With great sadness, we announce our friend Kurt Hoehne’s early and very unexpected passing. On July 31, while at home, he collapsed from a sudden and massive brain hemorrhage. He passed on August 1st, after becoming an organ donor. As he wished, parts of Kurt will live on with some very grateful recipients.
Kurt’s love for sailing was ingrained in him from the very beginning. His father, a passionate sailor, sailed his mother across Lake Mendota on a 17-foot Silhouette to the hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, where Kurt was born. A couple of days later, the three of them sailed back across the lake, marking the start of Kurt’s lifelong journey with the sea.
His early sailing days involved racing and cruising on the Great Lakes, including competing in the Chicago-Mackinac races. These were always followed by a family cruise on Lake Huron. This activity gave the family invaluable uninterrupted family time, which he considered one of the greatest benefits of sailing.
Over the years, he became involved in more serious big-boat racing programs. When the lakes in Wisconsin became ice-covered, he did what so many sailors in the Midwest do: He went south to compete in the SORC. He also started racing Lasers, which is something he continued to do in addition to racing an RS Aero. 
While in Wisconsin, he also became an assistant editor for Sailing Magazine, which allowed him to meet and write about several of his heroes while learning about boats and publishing. At that point, an opportunity arose that allowed Kurt to move to the Pacific Northwest, where he got a job working in the marketing department of Alaska Diesel for several years. Later, he became a popular columnist for the largest boating magazine on the West Coast, Northwest Yachting. It wasn’t long before he set up their web program and became the Editor.
During this time, Kurt had the good fortune to meet the love of his life, Abby, with whom he built a family that included sons Ian and Gabe. They followed the family tradition of spending time together on their C&C 36, cruising and racing around the Pacific Northwest.
In the Pacific Northwest, he had the good fortune to sail with Swiftsure Yachts partners Brad Baker and Ryan Helling on several competitive, well-managed racers. Events included all the major and minor races in the Pacific Northwest, which gave him a perspective that we all appreciated because of his ability to put the experience into words. If you ever stood a watch with Kurt, there was never a lack of great stories or conversation, all while focusing on getting around the course.
In 2016, he established the website Sailish.com, which covered regional racing, weather, and environmental concerns for sailors. With support from the local sailing community and industry, it continued to satisfy his desire to write about sailing and keep him integrated into the community he loved.
Kurt was a tireless fighter for the sailing community, and his involvement with the Corinthian Yacht Club, Sail Sand Point, and the Northwest Marine Trade Association reflected this. He also never met a person with whom he couldn’t have a pleasant conversation, and any conversation with Kurt was full of little treasures that you tend never to forget. His quick wit, sarcasm, and intellect were always appreciated.
Kurt, enjoy Fiddlers Green. Your family, your dogs, and your friends will very definitely miss you. We salute you for a life lived well, and a watch well stood.
There will be a celebration of Kurt’s life, at which time many more of Kurt’s stories will be told. A date and location have not been decided; however, drop me a note at LBruce@msn.com and you’ll receive an update with this information. Thank you.
Feature image courtesy of Andy Cross.
