The Life and Times of Jack Nye
This is a work in progress
“If there is any one thing more ruthless than the sea, it’s the self-serving instinct for survival”
Jack Nye
We are saddened to announce that Jack passed away peacefully at home with family on October 22, 2020.
Jack was in his 97th year.
What an amazing man!
John Charles Nye, known by his friends as Jack, was born 1924 in Sutton England. Jack was raised in the English countryside with his brother George by parents Kathleen and Charles. His father was an estate manager, so Jack learned about hard work and farm machinery which he loved.
Jack was a Blacksmith in training when war broke out in 1939. He joined the Royal Navy and served aboard the Battleship Queen Elizabeth in the Pacific. It was during the war that he met his wife Hilda (Roz) who served in the Woman’s Royal Naval Service.
In 1948 Jack set out for Canada. Roz and baby Laura followed some months later with nothing but hard work and opportunity ahead of them. Jack worked as a welder during the day and home builder (for his own home) evenings and weekends. He needed extra money to start his own business, so he quit his welding job and took a position welding high steel water towers where he would receive danger pay. A year later, in 1952, Jack founded Nye Welding in Cooksville, Ontario, which continues today as Nye Manufacturing Ltd.
Jack’s real passion was the sea. He completed over 19 major ocean voyages including 3 trips around Cape Horn and several Trans-Atlantic crossings, two of them solo! Many of Jack’s amazing trips and memoirs will be posted on this site.
Dad showed us the meaning of hard work and perseverance, he had nerves of steel and an unstoppable will to succeed. His life lessons were simple: Do the right thing, let your conscience be your guide, and Never give up. These lessons are the legacy that he gifts to his children and theirs.
Dad loved poems and songs of sailing in far off lands. “Bound for South Australia” and “On the Road to Mandalay” were among his favorites, often recited on Fridays after lunch with his grandsons.
“Fair Winds and Following Seas” Dad
Please feel free to explore Jacks’ amazing life, endeavors and sailing adventures on this site which is dedicated to his memory.
