the Isle of Wight, where we had hired a paddle boat so that Jon could try out his newly purchased handline, in the hope of reeling in some crabs from the sea floor. As we were getting ready to step from the pier to the boat, the line fell from Jon’s grasp and disappeared beneath the surface. He was devastated and, in a moment of pique, got in the boat and pushed it from the pier on his own, leaving us all behind, with the paddles, as he drifted away, searching in vain for his lost line. It wasn’t long before he saw the funny side, and we recognised that familiar mischievous glint in his eye as he watched our parents assembling a rescue party to ensure his safe return. Maybe that was the moment he first got the taste for life at sea. Always on the hunt for adventure and excitement, Jon found the ideal match in Cruise & Ferry. He travelled the world, experiencing new places and meeting fascinating people, while his unmatched work ethic and passion for the subject resulted in publications that were always insightful, accurate, enjoyable to read… and delivered on time! By the late 1990s, Jon was eager to forge his own path, and we established Tudor Rose. For a decade or so, while we built a business that covered a diverse range of topics from human development to technology and golf course design, his connection to the world of passenger shipping was maintained purely on a social basis, through the relationships he had formed in the early years of his career and valued since. And those connections would ultimately lead to the opportunity for Tudor Rose to embrace the Cruise & Ferry brand as one of its own. Jon oversaw the revival of a publication that by then was not quite achieving the success it had under his original leadership, also resurrecting its sister magazine Cruise & Ferry Interiors and introducing another, which you are reading now, Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning. For the past 15 years we have loved every minute of work, alongside an incredible team, in an industry of so many wonderful people. Jon’s dedication to sustainability has been evident in everything we do, from a steady shift towards digital editions of our publications to the formation of the Sustainable Maritime Interiors initiative that has achieved widespread support within the sector. Tudor Rose is also proudly a member of the UN Global Compact, which includes a pledge to promote greater environmental responsibility in our daily business. As part of this, we strive to ensure that our publications spread the message of how businesses are making a positive impact through action to improve all forms of sustainability. Above all, though, Jon was an incredible, intelligent and thoughtful person who took time to help colleagues in any way he could, approaching everything he did with a positive attitude and a desire to enjoy life and make people happy. He was an inspiration to us all. Since sharing the news of Jon’s death in September, we have received an influx of heartwarming messages from friends throughout the cruise and ferry industry. Thank you so much to everyone who shared fond memories of time spent with Jon. We have loved hearing your stories. His wife Jo, children Tom, Amy and Josie, the rest of our family, our colleagues at Tudor Rose and I are all incredibly grateful to know how much he meant to you. Always courageous, Jon put up an incredible fight in his battle against cancer. He eventually lost that but will be remembered for what we all gained: his warmth and friendship. Photo: Sustainable Design Summit Photo: Claudine Pohl 25
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