Obituary:
John Adrian Excell HonFIIMS
1969 to 2021
John Heath, John Excell's friend and mentor writes:
“Words cannot describe my feelings and the depth of emotion I experienced on hearing the news that John had passed away - and taken from us so young too. Although the news was not unexpected, my heart goes out to Hilary who I know will have been devastated.
I first met John when he joined IIMS in the early 2000s. He was as keen as mustard to learn and expand his already well-founded knowledge. His enthusiasm to learn made it a pleasure to mentor and work with him. He could be irritating when he had a point to put forward and forcefully discuss, as we learnt from his fulsome input at committee meetings, but this was just an indication of his passion for his profession. I was very pleased when he took over the Institute’s small craft training responsibilities from me. John was a staunch supporter of IIMS and put an awful lot of time into the organisation voluntarily. He was a great believer in helping to improve the skills and knowledge of fellow surveyors and, to this end, he really made a mark.
John was always fun to work with and he joined me on my yacht racing excursions in Turkey and came 1st in class and 2nd overall.
I will sorely miss John who has departed this world far too early, but he will be remembered by me as a friend, a colleague and a ‘bloody good’ marine surveyor.
All will remember him as one of the good guys.” John Heath HonFIIMS
Fraser Noble, IIMS Director, Chairman of the Certifying Authority, friend and colleague writes:
“I first met John at an IIMS Small Craft Group seminar at ExCel, London in early 2003. We had both joined the Institute the previous year and were beginning to find out what this relatively new organisation was all about. I remember clearly that, in what was then quite a large group of 30 or more, John was the one very determinedly going round shaking hands and introducing himself.
Over the years of working together since then on an array of Institute matters, John became a friend as well as a close colleague and I began to recognise that determination was very much one of his strengths.
John lived and breathed boats, from qualifying at Southampton Solent University with an HND in Yacht Manufacturing Technology, through working at sea on commercial fishing boats, to sailing and racing in dinghies and offshore craft, his practical experience was immense, and provided a solid background for his surveying career.
I knew John best as a marine surveyor through his Certifying Authority work. He inspected craft ranging from inshore day- fishing boats to offshore charter yachts, Category 0 sailboats operating in the Arctic and trans-ocean; steel workboats too and even high-speed motorboats capable or 60 knots or more. His work in this area was meticulous. He had in- depth knowledge of the rules and an ability to work with his customers to ensure that their vessels complied fully without causing too many ripples.
Fraser Noble (left) with John Excell leading a Certifying Authority traing day in May 2015
John Excell HonFIIMS
John Excell (pictured centre) with John Heath (to his left) proudly displaying his trophies
36 | The Report • June 2021 • Issue 96
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