well over a year ago. Wilfried Braunlich Hout Bay