Russell Hodgson passes away
by David Harding 11 Jun 2024 01:26 NZST
The marine industry lost one of its best-known yacht dealers and sailors when Russell Hodgson died in April.
Hodgson came to prominence as the UK dealer for X-Yachts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Working with John Lawrence, he was instrumental in making the X-332 one of the most successful one-design classes of its size in the country. He campaigned his own 332 successfully, a class win in Cowes Week in 2002 with X-Therapist being among the highlights.
After X-Yachts, Hodgson took on the dealership for Dehler, becoming the most successful dealer worldwide for two successive years. As with X-Yachts, racing campaigns were an integral part of the marketing strategy and Hodgson secured a Class IV victory in Cowes Week 2003 with Deliverance, a Dehler 36.
After spending some time abroad, he returned to yacht sales in the UK in 2015 in the guise of Regatta Yachting, representing Maxi, Delphia and Fareast.
His final dealership was for Salona. He exhibited the Salona 380 at the Southampton Boat Show in 2019. The last time many in the industry would have seen him was aboard the Salona 46 at the Southampton Boat Show in 2022.