2026 Spring Gam

Issue 47

Spring 2026

TOP 2025 VOYAGING HONORS INCLUDING BLUE WATER MEDAL PRESENTED BY CRUISING CLUB OF AMERICA [NEW YORK, March 10, 2026]—The 2025 Cruising Club of America (CCA) awards ceremony was held at the New York Yacht Club on Friday, March 6, highlighted by the presentation of the Blue Water Medal to longtime no-frills voyager Pete Hill. The prestigious award, established to honor exceptional seamanship and adventure by amateur sailors, was first awarded by the CCA at the Club’s first annual meeting in 1923. The recognition of Hill and other intrepid individuals who have overcome numerous challenges at sea and on land took place as part of a formal CCA dinner following the Club’s annual meeting at the 44th St. clubhouse. Hill, of the United Kingdom, received the honor from CCA Commodore Jay Gowell in recognition of a half-century of long-distance voyaging in the world’s oceans aboard a variety of yachts he built or modified to the simplified junk rig. Proving their seaworthiness has been inspirational to a yachting community of minimalists who find it most important to be at sea or with a community of likeminded sailors. With this honor—the highest CCA award—Hill, 75, follows in the wake of other remarkable sailors including Bill Tilman, Bernard Moitessier, Eric and Susan Hiscock, and Sir Robin KnoxJohnston. His independent philosophy of design and construction has allowed him to sail the same seas as these icons of yachting without the burden of sophisticated and expensive systems.

Photo: Guy Gurney

Elaine Lembo and John Burnham, as adapted by Phil Dickey for the CCA GAM

“The Blue Water Medal is the most prestigious sailing award in the field and I’m truly honored,” Hill told the audience. “I’ve had a very fortunate life: I discovered sailing as a teenager and became passionate about sailing and boats. I devoured old cruising books. I would rather go sailing than maintain complex systems and work to pay for them. I’m always learning every time I enter a new anchorage.” Tamara Klink, 28, of São Paulo, Brazil, is the winner of the CCA Young Voyager Award. The award recognizes a young sailor who has made one or more exceptional voyages, demonstrating exceptional skills and courage. Klink set sail alone at the age of 22 aboard Sardinha, her 26-foot sailboat, crossing

1

Above: Blue Water Medal awardee Pete Hill and partner Linda Crew-Gee receive the honor from the incoming CCA Commodore Chace Anderson, left, and outgoing CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Brazil, a voyage of more than 7,000 miles in 90 days. This was just the beginning of her solo sailing career. In 2023 she sailed from France to Greenland in her 34-foot sailboat, Sardinha-2, and then overwintered in Greenland in the sea ice, becoming the first female sailor to overwinter in the Arctic alone. In the process of completing that voyage, Klink also became the first Latin American to solo sail the Northwest Passage. Like a very small number of other continued on page 4

LETTER FROM THE COMMODORE As those of you who attended the 3/6/26 Annual Meeting and Awards dinner know, I have just been elected your Commodore. The ink on my “contract” is still wet, but I am getting into the swing of things and look forward to meeting as many CCA members as I can over my two-year term. The Annual Meeting and Awards dinner was held at the New York Yacht Club — as usual — and it is always the perfect setting for us to renew our purpose and mission. In addition to my election as Commodore, Andrew Kallfelz was elected Vice Commodore, Tim Surgenor was elevated to the important role of Secretary and both Doug Adkins and Kathleen O’Donnell will continue in their roles as Historian and Treasurer, respectively. We say goodbye to our past Commodore, Jay Gowell, and Secretary, Pat Montgomery, who have been exceptional servants of our membership. Our new Governors include: Michael Geagan (NYS), Joseph W. Golberg (PNW), Somers Kempe (BDA), and Dorothy Wadlow (ESS, reappointed), and we thank Buddy Rego (BDA), Spencer Kuhner (NYS), and Mary Alice O’Neill (PNW) for their services as they step down. As always, the awards dinner introduced some exceptional sailors to us, and this issue of the GAM highlights their accomplishments. CCA Cruisers were treated in the past few months to several terrific cruises, making truly “adventurous use of the sea.” In June 2026, Steve Berlack led a small group of boats across the Atlantic Ocean (your new and past Commodores included), followed by the Western Isles Cruise in July 2026. Crossing burgees with five other cruising clubs from Ireland, Scotland and England (very successfully I might add) provided ample opportunities to trade exciting seas stories, including a few lies, and hoist a glass at anchor. We all made new, life-long friends and are already thinking about a return trip to this beautiful part of the world. The trio of Jonathan Brewin, Rob Childs and Barbara Watson worked tirelessly over two years to pull off this six-club cruise and they did a masterful job. In September, 2026, Joe Golberg and team of the Pacific Northwest Station led roughly 20 boats through the San Juan Islands, part of the global cruising landscape that many of us Easterners had never seen. It’s a well-kept secret, and for good reason. What a beautiful place to sail, and the PNW Station, under Doug Adkins’s leadership, really knows how to party! In January into February, Peter Rugg led over 20 boats through the Caribbean, starting in St. Vincent and finishing in Grenada. Great weather, sensational sunsets, wonderful venues and predicable 15-25 knot winds on the

Commodore Anderson (standing) takes the gavel at the Annual Meeting of Members.

beam, every day, made this a great cruise. A few cruises in the planning stages are already well underway, including the Bermuda Cruise following this summer’s Newport to Bermuda Race, the New England Islands Cruise this September, the Spanish Virgin Islands Cruise next Spring, and the Bras d’Or Lakes Cruise in the summer of 2027. Cruising is at the heart of CCA’s mission; if you haven’t done a Club Cruise, it’s time. Perhaps past Commodore Gowell’s greatest contribution to CCA during his term as Commodore was creation of the Western Europe Station. This initiative had been in the drawing board for some time, but the Western Isles Cruise really brought the concept from an idea to reality. Jonathan Brewin has stepped up to be the Station’s first Captain, and we are looking forward to capitalizing on the good feelings emanating from last summer’s Cruise. I never cease to be amazed by the spirit of volunteerism in our club, and I’ve seen it even more in my short time as one of CCA’s Flag Officers. Volunteerism is one of the defining characteristics of our club and something we should be immensely proud of. I recently attended a three-day conference in London of the International Council of Yacht Clubs, representing over 60 of the world’s leading yacht clubs. When I reeled off all of CCA’s core activities — cruises, publications, safety-at-sea programs, cruising guides, books, the Bermuda Race, etc. to this august group of international commodores and general managers, I was invariably asked, “How big a staff does CCA have to do all of this?” No one, at first blush, believed me when I said we have no paid staff. It is all done by volunteers. This is indeed something we should be proud of, and on behalf of the Flag Officers, I thank each and every one of you who give of your time and talent to keep CCA moving forward. continued on page 3

2

A MESSAGE FROM THE EVENTS COMMITTEE

The CCA GAM Published for the members of The Cruising Club of America www.cruisingclub.org Editors: Phil Dickey, Chief Editor Dennis Powers Elisabeth Bohlen Robert Beebe Barbara Watson Tad Lhamon New Members Editors: Dianne Embree & Dorothy Wadlow Commodore: ...................... A. Chace Anderson Vice Commodore: ................Andrew F. Kallfelz Secretary: .........................Timothy R. Surgenor Treasurer: ......................Kathleen M. O’Donnell Historian: ............................ Douglas D. Adkins Fleet Captain: ..................... Ernest L. Godshalk Webmaster: ...................... Michael Moradzadeh Fleet Surgeon: .....................Jeffrey S. Wisch MD Rear Commodores Bermuda .............................. Somers W. Kempe Boston................................................Brian Guck Bras d’Or ................................. Erwin Wanderer Chesapeake ................................. John F. Devlin Essex ................. Gretchen Dieck Biemesderfer Florida.................................. Clinton G. Bush III Great Lakes.......................................Rob Emery New York.....................................Peter B. Becker Pacific Northwest ..................... Susan Stillman San Francisco.................................Mary Lovely So. California........................ W. Bradley Avery Post Captains Buzzards Bay................... Edward Van Keuren Gulf of Maine............................ Barney J. Baker Narragansett Bay.................... Whitney E. Jones Station Captains Western Europe......................Jonathan Brewin GAM Editors Emeriti Dan and Mimi Dyer 2003-07 Chris and Shawn Otorowski 2008-13 Pieter de Zwart and Joanna Miller-de Zwart 2014-17 Wendy Hinman 2018-20 Haley Lhamon 2020 Chris Otorowski 2021 Email submissions to gam@cruisingclub.org Submissions deadlines are March 15th and October 15th.

The Events Committee has been hard at work. We are happy to report a great turnout for the Annual Meeting at New York Yacht Club in New York. This year’s meetings were highlighted by a very informative tour of the Model Room at lunch on Friday by Joe Hoopes (NYS) and Timothea Larr, naval architect, and member of the Model Committee for NYYC. A very big Thank You to Joe and Timmy. We had a capacity crowd for the Awards dinner on Friday night, and in addition to our impressive awardees, we also had Commodores from several other clubs, including many from western Europe. Upcoming events, as always, are listed on the website. We encourage you to check often for updates. A few events of note: • Newport Bermuda Race starts at Fort Adams on June 19,2026 • Bermuda Post-Race Cruise starts on June 28,2026 • Fall Cruise – New England Islands starts on September 22, 2026 • Fall Meeting in Newport Beach, CA hosted by the SoCal Station begins on October 22, 2026 We look forward to seeing you at these and other station events! - Deanna R. Polizzo

UPCOMING CRUISES AND MEETINGS FALL MEETINGS 2026: October 22-23, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Newport Beach California, Southern California Station 2027: September 22-24, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, Ontario, Great Lakes Station

CLUB CRUISES 2026: June 28 - July 4, Bermuda Cruise. James Watlington, Chair August 15, San Francisco Bay Delta Cruise. Bill Mittendorf and Steve Mason, Co-Chairs September 22, New England Island Cruise. Ray Cullum, Chair 2027: March 20, Spanish Virgins Islands Cruise. Roel Hoekstra, Chair July 20, Bras d’Or Cruise. David Stanfield, Peter Rugg, Co-Chairs

ANNUAL MEETING & AWARDS DINNER March 4-6, 2027, New York Yacht Club

COMMODORE’S LETTER CONTINUED A letter like this couldn’t end without mentioning how important membership cultivation is to CCA’s long-term success. Under James Phyfe’s leadership we continue to attract and vet remarkable candidates in a world where the pool of traditional cruising boats and families who sail together may be shrinking. We continue to believe the pool of good candidates out there is more than adequate to meet our needs; we just have to work a little harder to attract them. It has been said numerous times, but I will say it again, membership is not just the Membership Committee’s responsibility; it is everyone’s responsibility. So all of us need to be on the lookout for new, qualified candidates for membership. Cheers! Commodore Chace Anderson

3

All photos by Guy Gurney

VOYAGING HONORS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Young Voyager Award recipient Tamara Klink receives the honor from the incoming CCA Commodore Chace Anderson, left, and outgoing CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

adventurous voyagers, Klink’s accomplishments have attracted one of the largest social media audiences in the sailing world; some 200,000 users followed the real-time tracking of Sardinha-2 and read journal entries she posted. Philip “Greg” Velez, of Saginaw, Michigan, accepted the 2025 Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy for rescuing a sailor who fell oi a competitor’s boat in trying conditions during the 101st Bayview Mackinac Race. The CCA annually awards the Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy to a sailor for an act of seamanship which significantly contributes to the safety of a yacht, or one or more individuals at sea. After close to an hourlong search in high winds and building seas in response to a mayday call, Velez and crew aboard Amante2, his Farr 49, were successful in finding and saving Pete Pryce, 72, who had fallen from Trident, a Santa Cruz 70. CCA members who were awarded honors included: Christopher and Molly Barnes of Alta, Utah, who won the Far Horizons Award for 2025. The premier sailing honor for a CCA member, this award recognizes the sailing achievements of an individual or couple who have embarked upon a cruise or series of

Philip “Greg” Velez, center, receives the Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy from the incoming CCA Commodore Chace Anderson, left, and outgoing CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

cruises that demonstrate the broader objectives of the Club, including the adventurous use of the sea. A three-year, 36,000 nautical mile cruise undertaken by the Barnes family from 2013 to 2016 included a circumnavigation of South America and rounding of Cape Horn, with stops at Easter Island, Chile; South Georgia Island in the sub-Antarctic Ocean; Arctic Norway, and a wintertime crossing of France’s notorious Bay of Biscay. Their crew comprised their sons, Porter and Rabbit, ages 10 and 9 when they started. Peter Willauer of Falmouth, Maine, who received the 2025 Diana Russell Award. This award goes to a club member in recognition of innovation in sailing design, methodology, education, training, safety, and the adventurous use of the sea. Willauer, who was 90 when he was informed of the honor before he passed away November 6, 2025, was a key innovator in experiential education over several decades. Perhaps his most important contribution has been the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, and the subsequent Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership, whose mission is to “integrate scientific research and education to develop leaders prepared to address environmental issues in a rapidly changing world.”

4

Doug and Dale Bruce, who are the Richard S. Nye Trophy recipients for 2025. Given at the discretion of the Governing Board, The Nye Trophy was established in honor of the late CCA Commodore. It has been awarded since 1978 to a member who has brought distinction to the Club by meritorious service, outstanding seamanship, outstanding performance in long distance cruising or racing, statesmanship in the aiairs of international yachting, or any combination of these accomplishments. The couple’s contributions are numerous. Starting in 2009, they rewrote the CCA Cruising Guide to Newfoundland, then in 2010 began a seven-year role at the helm of Voyages, the Club’s annual magazine. Doug, elected to membership in 2006, and Dale, elected in 2016, have continuously expanded their roles and contributions. Doug rewrote and revised the Canadian Maritime Cruising Guides, updating valuable cruising sailor resources. He followed with editing and development of the CCA Essentials Passage Guide to the Viking Route. He also envisioned the online CCA Cruising Guide to Maine, which has brought significant timely and in-depth guidance as well as favorable publicity and goodwill to the Club. Behan and Jamie Gifford, of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who are

Christopher and Molly Barnes, center, receive the 2025 Far Horizons Award. With them are incoming CCA Commodore Chace Anderson, left, and outgoing CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

the recipients of the CCA 2025 Royal Cruising Club Trophy for their six-month cruise through Japan in the summer of 2025. Aboard Totem, their Stevens 47, the Giffords entered Japan in Okinawa and worked their way north up the less-traveled west coast, eventually making their way to Sapporo, Hokkaido, the most northern of the four main Japanese islands. Gifted to the CCA by the Royal Cruising Club, the trophy is awarded to a CCA member and skipper who has undertaken “the most interesting cruise of singular merit and moderate

Doug and Dale Bruce, center, are recipients of the 2025 Richard S. Nye Trophy. With them are incoming CCA Commodore Chace Anderson, left, and outgoing CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

duration,” as judged by the Awards Committee and editors of the CCA’s Voyages magazine. It has been awarded annually since 1998. Peter Gibbons-Neff Jr. of Villanova, Pennsylvania, who is the recipient of the 2025 Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize for “4,050 Miles Alone Across the Atlantic — Reflections on the 2023 Mini Transat and the Next Mission Ahead,” published in the 2026 edition of Voyages, the CCA magazine. The article earned top marks from the Voyages editorial committee, which annually makes the award to

Peter Gibbons-Neff Jr., receives the 2025 Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize, with the incoming CCA Commodore Chace Anderson, left, and outgoing CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

the CCA member who has made an outstanding contribution to Voyages, the Club magazine formerly called the Cruising Club News and edited by Vilas for 20 years. Steve James received a CCA Special Recognition Award for serving 10 years on the Awards Committee, which included six years as its chair.

Read more about the winners and their achievements at the Awards page of the club website.

Special recognition award recipient Steve James (for a decade of service on the Awards Committee) is flanked by the incoming CCA Commodore Chace Anderson, left, and outgoing CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

5

2025 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Photo: Marin LeRoux

YOUNG VOYAGER AWARD

Aboard Sardinha-2.

The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has named Tamara Klink, 28, of São Paulo, Brazil, the recipient of the 2025 Young Voyager Award. The award recognizes a young sailor who has made one or more exceptional voyages, demonstrating exceptional skills and courage. Klink set sail alone at the age of 22 aboard Sardinha, her 26-foot sailboat, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Brazil, a voyage of more than 7,000 miles, in 90 days. This was just the beginning of her solo sailing career. In 2023 she sailed from France to Greenland in her 34-foot sailboat, Sardinha-2, and then overwintered in Greenland in the sea ice, becoming the first female sailor to overwinter in the Arctic alone. In the process of completing that voyage, Klink also became the first Latin American to solo sail the Northwest Passage.

Like a very small number of other adventurous voyagers, Klink’s accomplishments have attracted one of the largest social media audiences in the sailing world; some 200,000 users followed the real-time tracking of Sardinha-2 and read journal entries she posted. “Sailing is always a collective endeavour, especially singlehanded,” Klink said upon being informed of the honor. “I rely on a team, as well as on the experience of more seasoned sailors who have paved and continue to pave our way. “It is therefore a great honour to receive this Young Voyager Award from my bluewater colleagues in the CCA,” she added. “The previous experiences of others enable us to distinguish the essential from the superfluous and to remain ambitious while making fewer mistakes. I believe

6

that going farther with less is the challenge of our time.” This prestigious award is significant for its celebration of the spirit of adventure, courage, and seamanship. In announcing Klink’s accomplishments and honor, CCA Commodore Jay Gowell said, “Tamara’s achievements are incredible. She exemplifies the spirit of the founding of the CCA to make adventurous use of the sea, and she shows the spirit of the CCA in finding fulfillment in exploring the oceans and our own limits aboard small boats at sea.” Born in 1997, Klink holds a master’s degree in architecture from ENSA Nantes at Nantes University. She has published four books about her experiences, presented more than 300 lectures in Portuguese, English, and French, and is a UNESCO Green Citizens pathfinder.

DIANA RUSSELL AWARD The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has selected Peter Willauer of Falmouth, Maine, to receive the 2025 Diana Russell Award. This award goes to a club member in recognition of innovation in sailing design, methodology, education, training, safety, and the adventurous use of the sea. Willauer, who was 90 when he was informed of the honor before he passed away November 6, 2025, was a key innovator in experiential education over several decades. Perhaps his most important contribution has been the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, and the subsequent Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership, whose mission is to “integrate scientific research and education to develop leaders prepared to address environmental issues in a rapidly changing world.” “I always told the students at their last debrief before departing the island that their Outward Bound course was only just beginning,” he said. “I received countless communications from former students about how their course still impacts their lives many years later. On a transatlantic in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean 10 years ago, a sailor on a boat

Peter Willauer. Photo: Carol Willauer

within SSB range of us heard me talking on the radio to our weather router and interrupted and asked ‘Is that Peter Willauer?’ When I said ‘Yes’, he said ‘I was on a course on Hurricane in 1972, and I’m out here now because of that experience. I just want to thank you.’” In founding and leading programs that have become lasting institutions, Willauer innovated new ways of educating young people that incorporate seamanship, leadership, scientific research, and life skills. That these types of programs have become more widespread today is a testament to the creative energies of Willauer and his colleagues over the decades.

After working with the Leon Bean Mountain Center in Bethel, Maine, Willauer first established the Baltimore-Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center, as well as a sea program in the Florida Keys and, beginning in 1974, five Florida bases for programs for adjudicated youth. In 1986, he started the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center as part of Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS). Willauer was the founder and president of the HIOBS and was also a key contributor to the construction of the school’s Rockland, Maine, base. The organization is known for its experiential leadership education, rock climbing, ropes course, sailing, and pulling boat programs. A celestial navigator, Peter was nominated and joined CCA in 1959. He sailed extensively, both cruising and racing along the U.S. East Coast and in the West Indies, with two transatlantic crossings, 20 Bermuda races and another 10 passages to Bermuda. With his wife, Carol, he lived for 15 years aboard Eight Bells, their J/42 sailboat (they logged 80,000 miles), and then for another five years on their trawler Eight Bells.

FAR HORIZONS AWARD The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has chosen Christopher and Molly Barnes of Alta, Utah, as recipients of the Far Horizons Award for 2025. The premier sailing honor for a CCA member, this award recognizes the sailing achievements of an individual or couple who have embarked upon a cruise or series of cruises that demonstrate the broader objectives of the Club, including the adventurous use of the sea. A three-year, 36,000 nautical mile cruise undertaken by the Barnes family from 2013 to 2016 included a circumnavigation of South America and rounding of Cape Horn, with stops at Easter Island, Chile; South

Left: Christopher and Molly. Porter and Rabbit.

Georgia Island in the sub-Antarctic Ocean; Arctic Norway, and a wintertime crossing of France’s notorious Bay of Biscay. Crew comprised their

7

sons, Porter and Rabbit, ages 10 and 9 when they started. When informed of the award, Molly and Christopher had just completed another summer season in Newfoundland and southern Labrador, Canada, and expressed surprise. “We are honored and a bit daunted to be in such esteemed company,” they said, noting that it is “a real thrill to receive the award on behalf of all four of us.” Christopher and Molly co-founded the High Mountain Institute, a Colorado-based outdoor leadership program for high school students, becoming recognized experts on risk management. continued on next page

FAR HORIZONS AWARD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

After taking other people’s children on adventures in the mountains and canyons for 18 years, they decided it was time to take their own sons on one. Having previously introduced them to sailing in Maine on a 35-foot Cape George cutter, they commissioned a Boréal 47 in France and departed on their first significant offshore passage, to the Caribbean, in 2013. The Barnes’ approach with their boys was to start slowly and emphasize safety, fun, and learning. The boys were treated as crew, not passengers, and as their skills developed, they took on increased responsibility while earning more freedom and independence.

Within a year of setting out, they were mastering the electric autopilot and wind vane, trimming sails, and standing longer watches on their own. During the long sail from South Georgia to Norway, the boys taught themselves celestial navigation. By now they had become a cohesive crew; in Porter’s words: “The four of us were on the same page, working toward shared goals and enjoying shared experiences in a way that I had never seen in a family.” The Barnes take a professional approach to cruising. From weather analysis to risk management, from passage planning to “keeping things fun on board,” they are exceptionally

competent. These qualities are evident in numerous articles they have written, including an engaging article Molly and Porter contributed to the 2019 CCA Voyages magazine, for which they were awarded the CCA’s Vilas prize. The Barnes are a talented and delightful family according to those who have spent time with them. Their voyage, along with continued adventurous cruising to Canada’s treacherous Sable Island and the Canadian Maritimes, qualifies as a “particularly meritorious voyage or series of cruises that exemplify the objectives of the Club” as specified in the Far Horizons criteria.

RICHARD S. NYE TROPHY The Cruising Club of America has announced that Doug and Dale Bruce have been awarded the Richard S. Nye Trophy for 2025. Given at the discretion of the Governing Board, The Nye Trophy was established in honor of the late CCA Commodore Richard S. Nye. It has been awarded since 1978 to a member who has brought distinction to the Club by meritorious service, outstanding seamanship, outstanding performance in long distance cruising or racing, statesmanship in the affairs of international yachting, or any combination of these accomplishments. The couple’s contributions over many years are numerous. Starting in 2009, they rewrote the CCA Cruising Guide to Newfoundland, then in 2010 began a seven-year role at the helm of Voyages, the Club’s annual magazine. Doug, elected in 2006, and Dale, elected in 2016, have continuously expanded their roles and contributions. Doug rewrote and revised the Canadian Maritime Cruising Guides, updating valuable cruising

Doug and Dale Bruce

sailor resources. He followed with editing and development of the Viking Route Guide. He also envisioned the online CCA Cruising Guide to Maine, which has brought significant timely and in-depth guidance as well as

8

favorable publicity and goodwill to the Club. He also contributed extensively as a member of the Awards and Communications Committees. Dale, in addition to her editing, served as an officer of the Gulf of Maine Post and as Post Captain during the pandemic, developing a weekly Zoom call to keep members connected. It became a model for other stations across the club. A hallmark of both Dale and Doug is to enlist large numbers of members together to address a task; in so doing, they provide a model for effective and quiet leadership, gathering an ever-widening circle to advance the objectives of the CCA. They have participated extensively in Club cruises and on joint cruises with other clubs in Europe and elsewhere. They have advanced the CCA’s connections internationally through their significant involvement in the Ocean Cruising Club. When they are not embarking on adventures, Doug and Dale reside in Camden, Maine.

ROD STEPHENS SEAMANSHIP TROPHY Philip “Greg” Velez, of Saginaw, Michigan, is the recipient of the 2025 Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy from the Cruising Club of America (CCA) for rescuing a sailor who fell off a competitor’s boat in trying conditions during the 101st Bayview Mackinac Race. After close to an hourlong search in high winds and building seas in response to a mayday call, Velez and crew aboard his Amante 2, a Farr 49, were successful in finding and saving Pete Pryce, 72, who had fallen from Trident, a Santa Cruz 70. The CCA annually awards the Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy to a sailor for an act of seamanship which significantly contributes to the safety of a yacht, or one or more individuals at sea. During the afternoon of July 12, the first day of the 259-nautical-mile race, a squall line came across Lake Huron with winds over 40 knots, laying flat several entrants. Pryce fell off Trident, which struggled to right itself for several minutes while he drifted away in the winds and waves. Velez heard the man overboard mayday alert over the VHF radio

Rescued sailor Pete Pryce, left, and Philip “Greg” Velez

and without hesitation put his welltrained crew into action. They identified where the boat in distress had been and sailed up behind its track, though not at first finding Pryce. After 50 minutes, Amante 2 retraced the path of the boat and spotted Pryce hanging on to an inflatable dan buoy. The Amante 2 crew deployed a Lifesling and retrieved Pryce, who wasn’t wearing a life jacket, on the first pass. “I am unbelievably proud of my crew; they were not going to give up the search until he was found,” says Velez. “Once we found him, the retrieval was the easy part. The crew

made it look like they were picking up a water skier.” After Pryce was rescued, he was given dry clothes, foul weather gear, and an inflatable PFD. Pryce insisted on completing the race aboard Amante 2; the crew resumed racing to Mackinac Island and took third in their class on corrected time, after being granted redress for the time spent making the rescue. “My crew was determined to catch every boat in our class,” Velez recalls. “This was a pretty significant declaration, considering that the lead boat was 12 nautical miles ahead and doing 13 knots. But we started reeling them in one at a time and over the next 30 hours we caught them all! I am blessed with an unbelievable crew!” Velez possesses a lifelong passion for sailing. He is chairman of the board at BaySail, (www.nemiglsi.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering environmental stewardship of the Saginaw Bay Watershed and the Great Lakes Ecosystem. Velez is also a member and former commodore of the Bay City Yacht Club, Bay City, Michigan.

BLUE WATER MEDAL Pete Hill, of the United Kingdom, is the recipient of the 2025 Blue Water Medal of the Cruising Club of America (CCA). This prestigious award, established to honor exceptional seamanship and adventure by amateur sailors, recognizes Hill for his more than 50 years of long-distance voyaging in the world’s oceans. His dedication to building or modifying his yachts to the simple junk rig and proving their seaworthiness has been inspirational to a yachting community of minimalists who find it most important to be at sea or with a community of like-minded sailors.

With this honor—the highest CCA award, first granted 102 years ago—Hill, 75, follows in the wake of other remarkable sailors including Bill Tilman, Bernard Moitessier, Eric and Susan Hiscock, and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. His independent philosophy of design and construction has allowed him to sail the same seas as these icons of yachting without the burden of sophisticated and expensive systems. Notified of the award while cruising in New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean, in emotional continued on next page

9

Pete Hill

AVAILABLE NOW:

Skip Novak on Sailing

Steeped in personal experience, but designed to be as inspirational as it is practical, Skip Novak on Sailing will help you become a better sailor, no matter your level of experience. 101 articles collated from Skip’s Yachting World column. Mainly opinion pieces on topics all things sailing with a few yarns thrown in. Read a few pages while on watch, keep on your bedside table or along-side when on the loo… Enjoy! Tongue-in-cheek sketches by Davide Besana.

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT: Bloomsbury/Adlard Coles: www.bloomsbury.com Blog Post: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/ discover/articles/features/ skip-novak-on-sailing/ Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk

PETE HILL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

tones, Hill expressed profound gratitude. “I am blown away by this,” he said, adding “this is such an honor.” Hill has accomplished remarkable voyages on a variety of boats using the junk rig. Starting out in a selfbuilt 27-foot Wharram catamaran, he and his first wife, Annie (who received the 2009 Blue Water Medal with Trevor Robertson), completed an eventful North Atlantic Ocean circuit in 1975. They then built Badger, a 34-foot plywood dory, in which they explored the North and South Atlantic from Greenland and arctic Norway to the Falkland Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Georgia and Gough Island, then back north to Baffin Island with a return south to Cape Town and many ports between. Hill then built a 38-foot, junkrigged catamaran to his own design, China Moon. He and Annie went their separate ways, and for five years he cruised the high latitudes of the South Atlantic Ocean, including Cape Horn and a solo cruise of the South Shetland Islands, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha. China Moon was sold; Hill completed the delivery solo from Baltimore, Maryland, to Brazil in 41 days. With the new owner, he sailed China Moon from Brazil via the southern Indian Ocean to Tasmania, almost 10,000 nautical miles, in 73 days. Hill also raced; he soloed in the 2006 Jester Challenge from Plymouth, England, to Newport, Rhode Island, in a Kingfisher 22, finishing second but last. The next project was converting a Freedom 33 to a junk rig. With his second wife, Carly, he cruised extensively in Brazil over several years while writing a multi-part cruising guide to Brazil for the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation. In between visits to Brazil, he returned to England and built Oryx, a catamaran, which like his other catamarans, contained a mast in each hull. Following the voyage south to Brazil, Oryx then crossed the stormy South Atlantic to Cape Town. Hill’s voyages were not without tragedy. After many years, thousands of miles

10

at sea, and several ocean crossings together, Carly was lost overboard off the coast of South Africa in 2015. Hill’s response to tragedy was spending time at sea alone. He subsequently sailed singlehanded across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius and Australia. After further globe-girdling adventures aboard Oryx, Hill sold her and returned to England. He used his time during the pandemic to build Kokachin, a junk style schooner, with his new partner, Linda Crew-Gee. Kokachin’s first cruise was across the North Atlantic to the Caribbean and then north to Nova Scotia and a circumnavigation of Newfoundland. Unexpectedly, China Moon came up for sale and Hill decided to buy her back. Storing Kokachin back in England, he and Linda flew to Tasmania, and after a four-month refit, set off toward New Zealand in 2025. They were caught in a violent storm in the Tasman Sea, during which a wave hit and damaged the boat, forcing the couple to hand steer for six days and nights in challenging conditions. They are now cruising in the Pacific. For full details about Hill’s awards, boats, and voyages, log on to his website: junkrigventures.org.

ENVIRONMENT OF THE SEA

I an K eefe via Unsplash

Nathan Q ueloz via Unsplash

Nicolene G oncalves via Unsplash

MISSION STATEMENT As members of the Cruising Club of America, we sail and explore the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes with a spirit of adventure and a deep sense of responsibility for the waters that sustain us. We are increasingly confronted with chemical pollution, plastic debris and other environmental threats that endanger marine ecosystems, foul our shorelines and enter the food chain upon which millions of people depend. The Environment of the Sea Committee is dedicated to educating our members about pressing marine environmental issues and identifying practical, meaningful actions that individuals can take to help preserve and protect our oceans. Through the recruitment of a Representative or Coordinator from each of the 15 CCA Stations and Posts, we seek to identify, share and promote best

environmental practices tailored to each geographic region. This includes building partnerships with local scientists, research institutions and environmental organizations working to advance ocean health. Representatives are asked to serve a two-year term and to organize at least one annual program within their Station or Post- such as a presentation by an organization engaged in scientific research or an action-oriented event like a beach clean-up. They will also contribute a brief written report for publication in The GAM and be prepared to highlight an environmental consideration at Station meetings. Together, we affirm our commitment to responsible seamanship and to safeguarding the waters that define both our voyages and our legacy. - Submitted by Maggie Salter, Chair, Environment of the Sea Committee

11

STATION REPRESENTATIVES Pam MacBrayne for BOS/GMP Michael Moore BOS/BUZ Dallas Murphy NYS Ron Von Heydenreich SOC Julian Delarue BDO Rob Beebe GLS Tors Bjorkland PNW Rowena Carlson SAF Robert Franz CHE

CCA DONATES PERPETUAL TROPHIES TO RTYC AND RORC Left to right: Prince Albert II and RTYC VC Richard Powell. Shawn Otorowski with trophy. VC Powell with trophy.

Over the years the CCA has given trophies to our sister clubs; the most recent prior to this year was in 2022 giving the Irish Cruising Club the Friendship trophy crafted in 1927, two years before the formation of the ICC. This year in light of significant anniversaries of Royal Thames and RORC, we presented a trophy to each club. On Tuesday September 16, Past Commodore Chris Otorowski presented to the Royal Thames YC a perpetual trophy to be awarded to the RTYC member who had demonstrated

Yacht Club du Monaco.

Past Commodore Otorowski at the RORC Centenary Awards Gala.

“cruising excellence” in cruise activities for the year. This was in recognition of the RTYC’s 250th anniversary. The venue was the Yacht Club du Monaco at the conclusion of an NYYC/RTYC joint cruise that included Sardinia, Corsica and ended in Monaco. There were many CCA members on the this cruise, some of whom stayed in Sardinia and Corsica while others sailed onto Monaco. Starting the night off in Monaco was a splendid cocktail party at the Yacht Club du Monaco which included Prince Albert II chatting with

the crowd, followed by an elegant dinner. Past Commodore Otorowski took the stage and presented a sterling silver “loving cup” created in 1773. This cup was gifted by the Earl Fortescue to William Grenville who later became Prime Minister of the UK. Immediately following the presentation, RTYC Vice Commodore Richard Powell awarded the CCA Trophy to RTYC Cruising Captain, Julian Trumper, for his continuing efforts promoting cruising including organizing this cruise. The

View of 440 racing sailors in black tie.

Shawn Otorowski, Sir Robin Knox Johnston, RORC Commodore Deb Fish.

12

Trophy recipient on behalf of yacht Hasa Hamburg.

CCA trophy was immediately filled with champagne many times over the next four hours as the band played and people crowded the dance floor. This presentation to RTYC was followed two months later on November 15 when Past Commodore Otorowski presented to Royal Ocean Racing Club Commodore Deb Fish a CCA perpetual trophy at the RORC Centenary Awards Gala. The venue was the art deco Sheraton Grand Park Lane in London constructed in 1909 and was attended by 400+ sailors and guests. The theme was the Roaring 20s and the featured speaker was legendary Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who delivered a dynamic speech to the receptive audience. This was then followed by the trophy awards. PC Otorowski then told the story of

how the Bermuda Race, the CCA and then CCA Commodore Herb Stone in 1923-1926 served as the catalyst for the initial race around Fastnet Rock in 1925 and formation of the Ocean Racing Club. The ORC received its Royal Warrant in 1931and officially became RORC. The CCA perpetual trophy is a sterling silver ewer awarded by the Royal Northern Yacht Club for a sailing contest in Scotland in 1843. It was presented by Sir John Poulette Orde Baronet to the 32-ton yacht, Meteor. The CCA perpetual trophy was deeded to RORC to be awarded annually to the yacht under 56 ft LOA which had raced the most miles in RORC sponsored events for the season. The winner was Hapsa Hamburg, a JV52 which sailed an amazing 7,285 miles in RORC

races in 2025, and it was collected by Katrina Westphal, a young architect from Germany, who skippered Hapsa Hamburg to second in class in the 2025 TransAt. In Europe trophy award winners are permitted to take the trophies home and bring them back 12 months later at the next awards ceremony. These two sister clubs have a very active sailing membership and the CCA relationship is significant with each of them. The RTYC stages both racing and cruising events in the UK and the Med. RORC is focused on ocean racing and sponsors or co-sponsors 18 serious offshore races each year including a transatlantic, Caribbean 600, Fastnet and the Middle Sea Race along with TransAts every four years. - By past Commodore Chris Otorowski

SAVE THE DATE!

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FALL MEETING OCTOBER 22-23, 2026 • NEWPORT HARBOR YACHT CLUB Join us at the Fall Meeting to be held at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club on Thursday and Friday, October 22nd and 23rd. Stay the weekend to explore more that Southern California has to offer. Enjoy a cocktail cruise around the harbor on Thursday evening, inner Friday night at the Club, and activities for partners & spouses. Easy airports: John Wayne/Santa Ana (15 min) or Los Angeles International (50 min). Full information and reservation information coming in July.

13

CCA ANNUAL MEETING Left: Phil Dickey ESS, Rob Stephan ESS, and Eric Grubman ESS.

Photos by Gurney

Right: Dick Waterman BOS, Mark Grosby BOS, and Les Crane BDA.

Left: Tori Willauer BOS, Ann Willauer, and Peg WillauerTobey BOS. Right: Linda CrewGee, Steve Calhoun SOC, Elizabeth Gowell BOS, and PC Jay Gowell BOS.

Left: RC Gretchen Dieck Biemesderfer ESS, and PRC Jeb Embree ESS.

Photo: Phil Dickey

Right: Our new yearbook editor Ray Cullum BOS/BBP at the Meeting of Members. Below left: Andrew McTavish GLS, VC Andrew Kallfelz BOS, Melissa McTavish, Julie Kallfelz BOS, Erik Haakonsen, and Deanna Polizzo NYS. Below right: Rob Stephan ESS, Phil Dickey ESS, and Paul Jennings ESS.

14

Photo: Phil Dickey

Top to bottom, left to right: Peter Gibbons-Neff CHE and Jane Millman. David Doody NYS and Adam Loory NYS. Greg and Cindy Velez. Phil Thorn BOS, Pat Montgomery FLA, and John Devlin CHE. Bob Frantz CHE and PC Bob Medland GLS. Peter Willauer BOS and John Devlin CHE. Joe Golberg PNW and Joe Hoopes NYS. Great time at NYYC. Linda Crew-Gee.

15

GRENADINES CRUISE JANUARY 2026 Commodore Gowell cruised in the Grenadines many years ago and longed to return. Thus, in April of 2024, he proposed the idea for a cruise early in 2026 and asked for volunteers. Peter Rugg, having cruised in the Windward Islands in 1994, 1995, 2019, and 2023, offered to help only to learn that there was no committee selected to organize the event. Having never helped in such capacity, he was reluctant. Soon a committee including Nancy Cook, Heather McHutchison, Andy Burton, and Mike McBee were pulled together. Later, Chris Cunningham and Peter Driscoll were added. The team proved to be talented, knowledgeable, hardworking, and dedicated. As the plan emerged, signups began. About 12 boats were registered by the fall of 2025 and grew to 22 boats by the time the Cruise began in January 2026. It was fun to have so many member-owned boats as there was plenty of communication on getting the boats there. With only about 6 charter boats, there seemed to be fewer boat breakdowns than on other cruises. Opening day was hosted by Philip and Marissa Barnard at Barefoot Yacht Charters, the only full-service charter service in Saint Vincent, located on the shore of Blue Lagoon, Calliaqua, SVG. The facility has charter services, a solid offshore sailing school that can prepare less experienced sailors for command on a charter boat, a restaurant, hotel rooms, a sailmaker, a cordage facility, and friendly, helpful staff. At 16:00, Philip gave a 2-hour briefing on how to best manage the confluence of the Caribbean Current running North through the Windward Islands and the tidal currents running east/west between the various islands. This local knowledge can lead to saving an hour during the 12-mile sail from Bequia to Mustique. He also described the best approaches to each island or anchorage and the best places to anchor for calm seas and enough breeze to deter mosquitoes. On this day in history - Sunday 1/25 1498: Christopher Columbus

Cruise chart briefing. (Photo: Maureen Koeppel)

The Opening Dinner. (Photo: Heather McHutchison)

named St Vincent and the Grenadines after the Saint Vincent of Saragossa, known as the feast day of the Saint, during his third voyage to the islands. The island was already inhabited by the Black Caribs, also known as Kalinago or Garifuna. Several of the boats on the cruise were in Bequia the first day, and the others arrived Sunday the 25th. The opening dinner began at 17:30 at The Plantation on the south end of the pedestrian boardwalk on Admiralty Bay. For an island with no fresh water,

16

and no rivers, Admiralty Bay was the most important resource for the British Navy in the 18th century when the French ceded Bequia to the British in the Treaty of Paris, 1763. The Plantation provided a spectacular event with dinner and dancing music. Commodore Gowell welcomed the distinguished guests from the Ministry of Tourism and Mr. & Mrs. Glass who were very helpful on many details in the Cruise organization. On this day in history - Monday 1/26: Bequia is known for its whaling tradition. Bequia was an important agricultural and maritime island under the British. Today only 4 whales of a specific size are allowed per year. Also on this date in 1762, The British fleet under Admiral Rodney sailed near Saint Vincent en route to attack the French at Martinique and skirmishes occurred with privateers in the approaches to Grenada. The following day, a lay day provided time for provisioning at Doris’ Fresh Food, one of the most well-stocked stores in the region. Others saw the whaling museum and learned about the right that Bequia has the right to harvest up to 4 whales per season, provided they hunt under sail with hand thrown harpoons. Others checked out beaches, local model boat makers, or island tours. On this day in history - Tuesday 1/27, 1718: Notorious pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach) was active in these very waters, operating along routes used by treasure fleets. Reports note heavy pirate concentrations around St Vincent and Grenada, indicating Blackbeard was probably in the vicinity. January 27th was the first day of the annual Jazz Festival in Mustique. Mustique was purchased by a wealthy man from England in about 1958. He sought to make it into family getaway. There is one hotel, and the family compounds are very large. There is an airstrip for private planes, and a few shops, but not much for tourists to do unless they are invited. About 70 cruise participants had a tour of the Sleeping

Commodore thanking the hosts. (Photo: Carol Connor)

The gang at the Wall. (Photo: Maureen Koeppel)

Dragon residence hosted by the owners Paul Ford and Nancy Young. The symbolic wall was saved from a city building in China that was due to be demolished to make way for new development. Mr. Ford acquired it for the cost of its transportation to Mustique. Afterwards, cruise participants found dinner in local restaurants like Cotton House, and many then flocked to Basil’s Bar for the Jazz. On this day in history – Wednesday 1/28 1857: The British reorganized, refining the structure of the British Windward Islands colony, which included Grenada and St Vincent. A Captains’ Choice day was held on the way to the middle Grenadines. Several went to Canouan, about 15 miles from Mustique. A French investor tried to make Canouan into another Mustique with a high-end clientele. The airport can accommodate an Airbus 320. The marina is equipped to service superyachts and is surrounded by many new condo buildings. Sadly, this is all next to the airport, and there is much noise. There are several restaurants and shops in reach by taxi. Others went to Mayreau or Tobago Cays a few miles further. Mayreau has a school and a friendly local community. There is a nice walk up the hill with spectacular views

while and were slowly of Tobago Cays and the made their way south to nearby reefs. The boats catch up with the fleet. that went to Tobago Cays On this day in history wanted to maximize snor– Friday 1/30, 1700’s: Eurokeling time in the Marine pean ships used the Tobago Preservation area. The Cays as anchorage points, Cays themselves are uninnavigation landmarks and habited, and camping temporary shelter during overnight is prohibited. inter-island travel. The Anchorages along the Hoof shallow reefs made the area Channel are protected from Tobago Cays from Mayreau. both useful and dangerous large seas by Horseshoe (Photo: Peter Rugg) for sailing vessels. Reef, but open to the trade The mission for the day was winds to cool the air and blow away clearing customs out of Saint Vincent mosquitoes. On this day in history – Thursday and the Grenadines at the Immigra1/29, 1797: The Baliceaux deporta- tion office on in Clifton, Union Island. tions began in which thousands of The SVG tourism department had Black Caribs were rounded up and arranged for additional staff to clear held on the small Grenadines island our 22 boats (now down to 20) without of Baliceaux. Large numbers died of delay through the process. HL DeVore, who was in the area aboard Frolic, but exposure, starvation and disease. The main attraction Thursday was not registered for the cruise, steered us the rum kegs at the beach picnic dinner toward Tenuta Resort in Chatham Bay, with grilled lobster, fish, chicken, Union Island, where for EC$100, one salad, and potatoes on one of the of the staff would drive to Clifton with four Tobago Cays, Petit Bateau. Many passports and forms and do the clearspent the day swimming, snorkeling, ance. More on that later, but Tenuta or beachcombing. Several boats that proved to be run by great friendly had been elsewhere reconnected with people and serve great food and the main group in Tobago Cays. Our drink that was enjoyed by Bonnie Rye, outlier seemed to be Grant Gordon’s Moonstone, Foxtrot and others. Bolero Vagrant. Since they had such a great hosted a delightful GAM that was time in The Saints, they stayed for a enjoyed by many.

17

GRENADINES CRUISE CONTINUED

Photo: Carol Connor

On this day in history – Saturday 1/31, 1958: Creation of the West Indies Federation. Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines all became provinces within the newly formed Federation, a political union backed by Britain. The 9-mile trek to Tyrell Bay on the South shore of Carriacou provided lovely sailing conditions to our allotted times to clear immigration into Grenada. Despite prior arrangement with the Office of Tourism and direct discussion Immigration Officer Rennie, this was a lengthy enterprise that provided many customers for the Iguana Café next to the Immigration Office. Unfortunately, Bolero was missing the form for clearing out of SVG due to an error by the agent in Chatham Bay. Despite having proper clearance through the online Sail Clear system, Bolero was required to return to Clifton to retrieve the missing form before getting cleared into Grenada. The bonus was the opportunity for more sailing on Bolero. Tyrell Bay also had many wrecks from Hurricane Beryl, but the onshore restoration seemed to be moving along faster than on Union Island, largely due to the larger economy in Grenada with 20% larger population than SVG. On this day in history – Sunday 2/1, 1773: The British Colonial Authorities signed a treaty with the Black Caribs to end the First Carib War in Saint Vincent. The treaty recognized Carib land rights and divided the country

Mourne Rouge Beach. (Photo: Todd Barr)

into Carib-controlled territory in the north and British-controlled territory in the south. At approximately 09:00, 12 of the boats in our fleet crossed latitude 12° 26’ N and recorded their own start time in a Fun Race in which both monohulls and cats were handicapped on theoretical hull speed based on LWL. The handicap provided each boat a span of time during which they could motor sail with the engine in gear. This provided some close competition with the top 4 boats correcting within 6 minutes of leader True. There was some interesting chop between Ronde Is. and Grenada due strong trade winds and a bit of volcanic action from Kick ‘Em Jenny. The self-timed finish left the red flasher entering St. George’s to port whilst crossing Lat 12° 10’39 52”. Many boats in the fleet had reservations for the Port Louis Marina run by Camper and Nicholson and may have dined at the fabulous Chez Louis restaurant. Others picked up moorings or anchored in Martins Bay. On this day in history – Monday 2/2, 1793: During the French Revolutionary Wars, Britain finalized its naval operational orders to retake Grenada from French control, which had been established after the French Revolution. The day began with a chart briefing on the bays, coves, and anchorages along the SE coast of Grenada where there are some 50-60 anchorages of

18

coastline and 7 marinas along 7 miles of coastline. A gunkhole paradise! We were unable to economically find a local who could give the quality of briefing we got in the beginning of the Cruise. From west to east, True Blue is exposed to the trade winds and Prickley has protected areas but is very crowded because sailing in and out is easy. Further northeast, there are few aids to navigagtion, a number of nasty reefs, and a few privately-maintained buoys. We therefore focused on the strength and knowledge of CCA captains and navigators. As we know, the art of navigation is selecting the right information to trust. In this case, it is old, but also old school and reliable. In the 1970s Don Street had cataloged corrections for the British Admiralty Charts of the Eastern Caribbean. Imray became interested and later published Imray-Iolaire charts with the corrections and many other features that raised the standards for paper and digital charts. The key feature for SE Grenada is Don Street’s bearings on headlands to get safely through the outer reefs and in close enough to see the local markers. One can do this with a chart plotter and a good depth sounder, but with Street’s bearings, one can measure a shallow spot on the depth sounder and know whether to steer a bit left or right to stay in safe water. Mt. Hartman Bay and Secret Harbor are probably the trickiest, but once

Closing Dinner Cruise.

inside, the peaceful calm beauty of an uncrowded anchorage within a dinghy ride of provisions or a taxi tour is a great reward. After the briefing, boats went in different directions: Viewfinder to snorkeling the underwater statue garden; True to discover the Le Phare Bleu Resort at the head of Petit Calivigney Harbour; Alina to Prickley Bay, while Foxtrot and several others fetched up in Secret Harbour. On this day in history – Tuesday 2/3, 1763: France ceded St Vincent and the Grenadines to the British under the 1763 Treaty of Paris. A quick view of the St. George’s cruise ship schedule is a valuable guide to allow picking a day to see some of the sights on land when there are not busloads of day trippers. The central market, lunch at Sails, the nutmeg garden, waterfalls, distilleries, river tubing, the House of Chocolate, the tame wild monkeys and the view from a 2000-metre hill are all worthy stops for learning about the culture and shooting pictures. Meanwhile, explorers in the fleet were searching for new destinations. Moonstone ended up in St. Davids Harbour and discovered a wonderful small marina with a great quiet restaurant, travel lift, and a lot of boat storage. This attracted Brenna, Bonnie Rye, Viewfinder, Beta, and Foxtrot. Moonstone was host to a fabulous GAM with easy access via dinghy dock or auto from another anchorage. On this day in history – Wednesday

2/4, 1958: Collin Tenant from the UK purchased Mustique for 45,000 pounds and transformed the island from an undeveloped estate to a luxury island. Most of the WhatsApp group chatter was about how to get to the Beach Picnic in Morne Rouge Bay, just south of Quarantine Point. Those who came by taxi were a bit excited by the road down to the beach that rivaled the first drop on the Cyclone at Coney Island! All beaches in Grenada are open to the public, even one on Calivigney Island owned by a French billionaire with a private resort. Our local boat boy and caterer obtained a permit to use the picnic tables at Wild Wood Park that can be separated from the beach by a gate. Many came by dinghy and quickly found the CCA burgee with a 5-foot hoist. Rum kegs, barbecued goodies and homemade banana bread kept everyone happy. Since we were away from the boats, Bonnie Rye took advantage of the low-cost travel lift for a bottom scrub. After the picnic, several boats scrambled to another anchorage for more exploration. On this day in history - Thursday 2/5, 1942: The German U-boat U- 103 sank the British tanker San Gilberto near the Windward Islands, part of the U-boat offensive targeting oil and bauxite shipping. Most of the boats still in St. David Harbour began migration south. Foxtrot went exploring for the tiny lobster shack in Clarkes Court Bay

19

opposite the marina that was there last year. Sadly, it is gone without replacement. The Clarkes Court Bay anchorage does provide access by dinghy over the reef into Le Phare Blue. This access produced an impromptu dinner with many boats, including Brena, Beta, Foxtrot, Moonstone, and Bonnie Rye for a nice evening together before the closing dinner. Vagrant arrived in Grenada! Grant is no longer MIA. On this day in history – Friday 2/6, 1791: Carriacou, which originally belonged to St Vincent, saw the British set the northern latitude of Grenada near the North tip of Petite Martinque which put all of Carriacou except Gun Point, or Rapid Point, in Grenada. The country border was later placed at sea, north of Carriacou and south of Petit St Vincent. This was National Colors Day during which nearly all the local people wore at least one of the colors of the flag: red, green, or gold. Several of our participants dressed similarly to honor one of our host countries. Most boats were headed back to the St. George’s area, and many went to the Port Louis Marina. There was some question about anchoring off the beach venue to dinghy into dinner. A call to the Tourism Authority, and a water survey by a couple of members of the Cruise Committee, determined that a marine preserve prohibited anchoring close enough for a dinghy approach. Thus, taxis were arranged, and the festivities began at 17:30. Our local dignitary was Cindy Diouf, head of the Grenada office of the US Embassy that is based in Bridgetown. As people were seated, Commodore Gowell welcomed all and generously thanked the members of the Cruise Committee for their time and thoughtfulness in arranging a wonderful fun cruise. Prizes were then awarded for the fun race and a few other deserving parties. The dinner and music were enhanced by the cool breeze as well as the white noise of small waves lapping on the beach a few steps away. continued

GRENADINES CRUISE CONTINUED

Don Street Bearing M on Chart B32.

Tad in command. (Haley Lhamon)

On this day in history - 2/7, 1974: GRENADA GAINS INDEPENDENCE FROM GREAT BRITAIN. Grenada (with Carriacou and Petit Martinque) became an independent state, a major political milestone for the Grenadines region. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM THE CRUISING CLUB OF AMERICA!! It was a fitting local holiday for heading home with wonderful new friends, memories, and pictures on Photo Circle to prove it. Our WhatsApp group proved to

be a great communications tool. As experienced people know, cruising anywhere in the Caribbean may lead to unexpected issues such as a stolen dinghy or outboard motor or petty theft of a cell phone or cash if a boat is left unguarded for a swim at the beach. Some more serious issues have been reported. The WhatsApp group gave participants a way to coordinate activity, make a passage or anchor for the night with a friendly boat in sight, get up to date on who spent time in

2026 DELTA CRUISE

The first rendezvous will be at Montezuma Slough on Saturday August 15th. This will be a three-week cruise to many of the best spots on the Delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Some of the nights will be at docks and some at anchor. This will be SAF’s first a la carte cruise. Every leg of it will be within a day or less distance from San Francisco so that boats can join anywhere along the way and stay for as long as they choose.

20

a secluded bay or cove, get conditions on holding ground, swells, and mosquitos or the availability of a boat boy with a fresh fish. The Committee planned ahead with local police and coast guards, and with many of the boat boys in several locations. This provided for friendly local services and a calm, safe atmosphere throughout the cruise. In addition, this cruise proved to be therapeutic. Tad Lhamon, CCA Commodore in 2014-15, had an illness that slowed him down, but he recovered. His son Rusty set up a charter to include family and friends and enjoy time with the recovery of his father. Fortunately, Rusty arranged the cruise with Barefoot in St. Vincent of a large 4 cabin catamaran that had none of the restrictions the boats from some of the larger cruise companies had. This permitted them the opportunity to many of the delightful bays and coves around the SE of Grenada with some sporty sailing in the trade winds. On Viewfinder, they sailed the fun race and sailed as far northeast as anyone else. Rusty reported that Tad’s balance and mobility were greatly improved, allowing him to get around the boat, the docks, and enjoy the soft, warm sand at our beach picnic in Morne Rouge. With great weather and friendly people, a good time was had by all. - Peter Rugg, BOS, NGP

The overnights along the way will include Pittsburg, Bethel Island, San Joaquin Yacht Club, Discovery Bay Yacht Club, Mildred Island, Owl Harbor, Potato Slough, Tower Park, the Mokelumne River, Georgiana Slough, Prospect Slough, and will and at Steamboat Slough. The weather will be warm, and the water will be fresh. - Bill Mittendorf SAF

PACIFIC NORTHWEST CAPITOL CITY SPRING CRUISE

PNW will explore our South Puget Sound May 14th through the 20th, with glorious views of our snow-covered Mt. Ranier. It is called the Capitol City Cruise with both remote anchorages and city marinas. All CCA members are welcome. Wednesday 5/13: Foss Waterway Seaport dockside tie, $1.25 per foot, 30a $3, 50a $5. Thursday 5/14: Guided Seaport Museum tours begin at 10 a.m. Details TBA. Afternoon move to Gig Harbor, Arabella’s Marina. We have made mooring reservations for tonight only. Or anchor out.

May 14 - May 20, 2026 $60.00 per person

Friday 5/15: Lay Day. If planning to moor at Arabella’s, the only guest moorage in town, make reservations SOON! Saturday 5/16: Mayo Cove, Penrose Point Marine State Park. Host boat for appies and drinks.

Sunday 5/17: Mayo Cove, Men’s Appie contest. Monday 5/18: Longbranch Improvement Club Marina. First come, no reservations. Rafting several deep and or Med tie permitted, and plenty of good anchoring available. Tuesday 5/19: Olympia, Percival Landing, first choice, rafting permitted, or Swantown Marina, or anchor out. Wednesday 5/20: Capitol Building Guided Tours: 11 am. and 1 pm. Cheers, Howard Conant, Cruise Chair konavu@gmail.com

2026 NEW ENGLAND ISLANDS CRUISE New Bedford Whaling Museum Cuttyhunk Island

Sailing in Southeastern Rhode Island and Massachusetts in September is spectacular. We have warm water, moderate dry temperatures, steady breezes, and all of the crowds have left for the season. We are thrilled to see the overwhelming enthusiasm for this year’s CCA New England Islands Cruise. To date, 40 boats have registered, and we’re on track to fill all the spots quickly. As we finalize capacity, participation will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis. We urge all interested members to secure their place as soon as you

Cuttyhunk Harbor

are able. The deposit of $250 per crew member is due by April 15th, 2026. Please include your projected crew with your deposit so the cruise committee can accurately assess when the final cruise capacity is reached. Final payment of $600 per crew member must be received by June 1st, 2026. Once capacity is reached, we will establish a waitlist on order of registration. Stay tuned for more details as we prepare to set sail on this fantastic end of season cruise! - Ray Cullum (BOS/BBP), Cruise Director

THE CRUISE IS FILLING UP FAST, REGISTER NOW! To learn more or to register: https://cruisingclub.org/event/new-england-islands-cruise-2026 21

CRUISING GUIDES: CONNECTING CCA’S HISTORY TO TODAY’S CRUISING The CCA’s Constitution and Bylaws say: “The objects of the Cruising Club of America are to … promote cruising … by amateurs” and “to gather and keep on file information that may be of assistance to members in cruising.” In service to these fine words, about 75 years ago the Club published a cruising guide to Nova Scotian waters, then viewed by many Club members as “adventure cruising.” Charlie Bartlett of the Boston Station put that first guide together with contributions from about a dozen members, recording local knowledge that did not appear in the official pilot books. This first Cruising Guide to the Nova Scotia Coast was published in 1952 as a loose-leaf binder, and the names of many of its contributors resonate in CCA history to this day: Mac Grant, Charles Vilas, Paul Sheldon, Curtis Bok, Peabody Gardner, Newbold Smith, Ned Cabot and others. Since Charlie’s 1952 publication, the portfolio of CCA paper cruising guides has expanded to five volumes covering Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Viking Route from Europe to North America via Iceland

and Greenland. Relying on more than 125 contributors and a dedicated cadre of volunteer CCA editors, these books are updated regularly on the CCA website and re-published at regular intervals. The newest volume, hearkening back to the beginning of the CCA cruising guide history, is a fully updated 2026 edition of the Cruising Guide to Nova Scotia that will be available in early March. In a major leap into the modern digital age, the CCA online Cruising

Guide to Maine was initiated in 2022 by Doug Bruce, Tom Babbitt and Jane Babbitt supported by thirty contributors, most of them CCA members. Viewership is now running at about 30,000 annually, indicating how important it has become as a cruising resource. And, to keep up with the digital age, explorations are actively underway to decide how to make the CCA printed guides available as e-books. The CCA guides continue to contribute to safe, enjoyable and adventurous cruising because of the efforts of dedicated members of the Charts and Guides Committee supported by a lot of help from friends and fellow sailors. The Committee members and guide editors thank each of you for your efforts. Keep it up! If you have cruising information to share, suggestions or comments for any of the guides, ideas about possible new guides or would like to become involved in any way, please email Wilson Fitt, chair of the Guides Committee, wfitt@costellofitt.ca or guides@cruisingclub.org - Wilson Fitt, Bras d’Or Station

The on-line Maine guide is available for free at https://cruisingclub.org. The new Nova Scotia guide, along with the CCA’s four other print guides, are all available from Paradise Cay Publications www.paracay.com. Use the code CCA25% to get a discount.

Check out the Website: www.cruisingclub.org The CCA website is remarkable for its clarity, ease of navigation and the wealth of information it contains. Michael Moradzadeh has done a truly amazing job in putting together a website that functions so well. You can find out almost anything you need to know about the CCA, its cruises, officers, committees and members on the site and download important cruising information. GAMs from the past seventeen years can be downloaded.

22

100 YEARS OF THE CCA AND THE BERMUDA RACE —

A LEGACY WORTH CELEBRATING The 2026 Newport Bermuda Race marks a milestone like no other — 100 years since the Cruising Club of America took the helm as co-organizer alongside our esteemed partner, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. This centennial year is a big deal, and we’re already planning to make it our most memorable edition yet. As of October, 32 of the 85 teams entered are CCA members — and we’d love to see that number grow significantly. If you haven’t done the Race in a while, or have never experienced the thrill of the “Thrash to the Onion Patch,” this is the year to join in. There won’t be another 100-year anniversary, and we want our membership well represented when the fleet sets sail from Newport in June. Behind the scenes, the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) is

hard at work enhancing every aspect of the Race: • Safety & Inspection protocols are being updated for a smoother and more transparent experience based on knowledge gained from recent years. • Communications are being refined to keep competitors better informed, both onshore and offshore. • Building on the success of our Starting Line Live Show, we’re introducing a new Gulf Stream Show to help fans follow the fleet’s progress from home. And, of course, there will be plenty of ways to celebrate when we arrive in Bermuda — including a special post-race cruise with our Bermuda Station, plus commemorative 100th Anniversary memorabilia like T-shirts, scarves, and keepsakes that capture

the spirit of this historic occasion. To mark this incredible milestone, we’ve also launched a new storytelling series called This One Time in The Gulf Stream, where sailors share their favorite Bermuda Race memories — from wild weather to unforgettable moments of seamanship, teamwork, and humor. We’d love to include your story too! Visit bermudarace. com/foundation/stories to read the submissions and share your own. This is not the one to miss. As CCA members, we can take immense pride in our century-long stewardship of this legendary ocean race — one that has inspired generations of sailors to take on the challenge, camaraderie, and adventure of bluewater racing. Join us as we make history again. Learn more and enter today at BermudaRace.com

- Kate Somers and Andrew Kallfelz (BOS/NBP)

23

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Ronnie Simpson

good boat. Until you have a competitive boat, you’re effectively just a dreamer. Once you’ve got a good boat, you become a viable contender. To that effect, I took out a bank loan a year ago and purchased the first-generation Owen Clarke designed Class 40 #15 Koloa Maoli, a veteran of the previous edition of the Global Solo Challenge. In between work and other obligations, I’ve managed to put together another campaign and begin to create some solid momentum towards getting back on the starting line in a good and competitive place in October of 2027. Unless you’re independently wealthy to some degree, which I most certainly am not, trying to figure out

how to pay for a campaign like this is always the hard part. Especially in America. As a combat-wounded and retired Marine Corps Veteran, I’m proud to sail in support of the 501c3 non-profit US Patriot Sailing and also to be able to raise charitable dollars in support of that cause. We have had some recent commercial success with the campaign, bringing in cash sponsors such as a commercial building company in Baltimore called Oakley Building Company, as well as bringing the shoe company Sebago USA onboard. There is a really neat historical precedent with having a company like Sebago USA join the campaign, as they have long been an iconic sponsor of sailing and yacht racing in America and abroad. As well, we’ve been fortunate to bring in a ton of industry support and technical partners representing many of the biggest names in the marine industry. Privately, we’ve also managed to find support for the campaign, thanks in large part to connections and friendships formed through being a member of the Cruising Club of America. We’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m grateful to each and every person, none more so than my partner Marisa, who shares this dream with me and believes in pursuing a goal such as the Global Solo Challenge. 2026 is going to be a huge year for the campaign with my Global Solo

Photo: Billy Black

As I write this, it’s a Sunday morning in March, and I’ve just had my morning coffee and watched Formula 1. The young Italian driver Kimi Antonelli has achieved his first career Grand Prix victory. The excitement on his face is palpable, the joy in his heart undeniable. Kimi devoted his life to chasing an audacious goal, and he has now succeeded. To see this raw and very human release of emotion is something that is so deeply inspirational to someone like me. Racing a sailboat solo and around the world at the age of 40 certainly wasn’t the path that my parents would have chosen for me, but as a kid who grew up pursuing motorsport with the goal of being a race car driver myself, they can’t be too shocked. When my first attempt at this goal ended in disaster 80% of the way around the world and sailing towards a podium finish when I dismasted and lost the boat at sea — I had a clear choice to make. Leave well enough alone or double down. I doubled down. Returning to Maine after my dismasting, I chose to make another attempt at the Global Solo Challenge race. Anyone who knows sailing knows that you can’t do a race like this half-heartedly, you’ve got to be all in. To get back on the starting line, I first knew I had to get my hands on a

Photo: Jon Whittle

RONNIE SIMPSON

Ronnie with the Global Solo Challenge race organizers and Spanish authorities in Vigo, Spain February 2026, Courtesy Real Club Nautico de Vigo.

24

Ronnie sailing onboard Koloa Maoli in Newport.

RONNIE SIMPSON CONTINUED

Ronnie sailing Koloa Maoli in Newport, RI. (Photo: Billy Black)

Challenge qualification sail being the centerpiece. Around late June, I’ll take off on a 2,000 mile sail, tentatively planning on a route that takes me from Portland, Maine, out around Bermuda before returning to the east coast somewhere around the Chesapeake entrance, and then making a course back for Portland. I sailed my boat, Koloa Maoli, a couple thousand miles last summer, but this will be my first long and continuous passage, as well as my first solo offshore sail on the boat. I am looking forward to it! Koloa is a boat that gives a good sensation to sail and is quite confidenceinspiring, if not always feeling the quickest. To go out and sail the boat a long distance by myself and really

Ronnie Simpson

test the boat and its systems will be a valuable training exercise as well as a memorable adventure in its own right. In August and September, I’ll plan to also do some crewed racing with the boat in the Ida Lewis Race and the Vineyard Race, as well as again attending the boat shows in Newport and Annapolis in September and October. In addition to a significant amount of sailing this summer, we’ve also got a number of planned campaign events including boat shows, public talks, sponsor activations and more, with the eventual goal of having the boat back in Maine for a winter re-fit with enough funds in the bank to pay for it. If you’d like to connect this summer, please

feel free to drop me a line, or come to a speaking event or presentation. Or even better yet, get out on the water for a sail. Koloa Maoli is the people’s boat, and sharing it with the community and being a cheerleader for the sport is a cornerstone of this campaign. As one of my winter side projects, I’ve started a podcast called Cape Horn to Port, found on Apple and Spotify, where I discuss ocean racing and round the world racing, and include interviews with many interesting guests. If you’d like to learn more about my campaign, how you can support, or to get in touch, please feel free to visit www.ronniesimpsonracing.com. Aloha, - Ronnie Simpson

PETER GIBBONS-NEFF MINI TRANSAT 2027 As I prepare for the 2027 Mini Transat, a race on high-performance 21’ sailboats across the Atlantic Ocean, the why driving my campaign remains stronger than ever. Back in 2020 when I started my first campaign, it was all about raising awareness for the non-profit organization U.S. Patriot Sailing. This team helped me return home from deployment and transition off active duty from the Marine Corps. Throughout the lead-up and the 2023 Mini Transat, we exceeded expectations through new veteran participation, donations, and

outreach. Now, my new mission is to increase support for this incredible all-volunteer organization that supports the veteran community to navigate challenges. This will be accomplished through racing a new Classe Mini 6.50 prototype. Seeing my new boat for the first time was exhilarating. When we arrived in early March, the hull was just lifted out of the mold. With a performance-focused campaign designed to compete at the highest level, we had a new Mini 6.50 designed by the French naval architect Sam Manuard. Manuard

25

Peter Gibbons-Neff Jr and Jane Millman moved in March to La Trinité-sur-Mer, FR.

PETER GIBBONS-NEFF CONTINUED

View of the prototype hull after being lifted out of the mold.

is known for designing solo ocean racing boats--from racing across the Atlantic to around the world in the Vendée Globe. The builder is JPS Production in La Trinité-sur-Mer, France. They have built top racing boats, including Class40s and the Mach50, which recently won the RORC Transatlantic Race. This new Classe Mini 6.50 prototype is the most advanced boat in the fleet, made entirely of carbon fiber and created for racing while fully foiling. The design work that went into the boat, sails, rig, and electronics is impressive. This boat will be powered entirely by solar panels on the deck and will have an AI-driven autopilot incorporating Madintec’s MADBrain that adaptively learns how to fly the boat. While we have modern electronics on board, we are still restricted from the use of satellite communications and chart plotters while racing. This means no Starlink or laptop, and we rely solely on paper charts and a basic GPS to navigate. The CCA membership remains a critical component to the success of the first campaign and in the launch of this new boat. Our title sponsor in the first campaign was Fawcett Boat Supplies, a direct result of presenting at a CCA CHE Station luncheon, where my fellow members believed in me so much they helped make the connection. This new campaign still relies heavily on the support of generous donors, many of whom are members of the CCA. While the new boat is getting ready to launch,

View from the scow bow.

Stern view of the new Classe Mini 6.50 prototype in the mold.

Design rendering from Sam Manuard for this foiling Mini 6.50 prototype.

we still have a lot of fundraising to accomplish--please reach out if you would like to partner with us in this campaign. Thank you to all those who have donated and helped support this mission for U.S. Patriot Sailing!

26

The boat is coming together quickly and will launch this spring! Make sure to follow for all updates at www.pgnoceanracing.com/blog

LINDSAY GIMPLE’S OLYMPIC BID I am campaigning in the Nacra 17 foiling catamaran with the goal of representing the US in the Mixed Multihull event in the July 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. It is one of 10 sailing events and one of only 25 mixed-gender events out of ~350 total medal events in the Olympics. I am continuing to compete with my sailing partner and helm from the Paris quad, Carson Crain. He calls Northeast Harbor, ME home. We had the Nacra there this summer, so if any of the membership was cruising around MDI and saw a speedy foiling catamaran out in Somes Sound or the Great Harbor — that was us! We have been a pair since April 2023 and finished 2nd in the US Selection Trials for the Paris Games. We are currently ranked by World Sailing as the top American Nacra 17 duo. We are striving to maintain this position and move up the global rankings next season. 2026 is gearing up to be a busy year for us! We have at least 6 events on the schedule between March and August in Palma de Mallorca, France, Germany, and in Los Angeles. Carson and I train full-time towards LA28. We began winter training in Sardinia, Italy. We generally train in Europe due to the number of competition venues there and to take advantage of sailing with international training partners. We had a brief break at home for Christmas/ New Year ,and then will be back overseas! Beyond training on the water and in the gym, Carson and I operate like a small business, with all the roles associated. This includes fundraising and grant-writing, as we are fully responsible for raising the funds to power our campaign. We are supported by private donors and sailing grants from foundations like the New York Yacht Club Performance Sailing Fund, Sailing Foundation of New York, and the Skiff Sailing

Left: Carson and Lindsay. (Credit Sailing Energy)

Foundation. Please reach out to me for specific instructions if you want to support the campaign. We also do all our own administrative tasks like logistics planning, expense reporting, website management, graphic design, media and PR. You might find more insight on my website, which has blogs and team bios: www.usnacra17.com/ - Lindsay Gimple, NYS

A foiling finish in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. (Photo: Bernardí Bibiloni)

Racing Canada for the win in Vilamoura, Portugal. (Photo: Prow Media)

27

ADAM LOORY DANCING WITH HURRICANE ERIN In 2025 I sailed my boat Soulmates over 3,000 miles — nearly the full length of the North Atlantic seaboard — from Nassau in the Bahamas to the south coast of Newfoundland and the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, before returning to New York. My boat Soulmates, a Rodger Martin-designed 40-footer, was created for performance cruising, and in a good blow on a broad reach, she easily surfs at speeds in the high teens to the low 20s. In fact, our highest speed of 21.9 knots was set while surfing down a Gulf Stream wave with just a double-reefed main flying. As a life-long racing sailor, I couldn’t agree more with Bill Lee’s famous tag line, “Fast is fun.” On Friday, August 22, 2025, we danced with Hurricane Erin and had a great passage skirting her northern edge. We originally planned to hide in the Bras d’Or Lakes until the storm passed, but all the forecasts started showing the storm staying offshore, giving us 25-35 knots of northeasterly winds to blow us dead downwind to Halifax. With Halifax 150 miles away and upwind with the prevailing southwesterly winds, having a downwind run was too good a chance to pass up; therefore, I made the decision to sail the northern edge of the storm. Keven, my only crew member, was not totally onboard with my plan. She felt the whole reason we sailed 30 hours straight from Miquelon to the Bras d’Or Lake was to avoid the hurricane. She also saw forecasts showing solid 30 knots of wind between 2-4 pm.

Double reefed and #4.

Keven was worried that those strong blasts would be the result of bands of rain spinning off the hurricane. I acknowledged her apprehensions, but I knew the waves wouldn’t be too bad because the wind had not been in the northeast for long. Additionally, we also mapped out a few harbors we could pull into along the way should the conditions prove too rough. When we left the St. Peter’s Marina, Gerry, the well-known yardmaster, agreed it was a good opportunity to get west to Halifax — if we were up to it. As we departed, we passed many boats hunkered down at the eastern entrance of St. Peter’s Canal that were not going anywhere that day. As we blasted our way west down the coast, we noticed that there was

28

blue sky to the north over the land and there were angry grey clouds to the south over the ocean. As we were jibing downwind, I made sure not to get too far offshore to avoid the meanest looking clouds. We had to jibe several times because our destination was dead downwind. I should note that in this breeze, in those seas, and sailing doublehanded, our jibes were “chicken jibes,” where we tacked through 290 degrees up into and past head-to-wind rather than pass stern to wind. In a chicken jibe, you tack instead of jibe so that the boom comes across. Having the main come across in a controlled fashion is much safer and easier on the equipment than having the boom fly across with force. With the reefed main, we could leave both running backstays set during the turns. Thank you, Rich du Moulin, for the idea to move the runners aft to the transom so that we could jibe under the runners when the sail was reefed. Soulmates ended up having a great, fast sail down the south coast of Nova Scotia. We averaged 9 knots for the 95-mile 11-hour passage from the exit of the Bras d’Or Lakes to Beaver Island Harbor, which is more than halfway to Halifax. The wind blew a mild 10 knots for the first hour-andone-half, but the breeze came up after passing the Canso peninsula. After that, we were off to the races. We started surfing over 12 knots. Figuring it was better to reef before

Above: Hurricane Erin; right: Erin waves aft.

the “fecal matter hit the wind generator,” I went immediately to the second reef. Soulmates has a huge 580 sq.ft. main, so when the breeze comes on, we usually skip the first reef and go directly to the second. Our speed dropped for a short time, but then we were even faster as the breeze built. I think the wind was in the mid-20s with some solid gusts into the 30s, but since we were on a very broad reach, heeling was minimal. Our highest speed was 20.2 knots, which we hit surfing down a wave. During the day we had uncountable surfs over 15 knots. There were hour-long stretches that we averaged 11 knots. As the day went on, the blue skies won out, and the grey angry clouds pulled away as the hurricane moved in the opposite direction. We had “danced-out” Hurricane Erin. When we got in, we found text messages from boats we had been hanging out with in different harbors in Newfoundland and the Bras d’Or. Everyone was happy we were safe

and could not believe the speeds we had made. I emailed Gerry that we made it safely. He said that he had been tracking us and was a bit worried but was glad to hear from me. One friend sailing a CS36 said that going that fast was not cruising. I had a different perspective: going slow and bashing upwind for 150 miles is my not idea of fun sailing. Being comfortable in and prepared for high winds allowed us take advantage of these conditions. My decision to sail bore fruit; the day after the storm, we had to motor the remaining 60 miles to Halifax because the prevailing southwesterly had returned. Comfort and preparation are the result of years of sailing in incrementally stronger winds and learning from those experiences. All sailors would do well to expand their sailing skills. I can still remember a letter to the editor of Scuttlebutt that I wrote in 2002 that started, “Race Committees on Long Island Sound are fostering poor seamanship by not starting races

29

Keven Drummond and the author.

in winds over 20 knots.” Over the decades, I have won a lot of sailboat races with standouts including the Bermuda Race’s Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Trophy, first overall in the Vineyard Race and a handful of races over the years by mere seconds, but this passage has become the inspiration of one of my most memorable sea stories. Instead of racing other sailors, I was racing King Neptune and Mother Nature. - Adam Loory, NYS

GERMAN FRERS RECEIVES HIS 50-YEAR MEMBERSHIP MEDAL All 50-year members of the Cruising Club of America are awarded a very handsome medal in recognition of Fifty years of Membership. The medal is engraved with the recipient’s name. The Awards chair endeavors to have this medal presented in person and most certainly not just mailed to the recipient! This task most often falls to the local Rear Commodore at a Station event. Steve James was looking for a way to get German’s medal to Buenos Aires. Luckily, he knew of this member’s proposed trip to Patagonia. German was only home for four days before heading for Italy. The medal was duly presented over lunch at the Yacht Club Argentino, February 28th, 2026. It would be hard to find a more interesting lunch companion! Memories of Rod Stephens who introduced him to the CCA. Only being allowed to use RDF for the 1979 Fastnet. To his racing Recluta, his father’s design which he eventually built as she was never completed in 1942 during WWII. After lunch, German drove out to his Estancia to ride for the afternoon! - Barbara Watson, Fla Station

Barbara Watson and German Frers in Buenos Aires.

Editor’s note: Sr. Frers and I are in fairly regular email contact regarding my boat Flying Lady, a Swan 46 Mk 1 which he designed. He has lost nary a step. - Phil Dickey ESS

CCA SHIP’S STORE For CCA burgees, private signals, club apparel (with cruise logos and boat names optional), discounted IMRAY charts and cruising guides, name tags, and more, visit The Member Store at: https://cruisingclub.org/store

Barbara Watson, Milt and Judy Baker in Punta Arenas.

Competing for southernmost destination with Melodie Schaffer (Cape Horn) and Skip Novak (South Georgia Island) from GLS and fellow FLA member Ron Schaper (Antarctica), Barbara Watson is having her own highlatitude adventure. In addition to lunch with German Frers in Argentina, Barbara, currently roaming Patagonia, also lunched with Milt (FLA) and Judy Baker in Punta Arenas! Milt and Judy are cruising from Ushuaia to Valparaiso and are clearly also in the hunt for high latitude honors. - Phil Dickey

30

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS BOSTON STATION The Boston Station and its three Posts- Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay and the Gulf Of Maine — are all active with multiple events addressed below under each Post’s own heading. The Boston Station continues to host it’s RATS lunches approximately quarterly, and they are well attended. The Christmas lunch is a particular highlight and always sells out almost immediately upon opening of registration. The Station’s Annual Meeting was again held in conjunction with the New Members dinner which makes for a very enjoyable evening at the Union Club of Boston. It was at this meeting that Nick Orem, outgoing RC, handed over to Brian Guck as the next Rear Commodore for the Station. The Boston Fleet of sailing and motoring yachts is well spread through New England’s anchorages and further overseas. Some are on well-disciplined odysseys; some to be found in the countries, islands and scenic anchorages of NW Europe; and some in the islands of Polynesia and New Zealand. Following is a survey of those Boston Station members and their yachts who are overseas who I could find and contact. There are many, many, more CCA members venturing in these and other places around the world. My report focuses on just Boston Station members for now. In New Zealand, Jamie and Sunyoung Samuels continue to complete their transition from monohull to catamaran in their Phisa 42, Felix. Following a major refit in Whangarei on the northeast coast of North Island, they finally got away

Maverick in Geirangerfjord, northern Norway.

Felix in Mercury Islands, New Zealand.

on their first long passage to Fiji. They spent the season exploring anchorages and the many small Islands off Fiji. The Lau group were amongst their favorites. They are now back in New Zealand exploring onshore and making plans for next season’s passaging to Australia via Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Also in New Zealand for their southern hemisphere summer are Bill and Johanna Strassberg with their new-to-them motor launch Golden

31

Boot IV, a Riviera 4000 Offshore planing powerboat. They are in their first season with the powerboat and are exploring the Hauraki Gulf with expeditions to the Great Barrier Islands and the Coromandel Peninsula on the northeastern coast of North Island. Bill is almost having too much fun experimenting and climbing the learning curve of thrusters, trim tabs, and twin engines. From New Zealand, one could consider the next group of distant Boston Station members to be their antipodeans spread out over NW Europe — ok, yes, the true antipodean locale would be Southern Europe by the Atlantic. Steve McInnis, Nancy Jamison and friends have cruised many miles in Scandinavia, the Baltic, and Scotland whilst crisscrossing the North Sea. They took Maverick, a Hanse 505, on a transatlantic in 2018 to Scandinavia and the Baltic where they have cruised extensively, including two CCA cruises: the Stockholm Archipelago 2019 cruise and the Western Isles cruise of 2025. Their time in the region has seen them adventure each summer (save the Covid years) through the Baltic, Scotland’s Western Isles, and north to the Arctic coast of Norway, through the Lofoten Islands, past Tromso to points north of 70 degrees. Maverick is currently wintered in southern Norway near Stavanger. Their 2026 season will include participation in the Royal Scandinavian Yacht Club’s 2026 NAS-KNS Norwegian Fjord Cruise from Stavanger to Bergen and back. They will continue in southern

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS Norway and will consider positioning her for likely shipping to the US in the Spring of 2027. Icebear, a Morris 48 skippered by Carol Harrington and Kurt, made a transatlantic crossing to Cork last summer en route to the CCA Western Isles cruise in Scotland. From there they carried on through the Caledonian Canal and across the North Sea to southern Norway and Denmark. They closed out their summer season with a cruise on Denmark’s southern archipelago before wintering the boat in Thuro. 2026 will see them focus on the Baltic and participation in the World Arc’s Baltic cruise. Bill Strassberg and Visions of Johanna, a 62-foot 2003 Chuck Paine design built by Boston Boatworks and Morris Yachts, returned to Europe in the summer of 2024 via Newfoundland, Kinsale, Ireland, Brittany, and Concarneau, France, with CCA members Steve Brown (BOS) and Noah Peffer (BOS) aboard. Last summer, 2025, after six weeks at St. Katherine’s Docks in London, Bill and Johanna sailed north to join the Western Isles Cruise with Doug and Dale Bruce (BOS), Ann Kolker (NYS), and Kathleen O’Donnell (BOS). After the cruise Bill continued in the Western Isles and Hebrides before heading over to Northern Ireland and wintering the yacht in Carrickfergus. Bill will return to Visions of Johanna in early May and cruise the West and South coasts of Ireland in the summer ahead. Paul Kanev has his yacht Momentum, a 51’ McCurdy and Rhodes design built in composites by Hinckley, wintering in Lymington, South coast of England. Paul has explored the west coast of Norway and its fjords; last summer he cruised in Iceland before returning to the south of England. This coming summer they plan to celebrate the 82nd anniversary of D-Day off Omaha Beach with a crew member whose father fought there. They will follow that with cruises in the lower Baltic for 2026. Paul is also in the early planning stage for a

cruise to Svalbard in 2027. Jon Knowles aboard his Abracadabra, a J/46, has been exploring the Scandinavian coast on and off since 2013. He describes “the west coast of Norway as the best.” They have sailed as far north as 70 degrees and secretly share that the Lofoten Isles are “spectacular.” Over the past two summers, they have explored the Western Isles of Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides, and the remote Faroe Islands. Last summer they extended the exploration down the cruising grounds of the West Coast of Ireland and around to Cork. From there, they sailed on “with caution to the beautiful Isles of Scilly” off Land’s End before heading east along the south coast of England to the Solent and the Hamble River where Abracadabra is now wintered. Jon and Cindy’s plan for 2026 is to head back up to Stavanger in Norway by way of the coast of France, Belgium and Netherlands and join in with the Royal Scandinavian Yacht Club’s 2026 NAS-KNS Norwegian Fjord Cruise from Stavanger to Bergen and back. They will close their 2026 season with a cruise to Sweden and winter Abracadabra there. This tour of the of the Boston Station’s overseas fleet would not be complete without recognizing the return of then-Commodore Gowell’s Moonstone to the Caribbean after her circum-Atlantic odyssey. Their journey included visits with many people and anchorages along their way from the Caribbean through Ireland to Scotland’s Western Isles and back. They ventured through the Azores on the way over and then back through Biscay with a visit to Bayona and the Canary Islands before recrossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean. It was a powerful summer of sailing for Jay and Elizabeth, shared with many friends along the way both onboard and ashore. The complete story has probably yet to be written. - David Curtin, Station Historian

32

BRAS D’OR STATION With the boats put away for the season and the bays frozen over, the Bras d’Or Station found no shortage of ways to stay active and connected. From a lively fall gathering to a warm evening in the Annapolis Valley and a mid-winter escape south, the months between sailing seasons proved as rich with camaraderie and adventure as any spent on the water. The Station’s fall season opened with a spirited gathering at Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron’s Saraguay House, where more than thirty members and guests came together for the November Fall Meeting, including Jim Evans, who had made his way from Prince Edward Island despite the ferry being out of service. It was the kind of dedication that speaks to the spirit of the Bras d’Or Station. Following a cocktail reception and a generous buffet dinner prepared by the RNSYS staff, the evening’s business got underway in earnest. The agenda was full, but the atmosphere remained convivial throughout. One of the evening’s highlights was an engaging report by Julien Delarue, who offered a thoughtful environmental report of renewable energy and marine life along Nova Scotia’s coast. Wind power is coming to the province, and Julien — deeply involved in assessing its impact on marine mammals — is broadly supportive. He reassured those present that a mandatory 25-kilometre buffer zone from shore means most sailors will never glimpse a turbine on the horizon. Fresh from a ten-day whale science voyage around Sable Island, Julien also spoke passionately about the richness of offshore marine life and encouraged members to seek out those experiences for themselves. The official meeting business came to a close with Rear Commodore Bill Greenwood presenting the Millennium

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Left to right: Reg Goodday, Christine Goodday, Bill Greenwood, Wilson Fitt, Thelma Costello, Charles Westropp, Bonnie Salsman, and Kathy Greenwood.

hazardous. The hike was called off — a rare concession to Nova Scotia winter, though certainly a sensible one. We plan to reschedule for May, when the landscape along the shore will be considerably more welcoming. The evening gathering, however, went ahead as planned, and twenty-two members and guests came together at the Blomidon for a night of excellent company, fine food, good wine, and the kind of storytelling that only sailors can produce. A portion of the evening was set aside to remember Rod Fraser, a recentlypassed Station member and dear friend. Syd Dumaresq and Al Bishop shared memories of days spent with Rod on near and distant waters, painting a vivid picture of a man who was as at home offshore as anyone in the Station. Fellow dentist Reg

Goodday spoke to the extraordinarily high regard in which Rod was held throughout his professional life. The evening closed with a poignant reading about the end of sailing days, a little music, and a moment of quiet, shared remembrance. It was a fitting tribute to a life well lived. In March, four of our esteemed members travelled to New York City to attend the annual meeting, representing the Bras d’Or Station among the broader membership. It is always an occasion that reinforces the connections binding this Station to sailors and cruising enthusiasts across North America, and this year’s gathering was no exception. Not all of the Station’s winter activity took place ashore. Several members were fortunate enough to escape to warmer latitudes for

Photos this page : John Harries

Bowl to Judy Robertson. The award recognized an extraordinary sevenyear voyage: two trans-Atlantic crossings, several years cruising the Mediterranean, and a final return passage via the Caribbean and the US East Coast. It was a richly-deserved honour and a fitting reminder of the remarkable voyages that members of this Station quietly undertake. Following the official proceedings, Syd Dumaresq brought the Fall Meeting to a close with an entertaining and fast-paced presentation on his transit of the Greenland West Coast and the Northwest Passage by cruise ship over the summer. Syd wove together the storied history of Arctic exploration with admiring observations on Inuit culture and the remarkable ingenuity required for survival in the High Arctic. By all accounts, it was a wonderful way to end the evening. As has become an annual January tradition, the Bras d’Or Station marks the coldest stretch of winter with a social that traditionally includes a shoreline hike followed by an afternoon warm-up and supper at the historic Blomidon Inn in Wolfville. This year, however, even the most intrepid Station members had to concede defeat to the elements. A stiff onshore breeze drove wind chill values along the exposed shoreline route into the -30°C (-22°F) range, and ice underfoot made conditions not merely uncomfortable but genuinely

Left to right: David Archibald, Mary Filbee, Peter Watts, Deb Bishop, Al Bishop, Phil Wash, and Florence Poirier.

Left to right: Syd Dumaresq, Gail Fraser, and Bunch Fraser.

33

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS CHESAPEAKE STATION

Photo: Grant Gordon

St Pierre in Martinique.

some sailing that, in the depths of an Eastern Canadian winter, might easily inspire envy. The morning after the Fall Meeting, Grant Gordon set off from Halifax aboard Vagrant, making for the Caribbean for the first time since 2018. The first leg to Bermuda was, by the polite accounting of the Captain himself, “challenging” — though several members who heard the full story suggest that “challenging” may be something of an understatement. Whatever the passage demanded of Grant and his crew, the destination more than rewarded the effort. In January, Grant’s wife Kelly flew down and joined him in St. Vincent, where Vagrant became part of a fleet of twenty boats participating in the CCA Grenadines Cruise. Vagrant is now making her way north at a leisurely pace with crew joining for the passage home meeting in the British Virgin Islands around the first of May. Grant plans to have the boat back in Halifax in time for the summer sailing season. Around the same time as Grant’s departure, members Sandy MacMillan and Hans Himmelman set out on their own offshore adventure, delivering the boat Lumina to Guadeloupe

— though it would take two attempts to get there. Their first departure from Lunenburg on November 13 began promisingly, with 36 hours of clear sailing, before the weather turned and it became clear they were heading into dangerous conditions. They reversed course and rode a full gale back to Lunenburg, arriving safely on the evening of November 15 after logging an impressive 638 miles in 76 hours. Undeterred, they set off again on November 20, made a solid fourand-a-half-day passage to Bermuda, and departed for Guadeloupe on November 26, completing the delivery on a pleasant six-day passage south. As the days lengthen and the water temperatures begin their slow climb, the Bras d’Or Station looks forward to the season ahead with a hopeful rescheduling of last year’s Eastern Short cruise – let’s hope hurricanes don’t interrupt our plans again this year. - David McCurdy, Historian

The Chesapeake has emerged from an unusually severe winter with rivers and parts of the Bay frozen solid. Long dormant ice boats were dusted off and saw action in several areas. A successful Fall Cruise was held in October with excellent venues, winds for sailing and racing, and an ample Rum Keg. Up to 61 participants attended some or all aboard 21 yachts. The cruise returned to Virginia’s Northern Neck region that had not been visited for several years. The first stop in Solomons featured a Rum Keg Party with a delicious array of hors d’oeuvres at Safe Harbor Zahnisers. A favorite for many, the next stop was Mill Creek off the Great Wicomico where Nellie Crocket, celebrating her hundredth

Terminal Leave.

birthday year, hosted a fun gathering. The Robert Goldsborough Henry Race was held enroute. A Mill Creek resident and photographer captured the evening by drone and thanked us for providing the finest boat show they have ever experienced on the Creek. He asked us to notify them when we return in case they are out of town. Next stop was the Corrotoman River for a lovely anchorage and dinner party hosted by Lydia and Bill Strickland at their home. The Sunny Neff Race was held enroute. Tad Thompson arranged the final stop at Ditchley Cider Works on Dividing Creek for the closing dinner party. continued after history section

34

History of the CCA A Century Long Partnership: The Newport Bermuda Race This coming June will mark the 100th anniversary of the formal collaboration between the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America as joint organizers of the Newport Bermuda Race, one of the world’s most enduring and respected offshore yacht races. Over various courses since 1906, this biennial ocean contest has captivated and challenged racing sailors and will celebrate its 54th running this summer.

A DEFIANT START (1906) As John Rousmaniere famously wrote in his defining history, A Berth to Bermuda, the Newport Bermuda Race began not through institutional planning but through defiance. In the early 1900s, mainstream sailing authorities thought ocean racing was inherently dangerous in small yachts. Massive schooners with large professional crews had characterized the sport as it developed during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Boats under 80 feet were considered unfit for offshore competition.

THOMAS FLEMING DAY Thomas Fleming Day felt otherwise. As editor of The Rudder magazine, he was known as a spirited advocate for the amateur sailor. Day challenged the belief that the ocean was too treacherous for smaller craft. He argued that “The danger of the sea for generations has been preached by the ignorant,” suggesting that knowledge, seamanship, and seaworthy design trumped unfounded fear. To prove his point, Day organized an ocean race from New York Bay to Bermuda in May 1906. Only three boats ranging from 28 to 40 feet in length started that first race. Despite skepticism, the event proved a bold success, and Day himself skippered the 38-foot yawl Tamerlane to victory.

Thomas Fleming Day.

The tiny 28-foot sloop Gauntlet also made history; not just due to its diminutive size, but because it was crewed by Thora Lund Robinson, a 20-year-old woman who became one of the earliest female participants in ocean racing. She was described in the press as frail. She was anything but that.

A FOOTHOLD, A WAR AND A PARTNERSHIP The early years of the Bermuda Race were marked by a fragile foothold and experimentation. After the inaugural event, the race continued for several years, with starts from various East Coast ports including Brooklyn, New

CCA HISTORY PAGE 119

York and Marblehead, Massachusetts. However, participation remained irregular and dwindled to just two participants in 1910. The race was initially held annually, but the physical and logistical demands on crews and organizers soon made annual racing unsustainable. Then came World War I and the cessation of racing. But in the early 1920’s a renewed effort to formalize the event emerged, igniting greater interest and leading to more regular scheduling. In 1923, the race was revived by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club with a start in New London, Connecticut. Certainly, the support of Bermudian tourism was a factor. The newly formed Cruising Club of America and its early Commodore Herbert Stone provided support, and nearly all the entrants were Cruising Club members, but the CCA was not an official sponsor. The debate within the Club regarding racing versus cruising was still ongoing and would not be fully settled for some years to come. In 1923 every one of the 22 starters finished, a testament to improved yachts and increasingly experienced crews. Interest in the race grew, and its success drew the attention of British yachtsmen and inspired the creation of the Fastnet Race, inaugurated in 1925. By 1926 the Cruising Club joined the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club as a co-sponsor of the race, and that partnership has thrived and endured until today. Throughout the late Twenties and into the 1930’s the race was held in even numbered years. While initially dominated by heavy schooners whose designs were derived from larger fishing craft, the late twenties saw the emergence of more Marconi rigged yachts with decidedly racing pedigrees. John Alden’s Malabar schooners amassed a formidable record with three wins in successive

History of the CCA MID-CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS: DIVISIONS, RULES, AND RECORDS

Left: Herb Stone drove the CCA’s partnership with the RBYC and served as Race Chairman well into the 1930’s; right: the welcoming bar of the RBYC in the early days.

designs but Memory, a Herreshoff New York 40 raced successfully in 1923 and 1924 and Rugosa II, a sistership, took line honors and the win in 1928. By the time Olin Stephen’s great breakthrough yawl Dorade appeared in 1930 complete with her original bowsprit and towering rig, the renewed design course had been set. With starts continuing from New London (with the exception of the 1932 start from Montauk), reasonably sized fleets of 25 to 42 sailed on, even into the ravages of the Depression.

NEWPORT ADDS ITS NAME TO THE RACE (1936) A major turning point in the race’s history came in 1936 when Newport, Rhode Island became the official starting point. This location — deeply associated with American yachting and home to a vibrant sailing culture — provided a sympathetic and strategic setting from which the international fleet could embark. From Newport, racers would leave from outside Narragansett Bay, head southeast into the Atlantic, cross the powerful Gulf Stream, and then make for the finish near St. David’s Lighthouse in Bermuda. The Gulf Stream crossing was an unpredictable concatenation of strong currents and waves, lending the race its evocative nickname: “The Thrash to the Onion

Patch.” The nickname references Bermuda’s agricultural history — once famous for its onions. Combined with the thrash of sudden seas and winds, the course tested even the most adept crews’ endurance, navigation skills, and resilience.

INTERRUPTIONS AND WORLD WARS Global events occasionally interrupted the race’s continuity. During World War II, the race was canceled for three successive cycles — 1940, 1942, and 1944 — due to wartime exigencies. It resumed in 1946 and, thereafter, settled into its rhythm as a biennial event. Despite these disruptions, the race maintained its allure. The first postwar race of 1946 saw 31 starters and crews populated with seasoned sea veterans using more advanced navigational skills and devices. Participation grew steadily and advances in yacht construction, navigational instruments, and safety gear helped broaden the appeal of offshore racing. Examples included the introduction of aluminum spars on Gesture and radio direction finders. Yacht clubs from around the U.S. and beyond began to see the Bermuda Race as a milestone event for amateurs and professionals alike.

CCA HISTORY PAGE 120

By the mid-20th century, the Bermuda Race had matured into a sophisticated competition. Divisions were no longer based solely on boat size; rather, yachts were classified under rating rules that allowed fair competition among diverse designs. The Cruising Club Rating Rule developed in the 1930’s had formed the basis for all ratings and designs had been refined to accommodate it. The introduction of new rating formulas such as the International Offshore Rule (IOR) in 1971, The Measurement Handicap System (MHS) and later the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) advanced the objective of different boats competing equitably based on performance potential. With the separation of rudders and keels and the towering rigs, the IOR rule produced designs that were faster but with less stability in certain conditions. The disastrous 1979 Fastnet Race caused a reevaluation and a return to greater “wholesomeness” and inclusion of cruising considerations. In 1978 two rating rules, the IOR and MHS were used and in 1980 only the MHS resulting in an overall win by Holger Dansk, a cruising-oriented design sailed by the youngest winning skipper to date notching a win by the greatest margin ever. Rating rules evolved and combined over time and attempts were made to align with the rules used by other organizations such as the Royal Ocean Racing Club. A notable recent change saw the adoption in 2024 of an advanced scoring system, the Forecast Time Corrected (FTC) approach, which predicts speed potential based upon the forecasted wind and weather conditions. It aims to deduce performance differences between vastly different fleets and has been seen as a success thus far. Separate trophies and divisions were introduced to accommodate

History of the CCA varying rating rules and classes from cruiser/racer yachts to high-performance racing machines. Race organizers began awarding prizes for multiple classes, acknowledging both the fastest yachts on corrected time and the raw speed achievements of specialized vessels. By 2024 the race was divided into six divisions including the St. David’s Lighthouse and Gibbs Hill Light as well as doublehanded, cruising, multihull and superyacht classes. Nearly 100 awards were presented. It had taken Robert Bavier 118 hours to gain line honors in Dragoon during the 1926 race. Venturer took even longer at 121 hours in the 1960 race, but higher average speeds were seen over time. Bolero under Swedish sailor Sven Salen set a record of 70:11:37 hours in 1956 averaging 9.0 knots. By 2002 Roy Disney’s Pyewacket had lowered the mark to 54:29:22. The 90’ Rambler owned by George David set a new record in 2012 of 39:39:18 breaking the prior mark by 14 hours at an average speed of over 16 kts. The current monohull record for the passage is held by Jim Clark’s 100-foot maxi-yacht Comanche which set the course record in 2016 with a time of 34:42:53. With the introduction of multi-hulled yachts even faster passages have been achieved and Argo, Jason Carroll’s MOD70 set a new course record in 2022, completing the journey in 33 hours, 0 minutes, and 9 seconds, becoming the first vessel in the race’s history to finish while the bars were still open on Saturday night.

ICONS OF THE RACE: YACHTS AND SAILORS Over the decades, many boats and sailors have etched their names into Bermuda Race lore. John Alden with his Malabars won three times in the 1920’s and continued to race into the 1950’s. Carleton Mitchell notched three successive wins on Finisterre in 1956, 1958 and 1960 demonstrating that a small yacht could win in wildly

different conditions. Three different Carinas took the prize under the helms of Richard Nye (Sr. and Jr.) and Rives Potts. Bolero took line honors three times as did Baruna. George Coumantaros was first across four times with his two Boomerangs. The first west coast entry was W.A. Stewart’s Santana in 1938. The first non-US winner was Noryema from the U.K. in 1972, and the first South American entry was German Frers’ Freya in 1954. Queene Hooper Foster became the first woman skipper in 1986 on the Aage Neilsen designed Saphaedrea, possibly a harbinger of women joining the CCA in 1994. Two America’s Cup skippers have won the race: Harold S. Vanderbilt in 1910 and Ted Hood in 1968. The oldest winning skipper was the enormously popular Decoursey Fales aboard Nina in 1962 at the age of 74. The race has also cultivated many loyal repeat participants. Jim Mertz sailed every race except two from 1936 to 2004, a total of thirty races. The Gibbons-Neff family from the Chesapeake in Prim were perennial participants and Edwin Gaynor aboard Emily sailed the race 24 times. George Coumantaros made 26 trips, finally winning at the age of 72. The Gulf Stream Society celebrates sailors who have participated five times or more. The long list includes Past Commodores Jim Binch with 23, James McCurdy with 21, Sheila McCurdy with 20 and Brad Willauer with 19 races. Storied navigator W. Frank Bohlen has completed 22 thrashes. For many CCA members it is a semi-annual rite of summer. The race has always been a showcase for designers and the names are notable. John Alden competed with various Malabars, the last gaff rigged entrant being Malabar X in 1934. A twenty-two year-old Olin Stephens was launched onto the scene in 1930 with Dorade, drew the winning design 14 times and could claim credit for numerous line honors yachts and dozens of class wins over the span of

CCA HISTORY PAGE 121

the next sixty years. Ted Hood and his Robins compiled impressive wins. The names of Bill Tripp, Bill Lapworth with numerous Cal 40 wins, Aage Neilsen, Nathaniel Herreshoff, Philip Rhodes, McCurdy and Rhodes, Ray Hunt and German Frers (Sr. and Jr.) are amongst the names that populate the list of great designers who have distinguished themselves. Record performances led to new design commissions and increasing sales of stock designs. The Bermuda Race Roll of Honour, inaugurated on the race’s 100th anniversary in 2006, celebrates individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the event, including designers, record-setting skippers, and heroes who demonstrated exceptional seamanship. The Roll now numbers 18 individuals and includes Thomas Fleming Day, Olin Stephens, W. Frank Bohlen, Richard S. Nye, John Rousmaniere, Bill Langen, Warren Brown, George Coumantaros, John Alden, Llwyd Eccelstone, Jr., Carlton Mitchell, Bobby Somerset, Clarence Kozlay, Kirk Cooper and Sir Eldon Trimingham, James Mertz, Bjorn Johnson and Lea de Hass. It is an impossible task to mention all the great names and yachts in the lore of the NBR. Alf Loomis, Rod Stephens, the Naval Academy crews, Edlu, Stormy Weather, Sherman Hoyt, Selkie, Ondine, Cornelius Shields, Argyll, Sinn Fein, Dan Strohmeier, Burgoo. The history is beyond rich and the CCA and RBYC have sustained it.

CHANGE OVER TIME, TECHNOLOGY AND SAFETY Finding the island safely has always been a challenge. Small cumulative errors with celestial navigation led to numerous misses and in some cases outlandish excuses. The postwar radio direction finder and Walker Log gave way to the permitted use of Loran in 1980. Modern navigation systems, increasingly sophisticated weather routing software, and safety equipment like EPIRBs and AIS have

History of the CCA

Hamilton Harbour from the RBYC lawn in 1960.

Newport Bermuda Race 2024. (Photo: Stephen Cloutier)

transformed how the race is sailed, and tracking systems beamed across the internet have allowed those on shore to delight in the strategies and progress of the fleet. Tom Day wanted to show that ocean racing could be safe, and the Bermuda Race has been remarkably so. In its long history only two lives and four yachts have been lost. An increasing awareness of safety and the environment distinguish the race and crew safety training and vessel inspection assure the best odds for safe passages. Yet the core challenge remains the same: respect for the sea and a commitment to seamanship. The face of the race has changed over time. Early races started at numerous northeastern ports until Newport became the permanent start in 1936 but that even changed as starts at Brenton Reef Tower moved to the head of Narragansett Bay and then one mile further into the bay to begin off Fort Adams attracting large shoreside spectator crowds and class starting announcements on a Jumbotron. The finish has remained the same but the welcome at Hamilton Harbour has changed a bit as the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has grown and flourished with greatly expanded docks and a larger clubhouse.

RACE CULTURE What sets the Newport Bermuda Race apart is not just its distance or competitive rigor, but its culture. From the start in Newport — where local communities and sailing enthusiasts gather to witness the flotilla depart — to the finish in Bermuda, where celebrations and camaraderie abound, the race generates a unique spirit among participants. There are many multigenerational crews, a welcoming of ideas such as doublehanded participants and all-women rosters and a continuing dedication to providing an even and fair scoring system. Sailors often speak of the Bermuda Race as more than a competition; it is a rite of passage. Novice crews learn from seasoned veterans. Yacht designers test new ideas. Families and friends bond under challenging conditions. In a world of increasingly professionalized sports, the Bermuda Race retains its accessibility to dedicated amateurs, honoring Day’s original vision of encouraging seaworthy yachts and competent sailors. Today, the Newport Bermuda Race typically attracts between 150 and 200 boats from around the world — a testament to its global stature. Recent editions have seen entries from multiple countries, including Canada,

CCA HISTORY PAGE 122

the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

LEGACY From 1906 through the 2024 race, a total of 5,785 starters have set out for Bermuda, and the cumulative count of sailors since that first start is beginning to approach 60,000. The Bermuda Race, alongside the Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii, is the most notable totally offshore yacht race in the world. It has inspired other iconic offshore competitions and contributed to advances in yacht design, rating rules, and a culture of safety across the world. One hundred and twenty years after the first Bermuda Race, the event’s legacy is unmistakable. It helped legitimize offshore racing in smaller yachts at a time when such undertakings were considered foolhardy. It fostered international collaboration through the enduring partnership of the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The Newport Bermuda Race stands as a monument to the spirit of exploration, competition, and community on the open sea — a tradition that continues to thrive well into its second century. - Historian Doug Adkins

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

The Fall Cruise Fleet

Ditchley is a historic plantation, manor house and Cider Works that has been restored as a working farm, orchard, cider works and hospitality venue. The November luncheon was held at the Tred Avon Yacht Club to accommodate our Eastern Shore members. RC Devlin welcomed a recent record crowd of 54 attendees. USMC Reserve Major and CCA member Peter Gibbons-Neff of PGN Ocean Racing described his plans for sailing the 2027 Mini Transat Race — a 4000nm solo race in a Classe Mini 6.50 boat from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, to Guadeloupe with one stop in the Canary Islands. Peter participated in the 2023 event and experienced a rudder detachment that caused a 300nm technical diversion to the Cabo Verdes for few hours of repair work. He then proceeded to catch the back of the fleet nearing Guadeloupe. Undaunted, his plans for 2027 include having a

newly designed boat built to be sailed in the prototype group where foils, canting keels and carbon masts are permitted on the standard design. Following completion this spring, he begins an effort to test and learn to sail the new boat. A key motivation for Peter’s adventurous use of the sea is to build awareness and support for U.S. Patriot Sailing, an organization helping veterans through sailing to adjust to civilian life. In December, the Holiday Luncheon and Station Annual Meeting was held at the Annapolis Yacht Club attracting 92 attendees and visit by Commodore Gowell. Following the meeting an excellent buffet was offered. The event concluded with a celebration of five 50-year members (Tommy Closs, Tad DuPont, Ebby DuPont, Thatcher Brown and Fleet Captain Jon Wright), presentation of awards to the winner of Chesapeake Station’s two annual races

Annual Meeting.

Fleet from Stricklands’ Yard.

Peter Gibbons-Neff with Aunt Leslie.

Nellie Crockett Rum Keg Party.

(Steve Director aboard Stowaway), and, finally, an award of a thank-you gift to Ted Parish for regularly providing his restored Chesapeake Bay Buy Boat, Nellie Crockett, as the station’s Rum Keg gathering platform afloat. The first luncheon of the new year was held in January at the Annapolis Yacht Club with light attendance that facilitated a series of shared sea stories. The February Luncheon at Annapolis Yacht Club attracted a full house of 35 attendees. Dr. Bill White provided an excellent pictorial review of the Grenadines Cruise and made a good case for taking advantage of the Club cruises. Members are looking forward to monthly luncheons throughout the year, a Spring Cruise and the Robert Goldsborough Henry Race in May, the Fall Cruise, Annual Meeting, and Sunny Neff Race in October, and the annual Holiday Luncheon in December - RC John Devlin

Fleet Captain Jon Wright Receives 50-Year Medal.

35

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS and Bahamas to the East Coast. And lastly, our popular lunches are held on the 3rd Thursday (mostly), September through June at Pilot’s Point Marina in Westbrook, Ct. The lunches are informal and fun. Come join us! - Mike McBee, Historian

ESSEX STATION Our Annual Meeting was held on Dec. 4, 2025, at the Essex Yacht Club. Commodore Gowell and 64 other merry sailors enjoyed a warm cocktail hour and a fine dinner. After dinner, Howard Park, an artist and a sailor, gave a great presentation on his circumnavigation, not with charts but with his art. Backing up, Howard spent three years refitting his 52’ S&S yawl, Comet, built in 1946. After a shakedown cruise to the Caribbean, Howard and his wife, Rita, began a four-year circumnavigation, returning to Stonington, CT in 2001. Through countless watercolors on a big screen, he shared his journey; the paintings depicting sea states, land falls, villages, and the people they encountered well narrated. Ham and Laura Moore, with 11-year-old daughter, Grace, are preparing for a yearlong cruise on their Caliber 40LRC, Peter Duck. The planned departure date is this June. They will head for colder places in the summer (Newfoundland) and warmer places in the winter (Caribbean). In preparation, Ham has replaced the standing rigging, canvas, ground tackle, and wiring, and he has re-bedded the chain plates. Laura has designed a seventh-grade curriculum and gathered necessary materials for instruction in a “no internet” environment (intentional). Ham is learning 7th grade math so he can teach it to Grace. Grace is tasked with decorating the interior with family pictures and art of her own choosing or making. She is even making port light curtains for her cabin. We look forward to Ham’s update in the fall. Three boatloads of ESS sailors participated in the Grenadine Cruise this winter. Participating were: Mike & Carol McBee, Carol Connor, Rush Hambleton, Dan & Gretchen

FLORIDA STATION

Mischief in Antigua.

Biemesderfer, Harry & Mary Guidotti, Mark Kondracky, Justine Staneko, and Matt & Hobby Coudert. Matt and Hobby were aboard their 60’ Indigo Yacht Mischief. Hobby writes: Matt, his brother, and two Stonington friends sailed our Indigo Yachts 60 Mischief from Connecticut to Antigua November 1-11 with a fast few days in high winds followed by less adventurous conditions. I took JetBlue for a more comfortable passage. Matt and I set off on Mischief to explore new territory, sailing to Barbuda, Montserrat, and St Kitts and Nevis before heading south to Guadeloupe and the Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, and Saint Lucia to join the CCA Cruise at St Vincent. The Grenadines were fabulous and CCA festivities were well planned, with Mustique a favorite. After the group dispersed in Grenada, we spent a few days at Bequia, lunching with Essex Station friends Mike and Carol McBee, who spend winters there. We’ve learned that each island has its own charms, and the weather is consistently warm, mostly sunny, and always windy. Since it is just the two of us aboard, we usually have only the jib out. As I write, we are stalled in Antigua for boat repairs before sailing north through the Caribbean

36

Doings Down South … A Cautionary Tale “I’ve seen terrified boaters … looked right in their eyes,” intoned Mario Vitonne, a retired Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer. The veteran of some 2,000 ocean rescues had everyone’s attention. He was guest speaker at the March 13 luncheon of FLA Station’s west coast group in St. Petersburg. For much of his adult life, Vitonne added, he “hated boats. Every time I was on one, it was sinking, or upside down, or on fire.” “The only thing I hated more than boats … was boaters.” Why? Many rescues involve health emergencies, he explained. And, unlike professional mariners, he found many yachties were unprepared for serious medical issues. Visualize a rescue scene: “What’s wrong with him?” He passed out. “What’s his medical history?” Um, not sure. “What meds is he taking?” dunno. You get the picture. Today, Vitonne urges yachtsmen going offshore to adopt a practice common in commercial vessels — every crewmember fills out a brief medical history (and prescription list) that can go with the victim when he’s lifted aloft to the helo.

AN ARCTIC ADVENTURE In 2013, after 22 years of service in the Navy and Coast Guard, Vittone retired and — here’s where he breaks

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS into a grin — he gradually joined the ranks of the boaters he once “hated.” Last July, this metamorphosis culminated in a challenging transit through the storied Northwest Passage. And for the Lithia, FL, resident, it’s also led to a retirement gig as marine safety writer for Soundings magazine. Vitonne joined a five-man team who embarked on a 56-day, 8,400-nm transit around Greenland – from Portland, ME to Anacortes, WA. They did it aboard a specially equipped FPB-64, FPB-64 Sarah Sarah.

Mario Vitonne.

the unusual power-driven “go-anywhere” vessel created by Steve and Linda Dashew, famed CCA circumnavigators from Scottsdale, AR. Vittone was in charge of safety and communications for the team’s Julyto-September voyage. The vessel was Sarah Sarah, owned and operated by Scott Evanglista, which he acquired in 2018 and has spent the last seven years and 42,000 miles cruising. Vitonn — even on a meticulously planned voyage — engine failure, refrigeration trouble, harsh weather, risky ice conditions. His lively and humorous story, with breathtaking photographs, brought nods and smiles from many long-distance sailors in the room. A full account is available at www.thepassage25.com.

RC’S REPORT The luncheon group also had a welcome visit from Station RC Clint Bush (Key Biscayne). He brought important updates from the March 6

St. Pete group.

Encountering a berg.

national annual meeting at the New York YC that will impact the future of the FLA Station: National cruise … 2028 plans by the Cruise Resources Committee call for the FLA Station to host a national cruise, either to the Bahamas, Florida Keys or (less likely) Florida’s west coast. He urged members to consider chairing or serving on the event committee.

37

Fall meeting … 2028 plans call for the fall national meeting to be at a Florida venue (to be determined). He suggested possibilities might include Vero Beach, Miami or St. Pete. Again, Bush called for volunteers to join the planning committee. Membership … He noted that FLA Station’s membership has dropped in recent years from more than 100

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Steve James.

Doug Firth, Dorothy and Johnathan Goldweitz, of CHE Station.

Janet and John Hamm with guests Karyn and Gary Burger.

to around 70 today. He appealed to members to propose candidates and to reach out to inactive members. State of CCA … From the annual meeting (also attended by John and Janet Hamm, of Riverview), Bush also reported: national membership now stands above 1,400; a new Station has been established for Western Europe; both the Scottish cruise last year and the more recent Grenadines cruise were successes; and plans are going well for the upcoming 100th annual Newport Bermuda race June 19.

‘SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD’ Steve James (Palm City), a longtime, highly decorated CCA member, was honored again at the recent annual meeting with the club’s Special Recognition Award for his 6 years of leadership and 10 years of service on the CCA Awards Committee. Steve has notched a lifetime of transoceanic achievements, honored twice with the John Parkinson Trophy (2004, 2018), the Royal Cruising Club Award (2019), Far Horizons Award (2012), and the Transocean Pennant. A CCA member since 2000, he and his wife, Karyn, today “sail” their 53-ft trawler, Threshold.

GUESTS Guests at the March 13 event included Doug Firth (Trappe, MD) and Jonathan and Dorothy Goldweitz (Oxford, MD), all of the CHE Station, who split their time between Florida and Maryland; also, Gary and Karyn Burger (Wilmington, DE), 37-year

Steve and Karyn celebrating aboard Threshold.

liveaboards and circumnavigator friends of the Hamms (their vessel is a custom 48-ft Cutter, Wind Flower).

KEEPING WINTER AT BAY A number of other gatherings kept the Station busy on both coasts through the winter: • Vero Beach: The group’s Feb. 9 luncheon at Vero Beach YC included guest speaker Stu Keiller, executive director of Youth Sailing Foundation Community Sailing. He described the program’s successes since its 2009 inception — over 350 children from underserved homes, special-needs and minority families as well as adult sailing school. He announced the first phase of a new, fully funded $5.5-million sailing center currently underway.

38

The group also has been privileged to hear past-RC Barbara Watson’s richly illustrated presentation of last year’s Scottish cruise. • St. Pete: Watson reprised her program to the West Coast group Feb. 13 for its “Valentine themed” luncheon (thanks to the creative planning of Heather Lalanne). • Miami: This group’s Feb. 26 luncheon at Biscayne Bay YC rounded out cooler-weather gatherings.

CONTINUING THEIR POLETO-POLE ADVENTURE Ron Schaper and Andrea Dowling (Coral Springs), continue their adventures (reported in Fall GAM) at opposite poles, and send this report: After cruising, racing and chartering with our beloved Sabre 402 Endurance

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS for 17 years, we still have far flung places to visit … so we reluctantly sold the boat and headed off to New Zealand … then Antarctica. In November 2025, my wife Andrea and I flew to Santiago, Chile, then on to Ushuaia, Argentina, to join a National Geographic/Lindblad expedition in the 410-foot ice-certified ship Resolution (Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and base for both cruise vessels and sailing expedition boats). A 1½-day passage across the infamous Drake Passage brought us to the Antarctic Peninsula. Our passage was uncharacteristically tame (“the Drake Lake”) compared to the usual weather encountered there. Our 52-year-old German Captain LOVED the ice! Since we had a fast ship with ice-breaking capabilities and favorable weather, we traversed further south than any of the other cruise/expedition vessels in Antarctica at the time. South of the Antarctic Circle we had sunsets at 12:02 am and sunrise at 2:38 … so it never really got dark. With only 106 passengers and 100 crew we were well cared for … with numerous naturalists and experts providing talks and guidance about what we were experiencing. As the ship had an “open bridge” policy, I spent more time there than in my gorgeous cabin. We explored by Zodiac and kayak, hiked onshore with the adorable penguins, followed sounding humpback whales and immersed ourselves in the beauty of this world of ice. The Captain drove the ship into the sea ice and deployed the gangway. We walked on the ice and cross-country skied, visiting seals lounging on the ice. Andrea and I have traveled extensively, but this was the most epic experience ever … it far exceeded our expectations. After 12 glorious days aboard Resolution and another smooth crossing of the Drake Passage, we sailed within 3 miles of the sailors’ revered Cape Horn.

Antarctic kayaking, penguins in the background.

Andrea Dowling and Ron Schaper Antarctic skiing.

Cape Horn in sight.

To the right of the tall mountain, there is a lighthouse and a monument with the following inscription:

to Alaska for the summer. We’ll take another National Geographic/Lindblad expedition ship, Quest, from Seattle to see the Inside Passage, then return to our RV stored in Seattle to drive up to Alaska, returning to our Coral Springs home sometime in September.

I am the albatross that waits for you at the end of the world. I am the forgotten souls of dead mariners who passed Cape Horn from all the oceans of the earth. But they did not die in the furious waves. Today they sail on my wings toward eternity, in the last crack of ntarctic winds. - Sara Via We reluctantly disembarked the ship in Ushuaia to begin a 2-week exploration of Patagonia. Some highlights there were hiking in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, seeing a massive calving event at the Perito Moreno Glacier near El Calafate, Argentina, and finishing off with several days in Buenos Aires. Now we are leaving South Florida in our Winnebago RV (March16), heading

39

PREPPING FOR MEXICO Russ and Mary Anne Hoadley (Tampa) are prepping their Catalina 425 Blue Heron for a late-April 450-nm biennial race from St. Pete, FL to Isla Mujeres, MX, called Regata del Sol al Sol, now in its 53rd year. It is sponsored by St. Pete YC and Club de Yates. John and Janet Hamm’s handsome Hylas 54, Split Decision, also is among the 14 boats currently entered.

EIGHT BELLS We note with sadness and toll the bell for FLA Station member David N. Page, who made his final voyage Feb. 2. - Russ Hoadley, FLA Station Historian

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS GREAT LAKES STATION GLS is honoured to introduce two new members to our station who are showing great enthusiasm in sailing and pursuing great adventures and challenging passages. Melodie Schaffer was voted Sail Canada’s 2023 Rolex Sailor of the Year. Melodie is one of the outstanding figures on a sporting and human level at the inaugural edition of the Globe 40. In 9 months of sailing, she first showed great sporting qualities by this succession of stages and by the length of the course and the effort, a large part of the race taking place in very low latitudes, 40 to 55° south in often extremely difficult conditions; She completed this incredible journey alongside other crews who often used professional skippers; she has

Open 40 Black Jack

had several co-skippers but she has always fulfilled the role of skipper, affirming her leadership qualities. As of this writing she is on leg 5 and rounding Cape Horn. David Reese, also a new GLS

Melody Schaffer. (Photo: Jean-Marie Liot)

Looks like a Fisher.

Member Has just completed the 2025 ARC Rally, from las Palma Canaries to Verde Islands and on to Grenada aboard an Oyster 625. David reports that it was a pleasant crossing with fair winds, good food and no breakdowns. David is already planning his next ocean crossing in May and working on upgrading his current RYA Yachtmaster Offshore to Yacht master Ocean. Skip Novak reports from the Antarctic Peninsula in February for something very different. He and his crew on the Pelagic 77 Amundsen are working on a construction project for the U.S. Dept. of Defence ­— hosting a University of Alaska Fairbanks team of engineers and geophysicists putting in arrays of infrasound sensors for the International Monitoring System (IMS) on behalf of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CNTBT), headquartered in

David Reese’s Ride in the ARC.

The Foleys get towed after water pump failure.

Amunstan in South Georgia.

40

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

A Hardy Crew.

South Georgia Ice.

Mahi Mahi for dinner.

Vienna (yes, quite a mouthful). They are spending three weeks anchored and tied in with five lines ashore in a narrow cut in front of the Palmer Station, the American presence on the Peninsula since 1965. The sailing crew of five, including Skip’s son Luca, are helping shift five tonnes of equipment that was delivered down by ship earlier in the season to four array sites on rocky terrain. They are getting some exercise! Jim and Jeannie Foley spent January

Laying Infrasound Sensors.

and most of February at the top of New Zealand’s South Island exploring the Marlborough Sounds. The southern summer was unusually cold and wet but always inspiring in this majestic cruising ground. A trip highlight for Tom and Vicky Jackson was meeting up with three other blue water sailors. It will be their first attempt to return to the warmer top of the North

Island. The Foleys and the Jacksons held a Great Lakes Station meeting at D’ Urville Island at the top of the South Island. They have just finished a clockwise circumnavigation of the North Island starting from their home in Nelson. The Foleys planned to complete their North Island circumnavigation by now but lost the engine when the water pump failed on the way up the West Coast. They are in New Plymouth waiting for parts. Jim and Jeannie extend their greetings to everyone at the GLS dinner. Brian and Melissa Hill and their two sons have completed their globetrotting adventures aboard Atlas, a St. Francis 50 Catamaran, after three years and have returned to the US. Back on land, the sons will return to school. - Jock Macrae, GLS Historian

GULF OF MAINE ANNUAL DECEMBER GATHERING On Sunday, December 7, sixty-five members and guests assembled at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath for the Post’s annual December Gathering. The event began with a social hour where attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, including a popular oyster raw bar, and a selection of

beverages. This provided an excellent opportunity for members and guests to mingle and catch up before the evening’s main presentation. Before the featured speaker took the stage, Doug and Dale Bruce were honored as recipients of the 2025 Richard S. Nye Trophy, an award presented by the Club’s Governing Board to recognize meritorious service.

41

In announcing the award, Tom Babbitt highlighted the Bruces’ longstanding and significant contributions to the Club. Their achievements include rewriting the CCA Cruising Guide to Newfoundland, leading the production of the Club’s annual magazine, Voyages, for seven years, and redesigning the Canadian Maritime Cruising Guides. They also created the Viking Route Guide,

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Doug and Dale Bruce.

Max Fletcher.

launched the online CCA Cruising Guide to Maine, served in various Post officer positions, and participated in numerous Club Committees, including Safety and Seamanship, Awards, Nominating, Station Membership, and Communications. The assembled members expressed their sincere appreciation for Doug and Dale’s dedication with a standing ovation. After an introduction by CCA Past Commodore Jim Harvie, featured speaker Max Fletcher delivered an engaging and entertaining presentation on his voyage to Antarctica. Through stunning photography and videography, Max shared the extraordinary challenges of navigating poorly charted waters and coping with fierce, unpredictable weather conditions. He emphasized the importance of skill, resilience, and self-sufficiency in successfully completing such a demanding journey. The audience was captivated, and all present no doubt agreed that Max’s expedition truly embodied an “adventurous use of the sea.”

Front Street Shipyard tour in Belfast.

FRONT STREET SHIPYARD (BELFAST, ME) VISIT On March 7th 30 members assembled at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast for a tour lead by Front Street President JB Turner. Front Street was founded in 2011 and recently became part of the Safe Harbor Marinas family. JB employed an engaging storytelling style to highlight the yard’s extensive capabilities — the largest travel lift north of Newport RI (440 mt), a precision high pressure water cutting machine, refit capabilities for every type system on virtually any type of vessel, extensive indoor and outdoor storage and much more. Front Street operates a very welcoming marina service in-season, capable of accommodating yachts up to 200’. Belfast is a charming coastal Maine town with retail shops and restaurants / pubs housed in attractive old brick buildings along Main Street. It is a smaller rival to nearby Camden and well worth a visit. The group renewed old, and made new, friendships while enjoying lunch at nearby Darby’s Restaurant after the tour.

UPCOMING EVENTS The Post has several events planned for the balance of 2026 and Post members and friends will be notified as these events near. If you are not on the post mailing list but would like to keep apprised of our activities, send an email to the Post Secretary: howard@maine.rr.com. • Sunday April 12 Ronnie Simpson Global Challenge Race Campaign at Shipyard Brewery in Portland. • Sunday May 17 Maine Ocean Farms Sustainability Talk at Harraseeket Yacht Club • Saturday June 13 GAM on the Bar, Seal Bay, Vinalhaven • Thursday August 6 Lobster Bake at the Swan’s Island Yacht Club in Burnt Coat Harbor • October Environmental event: Details tbd • Saturday December 12 Sheila McCurdy presentation on her new book, High Seas and Home Waters, at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath -Howard Coon

42

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS NARRAGANSETT BAY POST Mid-October weather cooperated perfectly for a Saturday evening CCA NBP gathering at Peter and Meredith Rugg’s home in Newport. A big patio fire pit and copious amounts of provisions and grog met the guests and lots of summer season’s past adventures were discussed. Upcoming winter plans were shared with no one aware of the pending winter deep freeze that would engulf Rhode Island. Many thanks for the Ruggs’ warm hospitality and beautiful historic home. The spring season is off to a great start with a luncheon hosted at Newport’s Seamans Church Institute in mid-March. Adam Cove shared his story of the Race to Alaska, solo in a Marshall Cat built in Padanaram MA. A thrilling race adventure, Adam’s description and enthusiasm makes it even more interesting. It was a wonderful event and lunch organized by Annie Lannigan, NBP Secretary/ Treasurer. The Post would not function well without her! May 30 at Conanicut YC in Jamestown will feature Anderson Reggio presenting a fascinating look into professional distance race preparation focusing on navigation strategies, performance data collection and analysis, and how this might be applied to the 2026 Newport Bermuda Race. Anderson is a dynamic professional sailor concentrating on coaching and performance. Dinner will be served and the smoking lamp will be lit at CYC. Additional events are being discussed around a summer time GAM, informal southern New England get-togethers and the Boston Station Fall Cruise. We urge all unaffiliated Boston Station members to join the Narragansett Bay Post. If you have an idea or experience you feel would benefit the NBP and CCA, let us know! - Ned Jones, Narragansett Bay Post Captain

Annie Lannigan (standing, left) and Adam Cove (standing, right) at the spring luncheon held at Newport’s Seamam’s Church Institute.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST The PNW Station’s active membership at year end totaled 135 members. The station continues to be wellrepresented at the CCA National level with Doug Adkins serving as Club Historian, and Mary Alice O’Neill and Joe Golberg on the Governing Board. At this past December’s meeting, the following Station bridge was elected: Rear Commodore: Susan Stillman Membership Chair - Treasurer: Roddy Hearne Secretary: Brent Peterson Historian: John Kennell Program Chair: Mary Alice O’Neill Cruise Chair: Howard Conant John Robinson continues his important work coordinating the invaluable PNW edition of the “Safety for Cruising Couples” workshop. The informational seminars were held this spring to capacity crowds at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, and at the Bellingham Yacht Club. Later this spring the program will be held at the Seattle Yacht Club. And in a similar vein, CCA Members Chuck Hawley, Sheila McCurdy and PNW CCA members Margaret Pommert, and Haley and Rusty Lhamon have been key contributors to the “Safety at Sea” classes, which were sponsored by the Sailing

43

Past Rear Commodore Doug Adkins presents the CCA Rear Commodore’s Flag to Present Rear Commodore Susan Stillman.

Foundation and held at locations in Seattle, and Vancouver, Washington also this spring. November’s annual dinner meeting featured a terrific and informative presentation by Rusty Lhamon and Graeme Esarey on their voyage through the Northwest Passage aboard Graeme’s boat, Dogbark. This was Graeme’s second attempt, proving that persistence pays. Rusty iterated that the shallows were easy to see due to icebergs grounded. An intrepid passage indeed….

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS Our program committee was busy putting together relevant and informative speakers for our meetings. December’s lunch meeting covered the PNW’s Vessel Traffic Scheme (VTS) which is one of twelve in the country. The PNW’s is very much the largest in area covered at over 3000 square miles. Our VTS, Seattle Traffic, is also closely coordinated with the British Columbian VTS system Victoria Traffic, across the border in Canada. The system includes a Cetacean Desk to manage vessels around whales. It turns out that Prince Rupert Traffic manages the vessels approaching from the Pacific. The system has many sensors, including radar, throughout the region. The system originally only had radar data, but that data is now enhanced greatly with AIS. Controllers, monitor, inform, recommend and direct traffic from land stations located in the three cities. February’s meeting featured Eric King’s presentation on the Schmidt Ocean Institute, highlighting their mission to advance oceanographic research and exploration. King shared the Institute’s history, their stateof-the-art research vessel Falkor II, and their global mapping initiatives, including their participation in the Seabed 2030 project. He detailed recent expeditions in Argentina, Chile, and Antarctica, emphasizing the discovery of new species and ecosystems. Our Station Spring Cruise, the Capitol City Cruise, competently coordinated by our own Howard Conant, will run from May 13-May 20th and encompass stops at Foss Waterway in Tacoma visiting the Botanical Conservatory, Museum of Glass, and the Washington State History Museum. The following day there will be a guided tour of the Seaport Museum in Gig Harbor. After a lay day, the fleet will head for Penrose Point Marine State Park for a host/guest night followed the next day by a men’s appetizer contest. Monday, the 18th of May, is a chowder and rum barrel at Longbranch, and the cruise winds up in Olympia with a

dinner at Mercado Restoranti and a tour of the State Capitol Building on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 19th and 20th of May. We encourage all who want to attend to contact Howard. On the world cruising front, Starfire with Trish and Caspar Schibli are in Adelaide, Australia, with plans to head to New Zealand, then arrive in home waters sometime later this year. Altair, with Paul Baker and Suzette Connolly aboard, are in Florida making their way up the east coast of the U.S. over the course of the year. Totem with Jamie and Behan Gifford are presently in Okinawa, Japan. Scott and Mary Malone are having a refit done on Morning Star in Mazatlan. Complexity with Jim and Barbara

Cole are in Trinidad. Starr with Don Stabbert is in Oahu, and will soon depart for Alaska, eventually reaching Seattle toward the end of the cruising season. Lastly, Bill and Kathy Cuffel are venturing forward from Cartagena, Spain on Jurana this spring. Please join us for our bi-monthly meetings. The PNW Station normally meets at the Seattle Yacht Club on the first Wednesday of alternative months except July, August and September when we are out cruising. We are always very happy to have members from other posts and stations join us, whether for luncheons or our fabulous spring and fall cruises. - John Kennell, PNW Historian

SAN FRANCISCO STATION Now led by Rear Commodore Mary Lovely, Secretary Maureen “Moe” Wieneke, and Treasurer Synthia Petroka, the 106-member strong SAF Station is active and is engaged in cruising and racing on its home waters of San Francisco Bay and its tributaries, as well as over blue waters to the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, the South Pacific, the Baltic Sea, around and across the Americas and even to Antarctica. The SAF Station is particularly excited that our member Alan Olson, the Founder of Call of the Sea (https:// callofthesea.org/), received the Tall Ships America Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Tall Ships America’s Annual Conference on February 11th. Alan was recognized for over 70 years of service to creating sail training opportunities for young people, particularly for youth with financial difficulties. Says Tall Ships America, “Whether in terms of nautical miles travelled or youth served, Olson is among the most prolific sail trainers in American history.” We could not be prouder of Alan. Our SAF Blue-water Medal winner,

44

Randall Reeves, is three years into his “wrong-way circumnavigation” of the Americas. Randall and his friend, Harmon Shragge, have sailed Randall’s yacht Moli to Antarctica and have now made their way into the Pacific Ocean. Readers will remember that Randall and Harmon positioned Moli from San Francisco Bay to Homer, Alaska, during the summer of 2023. Then, during the summer of 2024, they transited Moli west-to-east through the Northwest Passage to St. John’s, Newfoundland, where Moli spent the winter on the hard at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club. Last year, the summer of 2025, Randall and Harmon departed St. John’s and sailed Moli to Rio de Janeiro via the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde Islands, Fernando de Noronha to Rio and, eventually, Puerto Williams, Chile. Interestingly, while in Puerto Williams, Moli rafted alongside Ugly Betty, sailed by CCA-SAF member Nora Slayden and her husband Bruce. It was quite a coincidence for two members of the SAF Station to randomly raft up in this far corner of the world. At the end of the year, as long as they were close by Antarctica, Randall and Harmon

Photos: Harmon Shragge

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Left: Randall exploring the Falklands with a King Penguin Guide; center: King Penguins in the Falklands; right: Randall and Harmon in Antarctica.

sailed Moli across the Drake Passage to visit Anvers Island anchorages at the Melchior Islands, Cuverville Island, Waterboat Point (the Chilean base), Port Lockroy (the old British base, now a museum), Port Charcot, and Palmer Station (the US base) before returning to Puerto Williams. This year, 2026, Randall and Harmon intend to sail Moli home to San Francisco via Cape Horn and, depending on time, Easter Island, the Society Islands, and Hawaii. Our SAF member who spends the most time in the high latitudes is Ashley Perrin. While Randall and Harmon barely grazed Antarctica, Ashley was there for an extended period of time as the Expedition Leader aboard the brand new 343-foot expedition vessel, MV Douglas Mawson, of Aurora Expeditions, Sydney, Australia. Ashley wrote in February, “Well we got lucky today on the MV Douglas Mawson — Aurora Expeditions. It was -18°C at the Bay of Whales but, in the lee, no wind. We ended up breaking the record for the furthest south a vessel has ever been at 78° 44.405’ South & 163° 40.220’ West. It was witnessed by about 10 Emperor Penguins (watching from above on the ice shelf), some Adelie Penguins and a leopard seal.” Another of our SAF Blue Water Medal winners, Jeanne Socrates, is on a new solo adventure: she is making a clockwise circumnavigation of Australia. She has completed much

of the east coast of Australia and has just completed circumnavigating Tasmania. Jeanne is taking her time, and there is no announced completion date of her voyage. SAF member Ronnie Simpson, based in Portland, Maine, is campaigning to race the 2027-28 Global Solo Challenge from The Real Club Naútico de Vigo, Spain, around the world and back to Vigo (https:// www.ronniesimpsonracing.com). Some readers will remember that Ronnie raced in the inaugural 2023-24 Global Solo Challenge in an Open 50, Shipyard Brewing, and was in third place most of the race but was unfortunately dismasted leaving Cape Horn and did not finish. Thus, Ronnie has some unfinished business so, in early 2025, Ronnie acquired a first-generation Owen-Clarke Design Class 40 (#15 Koloa Maoli) to race in the 2027-28 GSC. Interested readers will note that the “Owen” in Owen-Clarke Design, is none other than Merfyn Owen, the husband of our above-mentioned high-latitude Expedition Leader, Ashley Perrin. Other SAF members are scattered across the globe this summer. Todd Hedin and Liz Baylis will sail their Acquaviva from Newport, R.I. down east to Canada. Rowena Carlson and Robb Walker will return to the east coast of Sweden for their fifth summer of cruising aboard their Omega 42

45

Natsuko. In early June, they will leave the boat yard in Nävekvarn and head south to continue to explore the Östergötlands Archipelago and the island of Gotland. They will then head back north to spend the remainder of the summer in the Stockholm Archipelago to rendezvous with cruising friends and visit their favorite islands. In September, Natsuko will again be stored for the winter at Nävekvarn. The most ambitious cruise this summer is that of Stan and Sally Honey cruising their Sarissa from British Columbia up to Alaska and then down the coasts of Washington and Oregon into the Columbia River where they set their course for Iowa. Iowa? Well not all the way by water. Here’s the plan: Stan and Sally will navigate Sarissa, their Griffith-Peters 48-foot motor yacht, up the Columbia River to Pasco, Washington, where they will enter the Snake River. Once in the Snake they will motor upriver to Clarkston, WA, on the Idaho border, where Sarissa will be loaded onto a truck. Once on the truck, Sarissa will be driven some 1,300 miles, over the Great Divide and across the Plains, to Sioux City, Iowa, on the Missouri River. Stan and Sally hope to have Sarissa on the Missouri River by the end of summer. The SAF Station will have a monthlong summer cruise, beginning in August, in our home waters of the

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Left: “Cruising is the opportunity to work on your yacht in exotic locations.” Randall in Puerto Williams (Photo: Harmon Shragge); center: Moli anchored at Port Charcot (Photo: Harmon Shragge); right: Kristi and Bob Hanelt at Pt. San Pablo YC (Photo: Maureen “Moe” Wieneke)

Left: Robb and Rowena at the island of Kyrkogårdsön, Stockholm Archipelago; right: MV Douglas Mawson. (Photo: Aurora Expeditions)

Left: Lemaire Channel - AKA Kodak Alley. (Photo: Harmon Shragge); right: Rowena Carlson at Pt. San Pablo YC. (Photo: Maureen “Moe” Wieneke)

Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. With over 1,000 miles of waterways, the Delta provides many opportunities to moor or anchor in some idyllic locations. The idea behind having a monthlong cruise is to allow members to join and cruise from many points in the Delta depending on business and vacation schedules. Visiting CCA members

to San Francisco Bay are encouraged to join our “Cruise through the Delta.” On March 4th, the SAF Station had its traditional and annual crab feed at the Point San Pablo Yacht Club (PSPYC) in Richmond, California. Our member, John “Robby” Robinson, who is also a PSPYC member, organizes this event every year and PSPYC

46

members, as well as SAF Station members, volunteer to serve the crabs and accoutrements-including a great dessert baked by Sue Proudfoot. As usual, the event was well attended and enjoyed. Thank you, Robby, and thank you PSPYC! - Bob Hanelt

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STATION The SOC station held its first spring luncheon on March 19th attended by over a third of the station membership. Brad Avery, the new SOC Station Rear Commodore, gave a fascinating presentation on his 2011 cruise aboard Alaska Eagle (a former Whitbread racer) from Ushuaia, Argentina, to South Georgia Island, where he and the crew spent ten days exploring, and then on to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their South Georgia cruise included a visit to Sir Ernest Shackleton’s gravesite to pay homage with a tot of good whisky poured over his grave. More recent SOC adventures include Dan Gribble’s race week on his boat Prevail at St Tropez, France, in September 2025. The boat was delivered from Palma to St Tropez by fellow SOC member Rob Vandervort; Rob said the passage through the Îles d’Hyères (Golden Islands) archipelago near Toulon was absolutely stunning and well worth a revisit. He also said the passage was made more exciting when the French Navy boarded them for a security inspection as the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush passed by in the distance! After racing at St Tropez, Dan had Prevail shipped to the Caribbean, cruised from Barbados to St Lucia, joined the CCA cruise in the Grenadines, and then went on to Dominica. Dan will be racing Prevail in the Antigua Racing Cup in the first week of April, and then he will sail her north to New England for the summer. Other station racing news includes Alan Andrews (who is also the new Transpac Yacht Club Commodore) participating in the Busuanga Cup, a 140nm race in the Philippines from Punta Fuego (Nasugbu, Batangas) to Black Island/Busuanga, Palawan. Alan said the race was challenging, with winds over 40kts in the Calavite

Fin Beven’s Cal 40 Radiant and Eric Phipps’ Catalina 38 Makani as seen from the LAYC outpost in Catalina Island during the SOC Station Fall Cruise.

Passage, followed a few hours later by flat calm. Numerous station members will be taking part in the classic Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race at the end of April. New member L.J. Edgcomb will be taking part in the Block Island Race, as well as the Newport Bermuda Race in June, on Temptation, a JV66. Eric Phipps will serve as Navigator in the Newport Bermuda Race for Julie Kallfelz (BOS) on Safir, an Arcona 460. New SOC member Mike Priest will be doing Pacific Cup in July. And last but not least, Doug Jorgenson celebrated 50 years between his first Transpac and his most recent class win last summer aboard his J/111 Picosa. On the cruising front, in May, Mick and Pam Bacich will head to southeast Alaska for their sixth time aboard Mola Mola, their Fleming 55, where they will explore Glacier Bay and the surrounding region until September. Gary and Nancy Davidson have been busy with their new-to-them Eastern 35 Downeast-style powerboat. They delivered Passage up from San Diego in mid-December, spent a few weeks getting her ready for the season, and kicked off their spring cruising with a long weekend at Dana Point in

47

early March. Now they’re ready for a busy spring and summer with cruises already planned to Long Beach and Catalina. Fin Beven’s Cal 40 Radiant, and Eric Phipps’ Catalina 38 Makani, as seen from the LAYC outpost on Catalina Island during the SOC Station Fall Cruise last October The CCA is well-represented in Southern California yacht club leadership, with Alan Andrews relieving Bill Guilfoyle at the helm of the Transpac Yacht Club, Alli Bell (overall winner of Transpac 2025) taking over at San Diego Yacht Club, and Paul Stemmler at Newport Harbor Yacht Club. The next SOC luncheon will be May 21st at the OCC School of Sailing and Seamanship, and Jim and Lisa Eddy are busily preparing for the Fall 2026 CCA Meeting at NHYC. Eric Phipps writes: “In August 2024, I decided to enter Transpac 2025 with my 1980 Catalina 38 Makani. My goal was simply to get to Hawaii safely and happily. The boat required a lot of work to meet the Ocean SERs: I completely rebuilt the engine stringers, replaced the engine mounts, replaced the rudder, reinforced the upper and lower

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS rudder bearings, added a watermaker, added two new bilge pumps with new discharge thru-hulls, installed a lithium battery system with solar and a new alternator, added Iridium and Starlink, added pipe berths to the main salon, made new interior cushions, installed a below-deck autopilot, replaced the soft vang with a rigid vang, added a fuel bladder, purchased new sails and a life raft, replaced all the running rigging, replaced the lifelines, got a complete paint job bottom and topsides, and a hundred other small projects. The list seemed endless but on June 20th I was happy to call fellow SOC member Steve Calhoun to report that the punch list was complete and that the boat was ready for Transpac. The crew consisted of myself, Bill Whitmarsh, Rob Lambert, Fred Lieder, and David Walker. Although we were a first-time Transpac crew, we had plenty of ocean

racing experience with a combined 35+ Newport Bermuda Race, Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race, The Rolex Middle Sea Race, and other offshore races between us. As the slowest-rated boat in the entire fleet (and the first Catalina 38 in Transpac since 2009), we started in Division 9 with the first group on July 1st. Our initial goal was to stay in contact with Restless (the eventual overall winner under CCA member Alli Bell) as a way of pacing our progress, but by the fourth day it became clear that we had no chance of hanging with them. However, navigator Fred Lieder did a phenomenal job of directing our route, and we stayed in the top two or three in our class, and in the top ten overall, until almost the halfway point, when a tough day and night of confused winds and seas pushed us all the way back to 24th place and

5th in our class. Two nights David Walker was driving and at 0130 in the moonlight saw a pair of whales close on the starboard bow, giving him just enough time to shout a warning to everyone of an impending whale strike! Fortunately the whales sounded and we only had a glancing blow to the keel. Over the rest of the race we clawed our way back to third in Division 9 and 18th out of 51 entries overall, finishing in 13d 23h 18m. Given that our goal throughout the race was to sail well and safely, and cross the finish line happy with each other and our efforts, we were ecstatic with the results. Navigator Fred Lieder deserves a special shout-out both for his race work, and for creating a YouTube channel documenting our preparations and race at https://www.youtube.com/@ MakaniTransPac2025.” - Eric Phipps, SOC Historian

BONNELL COVE FOUNDATION Given the increase in requests over recent years, your support of the Bonnell Cove Foundation is critically important to enable the Foundation to fulfil its mission of supporting charitable organizations with particular emphasis in the areas of safety at sea and increased understanding of the marine environment. At the Foundation Board meeting on March 5, 2026, the thirtysix grant requests totaling $316,000 that were received since January1, 2026 were reviewed. Of these requests seventeen were approved to receive $81,000 or 47% of the requests received and 26% of the amount requested. For the entire year in 2025, the Foundation received fortyeight grant requests totaling $383,000 compared to the thirtyseven grant requests totaling about $300,000 in 2024. This past year after many, many years of dedicated service to the Foundation, Shiela McCurdy as a Director and Paul Rogers as Treasurer stepped down. We are grateful for their valuable service to the Foundation. We also welcomed Peg Brandon (BOS), Doug Adkins (PNW), and Stan White (ESS) as Directors to the Board of Directors. Stan will be serving as Treasurer as well.

MANATEE RIVER YOUTH SAILING (MRYS) Manatee River Youth Sailing (MRYS) is one of the seventeen organizations receiving a Bonnell Cove Grant from our recent meeting on March 5, 2026. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving youth across Manatee County through sailing-based education focused on safety, leadership, teamwork, and environmental stewardship. With nearly 80 years of community sailing history, MRYS operates from the Bishop Sailing Center in Bradenton, offering summer camps, after-school sailing, competitive race teams, and need-based scholarships. Programs are led by certified instructors and supported by a volunteer board, ensuring youth from all backgrounds have safe, hands-on access to the water while building confidence, resilience, and lifelong respect for marine environments. Manatee River Youth Sailing requests a grant to support Safe & Inclusive Youth Sailing on the Manatee River. Funds will be used to replace and purchase U.S. Coast Guard–approved life jackets and safety gear, support instructor-led seamanship and boating safety instruction, and expand scholarship access for youth facing financial barriers.

48

In 2025, the Billion Oyster Project received a grant to support four students involved with the BOP in a diving course. We recently received a gratifying follow up report:

BILLION OYSTER PROJECT REPORT TO BONNELL COVE FOUNDATION PROGRAM OVERVIEW SCIENTIFIC DIVING PROGRAM 2025 marked the first year that two cohorts (juniors and seniors) participated simultaneously in the Scientific Diving Program at Billion Oyster Project (BOP). Students built upon the foundational dive training acquired through New York Harbor School’s (NYHS) Professional Diving CTE program through advanced knowledge development, structured peer mentorship, and applied underwater fieldwork. A core component of the program is direct collaboration with the BOP Oyster Reefs Team and the BOP Scientific Diving Team; the latter composed primarily of contracted NYHS alumni and former BOP Diving Interns. Through this partnership, students actively supported in-water oyster monitoring, restoration, and maintenance operations across New York Harbor. Over the course of the summer, the four interns helped plan, execute, and report on 14 days of dive operations across five New York Harbor sites: Governors Island (Pier 101) • Located and retrieved fallen oyster stacks from old Eco dock location Bush Terminal Park (Brooklyn) • Monitored deep-water oyster cages for growth and mortality • Conducted biodiversity surveys as part of their scientific diver training

• Organized and processed photo/video documentation • Conducted basic equipment repairs • Filled tanks and maintained gear • Performed all operational support tasks required for safe fieldwork • Managed transportation of equipment via truck and boat This level of responsibility and teamwork mirrors professional scientific diving operations. By the end of the summer session, participants had far exceeded the 100 hours required for AAUS scientific dive training. Your donations are needed to support the outstanding work carried on by our deserving grant recipients. 100% of donations go to grant recipients. Please support the Bonnell Cove Foundation.

Soundview (Bronx) • Collected oyster clumps from loose shell reefs for surface monitoring • Conducted underwater oyster growth and mortality surveys on bayballs SUNY Maritime College • Conducted a Wild Oyster Survey • Engaged with younger students in the college’s camp program to share knowledge about diving, restoration work, and their experience at New York Harbor School

DONATIONS MAY BE MADE:

Brooklyn Bridge Park • Collected oyster clumps from gabions for surface monitoring • Conducted underwater growth and mortality surveys of bayballs • Partnered with an external partner, ScubaTech, on a photogrammetry experiment combining dive work with ROV technology Beyond underwater work, interns: • Compiled and submitted field notes and data

Online: https://www.bonnellcove.org/donation By check: payable to Bonnell Cove Foundation and mailed to: Bonnell Cove Foundation, 47 Front Street, Noank, CT 06340-5715. Attn: Stanley M. White, Treasurer. Questions: 1 (203) 395-6345 Respectfully, Bob Medland, President, Bonnell Cove Foundation

49

MEMBERSHIP Since the Fall Gam, we have welcomed 33 highly qualified new members to the Cruising Club of America. The average age was 63 years, five are considered Next Watch (<55 y.o.) and six are women. Many thanks to our Proposers and Seconders.

Station Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Boston Chesapeake Chesapeake Chesapeake Chesapeake Chesapeake Chesapeake Chesapeake Essex Great Lakes New York Pacific Northwest San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco Southern California Southern California

Member Fiona Jones Chris Jones Edward Mayo Henry Pitney Kristen Wenzel Gaelen Adam Dudley Baker Geoffrey Berger Jane Berriman Elizabeth Gowell Emily Gowell Alan Markey Richard McCally Stephen Saylor James Glenn Donald Patterson Thomas Ray Bob Fox Brian Gray Brian Regan Tige Savage Vito Addabbo Philip O’Niel III Peter Bacon Jonathan McKee Melinda Erkelens Kellie Fennessy Robert Hinden Eric Jones Mary “Lin” Pardey Raffi Palatian Scott Culver John “LJ” Edgcomb

The next class of proposals is not due until July 14th. That gives us all some time to think about worthy candidates and gather the necessary support. The proposal process is really quite straightforward and is completed entirely online. A few details provided at the “Propose a Member” page of cruisingclub.org gets the process started. The Board of Governors approved two changes to our membership

Proposer Jack Griswold Jack Griswold Philip Thorn Stephen Tofield Murray Danforth Geoff Marshall Peter E. Driscoll Adolf F. Haffenreffer IV Robert Morton Philip Thorn Philip Thorn Philip Thorn Louis Meyer Peter Bent Brian Duchin Anthony E.W. Clucas Mark Myers Louis Meyer Steve Richards Tom Ray Dave Dickerson Peter Griffin Matthew Gimple Carl Buchan Mary Lovely Sylvia Seaberg Jim Quanci Robert Hanelt Kellie Fennessy Fred Cook Fin Beven Tim Hogan

committee and processes at its December 2025 meeting. The first was to accept guidelines calling for rotation of Station Membership Chairs every six to ten years. The second was an edit to the Club’s Membership Guidelines to clarify that not all supporters of a proposal need to have sailed with the candidate. Specific details of eligibility for membership may be found at cruisingclub.org. Recently, we have once again noticed

50

Seconder Amy Jordan Roger Block Drew Cabot Lyman Michael Millard Haven Ladd Michael H. Mariner Harry Holt Miles Bidwell Dan Faria Dexter Hoag Christopher Otorowski Murray Danforth Theodore von Rosenvinge Ryan Helling Ross Dierdorff William “Bill” White Andy Hughes Murray Danforth Andy Hughes Peter Grimm Jr. Barnaby Blatch Charles Bayer Bob Rodgers Peter Isler Jim Antrim Dave Cort Synthia Tony Pohl Tim Murphy Ruben Gabriel Brad Avery Dennis Durgan

an upward trend in average age, accompanied by a decrease in Next Watch (<55 y.o.) new members of late. In the four years between 2020 and 2023, the average age of new members was 57.4, and 28% were under 55. Since 2023, average age has ticked up to 61.2 and only 22% are under 55. This is, perhaps, a warning to be heeded. Thanks, - James Phyfe (BOS), Membership Committee Chair

FINAL VOYAGES Robert F. Perkins July 21, 2025

Geoffrey W. Nockolds January 12, 2026

Daniel M. Rugg February 6, 2026

Allan M. Heyward October 12, 2025

John Bornhofft January 13, 2026

David N. Page February 15, 2026

Peter O. Willauer November 6, 2025

Lawrence R. Glenn January 17, 2026

Mark Scott February 19, 2026

J. Roderick Fraser November 23, 2025

V.S. Hudson January 17, 2026

Philip Wick III March 13, 2026

Jerome Montgomery December 6, 2025

Gary G. Gould January 18, 2026

Carlton W. DeHart December 14, 2025

William Palmer January 25, 2026

Obituary links may be found on the Final Voyages page in the members-only section of the CCA website. Voyages will continue to carry full remembrances with photos.

FINAL VOYAGE INFORMATION FLOW PROCEDURES ON THE PASSING OF A MEMBER-FRIEND The passing of a friend, no matter how expected, is one of life’s great moments of loss and grief. A revised procedure to better capture and act upon the information flow was recently discussed and approved by the Board. It is detailed in a Board Presentation document which you can review on the website – https://cruisingclub.org/member/passing The documented and revised procedure identifies the Station’s Rear Commodore as the principal gatekeeper for information pertaining to Station members and especially the death of one. He or she will inform the Station as appropriate and work with the deceased member’s spouse to see if he or she wishes to continue as a Surviving Spouse. He or she will also work with the Final Voyages Coordinator/Editor (currently David Curtin) for matters such as arrangements for an Eight Bells Notification and for the Final Voyage essay to be written and included in Voyages. The key here, like with a building on fire, is to “call it in.” Please be sure that information of a colleague’s passing is forwarded to your Station’s Rear Commodore as soon as possible. Everyone’s cooperation and knowledge of the system will help in the timely sharing of the information to allow friends and membership to be advised quickly and with dignity. - David Curtin – Final Voyages Coordinator and Editor

51

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS GAELEN P. ADAM

Dartmouth, MA Spouse: Paul Adam Yacht: Firefly – J/109 Station: BOS Proposer: Geoff Marshall

en and other club members arranged for the passage to still take place, giving the teenagers—including her oldest daughter, Brooke—the experience they had been working toward. The wheel has now come full circle. Brooke is now sailing as a freshman at the College of Charleston, and both Brooke and her sister Maia race offshore on Digger, a J/44 owned by Gaelen’s brother, James D. Phyfe III (BOS). Gaelen and her family will be in Bermuda this summer as part of the Digger crew. Affiliations: New Bedford Yacht Club

VITO E. ADDABBO

Gaelen comes from a CCA family. As such, she has been sailing from a very early age—at six months she was on a month-long cruise in the Bras d’Or Lakes with her mother and father (James D. Phyfe (BOS/NBP)). Also on board was her uncle, Frederick Brooke III (ESS). Gaelen has logged many thousands of miles since then, initially with her parents and relatives, and now with her husband and two children, all avid sailors. Her logs include racing and cruising on the East Coast, in Europe, and in the Caribbean, including three transatlantic passages and a round trip from New Zealand to Norfolk Island. Her offshore sailing résumé is supplemented by her experience in one-design racing at a high level. While on the Harvard sailing team, she skippered two Women’s Collegiate Nationals and crewed in Coed Team Race Nationals. After college, she competitively raced Vanguard 15s and Lightnings as both skipper and crew. In the winters, she and her husband frostbite Interclub dinghies in Winthrop, MA, and they recently purchased a Snipe. Gaelen and Paul are generous with their time, putting in many hours at the New Bedford Yacht Club as part of a program introducing young sailors to offshore sailing. The club purchased a J/44, Spice, as a training boat for a young team to participate in the 2021 Marion Bermuda Race. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the race was cancelled. Not wanting all those hours of training to be for naught, Gael-

Niantic, CT Spouse: Kristen Yacht: Osprey – Oyster 53 Station: ESS Proposer: Dave Dickerson

Vito has been a commercial airline pilot for the past 34 years and plans to log another three years before retiring and heading off to the Mediterranean on Osprey. Vito and his family have actively sailed Osprey throughout southern New England over the past three years, taking part in Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association races. The family recorded numerous successes in their previous vessel, the Cal 39 Terrain Avoidance, including winning the Outer Light Trophy and finishing mid-fleet in the 2011 Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race. Vito and Kristen double-handed the boat back from Halifax to Niantic, as well as doublehanding back from the 2003 Marion Bermuda Race. In addition to his commercial airline duties, Vito served in the USAF from 1986 to 2022, retiring as a Major General. He was a command pilot with many hours of combat and 52

combat support time under his wings. Vito recently spoke to ESS members on the subject of airborne assets available to assist mariners in a mayday situation. His discussion included an event during his active-duty service involving the successful rescue of a vessel at sea. Vito’s background in civil engineering, along with his technical skills and boundless energy, has made him an ideal volunteer at Niantic Bay Yacht Club, especially after the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Affiliations: Niantic Bay Yacht Club; Off Soundings Yacht Club; Diego Garcia Yacht Club Military Service: USAF, 1986–2022; Major General (Ret.)

PETER BACON

Noank, CT Spouse: Evalyn Lee Yacht: In Code JPK 1030 Station: NYS Proposer: Matthew Gimple

When Peter and his family are in Noank, they enjoy cruising and racing in local venues, as well as cruising along the New England and Downeast Maine on a series of yachts. He kept his J/120 Surprise in Stonington, where his children learned to sail, and generously volunteered Surprise for ‘Big Boat Day’ for local youth sailing programs. Peter took every opportunity to increase his knowledge of sailing through cruising and racing on his own and friends’ boats in coastal and open ocean environments. Once he caught the ocean racing bug, Peter began participating in races of significant mileage and challenge. In order to meet these challenges, Peter purchased the Xp 44 Lucy Georgina, sharing day cruises with family and

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS friends, while targeting more extensive passages. His efforts culminated in a class win in the 2019 Transatlantic Race from Newport to Cowes which is remembered for some brutally rainy weather. In 2022 Peter completed the RORC Transatlantic Race on Sea Bear, a Sunfast 3300, double-handing with his son Duncan on board, coming in second in class. Directly afterwards, Peter and Duncan welcomed Matthew and Lindsay Gimple as crew on Sea Bear in the 2023 RORC Caribbean 600. A steering failure during the race brought Peter’s analytic and command skills to the fore, enabling Sea Bear to safely cross the finish line the next day. Most recently, Peter was Watch Captain on the Gimple boat Banter when it was called to assist during the sinking of the J/122 Alliance. Peter switched from racing mode to rescue mode quickly, coordinating with Matthew Gimple to place the right people in the right place to respond. Peter is planning to sail with Matthew and Tori Gimple on Banter in the 2026 Newport Bermuda Race. While at home in England, Peter maintains an active double-handed racing schedule in the English Channel on his JPK 1030, In Code. Affiliations: Royal Ocean Racing Club; Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club; Ram Island Yacht Club

WHERE TO GET CCA BURGEES The Sail Bag Lady is the supplier of CCA burgees. There is a seperate page for them on the CCA website at: sailbaglady.com/cruising-club/ You can also call Bettina (the sailbag lady herself) at 203-245-8238.

DUDLEY S. BAKER

GEOFFREY L. BERGER

Dudley’s earliest sailing experiences took place in and around York Harbor, ME, where he was a dockmaster and sailing instructor during his teenage years. He graduated with a degree in Marine Resource Management from URI and completed Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. Dudley then entered the US Naval Service as a Lieutenant, serving in the Pacific on the USS Buchanan as a Main Propulsion Assistant and Navigator (primarily celestial navigation). After four years, he entered the USNR as a Lieutenant Commander, where he spent three years on the naval minesweeper USS Exploit. Dudley’s subsequent career, both nationally and internationally, involved marketing and sales of electronic equipment to the US Navy as well as to foreign navies. Dudley has sailed Honalee on the Eastern seaboard for over 16 years. In addition, he has served as Watch Captain on fellow CCA members’ yachts between the Caribbean and Maine. All are equally comfortable with his seamanship, especially his navigational skills and knowledge of marine electronics. Dudley is very active at the New Bedford Yacht Club, where he has just completed 10 years driving the club launch. To this day, Dudley organizes reunion events for his Navy shipmates and has a well-earned reputation as a great teller of tales. Dudley maintains a current USCG 100-ton license. Affiliations: New Bedford Yacht Club Military Service: US Navy 1982–1986, Lieutenant; US Navy Reserve 1986–1989, Lieutenant Commander

Geoff has been sailing most of his life, starting in his teens, working in the marine industry and making deliveries—often single-handed. His extensive experience in sailing, racing, and cruising led Geoff to co-found a boatbuilding business called Boston Boatworks (BBW). The company initially built and refitted high-performance offshore racing and cruising sailboats, and it gave Geoff the opportunity to sail for and with the company’s clients. These experiences further enhanced Geoff’s skills and interest in the complexities of offshore sailing on high-quality vessels. Geoff’s career then grew into various leadership roles, including a few years as CEO of Piper Aircraft, where he led its restoration to a leading aircraft company. Geoff also had the opportunity to lead a turnaround of Gibdock (formerly the British Naval Dockyards in Gibraltar) before returning to BBW as its CEO. At that time, BBW specialized in building downeast style powerboats, sold under the MJM brand. Most recently, Geoff was CEO of Hinckley Yachts, where he led the introduction of several new models and expanded its yacht services along the East Coast. He retired in 2025. He and Dana will now have more time to double-hand East Coast waters, from their home port in Edgartown, as they seek their favorite out-of-the-way anchorages in Downeast Maine, the Canadian Maritimes, and beyond. Affiliations: Edgartown Yacht Club

Mattapoisett, MA Yacht: Honalee - 35’ Allied Seabreeze Station: BOS Proposer: Peter E. Driscoll

53

Vero Beach, FLA Spouse: Dana Yacht: Skandia, Hinckley SW 51 Aux Cutter Sloop Station: BOS Adolf Haffenreffer IV

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS SCOTT WALLACE CULVER Honolulu, Hawaii Partner: Suzie Edwards Yacht: Jeanneau SunOdyssey 45.1 Landfall Station: SOC Proposer: Fin Beven

2000, when Scott and his wife decided to settle down and raise a family, he joined Foss Maritime as a Tugboat Captain, towing worldwide before retiring in 2024. There was time for family sailing between trips. They bought a Beneteau 430 named Va Bene and cruised her in the Bahamas and the East Coast of the US. The family cruised for three years in the Mediterranean before selling her in Spain. Scott and Suzie purchased a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45.1 in 2018. They have cruised to Mexico for two seasons and are currently there for a third winter Affiliations: Waikiki Yacht Club, Blue Water Cruising Club

JOHN EDGCOMB “LJ” Fortunate to have a father with a passion for classic wooden vessels, Scott Culver grew up on the water. He learned to sail off the coast of California aboard a series of wooden boats built in the 1930s: a 32foot Alden schooner, a 58-foot Herreshoff ketch, and a 42-foot Edson Shock schooner. By his late teens he was single-handing the family Edson Shock 48 schooner Landfall — cruising and racing, plus skippering a delivery from Long Beach to San Francisco. During his 20s, Scott worked on IOR boats and crewed long-distance cruises and charters. At 23, after earning his USCG Master’s License, he became Captain of the 65-foot schooner Kelpie for charters and races, the first of many jobs as Captain and Operations Manager for large yachts. A highlight was refitting a Swan 65 for a circumnavigation and skippering her from California through the South Pacific to Greece. Scott has been active in educating young sailors, teaching sailing, seamanship, navigation, and Coast Guard licensing at UC Irvine, USC, and for nine years at Orange Coast College School of Seamanship, where he sailed 25,000 miles as Captain of the school’s 65-foot Alaska Eagle to Hawaii, New Zealand, and Alaska. He continues to serve on the OCC’s steering committee for the Professional Mariner Program. Scott has skippered and crewed in numerous California-to-Mexico races and was Watch Captain or Navigator on five Chicago Yacht Club Races to Mackinac. In

Newport Beach, CA Spouse: Debbie Yacht: 70 ft. custom powerboat, Night Watch Station: SOC Proposer: Tim Hogan

repositioning transatlantics. His first Newport Bermuda Race was on Charisma, followed by 10 Newport Bermuda Races as crew, Navigator and/or Watch Captain with George Coumantaros aboard the 65-foot sloop and two Maxi sloops, all named Boomerang. Since 2006 he has been a regular Newport Bermuda Race Watch Captain or Navigator with Art Santry aboard the two Temptations — first a Ker 50 and recently a Judel/ Vrolijk 66. LJ plans to sail his 20th Newport Bermuda Race in 2026 as Navigator aboard Temptation. The word “MacGyver” comes up frequently when people describe sailing with LJ. Like the TV character, he can fix anything. He is also known for fascinating sailing stories of his adventures and the people he has met. In 2021 LJ earned his USCG 100ton Master’s License. That year he and Debbie bought Richard Steel’s last boat, a 70 ft custom Hunt yacht, which they named Night Watch. LJ soon had her in pristine condition. They have cruised her every summer on the East Coast and are now considering bringing her to the West Coast. Affiliations: New York Yacht Club, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Yacht Club, Transpac Yacht Club

JANE E. BERRIMAN

LJ Edgcomb learned to sail at King Harbor Yacht Club in Redondo Beach, CA, cruising on the family CAL 28 and sailing sabots. He loved racing and was good at it. At 16 he was skipper in the Youth Match Racing Governor’s Cup. At 18 he did the first of his eleven Transpacific Yacht Races, including two with Tom and Tim Hogan (Proposer SOC), and his first Congressional Cup Match Racing Regatta. A second Congressional Cup with Bill Ficker three years later led to a recommendation for a spot on Ted Hood’s America’s Cup Courageous campaign. LJ sailed again with Ted in 1977, the only repeat crew member. After college he raced extensively on the S&S 54 Charisma for regattas in the Mediterranean and the East Coast of the US and four 54

Newport, RI Spouse: Bruce (BOS) Yacht: Tiger Moth - 38’ Hood Express Station: BOS Proposer: Robert Morton

Prior to her cruising adventures, Jane had an active racing history, including the 1973 SORC, two AnnapolisNewport Races, a Newport Bermuda return passage, Miami-to-Jamaica, and

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Bermuda-to-Southampton. In 1996, she and Bruce purchased a Jeanneau 47 in the Virgin Islands, named her Tiger Moth, and sailed her to Newport, where she underwent a complete rebuild. In 1999, they made passage to Cádiz, Spain, by way of the Azores. For the next decade Jane served as navigator, co-captain, and historian. They gunkholed from Spain and the Balearics to the mouth of the Rhône River. In Port St. Louis, France, with the boat’s rig removed and sent by truck to Le Havre, they ventured into the French canals. Upon leaving one lock— 85 feet high—they were frantically hailed by a small Norwegian sailboat that had lost engine power and, in a three-knot current, was being swept toward the turbines. While putting themselves, crew, and boat at risk, Jane was able to form a bridle and get a 100-foot towline to the Norwegians. Bruce, at the helm, towed them clear to toots, whistles, and applause from spectators on the shoreline. They were jointly awarded the CCA Rod Stephens Trophy for outstanding seamanship. They continued to the English Channel and on to Cowes to participate in the Americas Cup Jubilee Regatta. The following spring, they returned to England and then proceeded south through a different series of canals to the Mediterranean. Each summer they continued east to Turkey, where they spent three summers. In Turkey they led the first New York Yacht Club cruise in company and, the following year—now heading west—the same in Croatia, ending in Venice. Three more summers were spent dropping anchor in ports previously missed before returning to Port St. Louis, where they sold the Jeanneau—but not before purchasing a Morgan 38 Classic that required, and received, a drastic restoration. The latest Tiger Moth is currently undergoing Bruce’s required upgrades and will be launched this spring. Affiliation: Storm Trysail Club

MELINDA CATHERINE ERKELENS

Richmond, CA Spouse: Bill Yacht: Moore 24 Flying Circus, Hobie 33 Turbo Camper, Wylie Wabbit 24’, Jack Station: SAF Proposer: Mary Lovely

her husband Bill, which included racing and deliveries around the world. Melinda is a member of the Pacific Cup Yacht Club, was on its Board for eight years and currently serves on its Technical Committee. She worked on five America’s Cup campaigns (Oracle Racing, Artemis Racing) as General Counsel and has supported numerous sailing nonprofits. She currently works for the Vendée Globe sailing team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing. Sailing affiliations: Richmond Yacht Club, Pacific Cup Yacht Club

KELLIE A. FENNESSY

Melinda Erkelens grew up in Piedmont, California, and joined the Richmond Yacht Club in 1977. She has raced on San Francisco Bay since her teens, sailed competitively at UC Berkeley, and continued racing while earning her law degree. Melinda has been deeply involved in women’s sailing, including the San Francisco Women’s Match Racing Team with Liz Baylis (SAF), two Adams Cups, and five Women’s Keelboat Championships. Her offshore racing began with the 1986 Pacific Cup aboard Jim (PNW) and Susan Corenman’s (PNW) Nordic 40 Wild Goose. She has since logged more than 29,000 sea miles racing and delivering sailboats worldwide and is a popular crew due to her navigation, technical and helming skills. She completed five double-handed Pacific Cups from San Francisco to Hawaii with her husband Bill, winning overall in 1994 aboard their 26’ Moonshine. She has also crewed on three additional Pacific Cups and two Transpacs — the 2005 Transpac to Hawaii with Sally Honey (SAF) and Liz Baylis (SAF) on Sally’s all-women team aboard the Cal 40 Illusion and as Watch Captain aboard Michael Moradzadeh’s (SAF) Oaxaca. She has also raced three Chicago Yacht Club Races to Mackinac, two Antigua Race Weeks, Maxi Worlds in Sardinia, and numerous West Coast and Mexico races. From 1995 to 2000, she co-managed Larry Ellison’s 80’ maxi Sayonara with 55

Mill Valley, CA Spouse: Mike Priest Yacht: Taswell 56 Dash Station: SAF Proposer: Sylvia Seaberg

While living in San Francisco, Kellie Fennessy was invited by friends to race on their J/24. They won! She was hooked and became an active racer. In 2001 she met Mike Priest (SOC) at a regatta. They married and she moved to Marina del Rey near Los Angeles. Kellie continued to race based at California Yacht Club. She was very involved in women’s racing. A high point was winning silver at the US Sailing Women’s Keelboat Championship (Adam’s Cup) in 2005. Kellie also loved offshore racing and deliveries, crewing on Peter Noonan’s (SAF) Swan 56 Defiance from Bermuda to Newport and from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. She was a Watch Captain aboard an Andrews 68 from Tahiti to Hawaii and a Davidson 52 from Cabo to Marina del Rey. Meanwhile she worked up “the chairs” to be Commodore at the Association of Santa

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Monica Bay Yacht Clubs and Clubs and at California Yacht Club. In 2013 Kellie and her husband Mike purchased a Taswell 56 named Dash. They cruised up West Coast to SF in 2014, then up to British Columbia before returning to LA in 2015. In 2018 Kellie and Mike left on Dash for an extended cruise to New Zealand. The first leg was 3300 miles from Marina Del Rey to Hiva Oa in French Polynesia. They continued to the Cook Islands, Niue and Fiji, where Kellie was asked to be Principal Race Officer for the Fiji National Sailing Championship and organized a donation program bringing desks to a local school. Recently she created a similar program to help an island nearly destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Rae in 2024. They were blessedly ‘stuck’ in New Zealand during Covid and then spent three seasons in Fiji. Kellie, Mike and Dash are currently back in New Zealand where they are enjoying the summer and planning what to do next. Affiliations: St Francis Yacht Club, California Yacht Club, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Association of Santa Monica Bay Yacht Clubs.

BOB FOX

Arlington, VA Spouse: Maureen Yacht: X40 Sly Station: CHE Proposer: Mark Myers

More than forty years ago, Bob Fox began crewing on race boats in the Chesapeake Bay, along the US East Coast, and in offshore distance races. Hooked early, he purchased and raced a Laser to refine his helming and tactical skills before co-owning and campaigning the J/24 FLaK (Fox, Livingston, and Key), racing locally and in major

J/24 regattas, including the J/24 20th Anniversary Mid-Winters in Key West. Bob continued offshore racing aboard a series of Swans, including multiple passages with his Proposer Mark Myers (CHE) on the Swan 51 Tonic, competing in the Annapolis-Newport Race and the Newport Bermuda Race. Over the years, Bob has been Watch Captain on several offshore deliveries with Mark. Most recently, in 2024, Bob and his son Connor completed the delivery from St. Maarten to Annapolis together. In March 2005, Bob purchased his own boat, a J/42 Schematic, and began a sustained offshore campaign. From 2007 through 2017, he did not miss a single Annapolis-Newport Race. He also skippered Schematic in two Newport Bermuda Races and two Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Races, winning PHRF 2 in the 2016 Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race, along with the numerous delivery passages required to support a campaign. After selling Schematic, Bob continued offshore sailing in his X-Yacht Xp44 Sly, in the 2018 Newport Bermuda Race, and in three more Annapolis-Newport Races. The 2023 race brought his total Annapolis to Newport participations to 11, the majority as skipper. During this period, he also campaigned a J/70, Sly Jr., in local one-design racing. Now retired, Bob and his wife Maureen are looking forward to expanding their cruising horizons. In 2024 he purchased an X-Yacht X4.0, also named Sly, and plans to continue offshore racing, including the 2026 Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race. Affiliations: Annapolis Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Club

To reduce waste and minimize our impact on the environment, you have the option of requesting a single copy of the GAM, Voyages, and the Yearbook for multiple-member households.

56

JAMES LEE GLENN “LEE” Dallas, Texas Spouse: Julie Fineman Yacht: Allures 45.9 Mei Hua Station: CHE Proposer: Brian Duchin

Lee Glenn did not take up sailing until his mid-thirties but rapidly made up for lost time. While living in Baltimore, he began crewing for others in races and deliveries. Soon he bought his first boat, a Wauquiez Pretorian 35, which he cruised on the Chesapeake until catching the racing bug and sailed her in the 1993 Annapolis to Newport Race and at Block Island Race Week. Moving to the Seattle area, Lee continued crewing in races and deliveries, including aboard Brian Duchin’s (PNW) Santa Cruz 52 Voodoo Child and later Brian’s Farr 39 of the same name. In the Pacific Northwest, he kept a Sceptre 41 AM2 and later, in Newport, RI, an Able Apogee 50 AM3. In addition to cruising, Lee took AM3 on the 2006 and 2008 Newport Bermuda Races and on the 2007 Marion to Bermuda Race. He was Watch Captain aboard a Sundeer 60 for another Marion to Bermuda race and for legs of the World ARC from Cape Town to Florida. To fulfill a cruising dream, Lee and wife Julie researched performance catamarans. After several test passages, including Tenerife to Barbados, they bought an Outremer 49 named Stray Cat berthed in New Zealand. Moving aboard in January, 2020, they spent Covid sailing in New Zealand for 18 months before making passage to French Polynesia once the country again allowed visiting yachts. Along the way, he earned his USCG 50ton Masters License and accumulated over 28,000 sea miles. His and Julie’s most recent boat is an Allures 45.9 Mei Hua. Although they now live in Dallas, they

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS keep the boat in Rock Hall, Maryland, a return to where it all began, and they have plans for extended cruising the East Coast and points south. Mei Hua joined the CHE Spring Cruise and the CHE Fall Cruise in 2025 where Lee and Julie got to know a number of CCA folks who are looking forward to their addition to the station. Affiliations: Annapolis Yacht Club; Ocean Cruising Club (UK)

ELIZABETH T. GOWELL Jamestown, RI Spouse: Jay Gowell Yacht: Moonstone, Tayana 52 Station: BOS Proposer: Philip Thorn

Elizabeth’s childhood was spent messing about on a variety of boats and canoes on a lake in Connecticut. After college, with a degree in biology, she ran flat-bottomed snorkeling and dive boats as a science instructor for students in the Florida Keys and was a visiting scientist aboard the schooner Te Vega when it was owned by the Landmark School. Elizabeth has since developed a long history of offshore sailing and cruising, much of it with the CCA. Together, she and Jay have cruised and raced their family yachts for nearly 40 years, often double-handed, with three small children on board. When their oldest, Emily, was just three months old, they sailed from Manchester, Massachusetts, up the Bay of Fundy as far as Machias Seal Island, stopping at favorite harbors along the way. Elizabeth has gained offshore experience in challenging conditions. For example, she was one of three watchstanders aboard their 56-foot ketch Southerly on a passage from Fort Lauderdale to Norfolk, Virginia, in the spring of 1997, during a

storm that produced large seas and wind gusts exceeding 60 knots. Almost 30 years later, Elizabeth’s navigational skills were required as Moonstone exited the busy Chesapeake and Delaware Canal at night, with the added complication of construction on a highway bridge. In December 2024, following a Chesapeake Station Cruise, she was a watch captain on Moonstone’s passage to North Carolina and on to Antigua. Elizabeth and Jay spent that winter cruising in the Caribbean prior to making the 2025 transatlantic passage to the Azores. They then continued up the west coast of Ireland to Scotland to participate in the Western Isles Cruise. Elizabeth’s skills as a helmsman were much in demand during the voyage. Since Moonstone’s return from Europe in 2025, Elizabeth and Jay have been cruising the Caribbean and recently enjoyed the CCA cruise in the Grenadines. Elizabeth is a long-time volunteer at CCA-related events and found time to edit Waypoints from 2024 to 2026. Her writing abilities are also reflected in the publication of five children’s books about marine biology and marine wildlife. We at the CCA will be the lucky recipients of Elizabeth’s joyous spirit and gift of volunteerism for the foreseeable future.

EMILY H. GOWELL Washington, D.C. Station: BOS Proposer: Philip Thorn

Emily’s first cruising experience took place when she was just three months old, on the CCA 1991 cruise in Canada with her parents, Jay and Elizabeth Gowell—quite an auspicious start to a lifetime on the water! Emily followed the traditional early sailing route, starting on Optis and Lasers, competing at national,

57

regional, and international regattas, and becoming captain of her high school’s varsity team. She became an enthusiastic sailing instructor, introducing young sailors to the sport. During her college years, Emily competed with the Georgetown Varsity Sailing Team and often accompanied her parents and siblings on CCA and family cruises. In 2013, Emily entered the US Navy, serving on the USS Pinckney and the USS Dewey, both home-ported in San Diego. After earning her qualification as Officer of the Deck, she led bridge teams in the safe navigation of these 9,000-ton, 510-foot warships across the Western Pacific, the Yellow Sea, the Strait of Malacca, and the South China Sea. Emily then returned to the East Coast to serve as Admiral’s Aide, where she had the opportunity to travel to nearly 30 countries in support of inter-military cooperation. She left the service in 2021 to pursue her MBA at Wharton, giving her the flexibility to return in earnest to the sport of sailing. In 2022, Emily was Watch Captain on the family Taylor 41 Temptress during the Newport Bermuda Race. In 2024, she accompanied her father on their newly acquired Moonstone, a Tayana 52, from Florida to Rhode Island. Only hours after leaving the dock, Emily went aloft in the bosun’s chair to affect an emergency rigging repair. Bad weather and additional repair requirements led Moonstone to divert to Norfolk, VA. Upon departure, they encountered an aircraft carrier battle group conducting flight operations. Emily was on watch at the time and earned high praise for her professional communication with the bridge of the carrier, which elected to pass astern. In 2025, Emily was Watch Captain on Moonstone during her passage from Ireland to Spain, following the Western Isles Cruise. In recent years, Emily has been employed in Washington, D.C., where she has found time to become a volunteer instructor at DC Sail, teaching sailing to adult beginners. Given her volunteering spirit, we can certainly expect to find Emily participating in many aspects of the CCA. Military Service: US Navy 2014–2021; US Navy Reserve (2021–2024), Lieutenant Commander

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS BRIAN JOSEPH GRAY

Annapolis, MD Spouse: Danine Fresch Gray Yacht: POGO S1 Kawan II Station: CHE Proposer: Louis Meyer

As a teen, Brian Gray bought a 16’ Snipe and taught himself how to sail. He continued learning by crewing aboard Chicago Yacht Club boats for weekend buoy races and multiple Chicago Yacht Club Races to Mackinac and Tri-State Regattas. He founded the Loyola University Sailing Team and sailed one year at Georgetown University while in dental school. During that time, he chartered various 40–50’ cruisers for 3–4-day sails. In the years of establishing his career and raising a family, Brian sailed whenever possible, racing on the Chesapeake and Great Lakes, owning a share in a CSY 45’ based in St. Vincent, purchasing a Dufour Newport 35 named Galatea for family cruising and occasional racing, and earning his RYA Skipper’s Certificate. In 2014, with more time to sail, Brian reengaged in his passion for short-handed and solo sailing. He purchased a Pogo II Mini Transat 6.5, Trouble No Trouble (TNT), and became a founding member of the Chesapeake Short Handed Sailing Society (CHESSS). In 2015, he double-handed the Mini in the Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race and soloed back. His first Bermuda 1-2 Race was in 2017 on TNT — the 200 nm, 48-hour offshore qualifier (leg one of the race), the double-handed return, and a trip back to Annapolis. He repeated the process in 2019. Brian then raced the 2021 Annapolis-Newport Race and the 2022 Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race double-handed on the Pogo 12.5 Harmony. Next came a three-year building project for

a bespoke POGO44, a blue-water capable, fast downhill sled for racing or cruising. Brian picked up Humble Pi in Combrit, France, in November 2022 for a delivery to the Caribbean via the Canary Islands. Unfortunately, he became the first brandnew US-flagged vessel to be attacked by orcas off Portugal, which required a three-week repair before completing the itinerary. He has since raced her shorthanded in the 2023 Annapolis-Newport Race, the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race, and the 2023 Bermuda 1-2 Race. Now semi-retired, Brian is entered in the 2027 Global Solo Challenge on Kawan III, his new POGO 40 S1. Affiliations: Annapolis Yacht Club, Eastport Yacht Club, CHESSS

ROBERT M. HINDEN “BOB” Palo Alto, CA Spouse: Maryann Yacht: Schumacher 46 Surprise Station: SAF Proposer: Jim Quanci

Bob Hinden learned to sail small boats growing up in Sarasota, Florida. In his 20s he crewed for a memorable summer aboard a 40’ wooden cutter in Maine. Soon afterward, he and his wife Maryann bought their first boat, a J/24 named Salt Shaker for day sailing in Boston and Marblehead Harbors. After moving to the Bay Area of California, they bought a Valiant 39 Noelani for local cruising in San Francisco Bay. Becoming more interested in racing, including offshore, they moved up to a more ocean-capable Valiant 42 named Acacia. For thirteen years they raced her locally and cruised her in San Juan and the Gulf Islands. Bob skippered Acacia in two Pacific Cup Races from San Francisco to Hawaii and one return 58

to Seattle. Bob and Maryann were often accompanied by his daughter Rebecca Hinden, who picked up their love for sailing and is now a CCA Member (SAF). As they became more involved in Pacific Cup activities, the Hindens decided to purchase a faster boat for the races—a Schumacher 46 named Surprise, which he sailed in the 2014 and 2016 Pacific Cup races. Crew members praise Bob’s on-the-water competence and ability to create a collaborative environment among the crew. In 2022 he did the race again, and Surprise won her division. Bob has been active in the management of the Pacific Cup for many years, serving as technical committee member and chairman, board member, and now as Commodore. Through these activities, Bob is known to many SAF CCA members who look forward to his active participation in station affairs. Affiliations: Pacific Cup Board of Directors

CHRIS JONES

Gwynedd, UK Spouse: Fiona (Fi) Yacht: Moody Eclipse 33 Pyewacket Station: Western Europe Proposer: Jack Griswold

From 1970-1998 Chris enjoyed extensive dinghy and keelboat racing on both inland and offshore waters around the UK, during which time he qualified as RYA Senior Instructor and later Coach Examiner. He competed in the Three Peaks Yacht Race in a Contessa 32, attempted 2 Round Ireland Yacht Races as crew on a GK34, completed the two handed 1989 Observer Round Britain and Ireland Race in an Arpege 29’ and was awarded the Henri-Lloyd Trophy for Endeavour. Chris took part in delivery of a Sweden Yacht 38

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS from Wales to Grand Canaria and a Trader 50’ from Gibraltar to Wales. He earned the qualification as RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore. In 1993 Chris was watch leader on a Herreshof 35 from Holland, to Faroes, to Iceland and the East coast of Greenland, and to St Johns, Newfoundland. He was on the same vessel on several subsequent passages – Portland, Maine, to Grand Manan and back and Cancun, Mexico, to Rio Dulce, Guatemala. In 1999 Chris and his wife Fiona (Fi) purchased a Gitana 43, Threeships, in Florida and sailed 4800nm back to Port Dinorwic, Wales in 33 days. He then qualified as RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean with Commercial Endorsement and followed that with qualification in 1999-2002 as RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, by James Stevens, and Long-Range Radio operator. Chris ran Threeships Yacht Charter Sea School offering 10-day Yachtmaster training courses followed by a commercial 1-year Atlantic Circuit and various charter holidays in the Med and East Caribbean. From 2002 – 2023 Chris and Fi completed a 40,560nm world circumnavigation on Threeships, visiting more than 40 different countries including a circumnavigation of Sardinia, a transatlantic crossing, a South Pacific crossing via Galapagos, French Polynesia, Tonga and Fiji, 2 passages from Fiji to New Zealand, a circumnavigation of South Island NZ, and extensive cruising in Australia and Indonesia including Borneo and the South China Sea. Next, they completed an Indian Ocean crossing, a South Atlantic crossing, and visited St Helena and Ascension Island before crossing their track in 2015 in Grenada. Since their return, Chris and Fi have cruised extensively in the East Caribbean and Azores and have made a circumnavigation of Iceland, crossing the Arctic Circle. Chris was Watch Leader on a 60’ Maxi Yacht Maiden on passage from Iceland to Oban. The couple refurbished a Cheoy Lee Vertue 25, Contessina, and sailed her to Scotland and back to Wales. This was followed by a transatlantic from Antigua to Port Dinorwic on an Amel Santorin, Ocean Hobo, and Fiji to New Zealand on a Catana 47, Papillon. In 2022 they purchased the Moody Eclipse 33 Pyewacket in Dartmouth on which they cruised with the Royal Welsh Yacht Club

— in 2022 from Caernarfon to Scilly Isles and back, and in 2023 from Caernarfon to Arklow, Ireland, to Fastnet rock and back to Caernarfon. Overall, Chris and Fi have cruised a total of over 110,000 nm in 45 years, including 7 transatlantic crossings and a leisurely circumnavigation of the globe. Most recently, Chris and Fi joined the CCA Western Isles Cruise in summer of 2025 on Pyewacket. Affiliations: Member of the OCC for 35 years (Joint Regional Rear Commodore 2016 - 2019 and organised 2 AGM events); Commodore of the Royal Welsh Yacht Club in Caernarfon 2021 – 2023.

ERIC COOPER JONES

Vallejo, CA Spouse: Christina Wenderoth Yacht: Dufour Classic 32 Station: SAF Proposer: Robert Hanelt

years of sea service in six vessels from 150 to 1816 tons, including transits of the Northern Hemisphere seas, and earned a USCG Unlimited Tonnage Masters License. He spent seven years in command of six USCG cutters from 110’ to 295’. The 295-footer was the threemasted barque Eagle, where he served as Watch Captain, Navigator, Executive Officer, and Commander. No Eagle CO has amassed as much sea time and time under sail aboard her as Eric. He used the engine only when necessary. Eric was CO when Eagle was the lead ship for a group of international and US Navy tall ships visiting New Orleans and East Coast US ports in 2012. Outside his USCG duties, Eric bought a 32’ Dufour sloop for cruising in the Chesapeake Bay with family and friends. He was Navigator aboard Matthew Gimple’s Banter (NYS) for the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race when they assisted the sinking s/v Alliance. After he retired from the Coast Guard, Eric became Superintendent of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA, and has met several SAF/CCA members. He also serves as a bareboat charter Captain on the 62’ catamaran Calypso out of Maryland. Affiliations: New York Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, Richmond Yacht Club

FIONA JONES

Admiral Eric Jones started his seagoing career as a promising cadet at the USCG Academy. He earned three varsity letters on the Academy Offshore Sailing Team and was Team Captain in his senior year, participating in races in New England and the Chesapeake aboard boats owned by USCGA. They sailed local races such as Off Soundings and Block Island Race Week, college competitions like The MacMillan Cup Regatta, the oldest collegiate sailing championship (Tactician), distance races like AnnapolisNewport and the Block Island Race, hosted by the Storm Trysail Club. In the 1990s, Eric spent time coaching sailing at the USCGA, doing these same races as Person in Charge/Safety Officer overseeing cadet crews. During his 36-year USCG career, Eric spent 12.8 59

Gwynedd, UK Spouse: Christopher Yacht: Moody Eclipse 33 Pyewacket Station: Western Europe Proposer: Jack Griswold

Fi began her sailing career at the age of 10 as a dinghy sailor in the UK at which time she became a member of the Nautical Training Corps. At age 19 she left the Corps as an officer, which included instructing inland and sea kayaking,

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS as well as dinghy sailing. During those years Fi progressed to racing dinghies and keelboats, and at age 17 she crewed and became Watch Leader on tall ships. Then at age 19 she spent 8 months building an 18’6” Express Pirate bilge-keeled cruiser from a kit which she sailed extensively in the Irish Sea. She holds an RYA Yachtmaster and Ships Captain’s Medical Certificate. In 1999 Fi and her husband Chris took delivery of their Gitana 43 Threeships, undertaking her shakedown cruise from Florida to Wales, a 33-day passage. From 2002-2004 Fi coskippered Threeships on their Atlantic Circuit, voyaging from Wales to Madeira, the Canary Islands, Antigua, Bermuda, the Azores and Portugal. This was clearly just a warm-up for their next adventure — a 10-year circumnavigation from 2005-2015 from east to west. They began in the eastern Caribbean, through the Canal, to French Polynesia, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand (where they did a circumnavigation of the South Island), Vanuatu, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, and return to the Caribbean, crossing their outbound track near Grenada in March 2015. Several of our fellow CCA members who had the good fortune to meet them during their tour were the beneficiaries of Fi and Chris’s advice and expertise, especially with regard to ‘weather windows.’ Since their return, Fi and Chris have made another transatlantic, a circumnavigation of Iceland, and a delivery from Fiji to New Zealand. Most recently, they joined the Western Isles Cruise in summer of 2025 on Pyewacket, which they acquired in 2021. Affiliations: Ocean Cruising Club, Commodore since 2024; Royal Welsh Yacht Club, past Social Secretary

ALAN J. MARKEY

Dublin, Ireland Spouse: Helen Yacht: Altaria Station: BOS Proposer: Philip Thorn

Alan has been sailing since boyhood from his home port of Howth, County Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. In addition to extensive cruising along the Atlantic coasts, he has completed several Fastnet and Round Ireland races. As the current Commodore of the Irish Cruising Club, he has come into contact and sailed with many of our members. He and Helen took part in the Western Isles Cruise of 2025 aboard their boat Altaria. Alan accompanied Commodore Gowell as Watch Captain on Moonstone on passages from the Azores to Dingle, Ireland; from Dublin to Vigo, Spain; and from the Canaries to Antigua. Conditions included strong winds, heavy seas, and significant commercial traffic. Alan’s positive attitude and clear instructions were greatly appreciated during a 2 a.m. effort to unscramble a fouled genoa around the pole topping lift. He was also aboard Bonnie Rye with Vice Commodore Anderson delivering her at the end of the summer of 2025 from Dublin to Southampton, during which his sailing and conversational skills were equally appreciated. Alan and Helen also participated in the 2023 Mallorca Cruise aboard Aphrodite with Commodore and Mrs. Otorowski. Sailing plans for 2026 include participating in the Irish Cruising Club Lofoten Islands Cruise in Norway, scheduled for early June. It is anticipated that Alan will be instrumental in the establishment of the

60

Western European Station of the CCA. Affiliations: Irish Cruising Club (Commodore); Howth Yacht Club, Dublin (Past Commodore); Ocean Cruising Club

EDWARD MAYO

Duxbury, Massachusetts Spouse: Tracy Station: BOS Proposer: Philip Thorn

Edward Mayo’s life afloat began early and never wavered. By the age of seven, he was frostbiting in Interclub Dinghies, discovering the discipline, instinct, and quiet confidence that would define his seamanship. That foundation carried him south to the University of New Orleans, where he captained the sailing team and refined both his leadership and competitive edge. While in college, Ed worked for North Sails, sharpening his technical understanding of sail design and performance. After graduation his career took him into the Caribbean, where he worked designing catamarans—experience that deepened his understanding of multihull dynamics, offshore loads, and practical engineering at sea. By his early twenties, Ed was already active in offshore racing. The first of his six Newport Bermuda Races came in 2002 aboard Kinship, a Baltic 52, where he served as Watch Captain on the return passage. He later raced extensively aboard Robert Forman’s (NYS) Hinckley SW42 Jaqueline IV, serving as Watch Captain in the 2011 Transatlantic Race and in the 2012 and 2016 Newport Bermuda Races. Forman describes Ed as a seasoned and fearless sailor, citing his calm execution of a last-minute crash jibe to avoid collision, and his exceptional ability to

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS troubleshoot and repair systems at sea. Despite building a successful shoreside business, Ed’s sailing résumé shows offshore races and deliveries nearly every year, typically as Watch Captain, Navigator, or Co-Skipper. His experience includes the Pineapple Cup from Miami to Montego Bay, the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, team racing in Vanguard 15s, and service as a sailing coach, including for Bowdoin College. Most recently, Ed served as Co-Skipper aboard Drew Plominski’s (BOS) J/40 Artemis for the 2024 Bermuda Short-Handed Return. In 2024, Commodore Jay Gowell (BOS) invited Ed—sight unseen—to crew aboard Moonstone, sailing the west coast of Ireland to Ardfern, Scotland, and later from Howth, Ireland, to Vigo, Spain. Affiliations: Duxbury Bay Maritime School

RICHARD P. McCALLY

Barrington, RI Spouse: Diane Yacht: Windswept – Pearson 33 Station: BOS Proposer: Louis Meyer

one of the most well-known and admired participants in the Bermuda 1-2. He has entered 12 Bermuda 1-2 races (solo from Newport to Bermuda, then double-handed on the return) and has completed 10. On each occasion he has sailed the venerable Windswept, which he has personally upgraded and maintains to a high standard. He has also competed in numerous New England Solo-Twin and Offshore 160 races. Rick is a superb sailor and a tough competitor. Windswept is always in perfect shape, and Rick himself is prepared both physically and mentally for these grueling races. Difficult conditions do not rattle him—it is said that on one particularly challenging passage through the Gulf Stream, Rick decided he had complete faith in his boat and opted to get some sleep. Rick holds an engineering degree, which has been very useful to his fellow racers. During the week between arrival and departure in Bermuda, he generously shares both his knowledge and his physical assistance. When not racing, Rick and Windswept can often be seen cruising the New England coast.

JONATHAN DUNN McKEE

Seattle, WA Spouse: Libby Johnson McKee Yacht: Bieker 44 Dark Star, Jeanneau SunFast 3300 Red Ruby Station: PNW Proposer: Carl Buchan

Rick’s father was an avid amateur boatbuilder and sailor who began Rick’s sailing instruction at the early age of six. For his sixteenth birthday, he and a friend sailed the family 24-foot sloop from their home port of Southport, Connecticut, to Block Island and back. Their only instruments were a lead line, a compass, and a watch, and their communication equipment consisted of a lung-powered foghorn. For many years Rick continued to sail his father’s boats and to serve as race crew for friends, until his mid-forties, when he purchased Windswept, a 1970 centerboard sloop. Rick has become

Jonathan McKee’s extensive and successful career in sailing began early. He was born into a family of talented sailors — both his grandfather E. Bates McKee (deceased, CHE) father Bates McKee (deceased, PNW) were CCA members. Jonathan was a three-time 61

All-American sailor at Yale and went on to become involved in a variety of international sailing events. He won numerous world championships in Flying Dutchman, 49er, Tasers (five times with his wife Libby Johnson McKee as crew), and in Melges 24s (three times as Tactician). In 1984 Jonathan and his CCA Proposer Carl Buchan (PNW) won an Olympic Gold Medal in the Flying Dutchman Class. In 2000 he teamed with his younger brother Charlie to win an Olympic Bronze in the 49er. Offshore he raced four Pacific Cups and one Transpac as skipper, one leg of the Volvo Ocean race aboard Il Mostro, and in two Louis Vuitton Cups. He has an excellent record with his Jeanneau SunFast 3300 Red Ruby including a first in the ORC Double-Handed Worlds. All types of racing interest Jonathan. He sailed thousands of miles of single-handed qualifiers to sail in the 2004 4100-mile Mini Transat from France to Brazil. He was two-thirds of the way across and in the lead when he lost his mast. In 2022 in Dark Star (team Pure and Wild) Jonathan won the quirky 750-mile Race to Alaska up the Inside Passage from Port Townsend to Ketchikan. Any type of boat and route is allowed, but motors and support crews are not. Throughout all of his racing successes, Jonathan kept giving back to the sport he loves. He has been Head Coach and Class Coach for the Olympics. He is a frequent mentor and shares his knowledge more widely in articles and lectures. He and Libby regularly cruise with their family in the Pacific NW and in other spots around the globe. Affiliations: RORC, Seattle Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle, Storm Trysail Club, UK Doublehanded Offshore Society

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS PHILIP O’NIEL III

MARY LIN PARDEY “LIN”

Phil comes from a long-established sailing family, following his father in serving as Commodore of the Bayview Yacht Club, Detroit. Phil has cruised extensively throughout the Great Lakes, with a sailing résumé that includes forty-nine Bayview Mackinac Races, twenty-four Chicago Yacht Club Races to Mackinac, and four Super Mac Races (500 nm), with many podium finishes. In addition, Phil has skippered his own boats in a Transpac from Los Angeles to Hawaii and on a passage from Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas. Phil has entered his Pac 52 in this year’s Newport Bermuda Race, which will be his seventh thrash to the Onion Patch, but his first with the CCA burgee. As Past Commodore of the Bayview Yacht Club and Race Chairman for various regattas, Phil is very involved in sailing in the GLS region. He is a founding member of the Bayview Mackinac Foundation, which promotes competitive sailing throughout the Great Lakes region. Affiliations: Bayview Yacht Club (Past Commodore); Storm Trysail Club; Transpacific Yacht Club

Lin Pardey is a name most CCA members will recognize. She and her husband, Larry Pardey, were awarded the CCA Far Horizons Award in 2009. Larry was a member; Lin wasn’t. Lin and Larry built their first boat, the 24’4” timber cutter Seraffyn, launched in 1968, and began an 11-year eastbound circumnavigation of the Northern Hemisphere. Their philosophy was “go small, go simple, go now.” They navigated by celestial navigation, and Seraffyn had no engine and minimal systems. Deciding they needed a slightly larger boat in 1981, they built the Lyle Hess-designed 29’6” Taleisin, also without an engine, and completed a 28-year, 86,000-mile westbound circumnavigation south of the Great Southern Capes. They were proud that Taleisin was the smallest boat to complete a westbound circumnavigation by way of the Southern Ocean. They were able to round each cape in light winds, sometimes because of lucky timing, and other times because they hove-to so they could fly a nylon headsail at each cape. Lin has received several prestigious awards: from the Ocean Cruising Club, SSCA, and induction into the Sailing Hall of Fame. During Taleisin’s last passage in 2007–2008 from California to New Zealand, Lin assumed all responsibilities due to Larry’s slowly advancing Parkinson’s disease. The couple bought a small boatyard on the Hauraki Gulf where they assisted and entertained many world cruisers. Over

Bloomfield Hills, MI Spouse: Sharon Yacht: Natalie J – Transpac 52 Station: GLS Proposer: Peter Griffin

REMEMBER TO PAY YOUR DUES ONLINE!

Auckland, NZ Partner: David John Haigh Yacht: Bullseye Sloop Felicity Station: SAF Proposer: Tim Murphy

62

the years Lin has also enjoyed racing and delivering sailboats. A favorite voyage was as Navigator in the 52-foot schooner Rose of Sharon for a Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race. Lin has published twelve books, written numerous articles, and given many lectures on sailing. She and her partner, Australian circumnavigator David Haigh, continue to cruise doublehanded in New Zealand, Australia, and the eastern Pacific Islands on his 40’ Van de Stadt cutter Sahula. Lin continues to write articles about their adventures. Since Larry died, Lin has been a CCA Surviving Spouse, and it is a pleasure to welcome her aboard as a member. Affiliations: Ocean Cruising Club, Seven Seas Cruising Association, Mahurangi Cruising Club, New Zealand Classic Yacht Association.

RAFFI PATATIAN San Francisco, CA Station: SAF Proposer: Fred Cook

Raffi Patatian’s maritime back-ground began with competitive rowing as a university coxswain before he transitioned to offshore sailing in 2006. After a decade navigating the challenging conditions of San Francisco Bay, he acquired his first vessel, EOS (CAL 2-34), from fellow CCA member Fred Cook (Proposer SAF) in 2018. Drawing on his background as a certified aircraft mechanic, Raffi refitted EOS for a 1,200-nm double-handed voyage to Mexico in 2019, an experience that set the stage for more ambitious blue-water undertakings. In 2021, Raffi purchased the Hallberg-Rassy 43 Wind River and began an intensive refit for

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS a global circumnavigation. Between 2023 and 2025, he logged over 22,000 miles as skipper, including a 3,500-nm double-handed leg to the Marquesas and 18,500 nm sailed single-handed. His route took him through the Tuamotus, Society Islands, and Fiji to Japan, where he cruised the archipelago from Okinawa to Hokkaido. The voyage culminated in a solo, non-stop crossing from Kushiro, Japan, back to San Francisco in the summer of 2025—a high-latitude passage reaching above 50° N. Approaching voyaging with the discipline of a flight crew, Raffi emphasizes a rigorous safety culture aboard and mechanical self-sufficiency. Having successfully completed his Pacific circuit, he now aims to enable fellow sailors to realize their own offshore dreams by sharing these technical and operational skill sets. He is eager to contribute to the cruising community through writing and work on maritime safety.

DONALD H. PATTERSON Annapolis, MD Spouse: Kaitlin Yacht: 36’ Hinckley Picnic Boat Proud Mary Station: CHE Proposer: Anthony Parker

Donald has been sailing most of life, having grown up in a sailing family consisting of his father, Donald Patterson Jr, and two uncles. He grew up crewing for his father on the well-known Taylor 41 Orion, eventually graduating to Watch Captain on a number of her passages between Bermuda and Newport and Hampton, VA. He was crew and Watch Captain in the 2008 and 2010

Newport Bermuda races on Shearwater, a Morris 40. Donald has been an essential foredeck crew member for Tony Parker on his Morris 46 Reindeer in 3 recent Annapolis-Newport races, as well as in the 2018 and 2024 Newport Bermuda races. Donald will once again be on Reindeer for the 2026 race. He is admired for his willingness to pitch in to any job on board, has exceptional situational awareness, and his skill at the helm negotiating Reindeer through confusing seas on a blustery pitch-black night was much appreciated. Donald and Kaitlin have 4 sons under the age of nine, 2 of whom are getting involved in the local sailing program. For the present, the family is on the water in their Hinckley Picnic Boat, which they make available for charters. Affiliations: Annapolis Yacht Club

HENRY COOPER PITNEY Washington, DC Spouse: Juliet Yacht: Seguin 44 First Light Station: BOS Proposer: Stephen Tofield

Henry Pitney came of age sailing in New England aboard a blackhulled sloop Night Train (Hinckley 41). His sailing experience grew after his father James (Jim) Pitney (NYS; CCA Commodore 1997-8) purchased Carousel (Swan 40) and began journeys to the Canadian Maritimes. In 1983, his dad commissioned First Light (a Seguin 44) from Lyman Morse Boatbuilders, who tailored the ship to Jim’s design preferences and offshore goals. Aboard Carousel and First Light, Henry sailed to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, St Pierre, Miquelon, and Labrador. He 63

recalls huge waterfalls, icebergs, fjords, Loran, arctic char, majestic harbors, and some rough weather on overnight passages. Henry absorbed navigation and safety habits from his father and fellow crew on these trips and helped maintain Carousel and First Light. Law school, a young family and foreign assignments (including 12 years in the Philippines) kept him out of First Light’s 4 transatlantics. He acquired the boat in 2019 and began a total refit at Lyman Morse to modernize and update for safety, efficiency and comfort. Henry and Julie cruised with children Otis and Louisa and friends to Newfoundland, St Pierre & Miquelon in 2023, followed by a clockwise circumnavigation of Newfoundland in 2024. Planning the boat’s 5th transatlantic in 2025, Henry contacted Steve Berlack (BOS) who invited First Light to “tag along” on the CCA Transatlantic Cruise—just as Jim Pitney had invited Steve to join a CCA transat some years earlier. Henry joined preparatory CCA video calls, and First Light set out shortly after the CCA group. First Light’s 5th passage was largely a fast broad reach, but two strong blows broke an inner forestay fitting, a boom vang strut and tore a staysail. Henry jury- rigged fittings and made Kinsale, Ireland, from Maine in 18 and half days. His daughter Louisa was aboard for the crossing along with 3 other crew. Julie and several Pitney nephews and friends joined for summer cruising in Ireland and Scotland. The boat is now in Scotland and the family plans more European cruising in the future.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS THOMAS W. RAY

Easton, MD Spouse: Patty Yacht: Outbound 46, Lyric Station: CHE Proposer: E. W. Clucas

Club. This year they are planning further cruising in the Hebrides before heading to Shetland and Norway. Tom still finds time to make use of his Merchant Marine Master License, as Captain of the 50- ton, 82-person, 10-vehicle Oxford-Bellevue ferry on the Tred-Avon River. Affiliations: Ocean Cruising Club; Salty Dawg Sailing Association; Seven Seas Sailing Association

BRIAN J REGAN

Annapolis, MD Spouse: Dr. Paula Radon Regan Station: CHE Proposer: Steve Richards

Tom’s parents owned a variety of sailing vessels throughout his childhood, so the thought of sailing across the ocean was always fairly front and centre in his mind. He has happily been able to make that thought a reality. From 2014-2022 Tom and Patty sailed their Brewer 44 Victory in coastal Chesapeake waters prior to Tom’s initial experiences in long coastal passages and races. He was Watch Captain on his first Newport Bermuda race in 2016 on Chasseur, a Little Harbor 54, then was Watch Captain on the same boat in the 2017 Annapolis-Newport race. In 2022, he and Patty acquired Lyric, and after meticulous preparations, as were observed by their fellow sailors at the Oxford boatyard, they set off in 2023 for the Bahamas, with Tom as Skipper and Navigator. The cruising life obviously took a firm hold, as they followed up with a voyage to the Gulf of Maine under the auspices of the OCC. While there they spent many hours in cockpits and below decks sharing sea stories and became determined to cross the Atlantic and join the Western Isles cruise in 2025. They planned to join the Salty Dawgs rally to Bermuda and the Azores, then head for Scotland, via Ireland, with Jonathan and Dorothy Goldweitz (CHE) on board. The voyage cemented Tom’s reputation as an excellent helmsman and offshore sailor. He and Patty made many friends during the successful Western Isles Cruise, resulting in their being invited to join our

of the Membership Committee and the Nominating Committee and has served on the Long-Range Planning Committee. At AYC he has raced extensively on his own boats and in several one-design classes. After selling Rover in 2023, Brian completed a transatlantic from Las Palmas to Cabo Verde to Grenada as Watch Captain aboard Big Oceans, a Sunreef 70 catamaran. Brian then earned his USCG 100-ton Masters License and became a licensed Captain for Barton and Gray, which offers crewed luxury dayand multi-day-yacht trips to members. In this capacity, he was Watch Captain to reposition the 62-foot catamaran Andromeda from Newport, RI to the USVI in Fall 2025. Brian and Paula are currently searching for their next boat, planning to cruise the Canadian Maritimes, up the St. Lawrence, and the Great Lakes. Affiliations: Annapolis Yacht Club, Ocean Cruising Club

TIGE SAVAGE

Brian Regan began sailing as a child on Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisconsin. At Northwestern University, he was captain of the sailing team. He skippered one-designs and raced in larger boats out of the Chicago Yacht Club, including multiple Chicago Yacht Club Races to Mackinac. After relocating to Annapolis, all three of the boats he and his wife Paula owned were suitable for both racing and cruising. They sailed the first boat, a C&C 110 (37’) Spin Doctor, in the Chesapeake. Aboard their second boat, a Little Harbor Express 36 named Gameday, they expanded their cruising to New England. Wishing to go farther afield, they purchased Rover, a Hylas 54, in 2019 and have since cruised 12,000 nautical miles between Maine and Guadalupe. Brian has captained the boat for at least 7,500 nm of ocean passages. In 2021 and 2022 they did a triangle: Annapolis to St. Maarten for winter Caribbean cruising, then back to Annapolis via Bermuda. Brian and Paula are 25-year members of the Annapolis Yacht Club. Brian has been Chairman 64

Arlington, VA Spouse: Elizabeth Yacht: Morris 38 Salty; Steiger Craft 25 For Reel Life Station: CHE Proposer: Tom Ray

Tige, whose name is pronounced like “tiger” without an r, has been sailing since he was a teenager aboard the family O’Day 25. Vacations with his wife, Elizabeth, and family were skippered by him aboard bareboat charters in the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. For adventure and to improve his sailing skills, Tige joined offshore training passages with sailing author John Kretschmer. On the first trip from Maryland to Newfoundland,

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS he met his Proposer Tom Ray (CHE). His most recent Kretschmer passage was as Watch Captain on a Kaufman 47 for the 2,400-mile trip from Mar del Plata, Argentina, around Cape Horn east to west, ending in Ushuaia. Tige has many offshore racing miles, including two Annapolis-Newport Races and four Newport Bermuda Races, three of which were aboard the Little Harbor 54 Chasseur, twice as Watch Captain. Farther afield, he has competed in the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race, a Transpac from California to Hawaii, the 2024 ARC Transatlantic Race, and cruises in the Mediterranean. Tige skippered his Morris 38 Salty in the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race, with Peter Grimm Jr. (FLA) aboard, who had raced with him on Chasseur. He praises Tige for his preparedness, “high sailing IQ,” and the ability to do any task aboard. The Savage family summers on Gibson Island, MD, and is very involved in the management of the Gibson Island Yacht Squadron. Elizabeth is a Past Commodore of the Squadron, and Tige organizes events and serves on the Race Committee. Their son and daughter have been Junior Fleet Instructors. The family also cruises Salty along the Atlantic Coast. Tige plans to do his fifth Newport Bermuda Race in 2026 aboard an Oyster 885. The family plans to cruise Salty in New England this summer and intends to take her to the Caribbean in the winter of 2028. Affiliations: Gibson Island Yacht Squadron, New York Yacht Club, Transpacific Yacht Club

STEPHEN SAYLOR

KRISTEN WENZEL

Steve is a retired electrical engineer with extensive knowledge of marine electrical systems. This knowledge, coupled with his familiarity with steering systems, diesel engines, and generators, has stood him in good stead as he and Pam have expanded their cruising grounds from East Coast waters to regular passages between their home port of Gloucester and various harbors in the Caribbean. Steve is known for his careful precruise preparation, including lengthy inspections of his vessel with crew members and thorough reviews of systems and safety equipment. He and Pammy often double-hand, enjoying the opportunity his retirement has provided to spend more time on the water locally and in the Caribbean during the winter. Steve and Pammy are active members of the Annisquam Yacht Club, where he serves on the Race Committee. Steve and Pammy are currently in the Caribbean, with plans to return home to Gloucester via the Bahamas in late April. Their summer plans will likely involve cruising in New England, with stops in Nantucket and Maine. Affiliations: Annisquam Yacht Club

Kristen sailed with her family from the age of 5 in the waters of Narragansett Bay, Vineyard Sound and Long Island Sound. Her team leading skills became apparent in high school when she formed the Lincoln School racing team. She enjoyed coastal cruising on a variety of yachts for a number of years before crewing on Aggressive, a C&C 35 owned by her family friend Ray Renaud (BOS), initially on a Bermuda to Newport return in 1997. Kristen competed in her first Bermuda 1-2 DH leg in 1999 on Aggressive with her father, and just a few years later, she skippered Aggressive in the 2005 Bermuda 1-2 race. She was awarded the Navigator trophy for the 2006 Newport Bermuda race DH class win. Kristen continued her successes on Aggressive through 2019, most notably in the Bermuda 1-2 Race in 2009 and 2015, when she placed first in her division. She has always been involved in helping her fellow competitors during the month that it takes to do the two passages. They are united in their praise of her unstinting, cheerful and highly-skilled help in boat repair and maintenance, as well as the preparation and logistics required to participate in this race. In addition to a busy racing schedule, in recent years Kristen has spent more time cruising on Southern Yankee with her partner Bruce from Maine to the Caribbean, including 2 spells living aboard. Affiliations: Newport Yacht Club, Offshore Race Committee member; Wickford Yacht Club; St. George’s Dinghy Club

Gloucester, MA Spouse: Pammy Yacht: Once – Oyster 54 Station: BOS Proposer: Peter Bent

65

Saunderstown, RI Partner: Bruce Cathcart Yacht: 1988 Morgan 44 sloop, Southern Yankee Station: BOS Proposer: Murray Danforth

CCA BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW!

ADVENTUROUS USE OF THE SEA By Tim Murphy. Edited by Sheila McCurdy “Some think sailing yachts are only for the elite to show off their wealth and fame. The reality is anything but, as shown by Tim Murphy’s intriguing Adventurous Use of the Sea. This book profiles colorful skippers from contrasting backgrounds, each harnessing wind and sails in singular ways to power their dreams. Tim Murphy has done a wonderful job telling each story of hardship and triumph that puts the reader in the cockpits of historic yachts, sturdy cruisers, and hightech race boats. This book belongs on your bookshelf to savor for years to come.” – Tom Whidden, past president of North Technology Group and America’s Cup Hall-of-Famer, is the author of three books, including The Art and Science of Sails.

“Tim Murphy’s book about Cruising Club of America members and their yachts is a great read. He captures the very essence of 100 years of CCA history. Each voyage is unique, and the locations are special, but the best part is getting know the people who have enjoyed remarkable lives on the water. A good collection of excellent images enhances the narrative. Every sailor should read Tim’s book. You will return to it often.” - Gary Johnson is a sailor, television commentator, and author of 19 sailing books. He is Vice President of the International Sailing Federation and President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame. The publisher of Adventurous Use of the Sea, Seapoint Books, is owned by CCA member Spencer Smith (BOS). Queene Foster (BOS), also a CCA member, was a principal editor. The book is available through every bookstore in the US and many in Canada, as well as the CCA and Amazon.

HIGH SEAS AND HOME WATERS By Sheila McCurdy. Edited by Tim Murphy. The Cruising Club of America is famous for its adventurous members who have always have been, storytellers or “yarners” as the founders would have said 100 years ago. High Seas and Home Waters is the story of a club for capable sailors. High Seas and Home Waters relates sea stories of daring accomplishments, but the heart of the book is the close friendships of the Cruising Club of America members themselves, bound by their shared love of boats and the maritime world. The book covers a century of societal and technological change—starting in a time of voyaging with wooden boats and celestial navigation up to today’s high-tech yachts and satellite connectivity. Sheila McCurdy has drawn on her experiences from 125,000 miles of ocean sailing. Knowing many of the world’s best yacht racing and cruising sailors, she brings to life the captivating and often lighthearted history of the generations who have contributed to the global reputation of the CCA. A beautifully written tribute to a century of adventure, innovation, and seamanship, High Seas and Home Waters captures the spirit of the CCA and the sailors who helped shape offshore cruising and competition. - Charlie Enright, CEO, US Sailing; Winning skipper, The Ocean Race, 2022–23

66

The Cruising Club of America

MAKING ADVENTUROUS USE OF THE SEA SPIRITED COMPETITION • SAFETY & SEAMANSHIP FRIENDSHIPS & ADVENTURES AT HOME AND ABROAD

SAFETY COURSES SAFETY & SEAMANSHIP RACING TRADITION

Cruising Club of America 449 Thames St., #331 Newport RI 02824

CCA Calendar of Events FALL MEETINGS 2026

2027

2027:

October 22 Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Newport Beach, California, Southern California Station September 22-24 Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Great Lakes Station

CLUB CRUISES 2026:

Deadline for Fall Issue is October 15, 2026

June 28 Bermuda Cruise. James Watlington, Chair August 15, 2026 Delta Cruise. San Francisco Station. Bill Mittendorf and Steve Mason, Co-Chairs September 22 New England Islands Cruise. Ray Cullum, Chair

March 20 Spanish Virgin Islands Cruise. Roel Hoekstra, Chair July 20 Bras d’Or Cruise. David Stanfield and Peter Rugg, Co-Chairs

ANNUAL MEETING & AWARDS DINNER March 4-6, 2027 New York Yacht Club

STATIONS & POSTS Please email your major events dates so members visiting your area can be aware, to: gam@cruisingclub.org For latest info, please check: www.cruisingclub.org.

Monthly Station Luncheons: Check station websites for latest information.