NMHS: A CAUSE IN MOTION NMHS Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Yacht Club
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ember 13'h was indeed a gala evening as N MHS Annual Awards Dinner C hairmen Captain Cesare Sorio and D aniel Whalen welcomed the evening's rem arkable and distinguished honorees, sailmaker Nathaniel S. W ilson; D avid Rockefeller Jr. and Sailors for the Sea; and D ana H ewson, Quentin Snedi ker, and M ys tic Seaport president Steve W hite on behalf of the staff and volunteers of Mystic Seaport's H enry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard.
when some museums are considering giving up the stewardship of the historic ships in their care, M ys tic Seaport has taken bold strides to properly care for its fleet of historic ships. It is now restoring the last wooden whaleship, the 184 1 Charles W M organ, to a seaworthy condition so she may once more put to sea under sail. In preservation work, it is the diligence of the artisans, m any who wo rk unassumingly behind the scenes to mas ter their craft and pass on their skills to others, which is of critical importance. D avid Rockefeller Jr. has commirred himself to implementing the recommendations of the 2003 Pew Oceans Commission, and to formin g a new voice for ocean conservation, Sailors for the Sea, w educate and empower the boating communi ry to protect and restore our oceans and coas tal waters. His vessel Ocean "Watch recently completed a 25,000-mile circumnavigation of N orth and
NMH S D istinguished Service Award Recipients (l-r) Dana Hewson, Steve White, Quentin Snediker, and Nat Wilson . Award-winning yachtsm an Richard du M oulin was the perfect mas ter of cerem onies, sharin g personal sw ries abo uc each of the recipients. NM H S vice-chairman RickLopes's m ini-documen taries of the recipients in their home serrings were a highligh t of the evening. Na t Wilson was presented with the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his skills and dedicati on as the pre-em inent sailmaker of traditional sails in the country, fo r his influence and support ofsail training and m ari time heritage educational program s, and his generosiry in sharing his craft. H e shared memories of hi s en try inw sail making and the worki ng of his craft and gave credit w other sail makers, shipmas ters, shipbuilders, and ins titutions who have also dedicated their careers w maintaining the traditio nal skills so necessary to carry out the wo rk in this fiel d. D ana H ewson, Mys tic Seaport's Vice President for Watercraft Preserva tion and Program s and C lark Senio r C urator fo r Watercraft; Quentin Sn ediker, D irecto r of Mys tic's H enry B. duPont Preservation Shipya rd ; and th e shipyard's staff and volunteers were awarded the Distinguished Service Award. Mystic Seaport stands o ut as a beaco n of hope for the beleaguered ship preserva tio n community by not only restoring historic ships but also buildin g important reproducti o ns, such as th e schooner Amistad. At a time
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Master of ceremonies Richard du Mo ulin (right) awards David Rockefeller Jr., (left) with the 2 010 N MHS "Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in M aritime Education. South America, visiting thir ry towns and cities in eleven countries to educate their citize nry about the health of our oceans. It was an ho nor w present him with the N MHS Walter C ronkite Award for Excellence in Mari time Edu cation and to have him speak so reverently of Walter Cronkite when he received his award. Mr. Rockefeller described the thrill of the Ocean "Watch voyage and challenged us to work together to protect the ocean fo r future sailors. We we re once again honored to have the US Coast G uard Academy Cadet Chorale, under the direction of D r. Robert N ewton, sing fo r us, and D on H ardy of Ships of G lass sent beauti ful glass models to the recipients to commemo rate the important occasio n. It was a grand gathering of the m aritime communi ry, a time for fun and revelry, a chance to share stories with old friends and new, and an opportuni ry to pay homage to a few most worthy recipi ents who have labored fo r maritime heri tage excellence.
The USCG Academy Cadet Chorale entertained guests of the 2 010 NMH S Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Yacht Club. SE A HISTORY 133 WINTER 2010-11