Eight Bells: Olaf Harken
Olaf Theodore Harken passed away on Monday, October 21, at the age of 80. Olaf and his older brother, Peter, created the hugely successful rope-handling business that bears their name. Harken, Inc., makes marine hardware, hydraulics and winch systems for racing and cruising sailboats of all types and sizes. Industrial hardware applications include the commercial marine, architectural and rope access and rescue industries.
The publisher of Latitude 38, John Arndt, had known Olaf for decades. “I worked with Olaf on the board of Sail America and always looked forward to seeing him at the Annapolis and other boat shows,” says John. “He cared deeply about the product and people at Harken, but also, through his many other efforts, he cared deeply about sailing. We are very thankful to have known Olaf, thankful for all his contributions, and will miss him greatly.”
Olaf Harken was born on May 6, 1939, in Sumatra. He lived most of his life where he died, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Ruth, three daughters, four granddaughters and one grandson.
Preliminary plans include a visitation and service Saturday morning, October 26, at Galilee Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, followed immediately by a celebration at Harken corporate headquarters. For overseas friends, another celebration of Olaf’s life will be held during the annual METS show in Amsterdam in November.
The Harken brothers took a lot of chances over the years. When Peter and Olaf were inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2014, Olaf explained the brothers’ business philosophy: “When trying new stuff our rule is to ask, ‘If it all goes bad, can we survive?’ Then we go to the bar and forget what we just said and do it anyway!”
“Peter and I were not very smart,” Olaf said in his 2015 memoir Fun Times in Boats, Blocks & Business, “but we did know that success is linked directly to trust and treating people with dignity, and maybe a little sprinkling of humor.”
On Monday, Peter Harken told an assembly of the Harken crew: “My brother did all the hard work so I could have all the fun. During the days when the company was just getting going, Olaf was in charge of the money. He kept us in business. If I had been in charge of that we would have been in big trouble. His legacy is in this culture. So, let’s just keep doing what we do. Just keep getting better. You are a great family. Thanks a lot. He’ll be watching you, so no sloughing off!”
Early Years
Olaf Harken was born in Indonesia at the beginning of World War II. In 1941, the Japanese attacked Indonesia. During the fighting and nightly bombings, Peter, Olaf and their Swedish mother, Ulla, managed to escape to Borneo. Their Dutch father, Joe, joined the very small Dutch army and helped fight the Japanese until his capture. Joe was imprisoned for five years and was not liberated until the end of the war. Meanwhile, Peter, Olaf and Ulla first lived in Borneo, then were troop-shipped to New Zealand for a year, to Australia for another year, and finally to San Francisco in 1944. There they were miraculously reunited with Joe in 1946 after the war was over.
After studying at Georgia Tech, Olaf Harken took an engineering job in New York City, but in 1967 he returned to Wisconsin to help Peter build boats for the college market.
“I got my first lesson in honesty shortly after we started the business — back when we were building those first six boats for Ohio State University,” said Olaf. “Like almost every boatbuilder, we were behind by quite a few weeks. When our customers called and wanted to know when we were going to deliver, I lied. I said they would be ready in about a week. Peter overheard me and was furious. He made me call them back and tell them I was wrong, that we were further behind and would not be able to deliver for a few more weeks. This was very embarrassing, but it taught me a good lesson. For one thing, I didn’t have to keep on lying each week. Taking the beating once is a lot easier than building one lie on top of another. It’s not easy to do and the customer is going to be angry or disappointed, but that’s the end of it.”
In the office, the brothers had a couple of doors on sawhorses for desktops, an old typewriter, a telephone and a file cabinet. A plastic sheet separated the offices from the fiberglass and assembly area. Marketing consisted of all-night drives with Peter at the wheel and Olaf typing brochures in the back seat of an old Chevy wagon. That first year they made $3,800 — together.
The Harkens aren’t sure exactly when the turnabout happened, but Olaf the engineer ended up running the business side of Harken, Inc., with Peter the economist handling design and production. “Peter designed the blocks, and knew more about manufacturing than me,” Olaf said. “Olaf was more patient, better at the business than me,” Peter said. “Each of us was better at the other guy’s education. We kept it quiet, figuring people wouldn’t want blocks designed by an economist.”
Last Weekend
On Monday, Bill Goggins, CEO of Harken, said, “You couldn’t have scripted a nicer weekend for Olaf than the one just past. Pewaukee Yacht Club honored Olaf on Saturday night with a Lifetime Achievement Award to a full-house standing ovation. He rose, walked to the front and accepted the award with his usual grace and dignity. The evening was highlighted by Olaf and Ruth on the dance floor. Sunday was a simple Packers game with his family and then, a remarkable chance 30-minute walk with his brother in the sunshine. He died peacefully in his sleep with his loved ones nearby. The company mourns his loss; however the company celebrates his life by doing what we do…every day…into a bright future.”