George C. Criminale

[bamamick]

One of the best friends I ever had passed away at the age of 97 on Friday. I haven't really wanted to talk about it, but maybe now I can say a few things about George and not get all choked up. He deserves as a tribute words so much more eloquent than anything I could ever put down on paper, but I will give it a go. He wouldn't want me to quit on him now.

The newspaper in Mobile will tell you the bare facts. 97 years old. Had a wonderful family. Lots of friends. Was a sign painter and Mardi Gras float builder his entire life (and I do mean his ENTIRE life. George was still painting the signs for two of the Mardi Gras organizations well into his 80's). He loved boats. He was a founding member of the Mobile Bay Star fleet in 1932! Former Commodore of the Mobile YC (5 times) and the Gulf Yachting Association. All of that stuff is true. Every word. But that stuff isn't who George was. Not at all.

George was kindness and generosity. He was friendship. He was gentleness with an iron will to back it up. He was the most unique person I have ever met in my life and I count myself as truly blessed to have even known him, let alone having been his friend for over 30 years of my life. He quite honestly was a person who gave and gave and never kept score.

Well, it's all coming on again so I will stop, but from time to time I will share some stories about my friend so that you can see what kind of person he was. I said on another site that George was my hero and he was. Even though he sailed in many championships and in his day was a very good sailor, he is not someone you will read about in the magazines or see on Versus in this day and age of professionalism and big money sailing. George did it for love. For the love of the game, like very few people you will ever meet. His passing will go unnoticed by the sailing media and by everyone but his friends within the Star class and along the Gulf Coast, but he deserves more. It's the least I can do. The very least I can do.

Mickey Lake

[Nanoose]

Sorry for your loss, Mickey.

He sounds like a wonderful man. What a priviledge to have known such a person of integrity and goodness. You are definately blessed.

97. Imagine. A good, full, rich life it sounds like.

Thank you for sharing a bit about him with us.

[JTA]

... I count myself as truly blessed to have even known him, let alone having been his friend for over 30 years of my life. He quite honestly was a person who gave and gave and never kept score...

Mickey Lake

This alone tells me that he was a great man. So very sorry.

Jack

[John B]

Well,... I'm sure he thought highly of you too Mickey.

Its funny isn't it, I find myself asking questions socially like " so, what does ... ( husband/wife) do?" and the answer is always an occupation ,whereas what I really want to hear is what their 'thing' is , their passion.

Nice to hear about George ,Mickey.

[paladin]

Such friends are hard to come by.......

[bamamick]

Sort of. We grew up in the woods and their house was a couple of miles from my parent's house. Once I found their yellow Lab wandering and my dad and I took him home to them. I remember them as being very kind and since I was really a shy kid I don't remember saying anything other than 'you're welcome'.

When I was 17 I began crewing on racing boats and I naturally wound up in Stars since I was relatively large and strong enough to do it. I crewed for a guy that was pretty good from the very beginning and began to see how Mr.Criminale would go around before and after every race, making sure that all of the boats were ready to go and then seeing if anyone needed to fix anything afterwards. It didn't take long for me to become friends with this kind old man (as I thought of him then). George was 65 when I really got to know him. Hard for me to believe that I only really knew him when he was at the age most folks retire.

I crewed for the same guy for about three years and decided that I wanted my own boat. It was a pipe dream. My wife and I weren't even married as of yet and I had no money. I worked in testing and QC in a boiler factory. George asked me if I had thought about buying my own Star and when I told him I would love it but couldn't afford a boat he just laughed. 'If you want a boat I will get you a boat'. And he did. John Dane III (yeah, THAT John Dane) had an old hull that Buddy Freidrichs had won a NA's with in the early '60's, just sitting there in one of the yards in New Orleans. He told George that if he wanted it he could have it for free. George hauled it back to Mobile to his shop on Hall's Mill Road and we began working on her.

I say 'we' but of course George did 95% of the work. The patience that he showed me while I blundered around doing the other wee bit of work amazed me. My dad had never been very patient with me as a kid and the result was that I never learned many of the things that fathers show their sons. Even though George was not my father he taught me so much. Anyway, after a long year we got it together and ready to sail.

While we were working on my boat (4541) I was still crewing for my friend. We were actually pretty good. At that time there were some good Star sailors on the Gulf Coast and we would usually finish in the top 5-7 in regattas. We got a 3rd in a nice regatta, and we would usually either win or finish 2nd in the fleet races. On Mobile Bay we had a series that we sailed every year for the crews. George had donated the trophy and the crews always looked forward to their chance to drive while the skippers hiked. Well, my skipper told me that first year that he didn't allow his crew to use his boat for the crew series. Didn't bother me that first year since I didn't really feel comfortable driving at that time. The second year it bothered me. George asked me once at the Mobile YC if my skipper was going to let me drive and when I said 'no' he just said 'well, I've got a boat you can sail'. George always had two or three loaner boats around that he would fix up and sell to younger members. Anyway, I finished second in the first crew series, and won it the next year just as we were finishing 4541. Meant a lot to me that he loaned me that boat.

Finally the time came when George was ready to call 'finished' on the 4541 and turn her over to me. Boat, trailer, sails, everything. I still couldn't figure out how I was going to pay for her, and when I'd bring it up he'd say 'we'll work it out'. He charged me $1000 for the boat and I paid him $50 a month until she was paid off. His only comment was 'the biggest part of the deal is that you have to sail her'. And sail her I did. We traveled with that boat up and down the coast and sailed the heck out of her. We won the wooden boat trophy the last two years they awarded it and actually did very well in some of the fleet stuff (if it was light I could make her move). After about three years she was ragged out but it never bothered George. He only wanted to see me sailing.

One thing about my stories about George that you have to remember: It wasn't just me. He did the exact same thing with 3710 and sold her to my friend David. Bob had 5215. Carl with 4770 (his grandfather's boat that George helped him get going again). At one time George probably owned every old woodie and all of the first generation 'glass boats in and around Mobile. After three or four hard years of sailing 4541 I drove my old truck to New Jersey to pick up 6353, a nice Petersen hull. I didn't really know what to do with 4541 so I did the only logical thing: I gave her back to George. She wound up going to a guy in Galveston but we don't really know what happened to her. The important thing to George was that I was a Star sailor for life.

Over the years George probably got 10-12 people into the fleet just by selling them boats that otherwise they could have never afforded. I have always said that for a one design class to survive and thrive that there has to be at least one person who is more worried about the other people in the fleet than how he does in any particular race or series. Maybe you can see now where I got that from? George taught me more about giving of one's self than anyone I have ever known other than my wife. He was a good man.

Mickey Lake

[Nanoose]

Great story. Thanks, Mickey.

It sounds like he was like a dad to you...

[Jim Ledger]

He sounds like quite a guy, Mickey, and he must have thought a lot of you.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Jim

[Lew Barrett]

Sincerest condolances, Mickey. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[Thad]

Thanks for carrying on with the story, and with LIFE!