Chief Engineer Jan “Yannie” Nielsen (October 7, 1955) of M/YAurora B passed away on October 2,2017, just five days shy of his birthday, after a slip and fall accident at hishome in Honduras.
Originally from Calgary, Canada, Nielsen was planning toretire in three months after working in yachting since the mid-1990s. Throughouthis 20-plus years in yachting, he worked on M/Y Ken, M/Y Arrivederci IV,M/Y Exodus, M/Y Maridome, Palmer Johnson’s M/Y Inevitable,and Feadship’s M/Y Inevitable.
“Yannie was an inspiration to the crew working with him andwas a great teaching coworker to many engineers working around the world,” saysCapt. Dusty Sackmann, who previously worked with him. “His passion for divingin recent years was eclipsed by his desire to explore the world on his severalmotorcycles when he wasn’t working and underway on yachts. He will be missed byso many friends and colleagues in and out of the yachting industry.”
If you have any memories or stories about Yannie, please share in the comments below.