Dr. Bill Servais

The sailing master, Dr. Bill Servais, has passed on. He went too young, only 68, but perhaps in the way he would have preferred - a quick end. Bill was born August 21, 1942 and died of a heart attack in Mexico, January 25, 2011. He was sailing with his uncle, Dick Randolph, and they were in a harbor near Mazatlan. He was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As a kid he wanted a job that allowed him to fish and hunt when he wanted to. He became a dentist so he could move to some perfect town and have a good income. After serving as a dentist in the Army, he moved to Bellingham in 1970. Bellingham offered great fishing along with sailing and seafood, and Bill was quick to master all three. He loved sailing the islands of the Pacific Northwest, catching or gathering seafood and cooking up incredible meals on small sailboats. Bill also enjoyed single handing his sailboat. He could sail into the Bellingham harbor in any wind or breeze, tacking and jibing between the docks and put his loved San Juan 24 sailboat 'Gwaihir' into its slip - a slip that was just outside the windows of the Yacht Club bar, where other sailors would bet whether or not Bill would screw up or smoothly dock his boat. He never missed. And he enjoyed sauntering into the Club a few minutes later as if he had done nothing at all. In the early 1980s he helped found the Corinthian Yacht Club in Bellingham and was its first Commodore. Bill and Corrinne married in 1967 and had two children, Mike and Nicola. Both of his children are now married and live near Seattle. Mike and wife Amie have daughters Teagan and Arden. Nicola and husband Tim Weiss have a daughter Cecilia. Corrinne still lives in Bellingham. In 1991 Bill bought the 42 foot steel junk rigged schooner 'Migrant' from Dick Johnson. In 1994 he sold his Fairhaven dental practice and set out sailing the Pacific Ocean. Over the years he also embarked on other adventures, working as a dentist in American Samoa, in Antarctica for four seasons, an Indian public health dental clinic in Arizona and on the Lummi Indian Reservation. He is also survived by his brother John in Bellingham, sister Mary in Seattle, siblings Jenny, Tina, Jim, Maggie, Richard and Helen in Wisconsin, and many nieces and nephews. His parents preceded him in death. Bill was a sailor of great skill. He would want to be remembered for that. He lived a very full life and had many ventures and adventures that the rest of us only dream of having. He brought his unique energy and focus to all that he did, from dentistry to sailing to preparing freshly gathered oysters. He is gone now and we are left with memories of him in action, doing things in his own way. The Corinthian Yacht Club will hold a memorial service this Sunday, March 20, 2 pm at the Squalicum Yacht Club facility on the Bellingham Waterfront. All Bill's friends are welcome.