2024 Spring Gam

BLUE WATER MEDAL PRESENTED TO KIRSTEN NEUSCHÄFER AS CCA HONORS TOP 2023

OCEAN SAILORS

By John Burnham

(NEW YORK, March 12, 2023)—

The 2023 Cruising Club of America (CCA) awards ceremony was held at the New York Yacht Club on Friday, March 1, highlighted by the presentation of the Blue Water Medal to solo round-the-world sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer. The prestigious Medal was first awarded by the CCA at the Club’s first annual meeting in 1923.

Neuschäfer, of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, received the Blue Water Medal from Commodore Jay Gowell in recognition of her victory in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a 235-day solo circumnavigation in which she was the first of three finishers among 17 original starters. The race restricts sailors to the use of sailboats and technology that was available when the race was first held, in 1968.

Self-effacing in her remarks, Neuschäfer said, “It’s a singlehanded race, but many, many people help” and spent most of her speech giving credit to others. She said, “On a very philosophical level, I learned a lot, and it was truly a voyage of collaboration,” then added, “It’s one of those experiences you keep on doing for a while, and the train hasn’t ended.”

The winner of the CCA’s Young Voyager Award was Max Campbell, a young English sailor who has cruised halfway around the world and shares his adventures by inviting friends to come along or join via Instagram and YouTube (close to 300,000 followers combined). Campbell’s first boat was a tiny 22-footer that he sailed across the Atlantic and aboard which he survived a serious galley

fire. Later, he and his friends restored Elixir, a 1970 Swan 37-footer, and have now sailed it as far as New Zealand. Campbell flew to New York to accept the CCA’s award and said, “It’s inspiring and humbling to be in a room with so many accomplished sailors.” For introducing him to sailing in the UK at age four and then giving him the passion of travel, he credited his mother Jo Clarkson and his stepfather Dave Cockwell, who were able to meet him in New York for the awards ceremony.

Other award winners included:

• Max Fletcher received the Far Horizons Award, which recognizes a CCA member for a particularly meritorious cruise or series of cruises. Max cruised with his family as a child, cruised to the Caribbean with a buddy after college, and later sailed with his young family to New Zealand, returning with a friend via Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands. He and his wife Lynnie have made two round-trip Transatlantics to and from Europe, and recently he’s helped others sailing to and from Antarctica and Greenland.

• Paul Bieker won the Diana Russell Award for innovation in recognition of his performance boat designs and the development of foils on sailing and motor craft that have helped change the way that all high-performance sailing is thought about and practiced today. Paul’s innovations with hydrofoils for sailboats have consistently been at the forefront in our

Kirsten Neuschäfer receives the 2023 Blue Water Medal from CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

Photo: Dan Nerney

Young Voyager Award recipient Max Campbell with CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

Photo: Dan Nerney

CCA HONORS CONTINUED

sport from America’s Cup racers to singlehanded Moth sailboats.

• Ralph Naranjo received the Richard S. Nye Award for service to the CCA and the sailing community as an author and an educator who has always promoted better seamanship and safety practices. Ralph has sailed around the world, run a full-service boatyard, judged the best boats of the year for Cruising World, written books including The Art of Seamanship, and supervised the U.S. Naval Academy sailing program for a decade.

• Ashley Perrin and Merfyn Owen received the Royal Cruising Club Trophy for “the most interesting cruise of singular merit and moderate duration” in which they cruised doublehanded around Newfoundland and also sailed north to visit the south coast of Greenland. Intended to be of moderate duration, the cruise took five years due to Covid delays!

• Anne Kolker received the Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize for the best article published in the club’s 2024 Voyages magazine. Titled “XX Sailors,” the story described her personal journey

of becoming a competent sailor, captain, instructor, and mentor aboard offshore sailing yachts.

• Four members received Commodore’s Awards for distinguished service to the Club: Amelia (“Ami”) and Bob Green, who retired after three years as editors of the club magazine Voyages, Sheila McCurdy, who has been writing a new CCA History over the last 10 years, and Paul Hamilton, retiring after 12 years as CCA Fleet Captain.

Read more about all that the winners achieved to earn their awards at the Awards page of the club website.

Top (L-R): Max Fletcher (Far Horizons Award), Ashley Perrin and Merfyn Owen (Royal Cruising Club Trophy), Ralph Naranjo (Richard S. Nye Award), each with CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

Center (L-R): Commodore’s Award winners Ami and Bob Green, Paul Hamilton, and Sheila McCurdy, each with Past Commodore Chris Otorowski.

Bottom (L-R): Paul Bieker (Diana Russell Award), Anne Kolker (Charles H. Vilas Literary Award), each with CCA Commodore Jay Gowell.

Photos: Dan Nerney

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: John R. Gowell

Vice Commodore: A. Chace Anderson

Secretary: Patricia Ann Montgomery

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 Nicholas R. Orem

Bras d’Or William B. Greenwood III

Chesapeake Beverley L. Crump

Essex Thomas Wadlow

Florida Atle Moe

Great Lakes Peter Balasubramanian

New York Peter B. Becker

Pacific Northwest Douglas D. Adkins

San Francisco Charles G. Hawley

So. California James A. Eddy

Post Captains

Buzzards Bay Raymond J. Cullum

Gulf of Maine Peter E. Driscoll

Narragansett Bay Whitney E. Jones

GAM Editors Emeriti

Dan and Mimi Dyer 2003-7

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

COMING UP… CRUISES AND MEETINGS

A MESSAGE FROM ANNE KOLKER , EVENTS COMMITTEE

The 2024 Annual meeting was fully subscribed. It was great fun to finally be back together to meet friends from other stations and meet new ones as well. Open committee meetings were all available on Zoom so that some of our far-flung members could participate. It was thrilling to meet Kirsten Neuschafer, the Golden Globe Race winner, for her Blue Water award. There was an accomplished group of other winners who enjoyed the evening with us.

A new slate of Flag officers and some new committee chairs were appointed. We have numerous cruises planned in the coming years. Check out the calendar for more information.

FALL MEETINGS

2024: October 17, Annapolis, Maryland, Chesapeake Station John Devlin

2025: Bellingham, Washington, Pacific Northwest Station

CLUB CRUISES

2024: June 30-July 5, Bermuda Cruise

James Watlington

August 3-14, Down East Maine Cruise

Roger Block and Amy Jordan

October 18-23, Chesapeake Cruise JC Goldweitz

2025: March, Caribbean TBD

Steve Berlack

July 19-August 1, Scotland Western Isles Cruise

Jonathan Brewin and Rob Childs

September, Washington/British Columbia Cruise Stacey Wilson and Bruce Johnston

ANNUAL MEETING/AWARDS DINNER, NYYC

March 7, 2025

NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE

June 21, 2024

BERMUDA SHORTHANDED RETURN RACE

June 30, 2024

Anne Kolker CCA Events Chair

June, Transatlantic Cruise in Company Newport to Kinsale, Ireland

LETTER FROM THE COMMODORE

Dear Friends:

The Annual Meeting and Awards dinner at the New York Yacht Club on March 1 had a capacity crowd, and as usual was a spectacular affair thanks to the leadership of Events Chair Anne Kolker and NYYC liaison Joe Hoopes, and Steve and Karyn James who served as master of ceremonies for the award presentation. You’ll read about the amazing accomplishments of the awardees in this edition of the Gam.

It was my pleasure to thank outgoing Commodore Chris Otorowski for his outstanding leadership of the CCA, and to present him with an antique Maltese racing trophy from the early 1900’s that we had restored and repurposed for him.

Many of us were treated to a wonderful cruise in Antigua and Guadeloupe in March, with the Antigua portion organized by Nick Brown and Heather McHutchinson in partnership with the New York Yacht Club’s cruise leader Doug RenfieldMiller. A second week in Guadeloupe was organized by Hilary and Andrew

Armstrong, ably assisted by Roel Hoekstra. A great time was had by all, as you will read in the report by Ernie Godshalk and Roel Hoekstra!

By the time you read this, many of us will be in Mexico on the Sea of Cortez Cruise organized by Dan Gribble and Gary Davidson of the Southern California Station.

With the Newfoundland cruise in 2022, the BVI and Mallorca cruises in 2023, and the Antigua Guadeloupe, Sea of Cortez and Downeast cruises in 2024, we are well on our way to a more normal cruising schedule as enjoyed by CCA members in pre-Covid years.

The 2024 edition of our classic ocean race from Newport to Bermuda is just around the corner, and Race Chair Andrew Kallfelz has an update for you.

It is not too soon to make arrangements for the Fall Meeting in Annapolis. A great program is being organized by Fall Meeting Chair John Devlin and his team along with Events Chair Deanna Polizzo. The Fall Meeting will be capped by a cruise

around the Chesapeake Bay organized by the Chesapeake Station. Please plan to attend both the Fall Meeting and the cruise, learn about all the activities of your fellow Club members in advancing the programs of your Club, and join in the fun!

Stay tuned for more news about the cruise in Scotland and the transatlantic feeder cruise in company.

Finally, welcome aboard to all the new members who were elected in February. Please be sure to read about them in this edition of the Gam, and invite and welcome them into your Station and Post activities. We all owe a special debt of gratitude to Ernie Godshalk who meticulously improved the new member engagement guidelines and streamlined the member proposal process. Ernie has already hit the ground running as the new Fleet Captain and Chair of the new Cruise Resources Committee.

Fair Winds, Commodore Jay Gowell

Photo: Dan Nerney

NOTE FROM THE PAST COMMODORE

The CCA has several sister clubs that have honorary status, and it is not often that we are able to connect in person. However, this March was different. During the first week of March, immediately following the CCA Awards Dinner/Annual Meeting, Shawn and I flew to London having accepted an invitation from RCC Commodore Nick Chavasse to present the CCA Bowl to a recipient at the Royal Cruising Club Awards Dinner at the Royal Thames YC. Irish Cruising Club Commodore Alan Markey and his wife Helen were on hand to present an ICC trophy to its recipient. It was great to see Skip Novak, Bob Shepton and several descendants of prior BWM winners at the dinner and to view the Little Ships of Dunkirk BWM, with inscription, hanging in the RCC room

at Royal Thames. It was a splendid affair. Before the gala, I had the opportunity to visit with RTYC Vice Commodore Richard Powell. In the days leading up to the Dinner, we were privileged to have dinner with the new RORC Commodore, Debra Fish, and the RORC Executive, Jeremy Wilton, at the RORC clubhouse on St. James Place. While dining there, the Royal Yacht Squadron Rear Commodore for Yachting, BB Huber, came over and visited with us. So long story short, it was a wonderful opportunity to further our relations with these valued clubs and we are looking forward to seeing them in Scotland next year.

- Chris Otorowski, Past Commodore

ANNUAL MEETING COCKTAIL PARTY 2024

Dan (BOS) and Lesley Faria

Steve Taylor (BOS), Commodore Jay Gowell (BOS), Nancy Jamison

Les Crane (BDA), Dick Waterman (BOS), and Karen Waterman

Left: 1940 Award to the Little Ships of Dunkirk

Vice Commodore Richard Powell, PC Chris Otorowski

Skip Novak, PC Chris Otorowski, Bob Shepton

Left (L-R):  ICC Commodore Alan Markey, Helen Markey, CCA PC Chris Otorowski, Margie Chavasse, Shawn Otorowski, RCC Commodore Nick Chavasse.

Right: RORC Commodore Debra Fish, PC Chris Otorowski, Shawn Otorowski

Photos: Dan Nerney

NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE EXTENDS TO 636 MILES FOR PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY AT FORT ADAMS STATE PARK

In an effort to involve the community more in the Newport Bermuda Race, the Organizing Committee has moved the starting line in Newport northward to accommodate free shoreline viewing from Fort Adams State Park and will stream the start online at bermudarace.com. This will allow spectators the chance to witness 175 boats up close along with professional commentary and aerial footage to learn more about the stories behind the boats. This ultimately also extends the race course distance from 635 miles to Bermuda to 636.

“The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee with support from the State of Rhode Island and other partners has been able to invest in transforming this hallmark biennial event into a celebration for the sailors, their families, and the fans alike,” said Race Chair Andrew Kallfelz of Jamestown, Rhode Island. “Fort Adams has demonstrated itself as a great venue for the public to come together to witness the adrenaline-pumping start of this prestigious race.”

ON-SITE EXPERIENCES AT FORT ADAMS

BROC encourages CCA members not racing to come down and experience the excitement that will be at Fort Adams. Karen Waterman has been busy coordinating all the logistics to host such an event which promises an

excellent spot to see the start. The park will host a lively beer garden, exhibits from partners, and a vibrant atmosphere filled with maritime enthusiasts. Spectators can also enjoy live commentary from Ken Read and Andy Green along with a big screen showing graphics and ensuring that every moment of the race is captured and shared with the crowd.

CAN’T MAKE IT TO FORT ADAMS? NO PROBLEM!

Recognizing that not everyone can be physically present at Fort Adams, the Race has gone the extra mile to make the Newport Bermuda Race accessible to a global audience with the Starting Line Live Show. The entire start will be broadcast live on bermudarace.com, providing a front row seat to sailing enthusiasts worldwide.

SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 21, 2024

Plan to be there, June 21, 2024. The park experience starts at 12 pm, and the live show begins just before the first gun at 2pm. The Newport Bermuda Race promises an unforgettable experience as the first of a new era to share the adventure beyond just the sailors.

BERMUDA SHORTHANDED RETURN UPDATE

On Sunday, June 30, the second edition of the Bermuda Short-Handed Return will start in St George’s. The race offers an enjoyable and challenging solution for NBR competitors sailing back to Newport, RI. The event provides fun competition and a safer passage through tracking, on-call medical support, and the comfort that comes from knowing other competitors are on the course and can assist if needed.

Registration is now open for this joint project of the New York Yacht Club, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, and The Cruising Club of America. We have about a dozen entries to date and expect a great race.

- Les Crane & Peter Becker, Co-Chairs

The Cruising Club of America hosted two excellent cruises: in Antigua 9-16 March, in company with the New York Yacht Club and in Guadeloupe 16-22 March. The Antigua Cruise was organized by Nick Brown (BOS) (who unfortunately was unable to attend the Cruise) and Heather McHutchison (BOS); the Guadeloupe Cruise was organized by Andrew and Hilary Armstrong (CHE).

ANTIGUA CRUISE

The Antigua Cruise convened at the Boom Restaurant for a cocktail party overlooking famous English Harbour. The fleet consisted of 25 boats of which one was skippered by CCA Commodore Gowell and 16 by other CCA members, including five CCA members’ boats; there were 130 participants.

The Cruise itinerary was flexible, with ample lay days; some participants circumnavigated Antigua while others spent more time on the protected west coast. Everyone found excellent snorkeling in warm, clear water. Launching the dinghy into the surf was occasionally interesting – ask Steve James why

CRUISES

he needed to dump sand out of his hat. The weather, as always in Antigua, was great and predictable: “winds east 10-15 knots, chance of showers [although few of us needed foul weather gear], high temperatures in the low 80s F.” Everyone enjoyed good sailing every day.

Many participants enjoyed a beachfront rum keg party on Great Bird Island in North Sound.

The full fleet reconvened at Green Island at The Reef Restaurant, run by Mill Reef Club, for an outstanding cocktail party and great dance band.

The final dinner was at the spectacular Carlisle Bay Resort, just west of Falmouth.

Commodore Gowell presented awards of appreciation to Heather, Doug Renfield-Miller, NYYC Coordinator, and Richard Archer, Commodore of Antigua Yacht Club, who helped guide part of the fleet who

desired local knowledge in some tight navigation.

GUADELOUPE CRUISE

On Saturday, March 16,th the Guadeloupe cruise started with a sporty sail for most of the fleet from English Harbor, Antigua, down to Deshaies, Guadeloupe--40 NM due south across the strait of Guadeloupe with east winds blowing 15 to 25kts.

Andrew and Hilary Armstrong on Billy Ruff’n and Lawrence Trimingham and Cinde Pereira on Bermudian Escape met the fleet in Deshaies from the south.

Once everyone arrived in Guadeloupe, we had 12 boats and 58 members in attendance.

On Sunday the fleet was treated to a wonderful guided tour of Le Jardin Botanique. In a comprehensive 2-hour walking tour of the beautiful gardens, our guide explained all the plants of Guadeloupe as well as the impact of the banana and sugar crops on the local economy. As Guadeloupe is a region of France, most of these exports are to France rather than to North America.

After the tour, we sat down for a buffet dinner at the restaurant in Le Jardin Botanique and Commodore Gowell welcomed the fleet to Guadeloupe.

On Monday the plan was to sail

to Pigeon Island and spend the day diving and snorkeling in the Jacques Cousteau underwater park. Apparently, we were not the only people with that plan, and when we arrived, the moorings were all taken and the anchorage full. Some boats anchored in the south anchorage and dinghied over. Others anchored in Bouillante to luxuriate in the warm geothermal waters and snorkel.

On Tuesday the Fleet arrived in Iles Des Saintes, a group of small islands just south of the main island of Guadeloupe (they are a part of Guadeloupe).

For many, this was the highlight of the two weeks: a beautiful town, large

anchorage, many hiking trails and great French food.

On Wednesday Andrew and Hillary organized a beachside lunch and cookout on the island of IIet a Cabrit. After lunch many in the group climbed to Fort Josephine which has a commanding view of “the saints,” while others snorkeled along the reef.

Then, on Wednesday evening, our closing dinner was at Ti Kaz La, the restaurant that Mark Myers (CHE) declared as the best restaurant in all of Guadeloupe. We had the place to ourselves for the evening. And while the seating was tight, once the French wine started flowing, the fun began

and lasted for hours and included much music and dancing.

Commodore Gowell presented parting gifts to Hilary and Andrew Armstrong for their amazing job organizing the week and to Roel Hoekstra for helping with the administrative load.

And with that, the cruise was over. On Thursday the fleet began its two-day sail back to English Harbour.

By

CHESAPEAKE FALL CRUISE

If you are planning to take your boat south for the winter, planning to attend the Fall Meeting in Annapolis, or if you just enjoy cruising the Chesapeake Bay in the fall, then you are in for a treat this year. The Chesapeake Station is offering all CCA members an opportunity to do some or all of these, starting Friday, October 18, with our ever-popular Rum Keg party at the home of Tony and Claire Parker on Lake Ogleton, just southeast of Annapolis Harbor. Those who have time and access to a

boat can continue on with a race across to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. We will enjoy cocktails aboard the historic Chesapeake Bay buy boat Nellie Crockett on the dock at Fred and Sharon Kirsch’s home off the Wye River, and then we will visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with private tours followed by all the shopping and dining that St. Michaels offers. Next, we will sail back to the western shore to the Rhode River for another gathering aboard Nellie Crockett. Our final day will feature an

informal dinner at the Chesapeake Yacht Club on the West River. The Chesapeake Bay sparkles in the fall, and we welcome all to come join us. We hope to see you there!

Dates for the cruise are October 18-23, and registration and pricing will be available later this year. For non-CHE members who want additional information or to join the email list for the cruise, contact Cruise Chair, Jonathan Goldweitz, at jcgoldweitz@ gmail.com - Jonathan Goldweitz

Ernie Godshalk (BOS), Bruce Johnston (PNW), and Roel Hoekstra (CHE)

CCA WESTERN ISLES CRUISE 2025

It is but a year and a few months to go for The Cruising Club’s next adventure to Scotland in July 2025.

Much forward planning is required especially if you are crossing the Atlantic on your own boat.

Steve Berlack (sberlack@burkemtnacademy.org) has done it before and is spearheading the Cruise in Company from Newport to Kinsale, Ireland, in June 2025. Then, according to Navionics, it is 335 nm north to Ardfern with many interesting places to visit along the way.

Chartering information and codes have been sent out to all those who have signed the preliminary interest

form which you will find on the website. By early March the first boat was chartered from Dunstaffnage, close to Oban. So don’t delay and call the organisers for advice.

The first Mother Ship, Blue Clipper, has been filled! Another Mother Ship is under negotiation. There are berths available, so please sign up right away if you are interested, again on the Western Isles website. Blue Clipper invites her guests to help sail the gaff schooner or you can sit back and just enjoy the view.

The cruise starts in Ardfern, Loch Craignish, just north of Crinan where at just over 56° N and 5° W there is

magically long evening light. The sun won’t set till around 10pm, just like Goose Bay, Labrador, but it’s warmer, thanks to the Gulf Stream, and with many more opportunities to restock!

Many interesting anchorages are seen here in Puilladobhrain -Pool of the Otter- looking west to Mull. There are countless castles to be sailed past or visited and much history to read up on and names to learn!

We hope to see you there.

Jonathan Brewin (BDA) and Rob Childs (BDA) CCA25Scotland@gmail.com

Duart Castle, photo by Dale Bruce

The fleet in Tobermory, photo by Carol Connor

Models sporting Western Isles Cruise fashions: Barbara Watson (FLA), Commodore Jay Gowell (BOS), and Deanna Polizzo (NYS)

A tempting mooring in Puilladobhrain

CCA MEMBERS IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Joe Harris (BOS), experienced shorthanded offshore sailor and CCA member since 1987, notched a 4 place in the doublehanded 2022-3 Globe40 Race, finishing on March 17, 2023, in Lorient, France. Harris sailed his Lombard-designed Class 40, GryphonSolo2, with crew Roger Junet, born and raised in Italy but who lives mostly in the US. The Race was Harris’ second circumnavigation in GryphonSolo2, the first solo record attempt for a 40-foot yacht, complicated by delamination and mechanical issues which necessitated stopovers for repairs in Cape Town, South Africa, and in Uruguay. Harris sold GryphonSolo2 after the Race, and he is writing a book about his adventures.

Ronnie Simpson (SAF), also an experienced shorthanded offshore sailor and CCA member (since 2023), competed in the 2023-4 Global Solo Challenge aboard his Open 50 Shipyard Brewing Ronnie had rounded Cape Horn on his way to the finish in A Coruña, Spain, in third place, when successive low- pressure systems coming off the South American mainland pummeled the boat. At 02:00 on 2/12/24, the boat launched off a wave in a 50 kt blow and dismasted at the first spreader when she landed. With another storm coming, and with Shipyard Brewing vulnerable to a roll without her mast, Ronnie decided to “live to fight another day” and abandon ship. In an amazing feat of teamwork and seamanship, Ronnie and his shore supporters were able to contact a northbound Taiwanese

and convince her to turn around. Ronnie climbed aboard just before dark by rope ladder and made his way to Argentina.

It’s not the first time Ronnie has lived to fight another day. He was severely injured near Fallujah on 6/30/04 at age 19 while serving in the US Marines, manning a 50-caliber machine gun on a Humvee, when a rocket propelled grenade exploded in close proximity. Ronnie suffered a concussion and his lungs were severely injured. He was placed into a medical coma, and when he woke up in San Antonio at the Brooke Army Medical Center, he had a surgical scar on his left chest and had lost about a third of his left lung. He then needed operations on both eyes, and despite successful procedures, he still has diminished vision.

Many men would have lived out their life with a disability pension. Ronnie, instead, decided to get a college education and sail, and he has succeeded wildly--he has become a successful offshore solo competitor, and he has mounted a campaign to sail in the Vendée Globe Ocean Race in 2028. Ronnie continues to get support from US Patriot Sailing (uspatriotsailing.org) who with Shipyard Brewing sponsored his Global Solo Challenge campaign. You can follow Ronnie on Instagram (@ captainron_official) and support him at US Patriot Sailing. Ronnie will participate in a US West Coast-based Open 40 campaign to prepare for the Vendée, and he will need support from the CCA membership!

CCA Member Lindsay Gimple (NYS) joins Joe and Ronnie on the international racing scene. Lindsay is competing in the Olympic Trials for a spot on the US Olympic team in the Mixed Multihull Nacra 17. The trials consist of two regattas, the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain (March 29-April 6), and the European Championships in La Grande Motte, France, May 7-12. Lindsay and her skipper, Carson Crain, will compete against one other American boat, and the boat with the best combined performance will represent the US in the Paris Olympics, to be sailed July 26-August 11 in Marseille, France.

Lindsay and Carson have funded their campaign through private donations, attending multiple regattas in preparation and utilizing the coaching of Argentine Olympic multihull sailor Vicky Travascio. Though Lindsay and Carson have had only 1 year of preparation (most of their competitors have had 2 or more years in the boat), they are well-prepared for the challenging class—the Nacra 17 is a fully-foiling catamaran which reaches speeds of over 20 kts. Lindsay thinks that they have an edge in races that are determined by strategy.

You can follow Lindsay on Instagram (@lindsail) and you can support her through her website usnacra17. com/support. Prior to her Olympic campaign, Lindsay worked as an engineer at Electric Boat in Groton, Ct, designing submarine components.

- Phil Dickey

Carson Crain

Joe Harris onboard GryphonSolo2

Ronnie Simpson onboard Shipyard Brewery

Lindsay Gimple

BONNELL COVE FOUNDATION

The Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization that makes grants each year to other charitable organizations with a particular emphasis in areas of safety at sea and marine environmental protection. Each year there are two grant cycles for grants received on or before February 1 and September 1. The Officers and Board of Directors are most appreciative of the organizations submitting grant requests and those individuals who encourage the nonprofits to apply for grants.

At the February 29, 2024, meeting of the Board, of the nineteen grant applications received requesting $139,380, ten grants were approved totalling $51,536.

Here are some examples of the organizations receiving grants from the February 29, 2024 meeting:

• Bellingham Bay Community Boating Centre, Bellingham, WA – a non-profit offering inclusive programs to foster small watercraft education, access, safe recreation, and marine stewardship serving over 5,000 participants each season.

• Billion Oyster Project, New York, NY – The Project’s mission is to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbor. To date 122 million oysters have been planted across nineteen acres at 18 sites involving 11,000 students and 15,000 volunteers.

• Brigs Youth Sail Training, Hamilton, ON – Since its beginning in 1962 the Brigs’ mission has been to bring together youth from diverse backgrounds and experiences and, through sail training, foster personal growth, the development of practical skills, the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices and an appreciation of the rich marine history of the Great Lakes on board its two sail training brigantines.

• Save the Bay, Providence, RI — For over 50 years, the organization has championed the protection and cleanup of Narragansett Bay working to ensure the Bay is swimmable, fishable, healthy, and accessible to the residents of the Bay’s 1,705 square-mile watershed and to millions of visitors to the region each year.

• Wooden Boats for Veterans, Sausalito, CA – Since 2014 the Mission has been simply to provide Healing Through Camaraderie to service-disabled veterans and their families. The organization provides 3 programs, each fostering teamwork and community healing: Wooden Boat Preservation, Sail Training, and Experiential Sailing.

The Officers and the Board of Director are most grateful to the 172 individuals who generously contributed $44,925 to the Bonnell Cove Foundation in 2023. As a result of these contributions together with investment income, the Foundation was able to grant a record $96,919 to 19 charitable organizations during 2023. The Board is respectfully asking for your continued support to enable the Foundation to continue its much-needed work evidenced by the grant application requests.

Respectfully,

Bob Medland, President

View of Sausalito (iStock)

MEMBERSHIP

On February 16, 2024, we welcomed 22 highly qualified new members to the Cruising Club of America. The average age was 63 years, four are considered Next Watch (<55 y.o.) and four are women.

Station Member

BOS MacKenzie Davis

BOS Gordon Fletcher

BOS Leif Heimbold

BOS Susan Maffei Plowden

BOS Mary Martin

BOS Christopher McGuire

Proposer

Brian Harris

Seconder

Jesse Deupree

Daniel P. Dyer III Onne Van der Wal

Paul Kanev

Andrew Kallfelz

Matt Gimple

Jen Haddock

John Brooks

George Hill

Lindsay Gimple

Jon Burt

BOS Ryan Murphy Drew Plominski Bill Jacobson

BOS Matthew Pilon

CHE Peter Carrico

CHE Logan Greenlee

CHE Virginia Jeffery

CHE Emory Zimmer

FLA Russell Hoadley

NYS James Cummiskey

NYS Robert Forman

NYS Adam Loory

PNW Gordon Bell

PNW Robert Eichler

PNW Daniel Kerns

SAF Rodney Pimentel

SOC William Menninger

SOC Marie Rogers

Nicholas Brown Kenyon P. Kellogg, III

Jonathan Wright

Eric Crawford

Rich Born

Justin Bonar

Gerry Douglas

Michael Millard

Lawrence Huntington

Deanna Polizzo

Roger Werner

Roddy Hearne

Howard R. Conant

Jim Quanci

John Fuller

Allison Bell

On March 1st, at our Annual Meeting in New York, James D. Phyfe III succeeded Ernest L. Godshalk III as Chair of the Club membership committee. Several Station membership committees also saw changes in leadership, most notably in Chesapeake where Dorothy Goldweitz took over for Bill Read, Pacific Northwest where Doug Adkins was succeeded by Susan Stillman, and Southern California where Bruce Stuart took the place of Doug Jorgenson. We are incredibly grateful for all the hard work invested by every member of the Club and Station membership committees as well as all members who take time to identify, propose, second or write on behalf of a candidate for membership.

Welcoming our new members continues to be a strong emphasis for the Club. In addition to a personal letter from the Commodore which is accompanied by a wealth of information on how to get involved, Dianne Embree and Dorothy Wadlow spend countless hours compiling the New Member Bios you will find on the next several pages. New

William Kardash

Richard Pedone

Xan Schlegel

Stephen Stelmaszyk

Barbara Watson

James Binch

Dennis Powers

Richard West

Mike Duffy

Hank Halstead

Don Stabbert

Terry Claus

Bruce Stuart

Brendan Huffman

this year, the Club will be hosting an introductory meeting for all our new members on April 4th where they will have the opportunity to meet the Club and Station Officers and hear them speak about what makes membership in the CCA so special.

As you are reading this edition of the CCA Gam, you are all undoubtedly preparing for a summer’s worth of sailing to come. Many of us will be involved in the Newport Bermuda Race or one of the many Club cruises scheduled for 2025. As you are out on the water this summer, I urge you to keep an eye out for other qualified candidates for membership in our Club. Details on proposal process as well as the Membership Qualifications Guidelines may be found on the web under “Propose a Member.” As always, I or any one of the Station membership committee chairs would be happy to speak with you about anyone you feel might be suitable for inclusion in our special group.

- James Phyfe (BOS), Membership Committee Chair

ESSENTIAL PASSAGE GUIDE TO THE VIKING ROUTE

The CCA’s latest publication, Essential Passage Guide to the Viking Route, gives real substance to our “making adventurous use of the sea” motto. Editor Bill Strassberg says, “The route from Europe to North America, first sailed by the Vikings more than a thousand years ago, requires a real appetite for adventure as well as a skill set and level of preparation going well past the demands of voyaging in more temperate waters.”

The appetite for adventure must come from you, but if you have it, all the practical advice that you’ll need to make it real is wrapped up in this volume.

Bill and his contributors, including Rev. Bob Shepton, Steve Brown, Dick Stevenson, Mark Roye and Sally and Simon Currin, have assembled a gold mine of information about passage planning, weather, ice navigation, gear

and equipment, communications, safety, and leadership. It’s all fascinating and inspiring reading, even if you prefer to encounter ice as cubes while sitting in an armchair before the warm fireplace.

The Viking Route guide and the CCA’s four other print guides covering Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence are all available from Paradise Cay Publications www. paracay.com. Use the code CCA25% to get a discount. And don’t forget to look at the excellent CCA Online Cruising Guide to Maine, available for free at https://cruisingclub.org

- Wilson Fitt

(BDO)

UPDATE AND REMINDER REGARDING FLAG ETIQUETTE

The Member Aboard Flag originally began as the “Club Membership Flag” in 1995 and was approved to be flown at the starboard spreader in specified circumstances, e.g. “if it is not practical to fly the Club burgee at the masthead…” In 2018 language was added to the Etiquette section that the Member Aboard Flag could not be flown at a Club rendezvous.

The Governing Board, at its February 2024 meeting, approved these two changes:

1. It removed the restriction related to a Club rendezvous – it is again permitted to display The CCA Member Aboard Flag from the starboard spreader in specified circumstances (including at a Club rendezvous), e.g. “if it is not practical to fly the Club burgee at the masthead”.

2. “When displaying foreign national colors at the starboard spreader, other flags, except a quarantine flag, that would otherwise be displayed at the starboard spreader shall be displayed at the port spreader.”

The complete Flag Etiquette, including additional details, may be found at http://cruisingclub.org/

cca-flag- and-burgee-etiquette and will be included in the 2024 Yearbook.

Members are reminded that tradition of The CCA and similar clubs strongly favors displaying The CCA burgee “properly” from the masthead; this also helps in identifying other members in an anchorage. Members wishing to consider adding this capability to their yachts but are concerned about

conflicts at the top of the mast may be interested in advice from Commodore Willauer found at https://cruisingclub. org/article/pigstick or from Vice Commodore Anderson.

Aboard Golden Eye, my 7-foot traditional aluminum pigstick raises the burgee well above the other masthead accoutrements.

- Ernie Godshalk, Fleet Captain

Pete Worrell (BOS) strongly recommends this crane.

Vice Commodore Anderson provided this photo of his masthead to which he has added a permanent metal extension.

Here is how Ed Kane (BOS) displays the burgee on Bolero

ADVENTUROUS USE OF THE SEA

By Tim Murphy. Edited by Sheila McCurdy. Reviews from CCA Members.

From Tom Whidden—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 high-tech 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-ofFamer, is the author of three books, including The Art and Science of Sails.

From Gary Jobson — 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 and the reader will be inspired to head offshore to make “adventurous use of the sea.” 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.

The CCA “Coastal and Offshore Communications Guide” is now available for download from the CCA website at https://cruisingclub. org/article/coastal-and-offshorecommunications-guide

This guide reflects the rise of satellite communications and mobile phones. Robust, reliable, affordable satellite communications are now within the budget of cruisers. Mobile phones provide land-based coverage in most coastal regions. Already some mobile phones can communicate using text messaging to satellites. We expect that within a few years there will be essentially global cell phone coverage via satellites for voice, data,

and video. We expect both of these areas to continue to explode with new capabilities.

The guide provides a recommended suite of communication capabilities for coastal and offshore cruisers. We recognize there are many ways to achieve various communication capabilities. Capabilities and costs are changing quickly, particularly with satellite communications and mobile phones. There is not a lot of maritime user experience with the very newest capabilities. Additionally, the recommended communications suite is based on continuous/regular use of the gear. Many of you may have recommendations and tips on

alternative equipment that could be better for short-term use such as a race or a passage. Therefore, the guide has Appendix F which we will update with feedback from sailors on the various capabilities, what they used, and how it worked for them. The guide’s introduction explains how to send us your feedback.

We strongly encourage you to look at the guide and send us your feedback.

- Mark Lenci (BOS), Chair, Offshore Communications

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

BERMUDA

Since the Fall of 2023, the Bermuda Station has been planning and organizing a post-Newport Bermuda Race Cruise. This cruise is modeled upon very successful similar cruises and promises to be a good time for those who choose to stay a little longer following the 2024 race. The cruise kicks off on the Sunday immediately following the Race Prize Giving. Highlights include sailing down the south shore of the island (a side of the island that no Bermuda Racer should have previously seen!) and exploration onshore at the Spittal Pond, Town of St. George, and Nonsuch Island. The finale will be a raft up in Castle Harbour to watch the July 4th fireworks.

Of course the station is looking forward to supporting the Newport Bermuda Race and also hosting the usual CCA member cocktail party in Bermuda during the Newport Race week. If you are participating in the race, be sure to RSVP your attendance for this gathering of members when it is announced, and we look forward to seeing you on the island.

- Somers Kempe

BOSTON

The Boston Station had our Annual Meeting and New Member Dinner on October 11, 2023, at the Union Club in Boston. Carter Bacon completed his term as Rear Commodore and Nick Orem was elected as the new Rear Commodore. The meeting was attended by 79 members and their guests including 13 new members, each of whom was introduced by his/her proposer or seconder before telling the assembled crowd about themselves.

Two weeks later on October 25,th we had the first Rats Lunch of the season at the India Wharf Rats Club, which was established in 1886 and graciously allows the Boston Station to have lunches at the club several times a year. Our Christmas Rats Lunch was held on December 20th, with a sellout crowd of 40 members and guests. Bink Bacon told a good story about a dog and a $20 bill, the details of which can’t be repeated here. Roger Block and Amy Jordan, organizers of the 2024 Down East Cruise, talked about the plan to sail from Camden, ME, to St Andrews, NB, in August 2024.

On January 24, 2024, we had our third Rats Lunch with a good turnout

of about 30 people. Then on February 14, 2024, we had a talk by bestselling author Michael Tougias about his book “Ten Hours Until Dawn.” It tells the story of the pilot boat Can Do, which set out with five men aboard during the height of the Blizzard of ’78 to assist the Coast Guard in the rescue of a tanker crew. The talk was held in the historic Dalton House in Newburyport, MA, and was followed by dinner.

In late March on a date as yet undetermined, the Boston Station will try a new format for introducing new members to the club. New members will be introduced to station and club officers via Zoom with the intent of helping new members to quickly become involved in in club activities.

On April 3, 2024, we will visit Boston Boatworks, in Charlestown, MA, to see two boats that are being built for Barton & Gray Mariners Club. After the Boston Boatworks visit, we will decamp to Brewers Fork for drinks and conversation before everybody heads home.

The last event of the spring season will be our final Rats Lunch of the season on April 17, 2024.

RC Nicholas Orem (BOS)

RBYC Marina after 2022 Newport Bermuda Race

Photo: Phil Dickey

Rats Lunch, 12/30/23

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

BRAS D’OR

“The Atlantic circle voyage started in April 2023 with a gale force ten-day crossing from Lunenburg to Horta, Azores.” That was the opening line of Sandy MacMillan’s email of early December 2023. Sandy was aboard Glen Dexter’s Swan 57, Odyssey. In the summer, Odyssey sailed on to Madeira before arriving in the Canary Islands. Glen prepared for the return transatlantic starting Nov 19, 2023, and although the trade winds were light, slowing Odyssey’s progress, they finished up tempo with NE 20 kts arriving Falmouth, Antigua, in high spirits.

Bras d’Or station members love to explore, none more than Julien Delarue aboard Andromede. The following is part 1 of their sailing adventures this past summer. “I took the summer off to sail Andromede to Labrador for a 2- part expedition. The first part was a fiveweek family cruise to explore Quebec’s lower north shore and the southern Labrador coast. I had always looked enviously at the inner passages lining the Quebec coast west of the Strait of Belle Isle, and they did not disappoint: countless coves and cuts in the coastline for anchoring, beautiful landscapes, good trout fishing in places. The only downside was the THICK fog that covered the area for ten days just two days after we got there. But that’s part of the local experience and it made for some really eerie encounters with icebergs as we moved down the strait of Belle Isle. 2023 was an above average year for icebergs, and we can attest to that! Looking for them on the radar and approaching them for pictures kept the sailing fun in low visibility and cold conditions (most of the time floating on 1-5 degree C Labrador current water).”

“We then moved up the Labrador coast, planning stops where fishing looked promising to satisfy my son Leo’s fishing addiction! We sailed as far north as Hawke River, going up its

estuary as far as we could. Not only did it get us out of the fog, we also found swimmable water and touched gold in terms of the numbers and size of brook trout. Between our catch, a couple of generous donations from local fishermen, and a few cod caught along the way, we ate fresh seafood for nearly half the trip. The bugs were bad in places, but the scenery, sense of isolation, stunning icebergs, and remarkable kindness and hospitality of folks encountered in the middle of nowhere completely made up for it.”

It was a busy 2023 fall season, and two events stand out. Following the CCA Fall Club Meeting in Lunenburg, Gretchen and Kit McCurdy generously opened their newly-renovated home nestled on the shores of Mahone Bay to the Fall Meeting organizing committee, spouses, and special guests for a down-home social evening and dinner. It was a terrific gathering, and the conviviality (a word learned from Reg Goodday’s father, Bayard, as a young industry board member) spoke volumes of Gretchen’s leadership and the value/reward of club volunteering. There is an old saying, “what you put into life is what you get out of it,” and it certainly applies to club activities.

Another important fall event was the Bras d’Or Station 2023 AGM, held Nov 17th, 2023 at the Royal Nova

Scotia Yacht Squadron’s Saraguay House. Following a lively reception, members were welcomed by RC Ernest Hamilton, and the meeting was called to order.

The lifeblood of every institution is new members, and the Station welcomed four: Hugh Goodday, Anderson Noel, Steve Mercer, and Kim Crosbie to rousing applause.

The balance of the meeting was made up of the usual Station reports and other business. Of note was the RNSYS invitation to join their summer cruise of the Eastern Shore of N.S. to the Bras d’Or Lakes in company of the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC). Syd Dumaresq is chairing the RNSYS winter cruise dinner setting an exciting tone for the summer cruise lead by John van-Schalkwyk whose reputation of delivering tremendously successful events, year after year, is only over shadowed by his vitality, spirit and high regard for others. You do not want to miss this one, Sat July 27th –Aug 10th; it is going to be one for the ages!

The passing of the Station leadership torch was enthusiastically received as RC Ernest Hamilton’s tenure came to a close with much appreciation for his service/contribution. Bill Greenwood stepped into the RC role, bringing with him a lifetime

Above: Sandy MacMillan arriving Antigua

Right: Julien and son Leo Delarue, Labrador

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

of sailing accomplishments and leadership both on and off the water. Plus, he has Kathy in his corner— there is a one-two punch that can not be beat!

Joining Bill is John Harries as Sec/ Tres, and he too has superior support in Phyllis. How does that 1950’s, 60’s, + slogan go ... “You’re in good hands.”

The Station’s bench strength only gets deeper with Bernard Pre’vost taking on the Governorship replacing Hans Himmelman. Thanks Hans.

Speaking of Hans and Dani, Delawana headed south Nov 2nd with Hans, Station members Phil Wash, Les Savage, Todd King, and Ben and Lana Garvey’s daughter, Miranda, aboard. First stop was Bermuda after a fast and uneventful four-and-a-half-day voyage ... perfect. Overnighting in St. George’s, then onto Guadeloupe enjoying another fast and uneventful passage, they arrived at Bas du Fort marina where skipper and crew enjoyed a week of paddleboarding, swimming, and diving. Miranda experienced her first scuba diving lesson— life is all about living!

Phil Wash was not home long before he was recruited to deliver a thirty six-foot sport fisherman motor vessel from Rhode Island to Nova Scotia where the boat will become an Atlantic Shark Expeditions vessel. Yes sir, you too can climb into a cage submerged in the chilly Nova Scotia waters, baited, waiting for Canadian Great White Sharks—yikes! It’s a fascinating

initiative; not much is known about Great Whites and Neil Hammerschlag, marine ecologist, has started a longterm monitoring program off Nova Scotia in hopes of finding answers. Paying guests help fund the research, and they can go out to look for sharks. If they are brave enough, they can get close to sharks in an underwater cage. Phil will not be able to resist. Stay tuned!

This year’s Blomindon Inn winter weekend started with an 11.5 km heart-pumping hike beginning at the base of Blomindon Provincial Park, winding its way upward until participants emerged atop North Mountain ridge with its spectacular vista of Minas Basin, headwaters of the world-famous Fundy tides. Nine hearty souls partook, including RC Bill and Kathy Greenwood. I’m still scratching my head why Bill would take this trek on, having had knee replacement not that long ago, but true to Bill’s can-do approach to challenges, he made it, albeit with tongue hanging out! Kathy—no issues, breezed right though it; now we know who the true walker is.

Barbara and Peter Watts opened their beautiful home to the weekenders offering up champagne and other delightful treats. This mid-afternoon social is now a tradition that everyone looks forward to and has become a focal point for the entire weekend. There was talk of naps before the

evening reception at the Blomindon Inn followed by an incredible meal attended by twenty-one participants. The highlight of the evening was Syd Dumaresq’s entertaining retelling of the trials and tribulations of his initial road trip in his and Sandy’s new electric vehicle... priceless! Range anxiety played only a minor role. You had to be there!

In closing, thanks and support must go out to Syd Dumaresq for his endless efforts in preserving Mahone Bay islands. It’s a labour of love for Syd that we all benefit from. He is working to save yet another—help him if you can. Thank you, Syd.

Bill Greenwood, Judy Robertson, and other CCA members worked tirelessly with the Nova Scotia Highland Village Society and Maskell’s Harbour Group to raise funds and ultimately purchase and preserve the last unprotected parcel of land in Maskell’s Harbour. The five-acre beach property is the crown jewel of the harbour and will be a tremendous legacy for generations to come and enjoy. Thank you to all who so generously supported the initiative and especially to Bill, Judy, and the others who led the charge. Well done; mission accomplished! Did you make note of the dates for this summer’s cruise with RNSYS, CCA & OCC? July 27th – Aug 10th, 2024.

- David W. Stanfield (BDO)

RC Ernest Hamilton presenting Hugh Goodday with CCA burgee

Delawana delivery crew (L-R) Phil Wash, Les Savage, Todd King, Miranda Garvey, Hans Himmelman, in Guadeloupe

Blomindon Inn weekend (L-R) John Harries, Sheilagh Murphy, Thelma Costello, Beverly Pre’vost, Kathy Greenwood, RC Bill Greenwood

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

BUZZARDS BAY

After a less than spectacular summer rendezvous season with three rendezvous planned and three rendezvous cancelled due to severe inclement weather conditions, the Post members were ready to start the winter luncheons.

The luncheons are held at the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, MA. The luncheon dates are as follows: November 17, 2023, February 9, March 15, and April 19, 2024.

In November, 48 members were in attendance for the first luncheon of the season. Post Captain Ray Cullum introduced 12 Past Rear Commodores and Post Captains including Vice Commodore Jay Gowell. CCA Member Randy Peffer gave a fabulous presentation based on his newest book, “Windward Passage: A Maxi Yacht in Her Sixth Decade.” Randy spoke about his experience researching and writing the history of Windward Passage, considered a crown jewel among ocean racers and unquestionably one of the most famous, if not THE most famous Maxi ocean racing yacht of the 20th Century. All enjoyed a delicious lunch of fish chowder and chicken Caesar salad ending with BYC kitchen baked cookies.

The February luncheon attracted 42 members. Jack Gierhart shared his photo journal of a one-month adventure to Antarctica on Skip Novak’s expedition boat Pelagic

Australis. The initial intrigue of the trip was the sail from Tierra del Fuego across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. But that became just the on and off ramp for an exploration of the western Antarctic Peninsula and archipelago by sea and ski, including a 3-day expedition to the summit of Mt Baxter. A month aboard the 74’ Pelagic Australis with 13 strangers that became lifelong friends was an enthralling presentation.

The March 15th luncheon featured a presentation by Captain Bob Glover, Head of Line Acquisition and Development of R&W Ropes/Rigging Solutions. Bob’s presentation focused on the development of line over the years, where we are today with the advancement in line technology, and what to look for in the future. He also gave examples of line uses and recommendations. Twenty-six Buzzards Bay Post members were in attendance.

The April 19th luncheon will feature a presentation by CCA member Fin Perry. Fin will talk about his high latitude sailing.

Planning is in the works for the summer Follow the Wave rendezvous schedule starting with the annual combined Post rendezvous with the Narragansett Bay Post. The tentative date for the rendezvous is June 15/16, 2024, at 3rd Beach, Sakonnet River, Middletown, RI.

- Ray Cullum

CHESAPEAKE

With a breezy fall cruise and annual meeting astern, next up for CCA-CHE members was the station’s Holiday Luncheon at the Annapolis Yacht Club.

Good weather lingered late into the fall, and even the Annapolis waterfront Parade of Lights was free of winter’s grip. On December 12th, RC Bev Crump welcomed Chesapeake Chapter members to the Holiday Luncheon—always an annual favorite. As usual, AYC serving tables were brimming with good food and the bar was stocked with ample grog. The highlight of the afternoon was Gary Jobson’s biographical comments about some of the sailors who made his sailing legends list. Gary’s in-depth research and interviews profiled the accomplishments of these sailors and earned them a place in his new book, “Legends of American Sailing.” It’s a very good read, and all the book’s profits will go to the National Sailing Hall of Fame.

Winter on the Chesapeake puts sailing and power cruising on a back burner, but it’s a good time to reflect on the Bay itself. This globally significant estuary stretches north to south and behaves like a giant mixing bowl where riverine fauna and flora meet up with salt water and oceanic critters. Seasonal variations in salinity are influenced by rainfall and runoff, and dissolved oxygen levels can plumet during the hot, still summer months. Strong northerly winds occasionally blow enough water out of the bay to halt the rising tide, while consistent winds from the south do just the opposite. Chesapeake Bay is a dynamic, one-of-a-kind estuary which needs some help.

Our March luncheon featured comments from Jim Rogers, a past Vice Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and its former President, Will Baker. They screened a documentary about the role that Menhaden (AKA Bunker or Pogy)

Bob Glover Lunch at Beverly Yacht Club

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

plays in the Bay’s food chain. The fish is a keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay and also a traditional commercial catch. An alarm has gone off over the commercial fishing disparity between Maryland and Virginia. Purse seining, allowed in Virginia, is illegal in Maryland. This results in fifty thousand tons of Menhaden being literally sucked out of Virginia waters annually. Competing for this vital resource are larger fin fish, sea birds, ospreys, eagles and even whales and porpoises that arrive at the mouth of the Bay during the summer months.

Maintaining a healthy population of Menhaden involves careful marine resource management. CBF has focused on issues such as dissolved oxygen levels and hypoxia that threatens marine life. But equally as significant is the impact that Virginia’s Menhaden fishery is having on the Bay’s complex food web. Demand for fish oil, along with the use of Menhaden as a fish farm food, has caused the fish stock to plummet. Will Baker was succinct; “Factory fishing fleets need to be moved out of the Bay.” Jim Rogers agreed and noted that science-based resource management continues to elude Virginia’s Legislators. RC Crump reiterated that a healthy aquatic ecosystem is vital to CCA-CHE members and other marine resource users. Menhaden may indeed be the Bay’s miner’s canary, albeit an odoriferous one.

On a seamanship note, CCA-CHE station member Ted Parish, an accomplished sailor and Delaware Bay Pilot, often shares sensible seafaring advice with station members. One of his recent “lessons learned” discussions centered around a collision between the 204’ motor yacht Utopia IV and a small interisland tanker, Tropic Breeze. Both vessels departed the same day from New Providence Island, in the Bahamas. The tanker left at 1800 heading NW at 5 knots with a cargo of 156,000 gallons of fuel oil. Two and a half hours later Utopia IV left the same island on a similar course traveling at

20 knots. Conditions were clear with 10-mile visibility. The yacht carried 7 passengers and 12 crew. At the time of the collision, the only person on the bridge was the unlicensed Bosun. The radars on both vessels were set on the 3-mile range. And with the 15-knot closing velocity, there was about 12 minutes’ worth of target visibility. The AIS on

the tanker hadn’t been operational for 11 months, but its stern light was clearly visible right up until the yacht’s bow rammed into the tanker’s stern, causing the tanker to sink. The crew took to a lifeboat and a life raft and were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel. The follow up investigation faulted the yacht’s captain for leaving the bridge with the untrained and

Bill and Renee White aboard Ellie B. ready for the fall cruise and some brisk racing.

John Vrolyk and the able Illusion crew claimed both the Sunny Neff Trophy and the Robert Goldsborough Henry, Jr., Memorial Trophy, awards given by the Chesapeake station for races associated with Station cruises.

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

unlicensed Bosun on watch. But the tanker crew was also found deficient in watch keeping and failing to take evasive action once in extremis. The incident underscores the importance of visual watch keeping, utilizing radar and the value of an operational AIS.

At the end of February, RC Bev Crump and Fleet Captain John Devlin

led a solid contingent of Chesapeake Station members to the CCA Annual Meeting at the New York Yacht Club. Station Historian Ralph Naranjo was the recipient of the Richard S. Nye award recognizing his “contributions as an author, educator and proponent of safety at sea and seamanship.”

Plans are in place for an April

luncheon at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Philadelphia, a Spring Cruise in May, and an October Cruise following the National Fall Meeting at the Annapolis Yacht Club. Off-season monthly meetings at AYC remain very popular with station members.

- Ralph Naranjo

Gary Jobson and Secretary-Treasurer Drew Kellogg

Blue Water Medal winner Kirsten Neuschafer and Nye Trophy recipient Ralph Naranjo

Floating lateral marks also serve as Osprey nesting sites, taken over by Cormorants after the Ospreys head south

Ospreys nest on day beacons during summer and become Bald Eagle perches in the f all and winter

Mature Bald Eagles use their ice tong-like talons to pluck Menhaden from the Bay

Will Baker

Jim Rogers

Annual Meeting, Model Room, NYYC

Merrymakers at the annual Holiday Luncheon share sea stories with RC Bev Crump

After hours party at the Algonquin Hotel

Unless otherwise noted photos by Ralph Naranjo

Photo: Bev Crump

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

ESSEX STATION

The ESS Annual Meeting was held on December 6 at the Essex Corinthian Yacht Club. Sixty-four members and guests were in attendance for this popular dinner. RC Tom Wadlow presided over the official business which, in part, recognized Fred Deichmann who was stepping back from his Treasurer duties after 15 years. Well done Fred! VC Jay Gowell was in attendance and acknowledged the station’s very active membership.

Over 20% of station members serve on one or more of the Club’s standing committees.

On December 14th 42 members and guests enjoyed the festive Christmas lunch at the Safe Harbor Pilot’s Point Clubhouse. Commodore Chris Otorowski joined us and shared a few warm anecdotes of his two years at the helm.

Several members gathered at Jeb and Dianne’s home on January 1st. Six to eight signal cannons were set up on their patio overlooking beautiful Hamburg Cove and welcomed the New Year with thundering reports.

Our annual Pot Luck Dinner was held on March 6. Clay Burkhalter offered his venue, The Hounds, for the event attended by 34 members and guests. Clay spoke to the group

after dinner on the subject of singlehanded sailing and sleep management. In 2007 Clay competed in the Mini Transat 6.5 finishing 12th in a fleet of 84. He had much to share about the difficulty of giving proper attention to sail trim, heading, and collision risk while maintaining mental and physical capability. No system works well at all times; self-awareness being equally important to situational awareness. Finally,

We welcome all members to join us for our monthly luncheons which are held on the 3rd Thursday each month (except July, August) at Safe Harbor’s Pilots Point Marina, Westbrook, CT.

- Mike McBee

FLORIDA

Submissions to the Florida Station Report were collected and organized by Tina and Gerry Douglas (FLA). Many thanks from the Editors. From RC Atle Moe:

The Florida Station annual meeting festivities kicked off January 19 when members gathered at Coral Ridge Yacht Club for cocktails, a three-course dinner, and a cruising presentation. The evening was organized by Matt and Judy Baker and a team of CCA volunteers. Several former Florida Rear Commodores attended, as well as current Commodore Cristopher Otorowski and his wife Shawn.

An evening talk and presentation from Karyn and Stephen James described their recent cruising experience on a National Geographic voyage to Antarctica, the Falklands, and South Georgia Islands. Dressed in some serious cold weather gear, their presentation gave insight into a remote, often freezing, part of the world. They also shared many of the photography tricks they learned from the National Geographic experts aboard ship.

The traditional Rum Keg party, organized by Pieter and Joanna De Zwart, was held the next day at Charles Starke and Heather Chalmers’ Fort Lauderdale condo social space. Their building overlooks Port Everglades, and the gathering was timed to coincide with the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of Seas, as she headed out of port. It was an amazing sight to see Icon towering over our group. A great thank-you goes out to the CCA members who volunteered their time

RC Tom Wadlow, Dorothy Wadlow, VC Jay Gowell at the ESS Annual Meeting

Canon salutes for New Years with Wadlow, Clingman, Dickerson, Bohlen, Embree, Holliday

Bob Green, Carol Connor, RC Tom Wadlow

Clay Burkhalter, Frank Bohlen, Bob & Annika Rodgers

Karyn and Stephen James ready for an Antarctic adventure

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

and provided food and drinks for the rum keg event.

The weekend activities ended with CCA Florida Station members boarding the Celebrity Ascent for a weeklong voyage to the western Caribbean. Ports included Nassau, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman.

- Atle Moe, RC, Florida Station From Joel Taliaferro: Nightmares of a “Keeper of the Rum Keg”

Have you ever been the keeper of your CCA Station’s Rum Keg? If so, you may have suffered the same questions I have in 10 years of maintaining the Florida Station Rum Keg.

1). What, exactly, is that black stuff coming out of the keg while cleaning it, and have I gotten all of it out? 2). Should I put bleach in the keg to sterilize it? 3). If the keg is not completely sterilized and someone gets sick, will there be a lawsuit? 4). If the sickened member should die, will I go to prison? For how long?

For all “Keepers of the Rum Keg”, there is a simple solution, an easy hack, to stop the fearsome nightmares.

The photo is of the current Florida Station Rum Keg. Our vintage keg no longer has the job of containing the rum punch. Now, a separate reservoir attached to a piece of PVC pipe runs through the keg from back to front, connecting to the original spigot. This is all achieved with off-the-shelf parts. If your rum keg has also seen better days, I encourage you to make this modification and end the nightmares.

- Joel Taliaferro (FLA)

From Pam Wall:

When Don Aronow designed the first Donzi boat, his good friend Joe Krueger purchased the new speed boat with the unique hull. This fast, comfortable design was the beginning of Don Aronow’s legacy in race boat history.

Joe Krueger used the new Donzi as his family boat, speeding along the South Florida coast and making quick passages across the Gulf stream to the Bahamas.

This all lasted until Don designed the larger version, a Magnum 35, with the same kind of unique hull and underbody as the Donzi.

The new boat, the Magnum 35, became a gift for Joe’s 22-year-old daughter, Pam Wall. Although Pam loved horses, her dad surprised her with the speed boat, already christened with Pam’s Pony on the transom. Pam never did get her own horse, but

the Magnum 35 was gorgeous. The boat was kept at Pier 66, a famous Fort Lauderdale marina.

At one point, a photography crew from Vogue magazine arrived, scouting great boats for an on-location fashion shoot. Pam’s Pony was chosen, and three models, with all the hair and make-up, magnificent bathing suits and sun hats, boarded the vessel and pretended to skipper the boat. In fact, Pam had ducked under the steering wheel and headed at full speed out to sea. The magazine photographer, Frank Hutchinson, followed alongside in a borrowed Hatteras sport fishing boat. Perched atop the tuna tower that day, he dealt with wind and waves and chop and still made wonderful photos. The nervous models tried to look happy, but as the wind played havoc with their hair and scarves and hats and coverups…well, they weren’t happy campers.

The next day, Frank returned to take extra shots of Pam at the helm, going full speed up and down the ICW. The final images were great and used to accompany an excellent Vogue article. Pam was paid with a carton of champagne.

Don continued designing new boats after the Magnum 35, and the Cigarette model became his most famous design. Don raced his many Cigarette models and won every powerboat race. Pam and her dad, Joe, would often visit with Don and watch the races. The three had a great time in those memorable years, and Don Aronow became

Chuck and Pam Cook and Joel Taliaferro at the rum keg party.

The group in Cozumel with Celebrity Ascent in the background. It was nice to be able to spend an extended amount of quality time to get to know our fellow members better.

The Rum Keg

Pam Wall in the saddle on Pam’s Pony

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

part of their boating family.

The legendary Don Aronow was a great boat designer, and intrepid racer. He died too soon, but was always a fabulous, cherished family friend to Joe and Pam.

- Pam Wall (FLA)

From Ron Schaper:

For generations, Schaper family operated the Sunrise Fish Company in Long Island, NY. This is an excerpt from the recently published memoir “Setting Leaders,” by Ron Schaper.

Before they were replaced by a pair of 6-71 Detroit Diesels, the scow was powered by two big Perkins gasoline engines. Uncle Nick was forever fussing over these engines. For some reason, on this particular day, it was only me and Uncle Nick aboard for a several hours run across the bay. The scow, of course, had no autopilot … just some eye splices in a couple of pieces of six-thread that could be looped over the spokes of the steering wheel to hold the helm straight. The steering wheel was a huge wooden relic that turned a drum wrapped with one-inch manila line. Those lines led through holes in the wheelhouse

GREAT LAKES

The Annual CCA Meeting was held at the NYYC March 1st. In attendance from GLS were Bob and Sally Medland, Kit Tatem, Tom Post, and Jock Macrae. We held a get-together dinner at the Cornell Club on the Thursday night along with members from other stations. An appreciation gift (a mounted taffrail log) was presented to Past Commodore Medland from the GLS Members for his unwavering dedication to CCA during the covid years. The brass plaque is inscribed as follows.

PRESENTED TO CCA

COMMODORE

ROBERT MEDLAND 2020-2021

IN APPRECIATON FROM THE GREAT LAKES STATION

floor, through a system of pulleys, and eventually to the twin rudder quadrants back under the fantail. Needless to say, it was not very responsive and not that easy for a 7-year-old to turn. Heck, standing on a wooden milk crate, I could barely see out the windows, let alone steer.

But that is what I did.

“Ronny, take the wheel -- I gotta go check the engines.”

“But Uncle Nick! Where do I go?!”

“See that buoy way out there? Steer for it.”

“Oh … okay. Which side of it?”

“Just go straight for it -- try to run it down.”

With those instructions, Uncle Nick climbed down into the engine room, which was located just behind and open to the wheelhouse. The Perkins engines were roaring away and I was doing my best to stay on a straight course to the buoy. Uncle Nick liked to take pliers and open a petcock on the top of each of the engine cylinders to evaluate the loud bang bang of the

cylinder firing. It sounded like gunshots and didn’t help to ease my anxiety as we got closer to the buoy. I often turned around and glanced down to see if he was yet done fiddling with the engines.

“Uncle Nick! We’re getting close to the buoy! Which side should we go on?”

He was busy. He didn’t want to be bothered.

“Just run it down!”

Hey, I was seven. I hadn’t yet learned red right even returning and stuff. I just knew buoys marked shallow water and I was steering the biggest boat I knew right at a buoy or the flats!

“UNCLE NICK!!!!!”

Well, he finally came up out of the engine room calmly wiping his hands on a rag. The manila line creaked on the drum as he turned the helm a bit to port narrowly passing the buoy on the starboard side.

- Ron Schaper (FLA)

It is no surprise that Skip Novak has not been idle with the Pelagic 77 Vinson of Antarctica. For five weeks in November and December, he led a British Antarctica Survey science team to the South Sandwich Islands (well south of South Georgia) including landing on the difficult Zavodovski Island, and they camped there for seven days. The team continued the work they did there in January 2023 on penguin censusing and satellite tagging, terrestrial biology (moss and lichens only!) and volcanology on this active volcanic island. He reports the Southern Ocean weather was extreme and they spent the best part of two weeks dodging enormous low-pressure systems while sailing down and

then back up the South Sandwich Chain, seeking shelter and then eventually getting a lodgement ashore. Start with this blog post, one of ten here: https://www.vinsonofantarctica. org/en/blog/zavodovski-expedition. He had ten days respite in Stanley, and on January 12th he was off again with a team of researchers from the South Georgia Government and the Antarctic Research Trust for the once every ten years Wandering Albatross Survey on South Georgia. This was a six-week project visiting all of the 31 known sites that the wandering albatross are known to have been nesting from previous surveys in 2005 and 2014. In conjunction with this task was a baseline biological audit of many of

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

the visitor sites that the cruise ships use, plus a recording of observations of mortality from the avian flu that has hit the island. This included taking biological samples for analysis back in the UK. The avian flu has hit male fur seals and young elephant seals the hardest of all species. Penguins and flying birds remain almost unaffected, so far. For the full story, read his three blogs and see how the albatross are doing from the preliminary results. https://www.vinsonofantarctica.org/ en/blog/south-georgia-wandering-albatross-survey

Robert and Kate Beebe are in San Miguel de Allende for the winter. Right next door are their old friends, Ardis and Dick Holliday, from the Essex Station. There’s no sailing in the mountains of central Mexico, but much to see, learn about, and enjoy.

Jim and Jean Foley are anchored in Man O’ War Bay in New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf. The Foleys have put another thousand miles under Onora’s keel since leaving Marsden Cove in January to counter-clockwise circumnavigate the North Island. They will take a long break in the South Island’s Marlborough Sounds, one of their favorite cruising grounds, followed by a three-reef crossing of the Cook Strait

to Wellington.

Mike & Donna Hill, aboard their Back Cove 41, have been traveling America’s Great Loop route since September 2023. Side trips have included Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. They are currently in the Bahamas for the month of March and plan to visit Eleuthera. To date, they have visited over 50 towns and anchorages and have logged 3000 miles. Those wishing to follow their adventure, contact Donna at hill.djs@ gmail.com.

Paul L’Heureux and Stephanie Laurence participated in the CCA/ NYYC Antigua Winter Cruise on board their Oyster 655 Matawai with Andrew & Melissa McTavish and son, Angus McTavish, joining them, along with Jamie Keating and Megan Long.

This was the first CCA cruise for everyone aboard Matawai. Once the full crew arrived and assembled in English Harbour, they were treated to a fantastic opening reception with fellow CCA and NYYC members at Boom restaurant. The following day, once the yacht was properly flagged, the cruise around Antigua began. Along with champagne weather and sailing conditions, highlights were: a mid-cruise rum-keg beach party,

last-minute emergency onboard pig-stick fabrication, an epic spinnaker run, swimming with sea turtles, mega-yacht spotting (from the Antigua Super Yacht Challenge), some wonderful onboard barbecue dinners at stunning anchorages, and watching lifelong friends from RCYC Junior Club Angus and Keiran (now 16) cruise together on a “big boat.”

The week wrapped up with a lovely dinner reception at Carlisle Bay where the group were reminded that all of us in the yachting community are just a couple degrees of separation apart.

The Matawai crew enjoyed themselves immensely, made new CCA / NYYC friends and look forward to the next cross-burgee Caribbean cruise. The Matawai crew are: Paul L’Heureux, Stefanie Laurence, Andrew McTavish, Angus McTavish, Melissa McTavish, Keiran Cornish, Jamie Keating and Megan Long.

GLS RC Peter Balasubramanian participated in the Heineken Regatta on board a friend’s boat in St. Maarten, February 29 to March 3.

Brian and Melissa Hill are on board Atlas with their two boys in Phuket, Andaman Sea. https://svatlas.ca/ author/melissahill714

- Jock Macrae

Skip hauling supplies up the cliff.

Two former Rear Commodores In Mexico

South Coast South Georgia Is.

Presentation to Past Commodore

Zavodoski Island

Matawai crew: (L to R) Jamie Keating, Megan Long, Stefanie Laurence, Paul L’Heureux, Melissa McTavish, Andrew McTavish, Kieran Cornish, and Angus McTavish.

History of the CCA

History

of the CCA

The Cruising Club and its Yacht Designing Members

The Cruising Club of America has always been explicitly amateur. The test of one’s suitability for election is a robust blue water resume with voyaging accomplishments for one’s pleasure and not for remuneration. The boundaries of professionalism have been debated for decades in the Club’s membership committees but one professional category has remained untouched, that of yacht designers. Since its founding in 1922, The Cruising Club has welcomed the talented designers of yachts. Three were Charter Members and a fourth was a Charter Honorary Member. It has never been described exactly as to why yacht designers have not been considered professionals, but maybe the reasons are several fold. The CCA is dedicated to the development of boats that can expand our cruising and racing horizons. Design elements evolve over time as experience at sea teaches

us lessons, sometimes hard ones. Designers are tasked with improving safety, adapting to new materials and building techniques, searching for greater speed and efficiency and improving sail and motor propulsion. Most importantly, of course, yacht designers create the things we love.

In over a century, more than forty yacht designers have been Cruising Club members. The list does not include every great designer because it is entirely North American and there are several notable names absent, but it is a most impressive list of some of the finest minds in yacht design spanning 10 decades. (See next page).

This issue of the CCA GAM will be the first of two devoted to these important members. It will highlight several but not all the names and will begin with those whose contributions were made in the first half of the Club’s history when the CCA Rule for

ocean racing rating predominated. The second installment next fall will focus on later designers whose work addressed the International Offshore Rule and developments beyond. There may be controversy with the choices made. Opinions always differ. But it is an attempt to cast light on the important contributions of the design fraternity within the Cruising Club.

Two Charter Members were among the most important yacht designers of the early part of the Cruising Club’s history: William Hand and John Alden. Their work was very different from one another, but both were immensely influential. William H. Hand. Jr’s motorsailers were his best-known efforts and they evolved from his successes in both sail and motor craft having designed both small racing sailboats and V-Bottom racing and cruising powerboats in the early part of his career. Hand’s V-bottom racers

Alden’s Malabar X, Bermuda Race Winner 1932 William Hand’s Bluebill II of 1933

History of the CCA

Cruising Club of America Yacht Designers

ELECTED

Alan Andrews 2003

James Antrim 2005

John Alden 1922

Bill Atkin 1922

Paul Bieker 2014

William Cook 1982

Clinton Crane 1933

Kenneth S.M. Davidson 1940

Charles G. Davis 1922

Arthur deFever 1968

Mark Ellis 2007

German Frers, Sr. 1965

German Frers 1975

L.E. “Ted” Geary 1922

William Hand 1922

Robert Henry 1954

Halsey Herreshoff 1973

Nathaniel Herreshoff 1928

Ron Holland 2017

Frederick E. Hood 1972

Waldo Howland 1933

C. Sherman Hoyt 1923

Francis Kinney 1953

Bruce Kirby 2000

Bill Langan 1983

C. William Lapworth 1968

Bill Lee 2019

Frank MacLear 1963

Ian McCurdy 1988

James McCurdy 1954

Charles D. Mower 1922

Wirth Munroe 1926

Frank Paine 1932

Philip H. Rhodes 1938

Philip (Bodie) Rhodes 1968

Linton Rigg 1922

Diana Russell 1994

Henry Scheel 1948

Bill Shaw 1981

Olin Stephens II 1929

Roderick Stephens. Jr. 1932

William P. Stephens 1922

Garth Wilcox 2010

Gilbert Wyland 1956

Phil Rhodes’ Carina II

History of the CCA

established his name along with his schooner designs. Hand contributed the design of the 87’ Arctic exploration schooner Bowdoin in 1921. The revived Bermuda Race of 1923 included five of Hand’s schooners as well as yawls and ketches from his drawing board. His schooners drew some inspiration from the attributes of fishing vessels and tenders and if there was ever an example of “wholesome” in yacht design, Hand’s later motorsailers might lay claim to it. His view was that the perfect combination for propulsion was a primary motor with sail as the auxiliary. Designed for cruising, his later yachts were substantial and sea-going, robust yet beautiful, suitable for sword fishing which he enjoyed and ranging in length from 45’ to 91’. Scantlings were ample. Like John Alden, Hand commissioned numerous yachts for his own use and sold each to move on to a new design. Nineteen Hand motorsailers were built by the Hodgdon Yard in Maine. The largest, Imelda, at 91’, carried 3200 gallons of fuel, 2000 gallons of water and boasted of a cruising range of 3,000 miles. He was elected Commodore of the New Bedford Yacht Club in 1929 and died in East Boothbay Harbor in 1946 while overseeing the building of his 650th design.

John G. Alden, like Hand and other great designers of the era, was largely self-taught. In a pattern often repeated in the yacht design field, Alden apprenticed with Starling Burgess and B.B. Crowninshield early in his career before opening his own design office in 1909 in Boston. He is most famous for his schooners which drew inspiration from the Gloucester fishing schooners of the era, refined and made purposeful as both racers and cruisers. At an early age he was commissioned to design the 83’ Serena, a stunning racing schooner launched in 1916. Beginning in 1921 Alden had built to his design the first of ten schooners named Malabar ranging in size from 41’ to 58’. Each year he would race them and move on to a new design and his prowess as a sailor

and the success of the designs found a ready supply of buyers. The revived Bermuda Race of 1923, so important in the history of the CCA, marked the first of three victories for John Alden in his Malabar IV and was followed by victories in 1926 in Malabar VII and 1932 in Malabar X. The only other three-time Bermuda Race winner was Carleton Mitchell in Finisterre

His work was not confined to offshore yachts or schooners. From 1925 to the 1950’s, the Alden office produced over 900 designs. He designed successful racing yachts to the Universal Rule, R-Class, and the Q-Class. His small one designs include the Biddeford Pool One Design, the Alden O Class, the Triangle Class, the Indian Class/Nantucket One Design and the U.S. One Design. The Malabar Junior, a 30’ coastal cruiser, gained great popularity as did a larger 36’ variant. Many of Alden designs remain active today including When and If, designed for George Patton.

Alden is known for an almost factory like approach to design in his later years, employing in his office many yacht designers who would go on to notable careers. They include Carl Alberg, S.S. Crocker, Howard Chappelle, Charles Schock, Al Mason and K. Aage Nielsen. It seems part of an important aspect of the yacht design fraternity.

It is impossible not to emphasize Olin J. Stephens II in the list of important early CCA Yacht designers. He was elected to membership in the Cruising Club in 1929 at the age of 20, his father having been elected in 1926. Continuing the pattern of Hand and Alden, he had little college education having left MIT after only one semester to pursue yacht design. And like others he spent time with other notable designers in the very early part of his career as a draftsman with Henry J. Gielow and Philip Rhodes. By the time of his election to the Cruising Club he had struck out on his own to design notable six-metres and had crewed in two Newport Bermuda Races. Still, his

career was only beginning. His great breakthrough design Dorade was not yet drawn, and it would be over a year before she left her first mark in the 1930 Bermuda Race with a second in Class A and a trophy for the 1st All-Amateur Crew. This was only prelude to Dorade’s dramatic wins in the 1931 Transatlantic Race and the Fastnet, returning Olin and the yawl home to New York and a ticker tape parade. The long series of yawls born of his first ocean racing design stretched into the early 1950’s and the list of winning yachts includes Stormy Weather, Edlu, Sonny, Blitzen, Gesture, Avanti, Baruna, Bolero, Circe and many others of the type. To complete the portfolio, Stephens drew Six-Metres galore and went head-to-head with

Bolero

Reliance.  NGH’s immense 1903 Cup Defender

History of the CCA

the greatest designers of the International Rule in 12’s and 8’s as well. His work included the J-Class Ranger, in collaboration with Starling Burgess. His designs in the 1950’s included the breakthrough centerboard yawl Finisterre as well as the 1958 Twelve-Metre Constellation, the first of eight winners of the America’s Cup from his drafting board.

The technical side of Stephens’ career was notable. He actively sought scientific help in developing racing designs and engaged Kenneth S.M. Davidson at the Stevens Institute of Technology in tank testing. He was at the forefront of the development and refinement of the Cruising Club Rating Rule and continued actively in the field when new rating rules such as the International Offshore Rule were developed. Sparkman & Stephens designs were prominent in production boats beginning with the New York 32 and continuing with many successful offerings from Swan, Tartan and others. Well into his 90’s Olin lectured on math, design and engineering at Dartmouth College. And like so many other yacht design firms, S&S employed important designers such as German Frers, Aage Nielsen, Francis Kinney and Bill Langan, some remaining and others striking out on their own. Ever courteous but driven, Olin Stephens may arguably be considered, along with N.G. Herreshoff, as the preeminent American yacht designers of the Twentieth Century. Olin died at the age of 100 in 2008.

Nathaniel Green Herreshoff was elected to CCA membership as an Honorary Member in 1928 at the age of eighty. This was surely an acknowledgment of the extraordinary stature of “the Wizard of Bristol” in both yacht design and building. Herreshoff, unlike Hand, Alden and Stephens, had completed his engineering degree at MIT and applied it first to the development and construction of steam boilers and power systems, experience which he would employ in his designs of motor yachts. Inventiveness and,

indeed, brilliance characterized his approach to design, structure, weightsaving and displacement. It is remarkable that Herreshoff is believed to have developed the first practical sailing catamaran, the 25’ Amarylis, capable of speeds up to 20 knots. He patented the design in 1877. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company was founded by brothers Nathaniel and John in 1878. Production started with the raw materials…wood, lead, bronze, steel. Power sources were independently manufactured and advanced engineering predominated. Early efforts concentrated on large steam yachts. In 1891 Gloriana, built to race in the 46-Foot class, launched Herreshoff into the field of large sailing yachts with her dominance over a field populated by proven designers such as Edward Burgess, Frank Paine and William Fife III. Drawn-out ends which extended the waterline when heeled challenged established thinking and the rating rules. Great attention to wetted area, weight-saving and the design of strong yet light steel framing added speed. Gloriana so dominated that she was retired “for the good of the class.”

A series of sailing large yachts followed, many built for the industrial and financial titans of the age. Overhangs were refined and the bolted-on fin keel was introduced. With an America’s Cup in the offing and perennial designer choice Edward Burgess gone in 1891, Herreshoff was chosen to design the defender in 1893, and the result was Vigilant. He was made skipper and the defense was successful. This led to the design and building of dominant Cup defenders for the next 26 years with Defender (1895), Columbia (1899 and 1901), Reliance (1903), and Resolute, (1920).

Many yachts followed and spanned the ranges from power to sail, from large to small. His one- designs include the Newport 30, the NY 30, 40, 50, 65 and 70. Herreshoff loved to sail small yachts, and he contributed the still popular Herreshoff 12 ½, Buzzards Bay 15 and 25, and the Fish class and his

Alerion is still being built.

With the death of John Herreshoff in 1915, the Company began to change, and Herreshoff family ownership ended in 1924. Building to both NGH’s designs as well as to the designs of others commenced, and the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company continued through WWII until it was finally liquidated. It can be said, however, that there was no equal to Nathaniel Herreshoff in the combined design and building of yachts in America or the world.

There are so many other CCA yacht designers of note and it is difficult not to mention them all. Surely Philip Rhodes stands tall with his great racers such as the Carinas for the Nyes, Escapade, the America’s Cup Defender Weatherly, Maruffa and production designs such as the O’Day Tempest and the Rhodes Reliant. Clinton Crane, a generous supporter of younger designers who contributed foundational design developments within the Six-Metre class, produced designs for Twelve-Metres, the J-Boat Weetamoe and the 262’ steam yacht Noma. Charter Member Charles Davis was a major factor in designs for home boatbuilders published in Rudder. Honorary Charter Member W.P. Stephens designed and popularized sailing canoes early in his career. Ted Geary’s designs of beautiful powerboats and great racers in the R-Class made him a Pacific Northwest legend. Francis Kinney emerged from the shadow of S&S to design the beautiful and famous yachts Pipedream and Santa Maria. Importantly, he revised and expanded Skene’s Elements of Yacht Design to the benefit of all with an interest in the field.

This look back at great yacht designing CCA members is the first of two such forays into our history. A second installment featuring later designers and their work will follow in the Gam this coming fall.

- Douglas Adkins, Historian Note: My fond thanks to Mark Ellis and Sheila McCurdy for their generous assistance with this article.

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

GULF OF MAINE

Damariscotta River Grill Luncheon

We were able to return to a favorite haunt, the Damariscotta River Grill, for our December luncheon meeting. A capacity crowd of 62 people attended and enjoyed a presentation by Brian Harris on his completion of the Globe 40, a double-handed Class 40 around the world race finishing in France in April, 2023.

Potluck Dinner

On February 3, a potluck dinner was hosted by our former Post Captain Maggie Salter and Al Hickey at their island home on Casco Bay. Thirty-four enjoyed plentiful offerings and each other’s company.

Boatyard Tour

Our next scheduled event this coming Spring is to be held at Portland Yacht Services, Portland, Maine on May 11, 2024. Phin Sprague will host us for a tour starting around 11:00 which will be followed by a luncheon in Portland.

Three Fenders Over the Side GAMs are penciled in:

• First is for July 13 near Safe Harbor Great Island, Snow’s Island, Quahog Bay, Harpswell, Maine.

• Second is Pulpit Harbor, slated for August 17, and...

• Our final Fenders will be at the exclusive Swan’s Island Yacht Club on September 7, 2024.

NARRAGANSETT BAY

The Narragansett Bay Post settled into the fall and winter with parties and various get-togethers around the Bay. Some of our members head south to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, or to warmer climes farther afield. For those who remained closer to home, we enjoyed a few events with record levels of participation.

On December 16, immediate Past Commodore Chris Otorowski and his talented wife, Shawn, generously opened their home in Newport, Rhode Island, for a Holiday Gathering. This was the third year the Otorowskis hosted this event and it is becoming one of the “must do” events of the Holiday season. It was wonderful to have members and guests from other posts and stations participate. The

house was packed with over 50 people enjoying the warmth and camaraderie along with many laughs lasting well into the evening.

In December the Post held a meeting at the Conanicut Yacht Club in Jamestown, RI. Almost 70 people attended the dinner and meeting.

CCA Down East Cruise Camden, Maine to Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada

Of course, the main Event of the summer will be the CCA Down East Cruise starting from Camden, Maine, August 3 sailing to St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick, Canada, about August 14. Check your passports!

Fair Winds,

- Charles A. Tarbell, Gulf of Maine, Post Secretary

Thanks to excellent leg work by Commodore Jay Gowell, we were able to secure the author Christian McBurney to give a talk on this latest book, “Machine Guns in Narragansett Bay: The Coast Guard’s War on Rumrunners.” Christian gave a fascinating talk on the history of

Left: Fox Island Thorofare, and right: Eliot Merrill’s (NYS) Lyman-Morse 46 Arcadia in Somes Sound, Mt. Desert Island.

Also enjoying the party are Suzanne and Mark Grosby, Amy Crowley, Christina Spellman, and Henry DiPietro

Chris and Shawn Otorowski host the annual Narragansett Bay Post Holiday Party.

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

rumrunning during the prohibition years in and around Narragansett Bay and the Coast Guard’s aggressive tactics. Before the talk, we had a brief business meeting where the post elected Ned Jones as Post Captain and Annie Lannigan as the Secretary/Treasurer. The Post is in great hands with Ned and Annie’s energy, knowledge and experience. Congratulations!

On March 16, Dick Waterman and Brian Guck hosted a Safety for Cruising Couples event at the Barrington Yacht Club. This is the third year Dick and Brian have hosted the training. Many of the attendees find the safety lessons and insights very helpful as they look forward to the boating season and commission their boats. We did not have a large turnout, but those who did attend took advantage of a smaller crowd for a deeper dive into various safety topics.

As we move into the spring and summer, we have planned several social events both on land and on the water to keep everyone connected. On May 18th we return to the Conanicut Yacht Club for dinner and an evening with the author and CCA member, Tim Murphy. Tim will give a presentation titled Sailing Into the Great American Songbook: How Boats Shaped the Popular Music of David Crosby and Jimmy Buffett. In early June, we plan to have an on-the-water GAM in partnership with the Buzzards Bay Post off Third Beach. More details will follow on these and other events, and as always, all CCA members are welcome to join us if you are in the area.

- Ned Jones

NEW YORK

The New York Station of the CCA had a fantastic time with the combination of a presentation from Joe Harris about his round-the-world travels and a live Zoom call to Cole Brauer. We dialed into Cole the day following her Cape Horn rounding. The 47 members in attendance were captivated by the conversation between Cole, the new Cape Horner, and Joe, the seasoned sailor, two times around the horn. The smiles and expressions of passion were palatable. A YouTube recording of the conversation can be found at https://youtu.be/EkKgKSz8L5w. We encourage you to listen for the first time or to relive the experience.

The last question to Cole was asked by Aurora Meunier-Nott, an 18-year-old up-and-coming sailor who is under the tutelage of Joe Cooper. Aurora asked Cole, “How does it feel to be a role model and inspiration to younger women and younger kids trying to do similar things like you?” It was a question that brought emotion and tears to Cole’s eyes--you can see it on the recording—and it certainly was an amazing moment for all in attendance. As we all now know, Cole made her way back up the Atlantic and successfully finished in second place with nearly 500,000 Instagram followers. We were honored to have been able to speak to Cole and to get to know her

before her full stardom was realized. Next up for the station is a conversation with the two generations of the Kuhner family, scheduled for Saturday, March 23, at Stamford YC. Author of the CCA book, “Adventurous Use of the Sea,” Tim Murphy will engage in a conversation with the Kuhners to explore the family dynamics and pathways created by Scott and Kitty’s decision to quit their jobs, take the kids out of school, and sail around the world together. Ever since their first circumnavigation, the Kuhners have been among the New York Station’s royalty. Sailing around as a family, always with a smile, is truly inspirational and I can only imagine also motivational for the next generation.

At the Club level, the NY Station is honored to have its member Anne Kolker, Event Chair, organize a very successful CCA Annual Meeting at the New York Yacht Club’s 44th clubhouse. We are also proud to have our NY Station member Deanna Polizzo follow Anne as the new Event Chair.

- Peter Becker, RC

Dick Waterman, outgoing NBP Post Captain, hands the burgee over to incoming Post Captain Ned Jones.

Joe Harris (at podium), Aurora Meunier-Nott (seated and asking question), Cole Brauer having just rounded Cape Horn.

Photo: Hiro Nakajima

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

This winter has very slowly released its relatively mild grip on the Pacific Northwest, bringing with it the promise of spring boat-related delights. There are those among our members who have wisely elected to spend the season in warmer climes. Scott and Mary Malone aboard Morningstar are in Ensenada, Mexico, and Scott and Margie Solsig on Hoptoad are in San Carlos, Mexico making preparations to transit the Pacific Ocean this spring. Kaspar and Trish Schlibli in Starfire have arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, after a challenging passage from Gibraltar by way of Brazil. They plan to head to Freemantle, Australia, in the fall. In other Station cruising news not related to the tropics, Jim and Barbara Cole with Complexity are on the hard at Manoel Island Marina in Malta, and Rob and Kathleen Hurlow are rejoining Capaz in Fukuoka, Japan, hoping to head to Alaska in late spring. The Hearns have repositioned Keewaydin to the Salish Sea from the Med.

The Station watch changed with January’s meeting. Rear Commodore David Utley passed the baton to the venerable Doug Adkins. Our station celebrated the passing of Dave’s terrific leadership with a feather duster trophy (first I was a peacock, the next day I was a feather duster) and a suitably engraved crystal decanter. Susan Stillman moves to Membership Chairperson and Roddy Hearne will take over as Secretary/Treasurer. We look forward to the leadership and dry humor of Rear Commodore Adkins over the next two years.

Our speakers’ program over the past few months included Michael Hand, the Lockmaster of the Hiram Chittenden Locks, who enlightened us with a behind the scenes look which will help us be more empathetic to the demands of the busiest lock system in the nation. During our late November annual dinner meeting, our own Tor Bjorkland gave us a wonderful outline of his 5-year refit of the Bill Garden-designed 46-foot wooden sloop Discovery. Tor included slides of his family’s last few years covering the Salish Sea from Seattle

to Glacier Bay, Alaska. January’s meeting had Bill and Kathi Cuffel describing their 2023 cruise from Ephesus, Turkey, through the Greek Islands and Corinth Canal up to Lefkas. Finally, February featured a captivating presentation with wonderful slides by Rob and Kathleen Hurlow on their last few years cruising in Japan.

We were fortunate enough to have the PNW station well-represented at this year’s national CCA meeting attended by Past Commodore Chris Otorowski and Shawn, as well as Past Commodore Tad Lhamon and Joyce. Rear Commodore Doug Adkins was joined by Roddy Hearne, Susan Stillman, Bruce Johnston, Mike Brown and Zoe-Vonna Palmrose. In addition, our own Paul Bieker was given the Diana Russell Award for innovations in sailboat design.

The Safety at Sea Committee, led by Dan Schwartz, covered important and varied topics during our meetings such as fire suppression systems, shore power cords and their interface with smart plugs, and revised procedures for recharging fire extinguishers.

We welcome new members Jim Cole, Dick Bell, Dan Kerns and Bob Eichler to Cruising Club of America’s Pacific Northwest Station and hope see them in-person at an upcoming meeting.

Our Spring Cruise is being served up by Roger Werner and features a cruise May 13-18th up the inside of Whidbey Island. The first stop planned will be the Port of Everett with a shore dinner, then a cozy overnight in Coupeville on Whidbey Island, and finally, the always scenic town

of LaConner, on the Swinomish Slough. This puts us very near the to the San Juan Islands for those that wish an independent cruise extension. Roger also has designs for the Fall Cruise which will take place in early September and include nights in Sequim Bay, Dungeness Spit, and the city of Victoria, British Columbia.

The PNW Station meets at the Seattle Yacht Club on the first Wednesday of almost every month except July, August and September, when we are out cruising. We are always happy to have members from other posts and stations to join us for either our luncheon meetings or our fabulous spring and fall cruises.

- John Kennell

SAN FRANCISCO

There was momentous news for SAF station members this year, some good and some bad.

On the bad-news side, our SAF member Ronnie Simpson, on October 29, 2023, crossed the starting line of the “Global Solo Challenge,” a singlehanded, non-stop, around-the-world race via the three great capes of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn, from A Coruña, Spain and back. Ronnie was racing an Open 50 Class yacht named after his primary sponsor, Shipyard Brewing, of Portland, Maine. Unfortunately, not too long after rounding Cape Horn and entering the South Atlantic, on February 12, 2024, Shipyard Brewing was dismasted some 5,700 NM from A Coruña. Ronnie was rescued by a Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned, 750-foot bulk carrier, Sakizaya Youth, but had to give up his dream of solo sailing around the world.

Ronnie wrote in his blog, “February 12, 2024, was both one of the best and worst days of my life. All in less than 24 hours, I had gone from holding down 3rd place in the Global Solo Challenge to being dismasted, then working towards a rescue at sea and actually fearing for my life, to then losing the boat at sea and having my life saved at sea. But I was also then headed to

RC Doug Adkins presents CCA burgee to new member Jim Cole

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Argentina and just two days away from seeing my girlfriend. It was a lot to process.” Disappointed in his failure to finish but buoyed by his accomplishments as well as his ability to sail fast across oceans, Ronnie will mount a campaign to compete in the 2028 Vendée Globe Ocean Race.

Now for the good news. With the arrival of 2024, a former flagship of the SAF station, the schooner Brigadoon, owned by Terry Klaus, turned 100 years old! Launched as Joanne in 1924, she was the first yacht designed by the famed naval architect L. Francis Herreshoff. Brigadoon has been owned by Terry and his family for 48 years. A 100th birthday celebration will be held at the guest docks of St. Francis Yacht Club on June 15, 2024.

More good news. Ashley Perrin and husband Merf Owen were awarded the Cruising Club of America’s Royal Cruising Club Trophy for 2023 for their cruise that circumnavigated Newfoundland by way of Greenland and the Canadian Maritimes. For this same cruise, at the SAF Station annual Holiday and Awards dinner, on December 6, 2023, at the San Francisco Yacht Club, Ashley and Merf were named the CCA San Francisco Station Cruisers of the Year.

RACING

Fully eight percent of SAF members have entered this summer’s Pacific Cup Yacht from San Francisco Bay to Kaneohe Bay, O’ahu, Hawai’i. That’s right, eight of our 100 members have

entered the 2,000-nuatical mile race that begins during the week of July 15, 2024. Of the five Cal-40s entered, four belong to SAF members (AzureRodney Pimentel, Green Buffalo-Jim Quanci, Highlander-Bob Horton, and Sequoia-Fred Cook.) In addition, Aaron Wangenheim will race his Santa Cruz 52 City Lights, Cree Partridge will race his Antrim 40, which he built, Glass Slipper, Dave MacEwen will race his Rogers 46 Lucky Duck, and Michael Johnson will race his Jeanneau 349 Vera Cruz. Good luck gentlemen.

CRUISING

Our SAF members have significant cruising plans for 2024. Let’s start with our SAF Blue Water Medal winners, Jeanne Socrates (2013), and Randall Reeves (2021). Jeanne began 2024 in New Zealand after sailing Nereida there single-handed from Victoria, B.C., Canada, during 2023. Jeanne extensively toured New Zealand by land before setting sail to Australia. Randall, with crewmember Harmon Shragge, positioned Randall’s yacht Moli on the hard at Homer, Alaska last September. Their plan is to do a “wrong way” multi-year, multi-leg circumnavigation of the Americas. This summer, when the ice breaks up in the Northwest Passage, they plan to launch Moli, transit the Northwest Passage and sail to Nova Scotia where Moli will be laid up again for the winter of 2024/2025. Then, in the spring of 2025, Randall and Harmon plan to set sail from Nova Scotia for Cape Horn, round the Cape

and sail Moli up the Pacific and back to Sausalito.

This summer Rowena Carlson and Robb Walker will return to Sweden in May to retrieve their Omega 42, Natsuko, from winter storage. They will then spend their third summer cruising the Stockholm and Finnish Archipelagos. Last year, Bill and Joan Mittendorf cruised New England from Connecticut to Nova Scotia in their Bruckmann 50, Loveseatoo. This year, in early May, they plan to sail from Maine to Block Island on their way to the Chesapeake Bay. Then they will cruise back to Maine by early August to spend a few months there until, as Bill says, “The cold winds blow us back into a snug winter shed.”

Nora and Bruce Slayden, in their expedition yacht, Ugly Betty, after cruising the Arctic last year, and

Randall Reeves (left) and Harmon Shragge aboard Moli, on the eve of their departure from Sausalito (9-26-23), show a map of their planned multi-year, multi-leg “Wrong Way” Circumnavigation of the Americas.

Photo: John Arndt, Publisher, Latitude 38 Magazine

Doug Thorne (L) & Doug Finley (R) with R/C Chuck Hawley at podium. (3/6/24 Crab Feed at Pt. San Pablo Y.C.) Photo: Bob Hanelt

MV Sakizaya Youth, LOA 750 feet, rescued Ronnie Simpson, Feb. 12, 2024. Photo Credit to Keisuke Nakatsuka @ MarineTraffic.com

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

westward through the Northwest Passage, will be returning to high latitudes. Ugly Betty is currently working her way down the west coasts of the Americas to the Beagle Channel.

In the South Pacific, Banu Oney and husband Peter Saggers will be sailing Denize III from New Zealand to New Caledonia and Australia. Sylvia Seaberg and husband Tom Condy will return to Cinnabar and cruise the Fijian Archipelago. And, as noted, Jeanne Socrates will sail Nereida from New Zealand to Australia.

Finally, on March 6, 2024, we held our annual lunch-meeting Crab Feed at Point San Pablo Yacht Club (PSPYC)

in Richmond, CA. Of our ten monthly meetings held by the SAF station each year, this is one of our favorites but, due to Covid and a reduced crabbing season during the past couple of years—to allow the humpback whales to migrate past the Golden Gate without getting tangled in crab pots--we have had to miss this luncheon. It interesting to note that the PSPYC is a very hospitable small yacht club, with a small clubhouse and marina tucked up at the end of the Santa Fe Channel in Richmond, that is operated almost entirely by its members—including bartending, cooking, serving, and cleaning up. This includes our annual crab feed and our CCA-SAF Station is more than grateful to enjoy the hospitality of the club and its members. Thank you!

- Bob Hanelt

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

From RC James Eddy

Along with station members Jim and Joyce Brown, Lisa and I attended the recent CCA annual spring meeting in New York. It was the first annual meeting for the four of us. We had a great time meeting many members from other stations. I strongly encourage you to think about planning a trip to New York and attending a future annual meeting at the New York Yacht Club facility on 44th street. Go early and spend time visiting the clubhouse which is an extraordinary sevenstory, 123-year-old facility. Inspecting the model room is an amazing experience. Best of all, the Annual meeting will leave you with a deeper appreciation for our cruising club, its committees, and especially its membership. Like everything else with the CCA, the annual meeting is very well organized with the right mix of business and socializing. The annual meeting is open to all members.

I also encourage you to keep up with all the CCA information regarding safety and protecting the marine environment. I additionally advise keeping

tabs on upcoming national and international CCA cruises. They are routinely excellent adventures with old and new friends. The CCA website is the most comprehensive source for information for future events.

Along with a stalwart crew of fellow SoCal station members, Lisa and I are very much looking forward to the upcoming CCA Spring Cruise in the Sea of Cortez (May 3-12.) As with many of our station members, our group has chartered a spacious catamaran for this adventure. I’ll have a full report on the cruise in your next GAM.

- Fair winds, Jim

Reefing Drills aboard Ho’okele

After crossing the Atlantic and spending two summers cruising out of Hampton VA in his new Outremer 45 Catamaran, Chris Garner reports on a challenging shorthanded 1,100 mile late November voyage to Great Exuma, Bahamas.

Ho’okele spent her second summer in Hampton, VA (entrance to the Chesapeake), adhering to insurance requirements. The Salt Ponds Marina caters to catamarans and is a snug, friendly and attractive little marina. Unlike the year prior, when I journeyed south in early December, we targeted mid-November as a better weather window to sail to the Bahamas. Wrong. El Nino conditions which we have experienced all winter were evident with back-toback northern and southern weather systems. With the help of Predict Wind and Chris Parker, we set off a week before Thanksgiving for what had been planned as an offshore passage direct to Great Exuma, Bahamas. After several days spent monitoring the weather, we departed Hampton and headed south for the two-leg voyage to Brunswick and Great Exuma. My one-man crew consisted of John Bubb who helped me cross the Atlantic in December 2021 and knew the boat well. We had been advised by forecaster Chris Parker to not embark on the offshore route, so we headed south for Brunswick, GA. Brunswick is set inland and was previously a hurricane hole for the US Navy. It definitely pays to consult with local

Brigadoon.

Photo: Sharon Green

Brigadoon

Photo: Chris Ray, St. Francis Yacht Club

Brigadoon under the Golden Gate Bridge with Fisherman Sail Set. Photo: Sharon Green

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

experts when planning offshore trips as the forecast for the offshore squalls was accurate. I’m thankful we did not have to navigate the multiple 50 knot squalls and 20-foot waves that materialized. The four-day sail to Brunswick was highlighted by blue skies and wind in the 15 – 25 kt range with gusts in the mid-30’s. With wind at 140 TWA, most of the trip was spent with a singlereefed main and jib. Speed averaged in the 9-11 knot range with many hours in the teens as the waves built. We went into night off Cape Hatteras in a slight headwind (75 TWA – 10 kts) following four boats several miles ahead. By 0200 the ride was lively as I tried to sleep in my cabin. By 0500 the ride smoothed as the wind went aft. By 0700 the boat was smoothly sailing down waves hitting 14kts in 30 knots of breeze. Apparent wind was just hitting 20 kts and John was at the wheel grinning. With only two of us on board, I reduced the fun factor and reefed the main. Several boats around us were getting beat up and checking in with the Coast Guard seeking shelter and guidance. Ho’okele continues to amaze me with a ride as though on rails. Reefing is the key to safe and comfortable passage making. After departing Brunswick at 0400 with John Bubb’s son aboard, the weather continued to serve up consecutive fronts. Forecasts revealed a modest window the day after Thanksgiving. This second leg entailed motoring south for 12 hours and then upwind to the Fort Pierce area, again

staying away from the heavy squall lines that materialized to the east. After clearing the squalls, we turned east and ran toward the Abacos. Winds were strong, 25 – 35 kts at 110 TWA. With the main double-reefed, we reached along at 10 kts. Waves were in the 10-foot range making the ride uncomfortable but safe. After passing the Abacos with a clocking wind, we turned south, and enjoyed 36 hours of reaching to Great Exuma. Arriving at Emerald Bay Marina through another heavy rain squall and 20 kts, we entered the narrow harbor entrance under moonlight and tucked into the fuel dock. After eight days and 1,100 miles, we were finally at our winter marina.

Eds note: After sailing to Palm Beach from the Bahamas, Chris is having Ho’okele shipped to Ensenada with plans to cruise out of Newport Beach this summer. He’s looking forward to time at Catalina Island and catching up with friends. He and his wife Marcie reside in Bow Mar Colorado.

Express 37 Plans and Refit Fun

Brendan Huffman is a Transpac veteran who is enjoying refitting an Express 37 for racing in Transpac 2025. He had the pleasure of buying the boat through wellknown Santa Cruz denizen and fast-is-fun savant Bill Lee.

After my solo races to Hawaii, I had planned to spend more time aboard my Catalina 42 and race on friends’ boats. That plan lasted a couple months.

After recommending Express 37’s

to a dock neighbor interested in skippering a boat in next year’s Transpac, I realized that I wanted an Express 37 to do the same thing. So I purchased one!

Although designed and built in the 1980’s, Express 37’s are still active. There were 8 of them at St. Francis YC’s Big Boat Series last year, and ten raced in the class Nationals. Here in SoCal, there are four active Express 37’s, and one of them won her class in the Transpac last year.

My goal is to enter both the Big Boat Series and Nationals in San Francisco Bay this September, and then get ready for the Transpac in 2025.

But first, my new boat is undergoing a major refit—new rudder, new deck hardware, new standing rigging, new paint, new instruments, and more. My living room has so many boxes of new parts that I feel like every day is

Christmas with new toys to play with. Last fall, I found the boat listed in Santa Cruz. She had raced a lot locally but appeared to have sat in her slip in recent years without a lot of attention. CCA Member Bill Lee was the listing broker, and our Express 37 conversations always shifted to stories about Merlin and the IOR era--time well spent!

My dad and I (and a friend) brought the boat down to Marina del Rey from Santa Cruz. While we wait for the new rudder and a haul out next month, we are busy prepping the decks and addressing issues below such as plumbing, electrical, and cosmetics. I hope to be sailing this spring under her new name, Dorado

- Brad Avery

Brendan Huffman and Bill Lee with Dorado

Ho’okele in Compass Cay, Bahamas

Environment of the Sea Sits Down for a Talk with Kirsten Neuschäfer

Kirsten Neuschäfer, winner of the CCA Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy 2022 and the Blue Water Medal 2023, sat down with the Environment of the Sea Committee at the 2024 Annual Meeting at New York Yacht Club. Some of us had the privilege of sailing with Kirsten on Pelagic Australis from southern Chile to Antarctica in 2017, so we were very happy to see her again. She is not only a great sailor; she is a very kind and compassionate person who is now spending time giving back by graciously speaking at a wide variety of events. We did a Q&A about her Golden Globe Race 2022 (GGR) and related environmental concerns. The GGR is a re-creation of the original Golden Globe race in 1968 and it requires mostly1968 technology on the boats.

Can you describe the Golden Globe sustainability program?

The GGR had a sustainability program that required all entrants to develop and submit a full waste management plan. This required a description of a secure storage process and an estimate of each category of waste, plastic, glass, metal, etc. and how it would be disposed of. No single-use water bottles were allowed. Nothing other than food, clean paper and cardboard was allowed over the side, and it had to be done at least 12 miles offshore. Kirsten took minimal packaging and washed and saved plastic containers. Her provisioning was given an environmentally friendly boost when a French chef offered to provide meals in 100 sealed glass jars. She gladly accepted and was happy to have the exceptionally good food. Kirsten was able to return the glass jars to the chef for re-use.

Bottom paint was also an environmental concern for the GGR and scrapings of the paint on each boat were analyzed to make sure no banned substances, such as TBT, were used. Kirsten applied several layers of hard bottom paint topped with 4 layers of ablative paint. Each layer was a different color in order to see how

much was left at any time. Bottom paint was very important due to the dreaded gooseneck barnacles that are picked up in warm waters. Even with bottom paint, the tenacious barnacles were still a problem. Once they are there, they continue to grow, even in cold water. She made four two-hour dives in a wet suit to scrape the bottom before entering the Southern Ocean. There were also regional environmental limitations to work on the bottom. For example, it was illegal to do any work on the boat bottom during the stop in Storm Bay, Tasmania, Australia, to avoid introduction of invasive species.

Energy production for this race was a little different than in 1968. Although solar panels did not exist in 1968, they were required for this race for safety reasons to power the tracking devices aboard each boat, running lights and VHF and SSB radios. Kirsten also used a towed Watt and Sea hydrogenerator. She lost 3 propellers early in the race, possibly from fish bites. She saved the fourth and final propeller to use later in the race and so depended on dead reckoning, sextant sights and her own estimates to log boat speed.

Watermakers were not allowed because they did not exist in 1968. Kirsten used every opportunity to collect rainwater because she didn’t

want to have to limit drinking water. She collected most from the mainsail into a Jerry can. She also used a bucket under the furling drum. Her water collection went so well that she had full water tanks when passing through Capetown.

Did you see any environmental issues during your race?

Even in Southern Ocean she saw floating plastics every two to three days. She also saw more Sargasso weed in the Atlantic than she had seen during deliveries over the years. The southern Indian ocean was much warmer than she had previously encountered. She saw flying fish at 44º S which are mainly seen in tropical and subtropical waters. Is there an environmental issue of special concern to you?

Kirsten feels that illegal fishing is not addressed well enough since there is no governing body of the “commons.” Without control over who fishes where, overfishing is a big problem. She saw large factory fishing ships where they should not have been.

She is also concerned about plastics that flow to the sea from South African rivers on the wild coast. Flooded rivers are washing plastics to the sea and beaches.

Coninued on next page

Photo:

JL Lhomond

(GGR 2022-2023)

Environment of the Sea Sits Down for a Talk with Kirsten Neuschäfer

Continued from page 31

Is there an environmental organization you are especially enthusiastic about?

Kirsten is a fan of Oceana which is now the parent organization of Sailors for the Sea.

Did you try to use any environmentally friendly/sustainable materials during the refit and preparation of Minnehaha and provisioning for the race?

In the refit, she tried to reuse old gear if serviceable and also used parts donated from other boats. Lyman

Morse and little Pelagic provided used winches and electronics. Eddie Arsenault, welder and machinist in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, was a wizard at creating parts from scratch out of scrap wood and metal in the shop. This was a godsend because many parts they needed could not be delivered in time due to Covid. An old work bench was donated when they needed a large piece of Douglas Fir for a project.

She was becalmed during the night when coming in to Capetown for the

media stop. Humpbacks surfacing, blowing and glistening in the moonlight greeted her as well as dolphins and fur seals. Sea birds were always with her and she found the wandering albatross to be good companions.

Kirsten is now an honorary member of the CCA due to her Blue Water Medal award. We hope this will keep her in close contact with us and wish her all the best in whatever adventure she takes on next.

- Rowena Carlson

Michael H. Smith October 30, 2023

John D. Myles November 27, 2023

Mark L. Standley December 17, 2023

Harold W. Robinson December 19, 2023

R. Hugh Minor January 5, 2024

Benjamin B. Baker January 9, 2024

John A. Wills April 1, 2024

Bruce Kessler April 4, 2024

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 PROCEDURESON 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

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

GORDON RICHARD BELL (DICK)

Ferndale, WA

Spouse: Sandy

Yacht: Tollycraft 48, Sea Spirit

Station: PNW

Proposer: Roger Werner

Dick Bell did not take up sailing until his mid-thirties, but he quickly made up for lost time. He took every opportunity to race and cruise that work and family life allowed, soon purchasing a Ranger 33 named Carefree. Five years later, in 1982, he skippered his Islander 40 Passages in the 2900 nm Victoria to Maui Race. In 1986 he was Watch Captain and part owner for the syndicate charter of the Santa Cruz 70 Citius when they sailed from Los Angeles to Seattle and then raced in the Vic Maui Race. In 1989 and 1990, he was Watch Captain with friends on their Santa Cruz 50 Palm Tree Express for three legs of their cruise—Seattle to San Francisco (850nm), Cabo San Lucas MX to Hawaii (2400nm), and Hawaii to Seattle (2900nm). In 1991 he purchased the Cal 46 Partner in Hawaii, cruised the islands, and delivered her to Seattle. In 1993 he was Watch Captain for the Marina del Rey to Puerto Vallarta Race (1600nm) aboard the 84’ Maxi At Alanta. After 2000, family and career responsibilities curtailed Dick’s offshore time. He raced locally and cruised with his wife Sandy aboard their 45’ trawler Emotional Rescue, which served as Race Committee boat for the 2002 Seattle YC Norpac Regatta in Vancouver Island’s Barkley Sound. He was commodore of Corinthian YC (Seattle) and Fleet Captain of Seattle Yacht Club. Dick looked forward to more offshore sailing as he approached

retirement. He helped deliver a Beneteau 49 from Maui to Vancouver in 2016, and he participated in the International Council of Yacht Clubs cruise to British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast in 2018 aboard his Beneteau 47 Carefree, with Finnish guests, before Covid curtailed sailing. In recent years Dick and Sandy have cruised annually to British Columbia aboard their Tollycraft 48 Sea Spirit. Affiliations: Seattle Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club (Seattle)

PETER WILLIAM CARRICO (PETE)

Annapolis, MD

Marital Status: Single Yacht: Kelly Peterson 44 Cutter Liberator Station: CHE

Proposer: Jonathan Wright

At six Pete Carrico and his father began racing Sunfish at Washington Sailing Marina, and at 13 they began racing 470s at West River Sailing Club. The family cruised the Chesapeake in their Vega 27. On the Saint Mary’s College dinghy team, he skippered 420s and Lasers. With Annapolis as his big boat playground, Pete began a career as bowman and delivery captain aboard boats such as Running Tide, Merrythought, Highland Fling, Tabasco, Immigrant, Congere, Erika, Ramel-Dos, Pocket Battleship, and American Eagle. By 21 he was a Captain for the Morgan 60 Cayenne. He has raced three One Ton Worlds, one Sardinia Cup, two Admiral’s Cups, and six international Caribbean Regattas, and he has crossed the Atlantic twice aboard Evrika (1985) and American Promise (2004). After winning the ’89 Fastnet Race on Tom Blackaller’s Great News, Pete was hired at the

US Naval Academy as a marine technician in the boatyard, where he enhanced his substantial knowledge of boat systems. Once his vast offshore experience was discovered, he became the Assistant Offshore Coach, a position perfectly matching his skill set, which he held for 23 years. Pete is a great teacher, and his deep knowledge and quiet confidence enable him to interact positively with the midshipmen crew, often fairly green, to bring them up to speed on handling the boats. He lets them learn by doing, and he keeps them safe. Over his career Pete has raced in 19 Bermuda Races (from Newport, Marion and Annapolis) in Navy 44s, Farr 40s, TP 52s, a Reichel Pugh 66 and in other boats donated to the USNA, often as Officer-in-Charge (lead coach). His boats are always in great shape, and his crews are competitive. Among colleagues, competitors, and former midshipmen, he is known for being able to do it all—get the most out of any ship and crew, fix anything, and tell great sea stories. Three years ago Pete purchased a Kelly-Peterson 44 Cutter Liberator which he has been restoring. Now retired, he plans to become a liveboard cruiser.

Affiliations: Naval Academy Sailing Squadron

Darien, CT

Spouse: Joy

Station: NYS

Proposer: Michael Millard

Jamie grew up sailing with his family at Indian Harbor YC in Greenwich, CT. As the eighth in a family of nine brothers and sisters, Jamie early on learned

JAMES J. CUMMISKEY (JAMIE)

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

the skills required, not only to clean and maintain a boat, but to sail it in a safe manner. He went on to be an All-American sailor at Brown University before becoming US Sailing team racing national champion (Captain) in 1986. Jamie was 5th in the 1991 J-24 Worlds and in 2012 was the Ideal 18 North American Champion. He has now completed 12 Newport Bermuda races, the first being in 1980 on Froya. His fellow sailors on these and other distance races all commend Jamie’s consummate skills and easygoing demeanor, whether it be on the wheel, trimming, hoisting, dousing or cooking – an excellent shipmate! In 2016 when Jamie was co-watch captain on Black Watch, they withdrew from the race in order to escort a stricken vessel into St George’s Harbor. For their extraordinary efforts, the crew of Black Watch were awarded the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal by US Sailing. Jamie has been an active member of Indian Harbor where he has served as Board Member and Fleet Captain. He is past chair of the Team Racing Committee of New York Yacht Club.

Jamie has achieved all of the above while managing a successful career and raising five children with Joy. The entire family are enthusiastic sailors and athletes and have enjoyed many family cruises in New England and the BVI. Jamie’s current passion is his Dyer 9’ frostbiter.

Affiliations: Indian Harbor Yacht Club; New York Yacht Club

MACKENZIE BRYCE DAVIS (MICAH)

Yarmouth, MA

Spouse: Tenley Harrison

Yacht: Corsair 760 Amhas III

Station: BOS

Proposer: Brian Harris

Micah was born in Maine into a family with a long sailing history. While access to boats was limited, he spent endless hours reading maritime classics collected by his father and his grandfather, CCA member John C. Davis. His step-grandfather, Gil Wyland, was also a CCA member. In time, Micah and his father rebuilt an old Beetle Cat which he sailed on Casco and Penobscot Bays, finally putting his dreams in motion. In his late teens, he was invited to race and deliver a series of classic wooden boats along the East Coast, including the 8-meter Angelita and the 58’ S&S yawl Windalier. These early voyages through thick Maine fog, without benefit of GPS or radar, were terrific opportunities to hone his navigating and offshore sailing skills.

In his early twenties, Micah left Wall Street to deliver the IOR Maxi Matador 2 from Newport, RI, to Sydney, Australia. He lived in Sydney for 2 years, during which time he delivered boats and campaigned in a series of regattas, including the 1995 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

WHERE TO GET CCA BURGEES

Sailing across the Pacific and competing in the SORC cemented Micah’s goal to focus on offshore short-handed racing. After 10 years of sailing on a variety of boats, he partnered with his good friend Brian Harris to buy a first-generation Class 40. The first Amhas (2007-2013) was followed by a third-generation Amhas II which they campaigned from 20132023. They had many adventures together delivering and racing double-handed up and down the eastern seaboard, including numerous sprints to Halifax and Bermuda, several Montego Bay races, two Atlantic Cups and the 2015 NYYC Transatlantic Race. Class 40s proved to be terrific platforms for ocean racing –strong, safe, and capable of speeds in the high teens to low twenties for days on end when reaching in heavy weather. Amhas II was like her owners – happiest when offshore.

In 2022-2023 Micah and Brian were co-skippers in the first double-handed Globe 40 around-the-world race. After delivering the boat from Maine to Europe in early May, they did every other leg of the eight-stage race, placing second overall. The isolation of the Southern Ocean, rounding Cape Horn, tens of thousands of offshore miles, and on ‘round the world – this was the stuff of boyhood dreams, and suddenly they were coming true. Even better, Micah was met by Tenley and their three children in each of the stopovers save Recife, as they made their own round-the-world journey. It was an incredible conclusion to a multi-decade caper.

After 15 years in the Bay Area, Micah, Tenley and family moved home to Maine in 2020. They now split their time between Yarmouth and Buck’s Harbor, planning the next big adventure.

Affiliations: Buck’s Harbor YC (Micah offers a guest mooring in Lem’s Cove at the eastern end of Buck’s Harbor)

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

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

ROBERT EICHLER (BOB)

Hunt’s Point, WA

Partner: Greg Oram

Yacht: Sparkman & Stevens Custom 96’

Altair, Alerion 27 Orion

Station: PNW

Proposer: Roddy Hearne

After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1960, Bob began sailing and racing on a 6-meter which led to a lifetime of sailing adventures. Over his 60-year sailing career, Bob has owned a series of boats: a Lido 14, a Columbia 45, an Irwin 52, a Don Brook 80 ketch, and a Kettenburg PC. His current boats are an Alerion 27 for daysailing and the Sparkman & Stevens custom 96’ pilot house sloop Altair for distance sailing. Bob has skippered his boats from Prince Edwards Island, CA, to Grenada on the East Coast, through the Panama Canal three times, and along the entire West Coast of North and Central America. In 2016 he raced Altair from Newport to Bermuda and then continued on to Gibraltar via the Azores, spending only 3.5hours under power. He cruised in the Mediterranean for two years from Spain to Greece. In 2018 he crossed back across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to St. Lucia. Bob has raced Altair in two Loro Piana Superyacht Regattas in Virgin Gorda, BVI, once winning the Spirit Award, plus three Newport Bucket and three St. Barth’s Bucket superyacht regattas, winning his class once in St. Barth’s. A yacht the size of Altair is required by insurance to have a professional captain, but seconder Hank Halsted comments that “no matter who’s driving, Captain Bob is always in control.” He is also known for

keeping his yachts in pristine condition. Although he lives near Seattle, Bob has friends throughout the sailing world. He is a longtime member of the Seattle Yacht Club, and a ten-year member of the New York Yacht Club, willingly volunteering his time in support of both clubs. Bob loves adventurous sailing and hopes to sail Altair in future CCA cruises.

Affiliations: Seattle Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club

GORDON W. FLETCHER

North Kingstown, RI

Spouse: Sharon

Yacht : JPK 45 (Jean-Pierre Kelbert) Take

Two

Station: BOS

Proposer: Daniel P. Dyer III

Gordon grew up in South Africa where he sailed for many years out of Durban. He was drafted into the South African Navy for two years, followed by eight years in the Reserves as instructor on a dive ship. In March 1992, Gordon and Sharon were married and honeymooned on a Van de Stadt 28 which they had lovingly restored over a 2-year period, and on which they planned to sail around the world. They set off in January 1993 and made passage to St Helena, Fernando de Noronha, and on to Barbados and Antigua. They eventually crossed paths with other sailors on the same kind of trip and maintained regular intra-boat radio communication. In June, 1993, it was time to leave the Caribbean to avoid the hurricane season, so they took the advice of a couple from CT and followed them to Newport, RI, a place they had never heard of The lights of Castle Hill

guided them in on July 1, 1993, and the sailing community welcomed them and took them to the Bristol Fourth of July parade. This temporary stopover became permanent as they found work, an apartment, a car, and then welcomed their two sons, Stephen and Michael. They became active in the Wickford Yacht Club where both boys participated in the junior program. Gordon and Sharon have been very active in the operation, cruising, and social life of the Club, to which Gordon was elected Commodore in 2019. In 2001 Gordon acquired a Beneteau 40.7  Riptide, which he delivered from Solomons Island, MD, to RI. Over the next 20 years, Gordon went on to race in many Offshore 160 races, often successfully, on  Riptide, as well as in an Annapolis to Newport Race and a Newport Bermuda race in 2006. In that race he was Skipper/Navigator and had a podium finish in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division. Gordon also found time to cruise the east coast and sail from Wickford to Saint Maarten with his family.

In 2022 Gordon took delivery of his JPK 45 TakeTwo, built to his specifications in France, primarily as a cruising yacht. The family sailed it back to Wickford via the Azores, and they are now planning to set off once again to complete their dream of sailing around the world.

Affiliations: Wickford Yacht Club (Past Commodore) Military service: South African Navy 1978-1980 Naval Reserves: 1980-1987 REMEMBER TO PAY YOUR DUES ONLINE!

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ROBERT S. FORMAN (BOB)

Bayshore, NY

Spouse: Jackie

Station: NYS

Proposer: Lawrence Huntington

When Bob was 13, he bought a kit and built a boat in his grandfather’s garage. Since then he has put over 50 years and 80, 000 miles of successful ocean racing campaigns and cruising under his belt. He actually started sailing in the Navy where the officers’ club at the Mine Defense Lab in Panama City, Florida, had a 19’ sailboat. His service in the US Navy as an Engineering Officer and Senior Watch Officer on the Ocean minesweeper USS Venture, coupled with a degree in mechanical engineering, has equipped Bob with strong mechanical and electrical knowledge.

Bob raced and cruised his Morgan 38 Jacqueline II from 1977 -1995 and then, from 1996 through 2021, he cruised and raced his Hinckley SW 42 Jacqueline IV. These passages included two Transatlantic Races, 2011(3rd in class) and 2015, which were followed by two Fastnet Races as well as two Halifax Races. In his first Newport Bermuda race in 1990 on Jacqueline II, Bob achieved 2nd in class as well as a trophy for 1st boat under 40’. His son Trip took part in 13 of the Bermuda races with Bob while his daughter Kara was in 11 Bermuda races, both Transatlantics, and both Halifax races. As a family they have also enjoyed chartering for cruises in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

Bob is a skilled user of Expedition for racing and cruising which he has taught at the NYYC Safety at Sea Seminar. While on his cruises to and from

the Caribbean on a Hinckley 59’, Bob developed a modification to Expedition to support cruising. The author of Expedition, Nick White, has added this capability to the Expedition application. Bob’s strong knowledge of preparation for offshore voyages has become an asset to a new generation of offshore sailors. Given his experience in the 2011 Transatlantic Race, Bob was invited to advise first-time entrants on their preparations for the 2015 and 2019 races.

Affiliations: New York Yacht Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club, South Bay Cruising Club Military Service: US Navy LT 1961-1963; USNR 1963-1965

LOGAN FENNER DOUGLASS GREENLEE

Hingham, MA

Spouse: Marie-Amélie Yacht: Morris 45, Firefly Station: CHE

Proposer: Eric Crawford

Logan Greenlee’s earliest sailing days were in the Chesapeake Bay with his grandfather Edward Douglass. As a youth he raced competitively out of Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford, MD. In 2007 he bought a Rhodes 41, Cynosure, a sister ship to Restless owned by his proposer Eric Crawford (CHE). Logan refurbished her and raced successfully in Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay. Eric sailed on Cynosure in the 2017 Marion to Bermuda Race. They placed 3rd, and Eric was impressed with the boat’s preparation and Logan’s knowledge of all aspects of sailing and gear. In the 2019 Charleston Race Week, when Logan was main trimmer and co-tactician

aboard Restless, he demonstrated his ability to use the electronics in a more thorough and useful way than did the skipper. That year Logan skippered and navigated Cynosure in the Marblehead to Halifax Race and the return. As he was beginning to prepare the Rhodes 41 for the 2022 Newport to Bermuda Race, a Morris 45, the perfect boat for his growing family, came up for sale. With little time to prepare he readied the new boat Firefly for the race. He and two good friends from Hingham Yacht Club—Rick Pedone (BOS, seconder) and Jon Burt (BOS)--joined to form a Pratt Trophy team for the race. Logan is very dedicated to the sport he loves. He and his wife Marie regularly take their 3 young children on Firefly. Logan is an excellent mentor and has spent many volunteer hours with the Hingham Maritime Center. He often has kids from the Center crew aboard his boat for Wednesday night races. He is the current President of the Massachusetts Bay Sailing Association and Secretary of Hingham Bay Racing. Logan’s sailing roots are in the Chesapeake, but he lives in Hingham, MA, so he will certainly be participating in events in both the Boston and Chesapeake CCA Stations. Affiliations: Tred Avon Yacht Club (Oxford MD), Hingham Yacht Club (Hingham MA), Hull Yacht Club (Hull, MA)

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.

LEIF HEIMBOLD

Saunderstown, RI

Spouse: Adrienne

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Yacht: Hinckley Sou’wester 52 Fin

Station: BOS

Sponsor: Dr. Paul Kanev

Leif’s first transatlantic experience was with his father (a CCA member) in 2005 on a chartered yacht from the Canary Islands to Antigua, during which both Leif and his wife Adrienne stood watch. After that they were both hooked on ocean passage making. Around that time Leif took ownership of his father’s Hinckley Sou’Wester 42 for several years until 2014 when he and Adrienne upgraded to Fin, a 52’ Hinckley Sou’Wester. Over the next few years, they gave  Fin a total refit and enjoyed several seasons of cruising in the Bahamas, making passages from Southwest Harbor, ME, to Eleuthera. He skippered  Fin in the Salty Dawg Rally in 2018, making passage from Norfolk, VA, to Spanish Wells, and while living in FL, he double-handed  Fin from Cape Canaveral to the Exumas and back several times. Fin is now based in Jamestown, RI, and they live in nearby Saunderstown.

Recently, Leif and his wife completed coursework at IYRS in Newport RI, achieving ABYC certifications in marine electronics, diesel, and marine systems. This made him a terrific asset on Paul Kanev’s Sou’wester 51  Momentum in the 2022 Newport Bermuda race as both a sailor and technician. Leif was on board Momentum again for the 2023 Fastnet Race in which the fleet had to endure force 9 conditions. Leif’s agility on the foredeck, while harnessed, saved foredeck sails from being washed overboard

and the carbon bowsprit from breaking off. Momentum’s crew got her to France after a tough five days in the Irish sea and English Channel, finishing the race while much of their class retired.

Leif is a professional video producer for the U.S. Navy currently and has worked for NASA and the Space Force in the past. He enjoys making personal videos too, like “Momentum’s 1st Fastnet Race” which can be viewed on YouTube. We can look forward to more exhilarating stories from his upcoming voyage on Momentum from the UK to Iceland via the Faroe Islands that they are preparing for June. Leif has already assisted on a video for the 2022 CCA Bermuda Race Organizing Committee entitled “Every Sailor is an Environmentalist.”

RUSSELL SOUTHWORTH HOADLEY (RUSS)

Tampa, FL

Spouse: Mary Anne

Yacht: Catalina 425 Blue Heron Station: FLA

Proposer: Gerry Douglas

Russ Hoadley grew up in a Florida sailing family and lived aboard a 48foot ketch as a teenager. Over the years he has sailed more than 60,000nm. Between 1978 and 2007, while working and raising a family, he consistently crewed in ocean races, working his way up to Watch Captain, Navigator and Co-Skipper. He participated in eleven TransAt Daytona-Bermuda Races (865nm) in a variety of boats, as well as numerous races to Mexico and Cuba. His most consistent crew positions were aboard a Swan 44 and later a LaFitte 44 owned by Mac Smith, who also included Russ

on passages from Mexico to Panama and a transit of the Panama Canal. Russ purchased a Catalina 22 in 1976 for local cruising, then moved up to an Ericson 29. To participate in offshore races and do more local family cruising, he and his wife Mary Anne bought a Catalina 380, Blue Heron, in 2008. Russ skippered her annually in the St. Pete to Isla Mujeres Race (425nm) as well as in numerous St. Pete to New Orleans-Gulfport (70nm) and Gulfport-Pensacola Races (100nm). When Catalina introduced their award-winning 425 in 2016, Russ and his wife purchased hull #1 to continue racing and do more distance cruising. Russ has raced the new Blue Heron to Mexico or Cuba annually and has sailed the returns. In 2018 the couple did a 3000-mile loop cruise from Tampa to Bermuda, the Bahamas, and back to Tampa. Two years later they cruised up the East Coast to Annapolis and back. Russ writes occasionally about his sailing experiences for newspapers, sailing magazines and yacht club publications. He and Mary Anne are well known and respected by the St. Pete branch of the Florida Station and will make a great addition the Club. Military Service: US Army Reserves & National Guart 1966-1972.

Affiliations: Davis Island Yacht Club (Tampa), Halifax River Yacht Club (Daytona Beach), Storm Trysail Club, Corinthian Sailing Association (New Orleans).

VIRGINIA JEFFERY

Cockeysville, MD

Station: CHE

Proposer: Rich Born

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Lucky Virginia Jeffery not only grew up in a sailing family but also in a liveaboard cruising family. When she was six, her father Charles Hodges (CHE) and friends delivered the family Tayana Vancouver 42 Windspirit to the Virgin Islands. The family then spent 14 months cruising the Caribbean before returning to Baltimore. This 7000-mile voyage started Virginia’s lifelong passion for offshore sailing. Later they also spent 6 months cruising the Bahamas on a new Tayana 48, also named Windspirit. Several times as a family they cruised to Bermuda and back. After graduating from the University of Virginia in Engineering, Virginia worked for Tyco Telecommunications which led to 22 months at sea testing cable as it was laid on the ocean floor. Next came two years living in Cowes, Isle of Wight UK, cruising and racing, including the Fastnet. After borrowing her parent’s Tayana 48 for a 4-month cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas and back with a friend, Virginia moved to New Zealand. She gained another perspective on sailing while working for Southern Spars which designs and builds masts and booms for superyachts. After marriage Virginia cruised and raced on the east coast of the North Island with her husband. The couple bought a Tayana 55 Issara and sailed it back to Auckland crossing the Cook Straight when Virginia was 7 months pregnant. In 2013 when their daughter Samantha was one, they set out on a 3000 miles figure-8 circumnavigation

of both New Zealand islands. The next year they did a 2800nm 7-month cruise to the Tonga island group, and in 2016 they sailed 6000nm to Fiji and Western Samoa with many island stops before returning to Auckland. Her husband had no previous offshore experience, so Virginia was Captain and took care of the boat. They continued living aboard until 2018 when the couple divorced and sold Issara. Virginia and her daughter moved back to the Chesapeake, where Samantha is enthusiastically learning to sail and Virginia cruises on her brother’s Hylas 56, always looking for opportunities to sail offshore.

Affiliations: Ocean Cruising Club

DANIEL KERNS (DAN)

Seattle, WA

Yacht: Pilothouse Cutter Holy Grail Station: PNW

Proposer: Howard R. Conant

When Dan started sailing in his 30’s, he took it seriously and completed six different American Sailing Association classes in sailing keelboats and catamarans, coastal cruising, and coastal navigation. After chartering a catamaran in the BVIs, he purchased a 41’ Lagoon Cat, Sun Baby, in 2004. Dan cruised in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea as he outfitted the boat and gained experience. Then in 2006 he double-handed Sun Baby on a cruise to Mexico as far south as Mazatlan before heading back to Seattle. The trip north on the west coast against the prevailing NW winds is notoriously difficult, beginning with the Baja Bash and continuing all the way to Puget Sound. The next year they took the same route back to Mexico as far south as Zihuata-

nejo, but rather than bashing their way north again they sailed the 3000-mile passage to Hawaii and then the 2500mile trip to Neah Bay, WA. In 2018 Dan purchased a 40’ schooner named Toadstool which he cruised locally. Toadstool wasn’t the right boat for the adventurous offshore cruising he wanted to do, so Dan purchased the 51’ cutter Holy Grail in 2021. While waiting out covid, he installed all new electronics, including inverter-chargers, batteries, navigation electronics and wiring, before circumnavigating Vancouver Island. He also earned his USCG 100-ton Masters License. In May 2023 Dan and a friend left for Alaska. Instead of the usual trip up the Inside Passage, they decided to sail directly as far east in Alaska as possible and then cruise back to Seattle slowly. After 12 days (1258 miles) they arrived at Kodiak Island and went west to Geographic Harbor in Katmai National Park before turning south. Dan is a member of the Seattle Yacht Club where he has contributed his technology talents and chaired the Race Committee.

Affiliations: Seattle Yacht Club

ADAM LOORY

Mamaroneck, NY

Spouse: Jenni Rodda

Yacht: Rodger Martin 40 Soulmates

Station: NYS

Proposer: Deanna Polizzo

Adam’s lifetime commitment to the sport of sailing is fully exemplified by the Ned Anderson Achievement Award which was given to him in 2021 by the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound (YRA). The award recognizes outstanding service by an individual to

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

yacht racing on the Sound. Adam began racing dinghies on the Chesapeake Bay and in the Midwest as a boy, graduating to offshore boats in the mid-80’s. After covering the America’s Cup in Fremantle for USA Today in 1986-87, he sailed most of the way home as Watch Captain on Nalu IV, a Lapworth 48, doing passages from Fremantle to Brisbane, Singapore to Cyprus and Gran Canaria to Barbados. In 2000, he was Watch Captain on Nalu IV’s voyage from Japan to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Adam acquired his first cruising boat Soulmates, an Express 37, in 1995, which he mostly raced until 2012 when he bought Eric Goetz’s custom 40-footer that he renamed Soulmates Over the past 20 years, he has raced in eight Newport Bermuda races as well as a few Annapolis to Newport races, Caribbean 600 races, and the Sydney Hobart in 2017. Adam has also found time to teach for 15 years at the Storm Trysail Club’s Junior and Senior Safety at Sea seminars besides maintaining his day job as General Manager of UK Sailmakers International.

For the past three years, Adam has been converting his boat into a world cruiser, and he recently retired from UK Sailmakers. He and Jenni intend setting off for a 3-year cruise in the South Pacific, beginning on June 1, 2024, when they will head for Maine and Nova Scotia before turning south to the Panama Canal.

Affiliations: Storm Trysail Club; Huguenot Yacht Club (past Board member of both Clubs); Board member of YRA of Long Island Sound

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 multiplemember households.

Newport, RI

Yacht: J122 Alliance

Station: BOS

Proposer: Matt Gimple

Mary began sailing in her teens and is a 1985 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy as USCG 3rd Assistant Engineer. She completed three cadet sea terms as an engineer – one on the USS State of Maine in Europe and the Mediterranean, a second on a container ship in Puerto Rico, and a third on USS Empire State in Florida and the Caribbean. After graduation Mary worked on an oil tanker on the west coast up to Alaska. Mary is presently employed by the US Navy at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, where she is Director of Programs for Undersea Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems. Mary is approaching the acme of her 38 + year career with the Navy and plans to retire in the not-too-distant future.

Mary and Eric Irwin, Capt. USN (retired, BOS), have co-owned Alliance since 2020. They discovered a common goal of wishing to increase their offshore racing and cruising, which they have certainly achieved. Since the purchase of Alliance, Mary has done significant offshore passages in the roles of PIC (Person in Charge), APIC (Assistant Person in Charge) and Navigator. She held these roles in the 2022 Newport Bermuda (race and delivery), 2023 Annapolis to Newport (delivery and race) and Marblehead to Halifax (race and delivery). Additionally, Mary was the primary race planner and Navigator on the J122 Leading Edge on the SORC 2022-23 series, resulting in 2nd place overall. Mary is fully committed

to being prepared offshore, to which end she has attended a 3-day Offshore Medical Seminar at the NYYC, completed a Marine Weather University Advanced course, and attended a CCA Safety at Sea seminar. She is also dedicated to including a development component in her offshore sailing program, mentoring and supporting young women who wish to gain experience in our sport. As a result, Alliance will be competing with a Corinthian team in the Female Division in the ORC Worlds 2024. Amongst the female team members will be Lindsay Gimple (NYS) and her sister Megan who both have Newport to Bermuda, Fastnet, and other offshore passages under their belt.

Affiliations: Jamestown Yacht Club; Coasters Harbor Navy Yacht Club; Twenty Hundred Club

Falmouth, MA

Spouse: Virginia Land McGuire

Station: BOS

Proposer: Jen Haddock

Chris spent his early career working on ocean-going sailing school ships. From 1993 he was deck officer and/or engineer and eventually Master aboard nearly a dozen schooners, brigantines and full rig ships logging up to 18,000 nm offshore sailing per year in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, including 2 transatlantics. From 2001 to 2011, he was an Associate Professor with the Sea Education Association (SEA) and Master of their 135’ steel sailing research vessels  Corwith Cramer and  Robert C. Seamans. These vessels carry a professional crew of 10 plus 24 college students on 6-week research cruises typically cover-

MARY MARTIN

CHRISTOPHER M c GUIRE

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

ing 3,000 nautical miles of offshore sailing. Cruise tracks regularly feature long ocean passages including: Mexico to Tahiti, Tahiti to Honolulu, Honolulu to San Francisco, and in the Atlantic, many epic fall passages from Woods Hole to Grenada. While at SEA Chris also taught an accredited college course in nautical science and celestial navigation, and he was the lead instructor of USCG-approved STCW Basic Safety Training and Bridge Resource Management courses. The skills Chris honed during these years are now applied to his preparation for offshore sailing and racing, much to the benefit of his crewmates. His proficiency in handling these large vessels was notable, as is his expertise in weather routing, dedication to safety at sea, and vessel repairs.

Chris had been racing on Jon Burt’s J130  Lola  on various coastal races since 2017 and sailed as a Watch Captain on  Lola in the 2022 Newport Bermuda race. He will be a Watch Captain on  Talisman in the 2024 race along with his son Gus, who will be on his first Bermuda race.

Since 2011 Chris has been the Director of the ocean program for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts where he is focused on developing solutions to critical ocean conservation topics, including sustainable fisheries and offshore wind development. Chris, Virginia, and their children are an active sailing family, and have enjoyed bareboat chartering in the USVI, BVI and most recently the Grenadines. As a family they race their Herreshoff 12 ½ twice weekly all summer and brought home the Quissett YC overall championship trophy in 2023.

Affiliations: Quissett Yacht Club

WILLIAM EDWARD MENNINGER (BILL)

Newport Beach, CA

Spouse: Diane

Yacht: Harbor 20, D’Art

Station: SOC

Proposer: John Fuller

team player, has a natural feel and respect for the sea, anticipates challenging conditions and navigates them with calm confidence when things don’t go as planned. As long-time contributor to the success of Newport Harbor Yacht Club, he shares his passion, experience, and expertise with others. After retiring from an 18-year career in private banking, Bill and his wife Diane purchased a Palm Beach 50 motor yacht named Sea Glass which they cruised for more than 2000 miles over a two-year period.

Affiliations: Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Los Angeles Yacht Club

Boston, MA

Spouse: Eva

Bill Menninger is known and respected by many of the members of the SoC Station and has been active and successful in the Southern California sailing community for many years. He began sailing as a child at Los Angeles Yacht Club. During and after college, he was a Sailing Instructor at several yacht clubs and worked for Olympic Circle Sailing Foundation teaching sailing, navigation, and cruising. Bill then worked for J Boats, supporting the J24 class, and for North Sails. In the last 40 years he has raced six Transpac Races--including as Watch Captain aboard the Class A Winner Peligroso in 2023. He has also raced two Pacific Cup Races and a number Mexico races aboard Santa Cruz 70s and other boats, often as Watch Captain. Besides being proficient in racing big boats, Bill is an excellent one-design sailor who has won numerous national championships skippering his own boats--two Etchells 22s, a J-24, Expoobident, and a Harbor 20, D’Art. He is an excellent match racer, having won the Governor’s Cup Youth Match Racing Trophy and Prince of Wales Bowl US Match Racing Championship. Since 2014 he has also been involved in team racing as a Skipper on three-boat teams with first place wins in the 2017 Palmer Cup and the 2019 and 2023 Swedish International Team Race. However, Bill’s expertise goes beyond trophies and titles. He is a

Yacht: Wauquiez Gladiateur 33 Sea Rose

Station: BOS

Proposer: Drew Plominski

One outstanding feature of Ryan’s testimonials is the admiration in which he is held by those who have sailed with him. Ryan is a skilled sailor who loves to share his knowledge and experience in a humble fashion, which allows him to integrate seamlessly into any crew. His performance as Captain on the Reichel/ Pugh Super 30 The Cone of Silence on races such as the Ida Lewis race stands out, as well as his preparation — he arrives hours early in order to pack kites, prep sheets and set up electronics. Ryan is passionate about the sport of offshore sailing, with a positive attitude when things get tough — as they often do! Since 2012 Ryan has delivered and raced high performance yachts in and off shore in all positions. In 2015 he was

RYAN C. MURPHY

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

designated helmsman on the R/P 56 Siren on the NYYC/RORC Transatlantic Race. When an injury sidelined his Watch Captain, Ryan stepped into the breech and addressed the challenging and dangerous situation, including a 48hour stint of racing downwind under jib and storm trysail with winds between 45 and 60 knots. His preparation, navigation and Safety at Sea training all contribute to his record of success, such as the win in the double-handed class in the 2021 Berringer Bowl, and a third in class result in the 2023 Bermuda 1-2 on the Spirit 47 Luna. Ryan grew up in Milton, MA, where he learned to sail as a boy on his grandfather’s Thunderbird out of Savin Hill Yacht Club in Dorchester. After a long hiatus, Eva convinced him to get back into sailing there, and it has been a major part of their lives since then. Ryan and Eva enjoy family sailing at the SYC, where they race their Thunderbird Tank on Thursday nights. Ryan has been instrumental in promoting the Thunderbird One Design at the Club to a fleet of over 20 boats. Each summer the family heads out down east on Sea Rose, every year venturing further along the coast of Maine.

Affiliations: Savin Yacht Club –Commodore

MATTHEW G. PILON

Middletown, RI, and Boston, MA

Spouse: Priscilla

Station: BOS

Proposer: Nicholas Brown

Matt grew up in a sailing family, helming one of the many family yachts from an early age on Block Island and Long Island Sounds. His experience extends from Rhodes 19’s and Shields, to owner and skipper of a Hallberg-Rassy 43, followed by an Oyster 54. While at the U.S. Naval Academy, Matt participated in basic sailing training and took comprehensive courses in seamanship and navigation. Besides enjoying family bareboat cruising in the BVI and taking part in NYYC annual cruises, Matt has

participated in six Newport Bermuda races. His leadership skills were in evidence as he finished first in class in the Cruiser Division on the Halberg-Rassy Liberty Call in 2012 and took third in 2014. In 2018 Matt skippered his Oyster 54 to a first in class in that year’s Newport Bermuda race. Despite serious steering issues aboard Liberty Call in the 2022 race, Matt, his son, and his USNA classmates dealt with the issue with calm and ingenuity, and they were able to make port safely. Matt plans to participate in the 2024 race, but on this occasion, he will be helping a first-time skipper on his own boat.

Matt currently has a Boston whaler Conquest 325 and a 1960 Herreshoff Bullseye in Key Largo, having sold Liberty Call which was not well suited for his new winter home of Key Largo.

Military service: 1986-1992, including 3 years aboard USS Capodanno FF-1093; current Flotilla Commander of USCG Auxiliary in Key Largo

Affiliations: New York Yacht Club; Card Sound Sailing Club, Key Largo

Founder Martha Parker began Team One Newport in 1985. Her vision was to start a company that focused exclusively on clothing for sailors and also to find and develop clothing that fit women sailors. Martha grew up sailing in the JYRA of Long Island Sound and has an extensive sailing resume including an Olympic Campaign in the Yingling, two World Titles and multiple North American Championships. As an active participant in the racing scene, she gets to test the gear, as well as talk to sailors and receive feedback about the positive and negative attributes of the products that are on the market today. Team One Newport is the leading outfitter for the world’s best sailors, racers, teams, and businesses.

Team One Newport is our supplier. They offer a very wide variety of casual and technical clothing, sailing gear, and safety equipment. Go to the CCA Store on our website and click on the Team One Newport link to check it out. The link can also be reached through the following URL: www.team1newport.com/Cruising-Club-of-America/departments/663/ Questions? Contact the Fleet Captain, Paul Hamilton: pjhamilton6@gmail.com

CCA CLUB STORE

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

RODNEY STEVEN PIMENTEL

Alameda, CA

Spouse: Jane

Yacht: Cal 40 Azure, Cal 28 Osituki

Station: SAF

Proposer: Jim Quanci

Rodney Pimentel grew up in Alameda, CA, on San Francisco Bay, took up sailing early, and has been sailing for at least 50 years. He is a longtime member of the Encinal Yacht club and was Commodore in 2009. Early on he raced a Cal 28, Osituki, bought by his father in 1961 that he still owns. Later Rodney acquired a Jeanneau 36, Azure, and in 2004 upgraded to his current Azure, a 1966 Cal 40. In the last twenty years, Rodney has raced three Pacific Cups--winning the Team Trophy with two other boats in its inaugural year then creating and donating the Perpetual Team Trophy for the Pac Cup to use. He has also raced three Transpacs including being part of the Storm Trysail Team Trophy winners in 2019. Rodney has also skippered the Cal 40 in three California Offshore Race Weeks, three St. Francis YC Rolex Big Boat Series, and six Coastal Cup Races. Rodney and his wife, Jane, are experienced distance cruisers. In 1996 they left to go cruising on their Jeanneau from Southern California. The first six months were spent in Mexico sailing from La Paz to Ziihuatanejo. The following year they participated in the inaugural Pacific Puddle Jump Rally from the West Coast to the South Pacific and then spent two years cruising the islands and New Zealand where their first son was born. In 2009 they purchased a Leopard 47 Catamaran, Azure II, in the Caribbean and embarked on an Atlantic Loop to the

Mediterranean via Bermuda and the Azores with their two sons RJ (11) and Leo (9). They explored the Med as far east as Turkey and returned to the Caribbean two years later via the Canary Islands. In 2022 Rodney and Jane joined the Baja HaHa, sailing Azure to Puerto Vallarta and the top of the Sea of Cortez. The boat is now back in the Bay Area being prepared for the next Pacific Cup.

Affiliations: Encinal Yacht Club, Transpac Yacht Club

SUSAN MAFFEI PLOWDEN (SUMA)

Jamestown, RI

Spouse: John Plowden Station: BOS

Proposer: Andrew Kallfelz

Some of Suma’s earliest sailing experiences were out of Nantucket where she crewed on a variety of classic wooden boats in various states of repair. These boats (some of which originated the Opera Cup) and their owners traversed the waters between New England and the Caribbean annually, sailing south in November and December. This was an excellent training ground for a good sailor who was adept with tools and maintenance and able to improvise when necessary. In the mid-80s, she was the service manager of Jamestown Boat Yard. During the years since, Suma has been a professional crew on vessels such as the 90’ yawl Matoaka on a passage from Newport to Gibraltar. A degree and hands-on skills from URI’s Marine Technology program proved useful for her time as Mate on S.E.A.’s sailing school ship, the 125’  Westward, instructing college students on a voyage from Woods

Hole to Newfoundland and return, and on the Landmark School’s 156’ gaff schooner S/V  Te Vega, for a winter semester from Lisbon through the eastern Med to Sardinia, during which she instructed high school students in vessel operations and navigation.

More recently, she has had time again for offshore passages, as watch captain on both the 116’ sloop  Whisper from Newport to St. Maarten and on Alfred Sanford’s 57’ yawl  Impala on the first leg of her Atlantic crossing from Lagos, Portugal to the Azores. Suma can just as frequently be found racing and sailing on Narragansett Bay or delivering boats up and down the east coast. Besides the Opera House Cup, Suma was crew/navigator for many other annual classic yacht races between 1975 and 2023. Between 1989 and 1992 Suma sailed on the 135’ J-class sloop  Endeavour, sailing and racing internationally and organizing the Return of the Legends regattas, between  Endeavour and Shamrock in Newport and NYC.

Over the past 30 years of her career, Suma has been involved working on many of the world’s top international sailing events, which has been both exacting and rewarding. She was an integral part of nine America’s Cup events in a variety of roles — sponsorship, media, events, operations — on the team side, as well as with event organizers and broadcast partners. These include  America3 –1992 (San Diego),  AmericaOne – 2000 (NZ),  Team Alinghi  – 2010 (Valencia) and  COR  (Prada) and  NBC Sports  – 2021 (NZ remote). Suma has, in addition, overseen large-scale events in Newport, RI, at Fort Adams, such as The Ocean Race 2022-2023, the Volvo Ocean Races of 2014-2015 and 2017-2018, and the America’s Cup World Series 2012.

Suma achieved all of this this while being actively involved at the Conanicut Yacht Club as its Commodore. She served with such distinction that the Club members have named one of their J/22’s  Suma. Tireless and committed are two adjectives frequently used to describe Suma.

Conanicut Yacht Club: Past Commodore, 2014-15

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

MARIE ELIZABETH ROGERS

Rolling Hills, CA

Spouse: Bill

Yacht: Nelson Marek 55 Marie, J-29 Rush

Street

Station: SOC

Proposer: Allison Bell

0ver the 24 years that Marie Rogers has been sailing, she has continually increased her involvement in the sport and enhanced her skills. Beginning in the 1980s with casual day sailing, she became First Mate aboard boats that her husband Bill Rogers bought and refurbished over the years for cruising and racing up and down the Coast of Southern California. Soon she was skippering boats for local races and becoming interested in offshore sailing. As a member of two under-represented populations in sailing—women and people of color—Marie didn’t just lament this lack of diversity; she did something about it. Through the Los Angeles Yacht Club’s Women on Water and other women’s sailing groups, she cruised and was a regular skipper in women’s races. Marie is an excellent instructor and began using her boats as platforms to teach women the basics of sailing. Soon she started a sailing school and LAYC Community Sailing. She worked her way up the chairs to become Commodore of LAYC and earned her USCG 50 Ton Captain’s License. After helping John Jourdane (SOC) deliver Mr. Bill back from the 2017 Transpac, and crewing on the 2019 Transpac, Marie formed Offshore Ocean Outreach. She gathered and trained a diverse group of women and people of color who successfully completed the Transpac

in 2023 aboard the 57’ Andrews Good Trouble, named in honor of Congressman John Lewis. Marie has won the BoatUS/ National Women’s Sailing Association’s Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award and is a Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA) Peggy Slater honoree, “who best demonstrates outstanding contributions to the enhancement of women’s participation in sailing.” She currently serves on the boards of US Sailing, The National Women’s Sailing Association, and SCYA where she heads the Inclusive Boating Committee. As one of her CCA supporters said, Marie is someone who “defies expectations.”

Affiliations: Los Angeles Yacht Club, California Yacht Club, Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, Transpacific Yacht Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Long Beach Women’s Sailing Association, Women’s Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay

EMORY ZIMMER (ZIM)

Green Cove Springs, FL

Yacht: Jeanneau 53 Someday Spouse: Kim Station: CHE Proposer: Justin Bonar

Emory Zimmer (Zim) grew up in Hawaii and began sailing as a child. He enhanced his sailing skills at the US Naval Academy. During his six years in US Navy service, he was Surface Warfare Qualified, Officer of the Deck Qualified, Chief Engineer and Communications Officer. After locating in New Orleans, Zim and his wife Kim spent weeks cruising the Mississippi Barrier Islands in their Gulfstar 50, Windaway. The couple had always wanted to do more

offshore sailing, so in their mid-50s they purchased a Jeanneau 53, Someday, prepared her for offshore cruising, and retired from their professional careers. They cruised north to Maine, then south, where they spent two years visiting Bonaire, Curacao and most of the islands in the Eastern Caribbean. In January 2018 they joined the ARC Round the World Cruise where they met Steve Stelmaszyk (BDO, seconder) and his wife Linda aboard Alora, which became their companion boat for a circumnavigation. With the ARC both boats sailed through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos and then across the South Pacific to Fiji, where they left the ARC and sailed to New Zealand. After three months of exploring the North Island, they headed north in 2019, stopping at Australia and Indonesia before heading off across the Indian Ocean. Zim and Kim explored Christmas Island, Cocos-Keeling, Mauritius and Reunion before arriving in South Africa in late 2019. Covid caught up with them in Cape Town, but they were able to continue across the South Atlantic via Namibia, St. Helena, Ascension Island, and Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, before completing their circumnavigation in Grenada on April 1, 2020. Their entire circumnavigation had been double-handed and Zim’s Chief Engineer qualifications were invaluable in making necessary repairs underway and ashore. Since then the couple has cruised from the Bahamas and Florida in the winter to Maine, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in the summer.

Military Service:

United States Naval Academy Graduate and 6.5 years in Navy/Surface Line Affiliations: Fiji Musket Cove Yacht Club, Walvis Bay Namibia Y

Cruising Club of America

449 Thames St., #331

Newport RI  02824

CCA Calendar of Events

2024 June 21

June 30

Newport Bermuda Race

Bermuda Shorthanded Return Race

June 30-July 5 Bermuda Cruise

August 3-14

Down East Maine Cruise

Deadline for Fall Issue is October 15, 2024

October 17-19 Fall Meeting, Chesapeake Station, Annapolis Maryland

October 18-23 Chesapeake Cruise

2025 March 7 CCA Annual Meeting/Awards Dinner NYY

March Caribbean Cruise

June Transatlantic Cruise in Company, Newport to Ireland

July 19-August 1 Western Isles Cruise, Scotland

September Fall Meeting, Pacific Northwest Station, Bellingham, Washington

September Washington/British Columbia Cruise

Stations & Posts:

Please email your major events dates so members visiting your area can be aware. (Editor’s email: gam@cruisingclub.org) For latest info, please check www.cruisingclub.org.

Monthly Station Luncheons ~

Check station websites for latest information.