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News / Tribute to Johan Devocht

We have all been shocked by the sudden death of Johan.  He was a great friend of the Fireball class and a very dear friend of mine.  I therefore thought it only fitting to share a few of my many Fireball memories of Johan.

 

Johan will be best remembered by Fireballers as a member of numerous International Juries.  However, there was far more to his links with the class. 

 

Johan was extremely proud of the fact he had built and still owned a Fireball.  So he was one of “the boys”; he was regularly the Belgian Fireball representative at International Fireball Council meetings.  He was also very proud of his national heritage.

 

At the 1993 Fireball World Championships in Belgium, Johan was the PRO.  This was Fireball’s first experience of his regatta management skills.  He then changed his involvement with race management and became an ISAF International Judge and served on several Fireball Juries but from the 1999 Worlds in Brest (FRA) he had an almost perfect record in attending Fireball World and European Championships all round the world.

 

At the 2000 Thailand Worlds he was Jury Chairman and continued in this role for most of the subsequent championships.  Johan brought much more to this role than the traditional picture of the ISAF man in a blazer.  He was always professional in the role and was always ready and able to assist in all matters.  He could always be relied on to deliver ~ sometimes he would work well into the night both at home and at events ensuring the event ran seamlessly.  The current quality of the Fireball NOR & SI templates owes much to Johan.

 

He took pride in his work and brought true professionalism into International Fireball Championships.

 

He had the respect of the class and always found the fairest solutions to sometime difficult and political situations.  Steve “Hector” Chesney will vouch for this.  In Tampa Hector had fallen foul of the SIs with a new boat and old sails.  This was only permissible if you were sailing a charter boat.  So Johan proposed Hector “sold“ his boat for the two weeks of the Championship and chartered it back in which case his sails were legal.  I believe the “sale” amount and “charter fee” swiftly passed over the sailing club bar.

 

Since 2000 I spent many weeks each year at championships with Johan; they were all over the world and for many differently classes.  We always managed to have fun both on and off the water whilst Johan continued to deliver with the same professionalism, enthusiasm and passion for every class.

 

Some years ago, Pam and I were invited to Johan’s home in Ghent for New Year.  Johan had a reputation for his enjoyment of fine dining and good wines and the evening reflected both.  We arrived at Diane and Johan’s house around 7:00 PM and we spent the next 6 hours sampling dinning at its finest; Johan was in his element and command of the situation.  The meal was so spectacular we only reached desert between toasting the Belgian New Year and the UK New Year an hour later!

 

The last time Fireball saw Johan at an event was in Sligo at the 2011 Worlds.  On the final day of racing the weather got worse and worse the wind increased to in excess of 30 knots, the rain was going sideways, the sea was wild and very cold and everyone was doing their best to get the fleet ashore safely.  I radioed Johan asking him how he was getting on and his status............his reply “I will follow the last boat ashore to be sure to be sure all are OK”.  When I met him when he had finally got ashore an hour later he was like a drowned rat, soaked, his glasses steamed up, but with the biggest grin on his face that everyone was ashore and OK.  A quick shower and a coffee, and into the Jury room to find no protests and finally when all the chores had been completed time to relax.

 

Some of you may have seen Johan dancing, some of you may even have danced with him; I am told that was an experience not to be missed.  He had rhythm and he was a master.  When he emptied his pockets, you knew he was headed for some serious jiving.  He was superb to watch and put most of us to shame even managing to put on a display whilst keeping two partners on their toes!

 

Johan was a great personal friend and was there for me when I needed him.  When I had the misfortune to be driving a RIB in which my fellow jury colleague died I was understandably devastated, Johan heard the news and rang me straight away.  He then phoned mutual friends round the world to tell them I needed support and then personally rang me at least every day for over two weeks to check I was OK and keep my spirits up.  What more can you ask of a true friend?

 

Not many of you will know that the trophy for the first female competitor at Fireball World Championships was a personal gift from Johan to the class.  I know it is fiercely contested and collected with pride.

 

Johan was proud to be an ISAF official.  He was also on one of ISAF’s committees and like all his other sailing responsibilities took the matter very seriously.  There were however lighter moments, notably at an ISAF Rolex dinner where he & I had been sat on the same table as the Norwegian royal protection police, a good spot as they do not drink.  Johan also was very keen to find out about the bulge under the jacket armpit and whether “they would have to shoot him if they told him”!

 

In the recent spate of emails, since we heard the sad news I have been reminded of a story about Johan from the Barbados World Championships.  We had all enjoyed a superb prize giving and the race officials were all trying to get into the Jury bus back to the hotel.  Johan’s wife Diane was the last to arrive; the bus was full so Johan watched with a dead pan but disapproving look as he sat in the back seat and his wife was bundled head first through an open window into the front seat of the people carrier and then drove off with her feet hanging out of the window.

 

The memories are endless and I am sure you will have your own special memories of Johan; I am sure they will include his easy smile and good cheer after sailing.  He was part of the Fireball family and the class was his passion; he always wanted to be Class Secretary for just two weeks.  I know he would want the class to build on its current reputation and continue to deliver the highest quality championships in stunning venues.

 

The sad thing is we will have no new memories.  Our thoughts are with his family.

 

I hope you will raise your glass to him next time you stand at the sailing club bar.

 

Andrew.

 

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