In memoriam: BOAT International's founding partner Boguslaw (Bugsy) Gedlek

It is with great sadness that we must report the unexpected passing of Boguslaw (Bugsy) Gedlek at the age of 75, a founding partner of BOAT International Magazine and its Staff Photographer from the first publication in 1983 until his retirement.

Bugsy trained as a lithographic printer and initially oversaw the production of the fledgling magazine, but soon discovered an innate ability to capture the very essence of a superyacht on film. His photographs - splashed on the cover or printed across double pages in full colour at a time when other yachting magazines were publishing small black-and-white images - were able to widen the appeal of superyachts and assist in the growth of the industry that designed and built them.

Always larger than life and with a mischievous sense of humour, he became famous not only for his photography, but also for the vast quantity of photographic baggage that he carried to destinations all around the world - and perhaps infamous to airline check-in desks for concealing the weight of it all. But it was always squeezed aboard somehow, and the job was successfully completed to meet the magazine’s deadline.

On retirement, he settled in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, where he followed his hobbies of walking and cycling the surrounding hills, along with his long-time dedication to performance cars and music, all of which he illustrated with his photographs.

He is survived by his ex-wife, Beverley, their daughter Alexandra and Jonathan, their son. An all-round good-guy, he will be sadly missed by his family and friends. The date of the funeral will be announced shortly.