By Daniel Smith
James Ding Schoonmaker receiving the Beppe Croce Trophy from former President Göran Petersson in 2011
World Sailing is sad to report the passing of James Ding Schoonmaker (USA), a former Vice President, at the age of 87 on 19 January 2021.
A hugely popular figure in the sailing community, and an all-round hero in American sailing, Ding, as he was affectionately known, was a long-time steward of the sport.
Ding was Vice President at World Sailing for 14 years altogether, serving initially between 1986-1994, before a second term from 1998 to 2004.
In 2011 he received World Sailing s (then the International Sailing Federation) Beppe Croce Trophy, in recognition of his outstanding voluntary contributions to the sport, from then-president Goran Petersson (SWE) at the 2011 ISAF Annual Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.