OBITUARY

It is with great sadness that the Secretariat must announce the death of Dr Christopher Drinkwater who passed away peacefully in Taunton on 15 January 2025 at the age of 81.

Chris will be remembered for his dedication to the work of the IHO and its development of digital standards and because he was a real character who used his deep knowledge, energy and humour to progress IHO tasks. After earning a Ph.D. in Physics and travelling extensively, Chris joined the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) in 1972. Within a few years he was leading the development of UKHO’s digital cartography capability and became a member of the IHO’s first Committee on the Exchange of Digital Data (CEDD). Their work led to the S57 Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data that underpins ENCs and ECDIS today.

A visionary who anticipated the importance of digital data in marine navigation, Chris was highly respected by his colleagues and was elected chair of the IHO TSMAD working group in 1989, a task that he undertook for 14 years. He was an outstanding Chairman guiding the group with clarity and inclusivity. As the Chair of IHO TSMAD, Chris’s contribution to IHO S-57 Standards development was certainly significant. But, he was also a key member of other international standards development groups related to ECDIS. This includes the IMO-IHO Harmonization Group on ECDIS and IEC TC 80/WG 7. Dependably practical, he could be relied on to advocate digital standards that were both pragmatic and capable of being implemented. His contributions immensely aided the development of IHO digital standards from the very outset. His contributions to IHO working groups were so significant that the forerunner of the HSSC, the CHRIS committee was named in his honour - Committee on Hydrographic Requirements for Information Systems. As a member of the UK delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) he worked to create and gain acceptance of the Performance Standard for ECDIS and the IHO S-57 ENC standard. His work on the revision of SOLAS V Safety of Navigation helped establish the mandatory carriage requirement for ECDIS. More controversially at the time he took also a leading role in the creation and adoption of the RNC and RCDS standards by IHO and IMO. After retiring in 2003 Chris maintained a lively interest in IHO affairs but missed the camaraderie that his former role entailed. He often reminisced about the working group meetings and the people he met and worked with. He remained active, enjoying walks and train travel (which involved his interest in signalling and timetables) and combined the two activities to engage with his love of pubs and real ale. The “Limerick” poem that was read at his retirement ceremony at the IHO in Monaco confirmed this for all who knew him:

There once was a man from Taunton Whose fondness for beer was quite wanton. At the end of the day, he would quite often say “Why yes, I think I will have another one.”

He will be greatly missed by his colleagues, and especially by his friends at The Shepherds Rest, his local pub, a place that many visitors to the UKHO were introduced to. May his spirit live on.

On behalf of all who had the privilege to work and drink with Chris Drinkwater.

Dr Mathias JONAS - Secretary-General