Reflection on Arne's life
A much loved husband and father, a talented and hugely respected yacht designer, a lynchpin of RWD and a dear and valued friend to many, Arne’s loss will be felt by all. Calm, kind and unpretentious, Arne was the bedrock of his family, the mainstay in countless yacht projects, and a dear friend and colleague to all. In his honour, we wanted to share a little more about the man we were privileged to know – the stories, memories, and moments from his life that he shared with us over the years.
Born in Bitterfeld, East Germany, in 1966, the youngest of three siblings, Arne grew up in a close-knit, curious, and fun-loving family where hard work and togetherness were paramount. A keen swimmer, Arne represented East Germany, an early sign of the strength and focus that he carried through to later life. He developed an early passion for sailing, with family weekends spent on the water. Arne filled his bedroom walls with pictures of boats, and while his brother went on to become a commercial captain, Arne’s own deep connection to the sea was beginning to take root.
When the Berlin Wall came down, Arne seized the opportunity to explore and reinvent himself, working in factories, dabbling in theatre until he came across an article about a young woman who had studied yacht design in England – and it struck a chord. Despite not speaking much English, he packed his bags and enrolled at Southampton. It was there that he discovered his true calling, blending creative design with technical problem-solving.
It was a time of change in the industry. Design was evolving, moving away from purely functional to something more refined and considered. Arne embraced this shift and found himself drawn to motoryachts that combine form and function. After graduating in 1995, Arne took his first steps in the yacht industry with an apprenticeship at a steel boatbuilder in Berlin. He then worked for a well-known motorboat designer in West Germany before landing his first major role at Pendennis in 1997, working on Ilona III. Though his background was more technical, a chance opportunity to design an awning for the yacht sparked something new. Though not widely supported, Arne pushed the project forward – an early sign of his ability to bring ideas to life with quiet persistence and practical creativity. It was, as he later said, his first real taste of the problem-solving side of design – and he loved it.
His next adventure took him to Turkey, where he found the structure and rules more fluid – chaotic even. It was here that Arne began honing his skills as a ‘translator’ – a clever communicator between designer and builders, advocating for ideas and working closely with those building them. This became Arne’s gift. It was also where he met Justin, Mark and Douglas who were working on Anatolia and were to become his future colleagues. Arne has always had a gift for saying ‘yes’: to big ideas, to new opportunities, to adventures. When a neighbouring crew in Turkey needed a second engineer, Arne unblinkingly joined them at sea. He thrived on the sense of problem-solving, the camaraderie and the everyday improvisation of life on board.
Back in the UK, Ilona III’s owner began a new project – Ilona IV – and Arne found himself working with RWD again. He became the owner’s representative in Holland and was back to his role as translator. Working between the design studio and the shipyard, he helped ensure everyone understood one another – or, as he once put it, “translating between the crazy and the grumpy.”
Still maintaining the close relationship with the Ilona client, Arne moved to Australia to work on a refit for Ilona II, which became Ilonka and then returned to the UK, where Justin and Mark asked him to join the RWD team for good, to work on Vava II. His work with RWD was to form a large part of his life, but it was meeting Helen at the same time that changed everything, finally he had a home port.
Helen and Arne married, and their three beautiful children Amber, Anya and Freddie followed. After a decade of exploration and change, Arne found fulfilment in the balance between the work he loved and a family life he hadn’t anticipated at that stage in his life.
Becoming a husband and father shifted his priorities – not by dimming his drive, but by grounding it. He continued to love the pace and challenge of his work, but time with his family mattered most. Being there to support Helen as she pursued her teaching career or volunteering as a sea scout leader and cooking for all the family, something he loved to do.
Sailing became something they all shared, aboard their 34-foot cruiser, where he was rarely still – always adjusting, checking, improving. Much of their time was spent outdoors, exploring forests, clambering over rocks, cooking together on the beach, or working on Freddie’s fishing boat Yellowfin. Arne wasn’t one for grand declarations, but it was clear that life with his family – steady, energetic and full of meaningful adventures – was where he truly felt at home. Arne’s passion for boats is shared by Freddie, whilst his design talent lives on in Amber, who joined her dad for work experience at RWD, and Anya shows his quiet calmness in her passion for animals.
Arne was one of the longest-serving and most quietly influential members of the RWD team. He played a central role in so many of the studio’s most significant projects – from the Ilonas to Vava II, IJE, Breakthrough. He often jokingly said that he ended up as a project manager because he wasn’t a great designer. But as anyone who ever worked on a project with Arne will attest, he was the glue.
With his deep appreciation for exceptional design, extensive practical experience, trademark straightforwardness and natural tendency towards the methodical, he truly was the vital translator between teams. Helping people speak the same language.
Arne will be missed not only for his skill and insight, but for his warmth and wit, the driest sense of humour and cheekiness, his generosity and ability, and his ever-steady presence. His passion and talent for mentoring the next generation of designers means his legacy will last.
