In over 40 years of sailing, I can honestly say that a moment that sticks out more than any other was winning a race in Burnham Week with Jochen. Sailing with Jochen was a joy because he just got on and did his job of crewing. He never interfered with me and my decisions on the race track whether they be good or bad. In this particular race we had worked hard to get into 2nd position and had only one mark left to go round and a long beat home. We gybed at the perfect time and could see the mark on the nose. We had the kite up at the time and as we got nearer the fresh breeze began to blow even harder to the point we were almost out of control. I shouted to Jochen "Get the bloody thing down mate...rip it if you have to. With a couple of pulls of his powerful arms the spinnaker disappeared into his bag, a key point in the race. From there he hiked as hard as he could to the finish line at Pile house, where we took the gun. For me, the greatest pleasure was not just the win but to see how much he enjoyed getting that gun. We sank a few beers after the race and revelled in our glory.

Another memory that sticks out is the night he drove me from Burnham to Tillingham in his XR3. Jochen was a very skilled driver and even though the trip was terrifying, it was certainly exhilarating. Once we had arrived in Tillingham, Jochen took great pleasure in opening the bonet to display the Turbo Charger, which after all the effort, was now glowing red hot. There was nothing he couldn't fix and nothing he wouldn't have a go at.

We had many great times together over many many years. I will never forget his huge grin and the shout of MR P!

Sadly I cannot be there for a final farewell mate, but you'll live on in my thoughts and all the great times we shared. 

Paul Pearson