A grandfather from Norwich who built an adventure centre in a remote part of Scotland before sailing around the world has died at the age of 91.   

Gerard Robert Smith, known as “Gerry”, was born on December 29 in 1931 and raised in a council house on Drayton Road. 

Some of his earliest memories are those of the Baedeker Blitz. The heavy bombing of Norwich and surrounding area by the German Luftwaffe happened in 1942 during the Second World War. 

Eastern Daily Press: Gerry Smith sailed around the worldGerry Smith sailed around the world (Image: Supplied by family)

Mr Smith attended the City of Norwich School (CNS) where he excelled at sports.  

He would go on to train as a physical education teacher at Loughborough College before teaching at Thorpe Grammar School during the 1960s. It ceased to be a grammar school in 1978. 

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Following two decades of teaching and training teachers, Mr Smith bought a long-abandoned and remote croft house on the banks of Loch Shiel in the Scottish Highlands. 

He renovated it and, with his wife Vivian, transformed it into an outdoor activity centre. 

Eastern Daily Press: Gerry Smith's remote Scottish homeGerry Smith's remote Scottish home (Image: Supplied by family)

A passionate sailor, he sailed around the world with Vivian in a 36ft sloop during his 60s. This was a time before GPS and they traversed the Atlantic to the Caribbean, sailed across the Pacific to New Zealand, and navigated the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean before settling in British Columbia.  

He was a builder, an artist, a musician, an aviator, and a sportsman and he wrote three books on sailing and coastal and celestial navigation.  

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Son Jeremy Smith, born to his first wife Jean, was also raised in Norwich. He now works as a professor in Tennessee. His granddaughter, Serena, lives in London. They both attended CNS. 

Mr Smith Jnr, 63, said: “He is a man who lived his dreams.” 

Mr Smith died in Canada on April 19, 2023.

Eastern Daily Press: Choppy seas in the Atlantic, faced by Gerry SmithChoppy seas in the Atlantic, faced by Gerry Smith (Image: Supplied by family)

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