CCA Gam Fall 2023

Fall 2023

© Sharon Green/Ultimate Saling

Issue 41

Gesture, owned by Alex Mehran, Jr. (SAF), S&S design built in 1941, races in this year’s 59th Rolex Big Boat Series in San Francisco Bay.

LETTER FROM THE COMMODORE Dear CCA Members are being put away for the winter, but it is fun to reflect back on this summer and fall.

We had a great Fall Meeting in Lunenburg, hosted by the Bras d’Or Station and expertly organized by Gretchen McCurdy and her team. The 2024 Fall Meeting will be in Annapolis hosted by the CHE station. In 2025 the PNW will host the Fall Meeting in Bellingham, Washington.

Your Governing Board has been meeting by Zoom every 3 months. The Charts and Guides Committee has published a Passage Guide to the Viking Route and launched a very successful online Maine Cruising Guide, thanks to Doug Bruce, Wilson Fitt, and the 100+ committee members and contributors to all of our guides. Awards announcements will be made soon by chair Steve James.

I want to start out by welcoming the new members recently approved by the Governing Board and profiled in these pages by Dorothy Wadlow and Dianne Embree. You have joined a very special club, and we look forward to your involvement in the CCA over the coming years.

There has been a lot of water flowing under the keel since the Spring GAM issue some 6 months ago. Many stations have staged cruises this summer around the U.S. including PNW, BOS/GMP, and CHE. The Mallorca Cruise in September featured 22 boats with 120 members, family, and guests, thanks to organizers Les Crane, Howie Hodgson (and Jock Macrae). There have been station and post lunches, dinners, and on-the-water gams. We are now in the season of meetings for all stations and posts. Boats

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LETTER FROM THE COMMODORE CONTINUED

Vice Commodore Jay Gowell, Secretary Molly Barnes, Treasurer Kathleen O’Donnell, and Historian Doug Adkins have been exceptionally hard-working and fun to work with.

Their commitment to the CCA, as well as the commitment shown by the R/Cs and Post Captains, keep our club on an even keel and sailing close-hauled to the next mark.

As of this writing, we have over 110 entries in the 2024 Bermuda Race being chaired by Andrew Kallfelz, succeeding Mark Lenci.

Thanks go to Mark for all his committed efforts in building a strong foundation for the next edition of this iconic race. I urge all members to consider entering their yacht in this race or to be crew on another yacht. It is a great way to make sure your boat is ready for blue water and to make new friends afloat. Bermuda as a race destination is unmatched, and the race itself is a great life experience.

Now is a great time to go to your personal data, boat photos, and details on the website and confirm that all your data is correct. Barbara Watson, our dedicated Yearbook editor, will appreciate your effort, and it will be nice for the Yearbook to be as up to date as possible for this next cruising season.

The look ahead for cruises is as follows: Antigua/ Guadeloupe Cruise (chairs Nick Brown and Heather McHutchison, Antigua, Andrew and Hilary Armstrong, Guadeloupe, March 2024), Baja Cruise (chairs Dan Gribble and Gary Davidson, May 2024), Downeast Maine Cruise (chair Roger Block, August 2024), Caribbean destination TBD (March 2025), Transatlantic Cruise in Company Newport to Scotland (chair Steve Berlack, June 2025), Scotland Western Isles Cruise (chair Jonathan Brewin with Robert Childs and Barbara Watson, July 2025), Washington/British Columbia Cruise in conjunction with Fall Meeting (chairs Stacey Wilson and Bruce Johnston, September 2025). No doubt our armchair admirals in all stations and posts will be poring over planning charts this winter to fine tune and develop additional cruise events.

This year the CCA became involved as a new member in the International Council of Yacht Clubs. It started with our introduction and presentation in Gstaad, Switzerland, which Shawn and I attended, and followed by presentations from CCA members Gary Jobson and Bruce Johnston in Vancouver, BC, at the Commodore’s Forum. Ernie Godshalk and Ann Noble Kiley will be representing the CCA at the next ICOYC conference in Sweden in May 2024.

Our profile and awareness, both national and international, has been prominent this year and will continue to be so.

An important part of any organization is planning for the future. Our Long Range Planning Committee, chaired

by Tim Surgenor, has been doing a fine job in understanding our membership and our club organization, and in looking ahead. Tim gave us a Fortune 500-quality presentation in Lunenburg with the great assistance of Alli Bell. The results will be available in the coming months.

The efforts of the LRP underscore the vital roles that all committees play in our club, and my sincere thanks go to all committee chairs and members for their continuing work year-round to keep our unique club vibrant, relevant, and interesting for members.

Our Voyages editors, Ami and Bob Green, are working on the next issue now, and I encourage all members to put pen to paper (old school!)…or keyboard, and write an article about a cruise adventure. Details for submissions are near the back cover of every Voyages issue.

We are a club that relies on our various communications and committees. Thanks for the constant efforts of Julie Kallfelz (Waypoints), Phil Dickey (GAM), Michael Morazadeh (website), James Phyfe (Communications Committee), Anne Kolker (Events), Roel Hoekstra (Social Media), Doug Adkins (Historian), Alli Bell (Next Watch), Bill Strassberg (Safety and Seamanship), Chace Anderson (Financial Affairs), Rowena Carlson (Environment of the Sea), Mark Grosby (Archives), Paul Hamilton (Fleet Captain), Joyce Lhamon/Bob Medland (Bonnell Cove), Brad Willauer (Bermuda Race Foundation),Tom Post (Investments), James Binch (Technical), and many others.

Membership, membership, membership! New members are the lifeblood of our club and Force 10 thanks go to Ernie Godshalk and the membership chairs of each station for the methodical, organized approach that they use to help our club gain new members. I want to emphasize that every member of the CCA should be on the lookout for potential new members. They are out there, and please make the effort to be alert and bring prospects to the attention of your station membership chair.

I urge you to consider coming to New York for our Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at the New York YC February 29 and March 1, 2024. It is a great opportunity to see your friends and make some new friends in the unique and special home of the NYYC. Signups are on the website.

I do want to express my special thanks to Shawn for her support and her excitement to be part of the team working to make the CCA the best it can be. She has supported my efforts for 6 years as GAM co-editor, 6 years as Secretary, 2 years as Vice Commodore, and now almost 2 years as Commodore. These years have put Bristol varnish on our respect for the quality of CCA members, their friendship, and our appreciation for being a part of the CCA and its storied history.

Shawn and I hope you enjoy these winter days with friends and family and enjoy thinking about all things sailing. I like to say that sailing is a great way to go through life….and motor yachts too!

Cheers, Chris

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COMING UP… CRUISES AND MEETINGS A MESSAGE FROM ANNE KOLKER, CHAIR, EVENTS COMMITTEE The CCA GAM

Published for the members of The Cruising Club of America www.cruisingclub.org Editors: Phil Dickey, Chief Editor Dennis Powers Elisabeth Bohlen Robert Beebe Barbara Watson Tad Lhamon

If you didn’t come to Lunenburg, you missed the opportunity to meet a wonderful sailor, Kirsten Neuschafer. She won the single-handed around the world Golden Globe race. She joined us at the fall meeting to receive the Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy for rescuing a fellow sailor whose boat had sunk during the race. She had him transferred to a freighter, continued the race, and won it by 24 hours.

Come to the annual meeting February 29 and March 1, 2024, at the New York Yacht Club on 44th street in NYC. Plan now for interesting meetings, great camaraderie, and more awards too.

Anne Kolker

New Members Editors: Dianne Embree & Dorothy Wadlow Commodore................ Christopher L. ..................................... Otorowski Vice Commodore........ Jay Gowell Secretary..................... Molly P. Barnes Treasurer..................... Kathleen M. O’Donnell Historian.................... Douglas D. Adkins Fleet Captain............. Paul Hamilton Webmaster................. Michael Moradzadeh Rear Commodores Bermuda..................... Somers W. Kempe Boston......................... Nick Orem Bras d’Or.................... G. Ernest Hamilton Chesapeake................ Beverley L. Crump Essex........................... Tom Wadlow Florida......................... Atle Moe Great Lakes................ Peter Balasubramanian New York.................... Peter B. Becker Pacific Northwest...... David C. Utley San Francisco............. Richard Schaper So. California............. James Eddy III Post Captains Buzzards Bay............. Raymond J. Cullum Gulf of Maine............. Peter Driscoll Narragansett Bay...... Dick Waterman GAM Editors Emeriti Dan and Mimi Dyer 2003-7 Chris and Shawn Otorowski 2008-13 Pieter de Zwart and Joanne 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.

CCA Events Chair

FALL MEETINGS 2024: 2025:

October 17, Annapolis, Maryland, Chesapeake Station John Devlin Bellingham, Washington, Pacific Northwest Station

CLUB CRUISES 2024:

March 9, CCA/NYYC Antigua Cruise Nick Brown and Heather McHutchison May 3-12, Sea of Cortez Cruise Dan Gribble and Gary Davidson

August, Downeast Maine Cruise Roger Block 2025:

March, Caribbean TBD

June, Transatlantic Cruise in Company Newport to Scotland Steve Berlack July, Scotland Western Islands Cruise Jonathan Brewin, Robert Childs, and Barbara Watson September, Washington/British Columbia Cruise Stacey Wilson and Bruce Johnston

ANNUAL MEETING/AWARDS DINNER, NYYC February 29-March 1, 2024 NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE June 21, 2024

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FALL MEET ING LU NENBU RG NS

Photo: Anne Kolker

We had a wonderful Fall Meeting in Lunenburg, described in detail in the excellent Bras d’Or Station report by David Stanfield (BDO), attended by approximately 90 members and guests. The meeting started with a Welcome Reception on Thursday evening, September 28, at the Fisheries Museum with Bluenose II at the dock and available for touring. We held informative and enjoyable meetings on Friday at the Lunenburg School of the Arts, followed by an elegant reception and seafood dinner on Friday evening at the Church Hall of the beautiful and historic St. John’s Anglican Church. During and after dinner, Kirsten Neuschafer, winner of the 2022 Golden Globe Race and recipient of the Rod Stephens Trophy, gave a slide and video presentation of her Race, followed by a live performance of “On the Minnehaha” by singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant, who wrote the song about Kirsten. On the following morning, many of us sailed on Bluenose II. Our thanks go to Gretchen McCurdy (BDO) and her team for hosting a memorable Fall Meeting event.

Rod Stephens Trophy winner Kirsten Neuschafer onboard Bluenose II with her Captain during the Opening Cocktail Reception in Lunenburg.

Nancy Cook (CHE), Anne Kolker (NYS), and Kathleen O’Donnell (BOS) aboard Bluenose II

Steve Jones (FLA), Kirsten Neuschafer, and Commodore Otorowski (PNW) at dinner Friday night

Vice Commodore Gowell (BOS) fronting the CCA fleet

Molly Barnes (BOS), Julie Kallfelz (BOS), and Andrew Kallfelz (BOS) soon to board Bluenose II

Colorful Lunenburg

Photos: Phil Dickey

Secretary Barnes (BOS), Commodore Otorowski (PNW), and Vice Commodore Jay Gowell at the Meeting of Members

Bill and Katharine Greenwood’s (BDO) Airborne IV, and Atle Moe and Kristina Thyrre’s (FLA) Summer Star among the CCA fleet in Lunenburg

Communications Committee at work

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Photos: Phil Dickey

BERMUDA RACE UPDATE

Above: Spirit of Bermuda in Newport before the 2022 Race Center: Friends on the way to Bermuda 2018 Right: Approaching Hamilton, 2022

We have a record number of early entries for NBR2024!

The Early Bird Registration window closed with over 100 entries attracting new and veteran teams from around the world.

Registration for the 53rd Thrash to the Onion Patch opened in June, and the most discounted entry window closed on 22 September. With a big push from the media, participation, and ambassador teams to remind both our veterans and newcomers of the impending increase in fees, a flurry of entries brought the total entries to a record 110 teams at this point in the entry cycle.

Among the entries so far, 91 skippers are returning competitors with either the same or a new boat. Thirty-two CCA skippers are registered to compete with numerous others set to join the crew lists.

CCA Member John Storck, Jr. will be racing with his family in his 20th Bermuda Race on a new boat, his J/130 Blitzen. Our first double-handed entry is CCA Next Watch member, Drew Plominski, with his J/40, Artemisia. It was only fitting that the 53rd boat to register for the 53rd Bermuda Race was the one and only Spirit of Bermuda, the sailing training vessel of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation (BSF). Launched in 2006, this cold-molded wooden 112-foot sloop is a replica of a Royal Navy warship and was purpose-built for educational youth programs based in Bermuda. It is an honor to have them travel to Newport to participate in our event.

In the faster-paced Gibbs Lighthouse Division, a new team to the Newport Bermuda Race but not offshore racing is the Botin 65, Artemis, skippered by Raymond Paul. This west coast-based crew has taken on many of the big

offshore races, including multiple Transpacs, Rolex Middle Sea Races, and also the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.

2018 was the first race we welcomed multihulls to the Newport Bermuda Race, and we have already grabbed the attention of Adrian Keller‘s 84-foot Nigel Irens design catamaran Allegra. Hot off her repeat win in the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race this summer, his crew have been sailing together for many years, and we are happy they are joining us on this side of the pond. Another racing machine new to the Bermuda Race but not the big ocean races is Denali^3.

Bill McKinley and his crew were the first monohull to finish this year’s 2023 TransPac, and they finished 3rd in their division and seventh overall on corrected time.

To learn more about the competitors, follow @BermudaRace where we welcome entering teams, and visit the “Who’s Entered” page to read team profiles.

The 2024 Race is already off to a great start, and the Organizing Committee is working hard on a number of exciting enhancements to the race for our members, competitors, sponsors, and spectators. Please be sure to mark your calendars for June 21st. If you are not crossing the starting line, be sure to either tune in for our enhanced Starting Line Live Show that will be broadcast online, or come to Newport to watch the action live. Stay tuned for more announcements around that!

- Andrew Kallfelz, 2024 NBR Chair

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MALLORCA CRUISE A SUCCESS! sailing off to Ciutadella, Menorca. Ikigai meanwhile found an opportunity for a little golf.

Saturday afternoon saw most of us anchored directly off our venue for the evening, La Terrazza, a restaurant east of Alcudia protected somewhat by Illa d’Alcanada. The wind was light and the mooring pleasant. Prevail had arrived and now we were a complete fleet. The “Not Quite Jimmy Buffet Song Sheets” were distributed over drinks so that everyone could limber up for the post- dinner karaoke performances.

The Monkey Swing Band provided a pitch pipe for the crowd and led us all to dinner. Dawn McPhee of Sublime provided an enormous boom box and organized the karaoke music. Fifteen crews presented songs full of CCA stories and spice. It was impossible to choose a best song.

The wind got up from the northwest as we made our way along the north coast, leaving some of the calas a bit rolly.

Most of the boats opted to head into Porto Soller early ahead of Tuesday’s party. Many chose to use the day to take the tram up to Soller, a beautiful town in a mountain valley above the port with a variety of restaurants and art galleries.

Tuesday night saw us all together for a cocktail party at Succulenta, a new restaurant in the Marina Tramontana.

A heavy and very unusual squall came through shortly before the party, but the restaurant had anticipated it

The Mallorca Cruise was great fun. Ultimately we had 121 CCA members and friends on 23 boats and in one car.

Co-Chair Howie Hodgson had arrived in Palma a few weeks before the event in his new Swan 75, True.

Commodore Otorowski’s Swan 68, Aphrodite, the Hearnes’ Nordhaven 57, Keewaydin, Gian Luca Fiori’s Hinkley 51, Vivaldi, and Eric Barto’s HH55 Sea Child were all in position to join the 16 Commodore Otorowski receives RCC Burgee from Commodore Chavasse boats that had been chartered through our agent Sublime Yachts, including a lovely JFA82, Ikigai, that Kit Tatum had chartered. We were missing only Dan Gribble and Dean Ziehl’s Trip 65, Prevail, which was stuck in Barcelona with a transmission repair.

After getting aboard the charters Saturday and sorting out provisions, the event opened Sunday with a cocktail party on the Terrace of Ca n’Eduardo next to the base for most of the boats. Commodore Otorowski introduced two guests: Alan Markey, soon-to-be Commodore of the Irish Cruising Club, and Nick Chavasse, Commodore of the Royal Cruising Club. Nick presented Commodore Otorowski the RCC Medal for Services to Cruising to the CCA for our commitment to safety at sea and our cruising guides.

Amidst the drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres, it was announced that we had decided to rebrand the cruise “The Mallorcaville Cruise” in honor of the late Jimmy Buffet.

Crews were commissioned to rewrite the lyrics to a Buffet song for presentation at the party the following Saturday night. Lyrics were to be sent in before the event so that song sheets could be created, allowing everyone to sing along with the presenting crew.

Monday we were off to the nature reserve island of Cabrera, where we had been successful in securing two-night moorings in the National Park for the majority of boats and single-nights for the balance. The Commodore’s Aphrodite led the Tuesday boat party, where Aphrodite, True, Keewaydin and Ikigai would each host a quarter of the participants until the signal to move on to another boat.

The party started with a high-noon blast from Howie’s immodest horn and continued until about 3:00. The hors d’oeuvres competition between the boats was excellent and Howie’s Mahon Gin provided some extra spirit to toast our event flag flying high in the castle.

While most of us made our independent way Wednesday – Saturday up the east coast picking various calas and harbors in advance of our next party, James Watlington and his crew opted to put in some miles by

The True Crew – Louis Bavay, Potter Hodgson, Edie Crocker, Howie Hodgson and Lauren Papalia

Ann Noble-Kiley, Jill Westcott, John Bell, Ernie Godshalk, Mags & Les Crane at opening party

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Les, Howie and PC Willauer

Gian Luca’s Vivaldi in Cala de Sa Colobra

Lloyd Brown, PC Medland, Betsy Kellog, Josie Anderson, Kitty Lansing

Dean Ziehl, Dan Gribble, Greg Wessel on Prevail off the North Shore

2020 Event Organizers – Jock Macrae, Les Crane, Bob Medland with James Watlington

Chris Sinnet, Michael Wiseman, Helen Garten, Kathy Sinnet, Iris & Louis Meyer

All aboard the Soller Train – Rob & Kitty Lansing, Lloyd & Thatcher Brown, Betsy and Rusty Kellogg

would be wet and set us up in the protected courtyard.

After some warm-up drinks, everyone was brought to attention to allow Charles-Henri Mangin to introduce his crewmate, Gérard Chambre, a well-known French chansonnier, who proceeded to knock us out with his powerful voice and ability to captivate the audience despite the language difference.

Reports of a strong southwest wind Thursday led everyone to seek shelter Wednesday night. Many chose Andratx, giving rise to an impromptu party Thursday for 60+ aboard and beside Aphrodite.

The final party was at the Real Club Nautico in Palma. Our event flag flew high over the terrace cocktail party. Dinner was followed by an impressive flamenco presentation backed by an incredible musical group.

Several of our crowd were enticed to join the dancing pros.

The prize certainly went to Greg Wessel of Prevail.

All in all it was a great two weeks. A small collection

Aboard Pacharan – Henry DiPietro, Jock Macrae, Mags & Les Crane, Dick Waterman, PC Bob Medland, Val Macrae, Karen Waterman, Janet Garnier

of photos follows. A more extensive portfolio can be seen on the event web page. https://cruisingclub.org/event/ mallorca-2023 where you can also find the Cruise Book and the “Not Quite Jimmy Buffet Song Sheets.”

Thanks go to my Co-Chair Howie Hodgson who with Wendy travelled twice to Mallorca to check out whether all the venues that 2020 Co-Chair Jock Macrae and I had originally planned made it safely through Covid. Of the five original venues, only two made the cut. The team of Helen Whysall and Dawn MacPhee of Sublime Yachts did an excellent job sorting out charters and organizing venues.

Thanks also go to PC Bob & Sally Medland on registration, to our sherpas – Dave Curtin, Ernie Godshalk, Mark Grosby, Potter Hodgson, Shelia McCurdy, Nick Orem, Tim Surgenor and Chace Anderson—who ferried various swag with them, and to James Watlington and Sally Medland for sorting out photos. Lastly, thanks go to Wendy, Val, and Mags, who supported Howie, Jock, and me throughout.

- Les Crane, Co-Chair 7

SEA OF CORTEZ INTERNATIONAL CRUISE

CHARTER YACHTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE! BOOK YOURS NOW!

We’re up to 15 boats with about 57 members and guests committed. Still plenty of time to join in the fun!

During our scouting cruise in May, the area lived up to its reputation as we enjoyed wonderfully warm weather and water, fair winds, wildlife and dramatic scenery. We had a chance to chat with the staff at the Marina Puerto Escondido, Marina Costa Baja and at Dream Yacht Charters to nail down some of the particulars, and we spent our time scoping out potential coves along the coast to finalize our planned itinerary.

We spoke with many very friendly local folks who were exceptionally helpful and eager to host our group. For those who may be concerned, we never once felt unsafe during this trip. This part of Mexico was inviting, seemed friendly and safe for travelers, had straightforward immigration/ customs, and featured clear and easy navigation.

As mentioned in our previous post, we’ll begin our cruise from Puerto Escondido near Loreto with a festive welcome party and an opportunity to provision for the week. We’ll then head out for a week of cruising the beautiful islands and secluded coves this area boasts and enjoy a mid-way beach party (or two) before ending our adventure back at Marina Costa Baja in La Paz. See the planned itinerary for details.

While some will come in their own boats, we’ve worked out a selection of charter yachts with Dream Yacht Charters (DYC) in La Paz for those who’d rather charter.

Our original window to hold the fleet for CCA has now lapsed, but there are still boats available. The charter fleet is a mix of monohulls and multihulls at various price

points which includes a group flotilla discount. See the list of charter yachts and contact Savannah at DYC directly for details and to arrange a charter contract.

Note that the quoted charter rates include all extras — including delivery of your charter yacht from La Paz to Puerto Escondido if you so desire. You may elect to deliver the yacht yourself a few days ahead of the cruise.

Just check with Savannah at DYC for adjusted pricing and details.

If you’d like to join a crew or have room aboard your boat, please reach out to us.

For those traveling from Southern California, look into traveling directly into La Paz or Loreto from the Tijuana Airport via Volaris Airlines. This is a breeze thanks to the availability of the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) which allows you to park on the US side of the border and walk across a bridge directly into the Tijuana Airport terminal building to pick up your regularly scheduled domestic flight to locations within Mexico.

Watch on the CCA website for more information on travel, hotels, parties, provisioning and more as the cruise develops. You may also want to purchase the guide featured on the website for a great overview of cruising the Sea of Cortez.

If you haven’t already done so, please check out the cruise event page at https://cruisingclub.org/event/ sea-cortez-international-cruise or reach out to us at cca. soccruise2024@gmail.com to learn more and join this unique cruise!

- Dan Gribble & Gary Davidson, Cruise Co-Chairs

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2025 TR ANSATLANTIC CRUISE IN COMPAN Y TO SCOTLAND Plans for the Western Isles Cruise in Scotland are taking shape. Many members intend to join the cruise, and several people have expressed interest in sailing their own boats there. Steve Berlack has offered to organize a transatlantic voyage in company from Newport, RI, to Kinsale, Ireland, in early June 2025, then up the Irish Sea to Oban or thereabouts. While it is entirely possible to make the passage on your own, it is more fun to organize and complete in the company of others.

The 1996 CCA Transatlantic Cruise, in which Steve participated, was a great example of this. If you are interested, or are willing to share your own transatlantic experiences and lessons learned, please contact Steve Berlack (sberlack@burkemtnacademy.org).

Oban Bay, Scotland

2024 CCA DOW NEAST CLU B CRU ISE Planning is now underway for a summer 2024 Club cruise of Downeast Maine. The ten-day, one-way cruise is tentatively scheduled to begin in Rockland or Camden on Saturday, August 3, and will conclude on Monday, August 12, in Passamaquoddy Bay (probably in Campobello or St. Andrews, New Brunswick, CA).

In addition to a kickoff gathering in West Penobscot Bay and a closing celebration in Passamaquoddy Bay, there will be two events along the way. Current options include a Lobster Boil on Deer Isle and a Beach get-together at Roque Island. Roque, with its mile-long white sand beach, is the destination that probably most evokes the wonders of a Downeast cruise with its beauty and remoteness.

In order to take advantage of the prevailing southwesterly winds, the plan is to have fewer events and Captain’s Choice days early in the cruise, allowing us to make good eastward progress and to provide flexibility for weather delays.

A multitude of options exists for exploring and anchoring between Deer Isle/Merchant Row and Roque Island. The choices include: a visit to Burnt Coat Harbor on Swan’s Island to take in a day of the Sweet Chariot Music Festival, a visit to the storied WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, or a quiet stay at beautiful Buckle Island off of York Narrows. Mount Desert and its neighboring islands also offer several great stops. Hikers, garden-lovers, and those who need provisions or boat gear will find plenty to keep them occupied here.

Moving further east, some interesting destinations include Winter Harbor, Sorrento, Trafton Island, the Mud Hole, Mistake, and the Cow’s Yard, each an enjoyable pause before gathering at Roque.

Between Roque and Passamaquoddy Bay there are a number of possible stops for those who want to make further headway before catching the tide up to Campobello Island. Among them are Bare Island, Moose Snare Cove, Cross Island, and Cutler. Fortunately, based on our tentative

timeline, the tide is favorable for leisurely morning departures to head up and around Campobello Island a few days before and during the second weekend of the cruise.

At the conclusion of the cruise, those returning toward Portland or points further south will have the opportunity to explore additional places on their own. Others might choose to continue on for some wonderful cruising in the rest of (U.S. and Canadian) Passamaquoddy Bay. Federal Harbor and Digdeguash Harbour come to mind. The Bay of Fundy, Grand Manan, or the short passage to Nova Scotia might also beckon.

For those not already familiar with the coast of Maine, the Digital CCA Cruising Guide to Maine provides a great resource and pictorial review of some of the anchorages and harbors along this cruising route. Special thanks to Doug and Dale Bruce, Tom and Jane Babbitt, and their committee of volunteers who have helped put this guide together.

The Downeast coast of Maine and Atlantic Canada offer some of the best cruising in the world, and we and our committee are excited to make this cruise possible for the CCA. Roger Block, rtblock1@gmail.com & Amy Jordan, svshango@gmail.com, Co-Chairs 9

Image from iStock

CCA-N Y YC JOIN T CRU ISE A ROU ND A N T IGUA

Some 120 members of these two clubs have committed to chartering or bringing their own boats to circle around the storied island of Antigua while the chills and wet persist in the United States. These winter cruises in company in the Caribbean have become fixtures in the annual programs of both the New York Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America. Besides ducking the cold and providing some great sailing conditions, these cruises also bring together members whose home ports are geographically widely dispersed. And so special friendships are formed. In this instance, with the two clubs crossing burgees to cruise together, it makes for an especially rich experience.

Bareboat and crewed charters have been arranged through the very experienced broker, Hope Swift, at hswift@swiftyachts.com. She is working with both the Moorings and Dream charter companies. Of the many boats that the two clubs reserved, a few monohulls and catamarans are still available for bareboat charter. Hope Swift can also supply step-aboard crew if desired, and she has a long list of fully-crewed yachts available.

Antigua has much to offer, and the best way to see all possible is to sail around the entire island. The Antigua portion of the cruise will start Saturday, March 9, 2024, when charter boats will be picked up at Jolly Harbour or English Harbour. The opening reception will be the 10

second day of the cruise, Sunday, March 10th, in the lovely hillside restaurant, Boom, overlooking English Harbour and operated by the well-known Admiral’s Inn. Boats will be free to follow their own itineraries for the following days, proceeding clockwise around Antigua with potential gams in Five Islands Bay, North Sound, and/or Barbuda, Nonesuch Bay, and Green Island before coming together again for a seated final dinner at the Carlisle Bay resort located midway between the two ports where charters are to be returned.

For those wishing to explore on their own, there is the opportunity to sail up to Barbuda or Monserrat, though it is hoped that everyone will attend the opening and closing evenings.

The CCA has organized further cruising around Guadeloupe for the following week, with NYYC members welcome as well. Some Antigua-based bareboat charters can be left in Guadeloupe at the end of that second week.

The cruise budget will be set after negotiations with the various vendors are complete. Participants will be billed for the cruise fee, and it can be paid through the established portals of the two clubs.

Nick Brown, CCA Coordinator Doug Renfield-Miller, NYYC Coordinator

F ROST BIT E DINGH Y JETSA M Frostbite racing had its first major regatta at Manhasset Bay, L.I., in 1932. Walter Rowe of Essex invited all frostbite sailors to come to Essex for an Eastern Frostbite Dinghy Regatta on March 5, 1933, at Steamboat Dock in Class A & B dinghies. This event resulted in the foundation of the Essex Yacht Club.

Hobart Ford, then Commodore of the Cruising Club of America, brought a deck load of dinghies on his yacht MOTHER GOOSE from the West end of Long Island sound to Essex for the races. I believe that in that group were the 1933 B dinghies #7 JETSAM and #11 FLOTSAM. I had the great privilege of growing up summers on my family’s island in the 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River. Our great friend and island neighbor, Sherman Pratt of Locust Valley, L.I., had purchased the dinghies FLOTSAM and JETSAM for use at his summer home, well before I was born.

When I was 11 years old, in 1956, some time ago, Mr. Pratt kindly loaned JETSAM to me to sail for the summer. It would be an understatement to say that I learned much about sailing and boat handling through “Uncle” Shum’s generous loan. At the end of the summer, JETSAM went back into his boathouse, and I do not recall seeing her on the water again.

Sherman Pratt died in 1964 and left JETSAM to his island caretaker, Walter Pullaw, who was a mentor and great friend to me as I grew up. Walter died and left JETSAM to me in 2002. About ten years ago Walter’s son, Todd, put JETSAM in the back of his pickup and brought her to me in Essex. I am now 78 years old, and JETSAM is 90!

Some restoration and refinishing work has been done, but effectively JETSAM is as original. I am indebted to Liz Horan for her hard labor in taking JETSAM’s hull down to wood and to Brian Kerrigan for his excellent varnish work and refurbing of the dinghy’s rigging. Jim & Bev Clark of Essex Detailing were generous to host this project.

It was with real pleasure that I gave the mighty JETSAM to the Connecticut River Museum at Steamboat Dock as a permanent exhibit featuring frostbiting and competitive sailing on the river. I did this on behalf of the Frostbite Yacht Club, the Essex Corinthian Yacht Club, and the Essex Yacht Club.

Mark Ellis (ESS), Essex CT 11

Image from iStock

T HE CCA CRU ISE T H AT DIDN’T H A PPEN

Main port and market area along the Demerara River in Georgetown, Guyana

Having sailed most of the Mediterranean, Atlantic Europe, the entire East Coast from Labrador to New Orleans as well as almost every island in the Caribbean including Cuba, I was looking for a new adventure. While Greenland held some appeal, in my later years I prefer warm weather. One of the wonderful things about the CCA is that it gets members to explore places that they probably wouldn’t otherwise go on their own, in my case the Sea of Cortez, Apostle Islands, and Desolation Sound. I thought it would be fun to lead a CCA Cruise to another part of the world where probably few members have been, the Northeast Coast of South America.

A recent cruise on Bolero to Trinidad and Tobago begged a stop in Venezuela but my wary crew couldn’t be persuaded. How about further south to Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana? What a great idea! There are several ways to do this. Both Trinidad and Barbados represent excellent staging areas, with good air connections to Georgetown in Guyana as well as other cities in the world for crew changes. I found Tobago to have not much of a harbor and the customs and immigration people were difficult to say the least.

Chaguaramas in Trinidad was a much more userfriendly environment, but leaving from there would involve fighting the Guyana northwest current of 2+ knots 12

European Space Center

which would be frustrating for smaller sailing vessels.

Barbados calls for a longer offshore run but allows for greater use of the trade winds and less opposing current.

Perhaps it would be better to begin in Bridgetown, sail to

Local school in Cayenne

Parliament buildingin Guyana

Cayenne in French Guiana, then Paramaribo in Suriname, then Georgetown in Guyana and ride the current back to end in Trinidad. With a favorable current, each harbor is about one or at most two overnights apart. I then went to recon the various destinations.

What is fascinating is that North America was settled from North to South by the French, Dutch, English and Spanish, while these were settled South to North by the French, Dutch, English, and Spanish. Just like the Coriolis Effect, things in South America are backwards.

All three harbors require anchoring a short distance from the Atlantic up a river adjacent to the town. There are no suitable docking facilities for yachts. Each town has good restaurants, hotels, and architecture representative of its nationality.

Cayenne is reminiscent of tropical French overseas destinations and reminded me of Hanoi. A short taxi ride away is the launch site for the European space program which is open to the public. The town is quite walkable with a fort to explore, a market, and impressive government buildings.

Paramaribo retains its Dutch flavor, and like many Dutch cities around the world, is to be applauded for its

Anglican church in Guyana

religious tolerance. While the fort is perhaps the most important of the three countries, Paramaribo was more renowned for trade and had well-developed commercial ties to Newport in the 1700s as depicted by a famous painting. It is the only location of which I am aware that has a Synagogue next to a Mosque.

Georgetown in Guyana is quintessentially English with Anglican churches, streets with names like Waterloo, Princes, and Sussex. It has parliament buildings that look like, well, parliament. So what went wrong?

Internet searches began to show a concern over piracy off the Venezuela Coast. While these seemed to be few and far between, they raised considerable issues which caused a significant delay in moving forward with a cruise of this type. When those concerns seemed to fade away, the pandemic hit.

I hope that this cruise will take place in the future as these are three fascinating countries within cruising range of the Caribbean that are well worth visiting.

- Ed Kane (BOS)

Mosque next to Synagogue in Suriname

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iStock credit: Brantley Highline

MYSTIC SEAPORT DEDICATION

Seventy-five years ago the CCA donated a fixed wooden dock to Mystic Seaport which served visiting yachtsmen well over the years. On June 20, 2023, new expanded floating docks were dedicated following a fund-raising effort led by Sheila McCurdy and members of the Essex and Boston Stations. In addition to the new docks, the project included improvements to shore power, Wi-Fi connectivity, and heads for transient boaters. A bronze plaque listing individual CCA donors and Stations has been mounted on the Stillman Building. Several CCA boats were present including Bolero, Heron, and Canvasback.

- Dennis Powers, Essex CT

Plaque memorializing donors Dennis and Verity Powers on Heron at the new docks

PC Shelia McCurdy (BOS) addresses the attendees

Sandy Van Zandt (ESS), Elisabeth (ESS) and Frank (ESS) Bohlen, Sidney Van Zandt

Mark Ellis (ESS) holding court

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ADV EN T U ROUS USE OF T HE 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 hightech race boats. This book belongs on your bookshelf to savor for years to come.—Tom Whidden, past president of North Technology Group and America’s Cup Hall-of-Famer, is the author of three books, including The Art and Science of Sails.

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 Jobson 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.

Adventurous Use of the Sea is now available on the CCA Website and on Amazon.

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

CCA CLUB STORE 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

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A RE YOU READY TO GO OF FSHORE? Ahoy long-time or new members. Attending a CCA Offshore Seamanship Course may be just what you need to get you, your boat and your crew prepared for that long-awaited adventure, be it an offshore race or the Viking Route to Greenland!

Classes in 2023-2024 are planned for Dec. 2 and 3rd, March 2 and 3, and April 13 and 14 at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Have you thought about helping out in one of our sessions on flares, leak training, or damage control?

The motivation and knowledge of our volunteers are at the core of what makes our classes so successful, and we would love to have you join our group. If you are interested in volunteering, send a message to Brian Guck, bhguck@gmail.com. And to find out more about our classes please visit: https://sas.cruisingclub.org/courses/sas/register.

As Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

We look forward to helping you prepare safely and confidently for your next adventure!

Anchors away, Ann Noble-Kiley and the SAS Team

Boarding a life raft

BONNELL COVE FOUNDATION The Bonnell Cove Foundation continues to provide important funding to charitable organizations regarding safety at sea and environmental protection. During the 2023 Fall grant cycle, the Directors reviewed sixteen grant applications and awarded over $45,000 to nine distinct groups. These grants were awarded to non-profit organizations located across the USA and included funds to help US Sailing with moderator training and man overboard techniques review and development, to help enhance riparian habitat for salmon in the Salish Sea and provide youth scholarships to marine education programs.

The Foundation can only continue to meet the need for funding many worthwhile organizations with your ongoing support. The Foundation and the grant recipients remain ever grateful for all that you, our donors, do.

We extend a special thank you to the Mallorca Cruise participants who directed their refunds to the Foundation—a thoughtful arrangement offered by Cruise Co-chairs, Howie Hodgson and Les Crane.

In recent years, the amount of Grants Paid has exceeded Contributions. Your continued backing is essential for the Foundation to continue and expand support for these much-needed safety at sea and environmental protection projects across the country.

On behalf of the Board and Officers of the Bonnell Cove Foundation, I extend a sincere thank you to Joyce Lhamon for her years of enthusiastic and capable leadership. Joyce stepped down as President of the Foundation on September 29, 2023. Thankfully she has continued to serve as a Member of the Board. I am pleased to have been elected as her successor to continue the good work Joyce and her predecessors have devoted to the Foundation.

Please visit our website for more information and to donate.

Gratefully, Bob Medland, President, Bonnell Cove Foundation

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SA F ET Y FOR CRU ISING COU PLES The Cruising Club of America’s Safety for Cruising Couples is up and running with a new look and improved content thanks to the assistance of CCA member Chuck Hawley, who adeptly manages content and design. This past spring and summer have been very busy with seminars presented by CCA members at the Chicago Yacht Club, Bristol Yacht Club, Manchester Yacht Club, Stonington Harbor Yacht Club, Shelter Island Yacht Club, and out here on the West Coast at the San Francisco Yacht Club and the St. Francis Yacht Club. Next month the program will be presented at the Seattle Yacht Club and at the Trawler Festival in Annapolis, Maryland. In addition, an abbreviated version was presented at the USNA SAS weekend and I presented the radio safety component at the Women’s Cruise for the StFYC at Tinsley Island to great enthusiasm. The NYYC has one in the works for later this year or early next year.

Quotes Jim Lussier, Cruising Committee Chairman StFYC, “The class did a great job helping skippers understand how important it is to involve the first mate in operation of the boat, everything from starting engine, to talking on the radio, to understanding position, to getting help, to stopping the boat, etc.—could be the difference between life and death, for crew or even the skipper.

The class also helped first mates understand how much more they can get from their boat experience by learning and executing the key skills. There is so much growth, empowerment, and fun there to be had.” Participant from the StFYC: “My wife realized how she did not take a part in the boat. She said it is my thing and my daughters were always there to assist with everything. She just got on and off. She is now looking forward to learning more about the boat and taking a larger part in its operation. WOW! It brought to light things I was not aware of. She always shut the engine down as I tied up the boat. I was not aware she did not know how to start the engine.”

your audience is and not to go over their heads; remain true to the mission of the Safety for Cruising Couples. We have requested funding to purchase two sets of VHF radios with connecting antennae so that the radios can be used for practice in real time—with connecting antennas the radios communicate only with each other, improving the ability to practice various calls with the radios, including DSC. All this brings me to an ask of the entire CCA: please encourage everyone you know to register their MMSI numbers and to learn how to use the DSC system effectively, a system that can save lives. If anyone is interested in being an ambassador, please reach out to me. I have a growing list of interested members and it’s amazing. A quick thank you goes to the great ambassadors who presented the program this year: Anne Kolker, Scott and Anne Kraft, Brian Guck, Ernie Godshalk, Ann NobleKiley, Sheila McCurdy, Frank Bohlen, Dave McEwen, Michael Linhares, Michael Wiseman, Jim and Jean Foley, and Ashley Perrin. Special thanks go to Chuck Hawley and Bill Strassberg for all their help and guidance.

We have branded the program with CCA blue Safety for Cruising Couples PowerPoint presentation slides and the CCA burgee, and we request that everyone going forward will use the brand in their presentations while adding any other cross-burgees who participate. The power point presentation remains fluid for the presenter to adapt it to the specific audience. That said, it’s important to know who

- Moe Roddy

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CCA’S CHARTS & GUIDES CCA CRU ISING GU IDES: W IT H A LOT OF HELP F ROM OU R F R IENDS

The CCA started publishing cruising guides more than 70 years ago when Charlie Bartlett of the Boston Station wanted to record local knowledge of Nova Scotia waters that did not appear in the official pilot books. With contributions from about a dozen people, in 1952 Charlie published the first Cruising Guide to the Nova Scotia Coast as a loose-leaf binder.

In the 1970s and 80s, the collection of guides grew to four volumes covering Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and around 2000 Sandy Weld became Chair of the Guides Committee, printing, coil binding and distributing the books from his basement under the Pilot Press banner.

In recent years, there has been another passing of the torch. Sandy retired from his long years of work, and the CCA took direct control of the “business” under the leadership of Doug Bruce. New editors were recruited and all four of the legacy print guides were reissued with excellent graphics and a modern new look. Geographic coverage has been dramatically expanded through the publication of Bill Strassberg’s “Essential Passage Guide to The Viking Route,” and a bold move has been made into online publishing with the “Cruising Guide to Maine,” now under the leadership of Tom and Jane Babbitt.

None of this would have been possible without the support and input of a long list of supporters and contributors. The CCA guides are unique in that most entries cite their sources by name and date and often by direct quote, bringing them to life and preserving a record of the CCA members and others who still show us the way and ease our navigational anxieties.

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At a casual count, there are something like 125 individuals named in the current guides, perhaps more. It is impossible to list everyone, but a few names will give an idea of the breadth and depth of knowledge and experience bound up in the CCA guides.

Many names remind us of years gone by: Charlie Bartlett of course, Mac Grant, Charles Vilas, Paul Sheldon, Curtis Bok, Peabody Gardner, Newbold Smith, Ned Cabot, and others.

Other more recent contributors who are frequently cited include Jack Towle, Bill Cook, John and Nancy McKelvey, Tony Gooch, Pete and Annie Hill, Trevor Robertson, Jim Wyse, Ted Laurentius, Steve Dashew, Pip Wick, John Bockstoce, Fin Perry, Dick and Ginger Stevenson, Milt Baker, Rod Fraser, Syd Dumaresq, Ernest Hamilton, Ben Garvey, and on and on and on. The online Cruising Guide to Maine has about 30 contributors and authors of lead articles, and the hot off the press Essential Passage Guide to the Viking Route has another star-studded cast of contributors.

This is a LOT of help from friends and fellow sailors. The Cruising Guide Committee and the guide editors thank each of you for contributing to the CCA and the cruising community. Keep it up!

If you have cruising information to share, suggestions or comments for any of the guides, ideas about possible new guides or would like to become involved in any way, please email Wilson Fitt, incoming chair of the Guides Committee, wfitt@costellofitt.ca or guides@cruisingclub.org.

Photo: Shutterstock / Maxim Blinkov

ENVIRONMENT OF THE SEA

ocean from the shores of the U.S., and as much as 70% reaches the sea from five countries in Asia. A Florida State study found that 55% of ocean plastic is from China, the Philippines, India, Brazil and Indonesia. All this is complicated by the fact that plastic production continues to increase in the US and in other developed nations, but less than 9% of plastic waste is recycled.

An ambitious effort to complete an international plastic treaty by the end of 2024 is underway, but already the U.S. and several allies are looking for self-enforcing commitments. A group of G7 nations and environmental groups, however, want externallyenforced rules; the conflict threatens the emergence of a timely and effective treaty. Understanding the realities, the politics, and the solutions to marine plastic pollution are critical to addressing the crisis. Carl received rave reviews on this presentation, and we hope to have him back to speak again.

For more information and to stay up to date on international solutions to the ocean plastics problem, please see the OpenOceans Global web site and sign up for their monthly newsletter, The Transition.

- Rowena Carlson

Our San Francisco Station member, Mary Crowley, has kept us well informed about the issue of ghost nets and other plastics in the north Pacific Gyre. But there is a larger issue. It turns out that two thirds of ocean plastics are found on foreign shorelines.

Carl Nettleton, the founder of OpenOceans Global, gave a highly informative Zoom presentation to the Environment of the Sea Committee about this global issue. OpenOceans Global is an international nonprofit addressing the ocean plastic crisis by documenting and mapping where plastic collects on world shorelines to identify the points of contamination and to match the best solutions with the people who can implement them. Carl has been working on this issue since 1984.

For those of you who missed it in May, a summary of the “Ocean Plastics Pollution and Politics, An International Perspective” presentation is provided here. The statistics are astounding. According to Carl, the international ocean plastic crisis is accelerating, with 11 million metric tons of plastic reaching the ocean each year, and the flow is expected to nearly triple by 2040. While much focus has been on the U.S. production of plastic, less than one percent of plastic reaches the

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NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

The Bermuda Station held their Fall meeting on September 1st at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. It was a well-attended luncheon, and topics for discussion included the upcoming BROC Fall meeting in November, the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race 2024, and reports from members who have spent their time cruising the Caribbean and beyond since the beginning of the calendar year.

Plans are being made for a dinner to be held at the RBYC with spouses during the BROC Meeting in November. It was also resolved that the Bermuda Station would organize and host a post-Newport Bermuda Race cruise.

More details will be forthcoming, but based on feedback from the previous cruise, it will be another circumnavigation of the island, a cruise CCA members will enjoy.

- Somers Kempe

Photos: Phil Dickey

BER M U DA

Looking west from RBYC

Post race RBYC 2022

BOSTON

New members and newly elected Rear Commodore, Nick Orem, at the Annual Meeting and New Members dinner.

From left - David Martz, Eric Pierce, Roy Greenwald, Walter Keenan, Tim Murphy, Theodore Rice, Henry DiPietro, Elizabeth Bowman, Steve Berson, Jeffery Huseman, Eric Irwin, David Nutt and RC Nick Orem Also present but not in photo – Ike Babbitt and Edward Sitver, Steve Richards was unable to attend.

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The Boston Station held its Annual and combined “New” Members Meeting and dinner at the Union Club, overlooking Boston Commons, on October 11, 2023. Some 75 members, spouses, and partners attended. Rear Commodore Carter (Bink) Bacon opened the meeting and invited Vice Commodore Jay Gowell to address the audience. Jay commented on how membership was the lifeblood of the Club and thanked the proposers for their efforts in sustaining and growing it. He noted and emphasized that we were not complicated by property ownership, and thus we could focus on our common bond of the sea and life on our yachts and boats.

Our activities are chronicled in the publications, actuated in cruises and racing, and known for their safety at sea practices and associated training.

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS He encouraged all to be involved in activities, help out where one can, and enjoy meeting new friends, the lifeblood of the Club.

Bink introduced Tim Surgenor, past RC and Chairman of the Station’s Nominating Committee. Tim recalled that the Boston Station was formed in 1926 and has had 51 Rear Commodores. The Station has three Posts: Gulf of Maine formed in 1981, Buzzards Bay in 1985, and Narragansett Bay in 2017. All together the Station has 496 members. Tim reported that the Nominating Committee wished to present Nick Orem, current Station Secretary, for the position of Rear Commodore. The proposal was enthusiastically approved and Nick was thus nominated for the 2023 – 2025 term. In closing, Tim presented Bink with a gift from the Station, Bink presented Nick with the RC flag for his masthead, and Nick gave the briefest acceptance speech ever as a model for the talks to come. He then invited Jeff Wisch, Fleet Surgeon and Station Membership Committee, to continue the proceedings with the introductions of “New” Members and their proposers.

Fourteen “New” Members were presented by their sponsors. A total of fifteen were elected with one unable to be present. It was noted many times that there are no “New” members — only Members. In their comments many core recurring themes came through with characteristic CCA understatement. The membership class represented an amazing breadth of achievement: oceans crossed, tens of thousands of sea miles enjoyed and experienced, ocean races completed, companionship given in good times and times of adversary, many landfalls and reflections, and excellence in volunteering that helps get and keep shoreside support activities viable.

Overall, they are a remarkable group of additions to the Station. Welcome to one and all.

Elsewhere, the much enjoyed,

quarterly or so, RATS lunches were well attended. The location, previously described in prior GAMs, is atop an old wharf building in central Boston, where the entrance resembles an old speakeasy. Access is up many floors via a rickety stairway to the welcoming loft room with its simple bar and long, well-worn storied dining table, all of which altogether create an enjoyable atmosphere where conversation amongst new and old friends flows easily.

On the water, the joint Boston Station/Gulf of Maine cruise was a good success plying the bays and anchorages from Gloucester, Mass, to Boothbay, Maine. This and the GAMs had, and attempted, are described by the Post Captains under Post headings; Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay and Gulf of Maine.

- David Curtin, Boston Station Historian

BR AS d’OR A strong north wind was blowing across Bedford Basin pinning CCGS Capt. Jacques Cartier to her dock. Cold!

The wind chill was a quick reminder of March days past. We were to tour CCGS Capt. Jacques Cartier, one of Canada’s new offshore fisheries research ships launched in 2019. She is modern in every way, and it was fascinating to tour her throughout with an emphasis on the four labs: wet, dry, ocean, and control. One person can operate the entire trawl process perched high above on the bridge deck using hand toggles (joy sticks) from a captain’s chair . . . light years from when Grand Bank Schooners launched their dories, with men going over the side to disappear into the cold mist of the North Atlantic.

Next, we toured HMCS Oriole, a sail training vessel of the Royal Canadian Navy based at CFB Halifax.

She is a sailing ketch, the successor

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in a line of vessels named Oriole that were in service as flag ships for the Royal Canadian Yacht Club of Toronto, Ontario. She was chartered a number of times by the navy and finally commissioned as HMCS Oriole in 1952, and she has been training seamen ever since. She has a rich history, and it was a delight to tour her and absorb her interesting story.

Wilson Fitt led the organizing of the Spring Raft Up and forwarded his summary. “The boats at the spring raft-up in Scott Cove were: Katahdin (Peter and Barbara Watt and Kit and Gretchen McCurdy), Antares (Ben Garvey, son Seamus and his girlfriend Jenna who was out sailing for her first time), Frisco (Fred and Nancy Voegeli just returning home the week before from twenty years of voyaging in Scandinavia, Europe, the Med, and the Caribbean), and Christina Grant (Wilson Fitt and Thelma Costello).”

Erwin and Diane Wanderer had a busy spring commissioning their daughter’s, new to her, Tartan 3700 in Newfoundland. Once the mast was in and rigged, she was launched, and plans were made for the subsequent delivery to her new home in Halifax.

There is no holding Erwin and Diane down as they joined Hans and Dani Sue Himmelman for the CCA Mallorca Cruise. From all reports the weather was outstanding, the dining to die for, and the merriment pervasive.

There was plenty of R&R. This was a Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race (MHOR) year, and Bill and Kathy Greenwood’s Airborne IV once again made her way to Marblehead, delivered by crew members Phil Wash and David Stanfield. They raced back with skipper Bill Greenwood as navigator and a crew containing brother Peter and sons Will and Edward. They collected a 1st in Class and 3rd overall— in what many felt were trying conditions—only to be eclipsed by Hans Himmelman and Graham Langill taking honors in continued

Opening Reception: Mayor Jamie Myra, Commodore Otorowski, Gretchen McCurdy

The lava flow has guided mariners since at least Homer’s time! We finally hauled near Rome. Of course I would have loved to return home this fall, but driving a Zodiac for Adventure Canada in Greenland along the coast of Labrador and now around Newfoundland won out. I have the CCA guidebooks of Labrador and Newfoundland, and they are very popular with both passengers and crew! As I was the last person to ever sail with Blue Water Medal recipient Paul Sheldon in 1975, I feel his presence here on this trip with lots of his contributions that are still in the guidebooks. Thanks Uncle Paul (as we all called him). I write this from the ship in Red Bay, Labrador.’’

Judy was not the only Bras d’Or Station member found plying the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador. To read the exciting family sailing adventures of Andromede, read Julien Delarue’s report in upcoming CCA publications.

The season wrapped up in spectacular fashion. The CCA Fall Meeting was hosted by the Bras d’Or Station in historic Lunenburg, N.S., led by organizing Chair (extraordinaire) Gretchen McCurdy and her able committee (Thelma Costello, Reg Goodday, Philip Wash, David Arenberg, and David Stanfield).

Numerous event volunteers, including Barbara Watts and Kathy Greenwood,

Photo: Kathy Greenwood

the Doublehanded Division aboard Delawana.

Post-race activities included a Bras d’Or Station reception for all CCA members hosted by RC Ernest Hamilton at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. The venue was outstanding, and the surroundings on the Northwest Arm are beautiful. It just could not have been better.

No one squeezes in more time on the water than Philip Wash aboard Philharmonic. Phil was in Shelburne, N.S., for the Summer Cruise rendezvous along with RC Ernest Hamilton on Glooscap II. The shock of the tragic passing of member Doug Hickman aboard Black Sea en route to Shelburne to participate in the cruise found many rethinking their cruise plans; ultimately the Cruise was cancelled. Doug was a life-long friend of RC Ernest Hamilton, making the tragedy all the more devastating.

For those who made it to Shelburne, we met at the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club to dine and raise a glass to Doug. May he rest in peace. The following day Philharmonic Skipper Phil Wash, along with crew David Stanfield, made for home, overnighting at Carters Beach to enjoy a spectacular anchorage and sunset, then carrying on to Philharmonic’s St. Margarets Bay mooring in Perang Cove.

Phil is not alone in maximizing time on the water. The following report

by Judy Robertson of her travels just might edge him out. “This May and June, I was lucky enough to have both my daughters as well as my niece on board for about 5 weeks. That is a mother’s dream come true! Along with my partner Andrew, we sailed from the Venice area across to Croatia and Montenegro before returning to Italy.”

“Andrew’s dad had served in Malta during WWII, so we spent a week there, and it was special to sail into Valetta Harbor. Our next high point was all the fantastic food in Sicily prior to heading to the oldest ‘lighthouse’ in the world, active volcano Stromboli.

Photo: John van-Schalkwyk

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

MHOR Prize Giving—Bill Greenwood

made remarkable contributions.

The weather cooperated, Lunenburg shone, and member boats congregated on Zwicker Wharf (Akubra, Antares, Esperanza, Philharmonic, Amasek, Christina Grant, Airborne IV, and Summer Star). The numerous venues and meetings all worked, from the opening reception at the fabulous Fisheries Museum, highlighted with Bluenose II alongside for attendees to tour, to the successful Zoom meetings held at the Lunenberg School of the Arts and the Saturday sail on Bluenose II. But the piece de resistance was the Friday evening reception and dinner. Whoa! We convened in the historic parish hall of the stunningly beautiful St John’s Anglican Church, where we were met by a beautiful gal shucking extraordinary oysters—so delish! Trays of hors d’oeuvres moved through the hall served by young smiling faces as attendees mingled.

Dinner was outstanding, highlighted

by Lunenburg fish chowder and wonderful lobster.

Then the magic began.

Commodore Otorowski presented Golden Globe Race winner Kirsten Neuschafer the CCA Rod Stevens Seamanship Trophy to a standing ovation, just the first of many to follow. Kirsten presented the room with the riveting story of her race experience from finding her continued

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Photo: John van-Schalkwyk

Steve James (FLA), Kirsten Neuschafer, and Commodore Otorowski (PNW)

cleverly-chosen Cape George 36, Minnehaha, in Newfoundland, to her refit in Prince Edward Island where Kristen’s infectious authenticity and tenacity captured the imagination of Islanders. The video clips pulled the audience in as Kirsten sailed us through her race highs and lows

culminating with her thrilling finish off Les Sables- d’Olonne cementing her victory. The audience erupted in an extended ovation to Kirsten’s captivating beaming smile—priceless!

What unfolded next only heightened the magical experience.

Syd Dumaresq introduced Lennie Gallant, iconic Canadian singersongwriter and Order of Canada recipient, who created the song On the Minnehaha that blared from speakers as Kirsten stepped ashore for the first time in 235 days. That Lennie Gallant.

Lennie walked us through his journey of growing up in P.E.I, meeting Kirsten during her pre-race refit, and being swept up by her magnetism and GGR vision. His engaging pixie dust pulled in the crowd as he described writing his song for Kirsten. This would be the first time he sang it publicly and the first time Kirsten would hear it live! Heart strings plucked, and Lennie broke into the song, mesmerizing and delighting

Photo: John van-Schalkwyk

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Lennie Gallant sings On the Minnehaha

the audience. Having just experienced the story of the race first-hand through Kristen’s presentation and then being serenaded with the master’s personal artistic musical creation … heaven! It was a magical moment.

Special thanks go to Chairperson Gretchen McCurdy, event genesis partner Thelma Costello, and all those who supported and attended the CCA fall Meeting in Lunenburg. It was special. Thanks for the memories.

- David W. Stanfield

BUZZA RDS BAY

Looking east in the Cape Cod Canal. Railroad Bridge in the foreground, Bourne Bridge beyond.

Our Posts’ summer Follow the Wave rendezvous were to begin with the 3rd annual Narraganset and Buzzards Bay Posts’ rendezvous at 3rd Beach in Middletown, RI, on June 3, 2023. In addition to the typical raft-up party, we had planned to do a

man-overboard demonstration with the new CCA MOB volunteer OSCAR. Due to the forecast of severe weather, the rendezvous was cancelled. Our second rendezvous of the summer was scheduled for July 16th with CCA members Jen and Peter Francis at their home in Marion. It offers plenty of room to anchor and is a great jumping off spot on the way to the Cape Cod Canal and Maine. Its timing was in support of CCA and NAS members departing from points south and headed to Maine for the summer cruise. Sadly, as with the 3rd Beach rendezvous, it too was cancelled due to severe weather. We skipped August as most members will have gone to Maine or other points north. Our final rendezvous of the season was scheduled for September 30th at Great

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Hill in Marion. CCA member Peter Stone had agreed to host with a tour of his art studio and cocktails on the beach. As with all the other Follow the Wave rendezvous this season, it also had to be canceled due to the forecast of severe weather. Zero for 3!

Past Rear Commodore Bill Cook put together an impromptu GAM at Bassetts Island on Sunday, October 8th. Though it was a windy day, twelve hardy CCA members enjoyed an afternoon of camaraderie on Bill’s Grand Banks Nanuk. A good time was had by all.

The winter Buzzards Bay Post winter luncheon schedule will begin in November at the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, MA. - Ray Cullum, Post Captain

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

The Chesapeake Station’s Fall Cruise kicked off with a cocktail party held at Tony and Claire Parker’s Lake Ogleton home. Members arrived by land and sea ready to toast an active summer and welcome a fall brimming with Chesapeake Bay cruising at its best. The weather livened up the cruise, with sunny days, cool nights, and a spirited forecast featuring a mix of small-craft, gale, and flood warnings.

Among the gathering fleet was the fully restored Nellie Crockett, a beamy 67’ Chesapeake Bay Buyboat that once played a vital role in the region’s oystering industry. This floating bit of Bay history is owned by Ted Parish, who implemented a plank-by-plank restoration effort that returned the vessel to better than new condition.

Ted is a key supporter of club cruises using Nellie Crockett as an R.C. boat, rendezvous epicenter, and nautical grandstand for race starts and remote events.

Rear Commodore Bev and Susan Crump arrived aboard their Mark Ellis-designed Freedom 42, Rappahannock, and greeted arriving members picking up a mooring or anchoring in the area. At the end of the cocktail party, a skippers’ meeting was held detailing the next day’s Robert Goldsborough Henry Jr. Race. Dawn arrived with a 15-20 knot SSE breeze, a forecast that included an approaching cold front, and a few boats preparing for a long windward point-topoint race. It was the flip side of the windless Chesapeake Bay summer and a great start to the Fall Cruise.

Other station highlights come from Rear Commodore Bev Crump’s monthly updates. “The big news is Peter Gibbon-Neff competing in the Mini Transat. For those of you who are not familiar with the Transat, it is a single-handed race in 21’ boats from Les Sables-d’Olonne in France to Guadeloupe with a stop in the Canary Islands. There are very difficult

Photo credits: Ralph naranjo

CHESA PEA KE

Cal-40 and Swan 43, Akela III, approach Thomas Point light with a building breeze

Lenore Naranjo steers Wind Shadow southbound on the Chesapeake Bay

Jahn Tihansky prepares digital display of the Florida Ultimate Challenge

qualification requirements including completion of several thousand-mile passages by the skipper and boat. Peter has spent the last 2 years qualifying and is the only US entry among the 80-odd competitors. Peter recently started from France on September 26 and finished 24

(l-to-r) Lisa von Schwarz and past R.C. Margy Robfogel enjoy the Gibson Island luncheon

Stage One arriving in Santa Cruz de la Palma on October 7 after 11 days at sea.”

Our Station lunch at the Gibson Island Club on June 13 was well attended by over 20 members and continued

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS guests. We were graciously hosted

by Charlie and Sue Hodges, Murray Leigh, and Will Passano. It was great to be back at a Club that has been such a long-standing part of the Chesapeake Station and CCA. 2023 Annapolis Newport Race – from Will Passano, skipper of Polaris (Sydney 47). “Wet & wild would be a good description of the 39th running of the Annapolis Newport Race on June 3. From our perspective it was an exciting race. We had a good solid start with Cougar (J160) and Running Tide on our hip on the starting line.

A light breeze warranted a starboard start and a quick gybe to port to set the spinnaker to head down the Bay. The light breeze slowly gave way to a building breeze out of the north, just as was predicted by the weather forecasters. We quickly settled into our watch system with a crew of 11. I prefer two six-hour watches during the day and three four-hour watches at night. Not only does it rotate daily, but the longer time during the day allows for ample sleep for the off watch. The forecast coincided with the actual weather experienced by both fleets. Many boats retired, and it may have been the prudent action.”

Saving the most adventuresome yarn for last, here’s a saga that’s hard to beat. CCA-CHE member Jahn Tihansky shared his winter cruise highlight at our April CCA-CHE station luncheon at the Annapolis Yacht Club. His circumnavigation started and finished on the beach in Fort Desoto, Florida.

No oceans were crossed, but it involved a doublehanded 1200-mile sail-rowpush race around Florida. Some refer to such serious inshore sailing as keeping one foot on the beach. In this case, Jahn and Jeff had to put all four feet on terra firma and pull their second roadready vessel (a boat with wheels) across 40 miles of northern Florida. They launched and navigated the ditch-sized headwaters of the Suwannee River accompanied by clouds of mosquitos, severe thunderstorms, and rations that make salt horse sound tasty.

Jon Wright brings his Alden 43’, Dress Blue, alongside the Nellie Crockett at Parker’s dock

Above: The Honeys’ vintage Cal-40, Illusion, with new owners and a new home on the Chesapeake Bay

The struggle/ordeal went on and their “press on” attitude prevailed.

Finally, after navigating the shoals and islets of the Everglades, rowing through calms, heading out into the Gulf Stream, and tacking back to transfer into boat number two, they tallied up an astounding eightknot average for that part of the race.

The mule-pull phase of the yachting unfolded at a slower pace. But finally, Spawn and her crew made it back to where they had started, adding what amounts to a sailor’s Ironman title to their quiver.

- Ralph Naranjo, CCA-CHE Historian 25

Below: Susan and R.C. Bev Crump aboard their power cruiser Rappahannock welcome arrivals

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS ESSEX We kicked off the season on April 27th with the Spring Dinner at the gracious Essex Yacht Club. Fifty-two members and guests attended, bringing good energy and new sea stories. After food and drink, Sheila McCurdy entertained us with her terrific presentation, “Wonderful Characters of the CCA.”

Spring dinner wtih Sheila

On May 19 the 71st Sam Wetherill started. This 140 mile race from Old Saybrook, CT, to Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard, and back is a popular, excellent spring tune-up for the NBR,MHR,ANR, etc. Bob Green won the eleven-boat PHRF division in his Sabre Spirit Eroica (sailing doublehanded with an average crew age of 80!). Other ESS skippers with podium finishes included Paul Jennings in his Cal 40 Towhee (3rd PHRF), and Al Burnett, who won the multi-hull division in his Greene 35 Trimaran Friends.

The Spring Cruise was held June 2–4 with the destination of Mystic Seaport. Five boats made the journey in overcast skies and a strong northerly. At the newly dedicated “CCA” docks were Lark (Stan and Barb White), Maree (Dave and Sue Dickerson and family), Tyche (Mac and Pat Turner), Eroica (Bob and Ami Green), and Legacy V (Michael Wiseman and Helen Garten). The new floating docks are a great improvement over the fixed pier or tying up to the granite seawall!

Saturday brought more cold northerlies, so the fleet enjoyed

Fleet at MSM CCA docks

exploring the various exhibits at the Seaport. The highlight of the cruise was a private showing of the Alexis Rockman Oceanus Exhibit

by Christina Brophy, SVP Curatorial Affairs at the Seaport.

Friday and Saturday evening cocktails were held in the lee on the porch of the Thompson Exhibit Building. The fleet was joined by land cruisers RC Tom and Dorothy Wadlow, Jeb and Dianne Embree, Frank and Elisabeth Bohlen, Michael Linhares, and Rob and Jill Cosel.

Saturday’s cocktails finished with a great pizza feast!

On June 2 the singlehanded leg of the Bermuda One-Two began in Newport. Louis Meyer, competing in his eighth B One-Two with the polished Strummer, placed 2nd in class and 3rd in fleet. During the award presentations, he was called back to the podium a 2nd time to receive the coveted Ancient Mariner’s trophy, awarded to the eldest skipper in the fleet!

Bill Reed cruised Newfoundland and the far eastern reaches of Quebec to the Petit Rigolet and the Straight of Belle Isle in Canada over six weeks with Phin Sprague (BOS) on his Alden Schooner, Lion’s Whelp. Visits were made to Bras d’Or Lakes, where they were hosted by Henry Fuller (BOS).

Henry maintains the lending library of Canadian charts in Baddeck for members cruising east. Bill reports that motoring along the inland passages inside the Petit Rigolet was beautiful. The charts were not accurate and they captured soundings along the entire route. Lion’s Whelp also managed a stop in Lunenberg and 26

a visit with Capt. Barr, the original skipper of Bluenose II. The Mallorca Cruise was a terrific event! Sailors from ESS included Mike and Carol McBee, Louis and Iris Meyer, Michael Wiseman and Helen Garten, and Chris and Kathy Sinnett. Boats sailed 185 miles around the island exploring beautiful calas including a two-night visit to Illa de Cabrera, a nature preserve 27mi off Palma. Thank you Les & Mags Crane, Jock & Val Macrae, and Howie & Wendy Hodgson!

Lion’s Whelp alongside Fisheries Museum

ESS in Mallorca. Louis&Iris Meyer, Chris&Kathy Sinnett, Michael Wiseman, Mike&Carol McBee

RC Tom and Dorothy Wadlow, Dave and Sue Dickerson, Frank and Elisabeth Bohlen, and Phil Dickey attended the Fall Meeting in Lunenberg. One member remarked “it was a great venue, and we enjoyed being back in a favorite harbor after many years!”

And finally, our monthly lunches are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at Pilot’s Point Marina, Westbrook, CT. Please join us for these popular, informal gatherings. The keg will be out.

- Mike McBee, Historian

History of the CCA Incoming ICC Commodore Alan Markey shared some of the historical bonds between the ICC and the CCA at the recent cruise in Mallorca.

Thomas F. Cooke’s 56-foot Ketch Seven Bells, BWM winner 1928.

“The Irish Cruising Club and CCA’s relationship goes back to the very day the ICC was founded on July 13th, 1929. Immediately after the inaugural meeting, the founding members continued their cruise eastwards back to Cork City. The fleet of 5 ICC boats was joined by Thomas F. Cooke’s 56-foot ketch Seven Bells, the 1928 Blue Water Medal winner, who had intended to continue westwards, but was so taken with the conviviality of the fledgling Irish Cruising Club that they altered their plans to Cruise in Company with the Irish Yachts. This was the beginning of the link between the two clubs, which has grown in strength over the years.”

From Bob Drew’s written recollections: “In 1967 Richard M. (Bunny) Burnes sailed across to Ireland in Adele, a 49-ft yawl. Also that year Wright Britton cruised to the Emerald Isle in Delight and provided valuable cruising information to Cruising Club of America members. Bunny was our ‘Ambassador.’ He sailed seven times across the pond to visit Irish Cruising Club friends.”

“In 1969 the ICC and CCA organized a Transatlantic Race and a Cruise in Company. The race was a way to get CCA boats to Ireland to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Cork Yacht Club. CCA Commodore Clayton Ewing, H.K. (Bunny) Rigg, and Porter Schutt organized the race from Newport to Cork in conjunction with The Royal Cork Yacht Club Commodore Admiral Clayton Love, Jr. The ICC organized the Cruise in Company. The CCA sponsored the Transatlantic Race and the Royal Cruising Club actively participated in the Cruise in Company. On Jun 22nd the 26-boat fleet, including one Irish boat, Perry Greer’s Helen of Howth, gathered in Newport for the start.

The Race was won by James Kilroy’s Kialoa while Huey Long’s Ondine crossed the finish line 48 minutes later. After the race, a fleet of 90 boats began a Cruise in Company, a far cry from the 1st ICC cruise 40 years earlier with 6 boats including the American ketch Seven Bells.”

Alan Markey: “During the 60s, Honorary Membership was playing an increasing part of the ICC, and by 1969 the Club’s Honorary Members list included the Commodore of the CCA, Clayton Ewing. Since the 60s, every CCA Commodore has been an Honorary Member of the ICC continued Bell given to ICC in 1996 by CCA Commodore Bob Drew.

Right: “Friendship Cup” Presented to the Irish Cruising Club, March 2023.

History of the Bond Between the CCA and the Irish Cruising Club

We have special long-standing relationships with our honorary clubs, the Irish Cruising Club, Royal Cruising Club, Clyde Cruising Club, Ocean Cruising Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Royal Thames Yacht Club, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Here is a bit of our valued history with the ICC and the RCC over the years.

Past Commodore Bob Drew stated this about our interclub relationships, “I have always said that the CCA and the ICC, and of course the RCC, unlike other clubs made up of members, are made up of friends. It is easy to see what bonds us all together: boats, the sea, and the love of cruising.”

-Commodore Chris Otorowski

CC A H ISTORY PAGE 107

History of the CCA

L to R: Helen and Alan Markey, Shawn and Chris Otorowski, Margie and Nick Chavasse at Sa Rapita, Mallorca.

during their term of office. Indeed, several notable CCA members became members of the ICC, including Hank du Pont, Bunny and Ruth Byrnes, and Jock Kiely. Bob Drew was elected a lifetime Honorary Member by Former ICC Commodore Liam McGonagle (our own Barbara Watson is an ICC member).”

“In 1979 another race to Ireland was planned, to be followed by a Cruise in Company with the CCA, RCC, and the Clyde Cruising Club to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Irish Cruising Club. This time the race was to start from Marblehead, Mass., and end in Cork. Seventeen yachts braved the cold waters of the Atlantic to participate in the legendary Irish hospitality. This same year the RCC celebrated its 100th anniversary. The presiding Commodores were Peter Comstock CCA, John Guinness ICC, and Ronnie Andrews RCC.” “In 1985 the Clyde Cruising Club held its 75th anniversary with a Cruise in Company in Scotland. Once again CCA, ICC, and RCC members were brought together. CCA past commodore Jim Pitney organized the CCA fleet. A Cruise in Company in Ireland made sense because some boats that raced to Bermuda could also carry on to Ireland, and others could sail from the East Coast.”

“To celebrate The 70-year Platinum Jubilee of the CCA in 1992, the CCA organized a Transatlantic race to Spain. While no ICC boats participated in the race, several ICC yachts, including future ICC Commodore

ICC Commodore David Beattie presenting this magnificent handcarved 5,000+ year old bogwood award to Commodore Otorowski, September 2022.

John H. Guiness, took part in the Cruise in Company amongst the rias of northwest Spain.”

From Bob Drew’s written recollections: “A CCA 75th event in 1997 was a Winter Cruise in the Caribbean. The CCA chartered the Sea Cloud as the mother ship. ICC notables such as Bernie and Kathleen Cahill were aboard along with Clayton Love Jr. and Betty. CCA Commodore Bob Drew and Mindy were aboard the Knight Hawk along with ICC Commodore Liam and Barbara McGonagle. In May of 1997, Liam and Barbara travelled to Annapolis where the CCA held the gala Blue Water Ball at the U.S. Naval Academy. During a dinner meeting of the CCA at the New York Yacht Club, Liam, on behalf of the Irish Cruising Club, presented the CCA with a beautiful antique telescope to be passed on by our Commodores.“ Alan Markey: “Over 170 boats attended the ICC 75th Cruise in Company in 2004. There were 23 CCA-skippered boats of which 9 had sailed over for the event. CCA Commodore Truman Casner also attended the week-long rally.”

“CCA commodores and their wives are regular guests at ICC annual dinner weekends, and ICC Commodores regularly attend CCA functions. CCA Commodore Bob Drew presented the ICC with a bell in 1996 and a rum keg; Commodore Brad Willauer presented an antique compass, and most recently, Commodore Chris Otorowski gifted the Friendship Cup to be awarded CC A H ISTORY PAGE 10 8

Bob Drew’s legendary keg creation providing valuable service at the ICC Annual Meeting in Sligo, Ireland, 2023.

annually to a member who exemplifies the values of the ICC. At the CCA Centennial, ICC Commodore David Beattie presented the CCA Commodore Chris Otorowski with a unique 5,000+ year-old bogwood carving of a sailing yacht.”

“Over the years, three ICC members have been awarded the CCA Blue Water Medal • 1983 John Gore-Grimes- for a decade of adventurous cruising • 1990 Paddy Barry- for cruising St. Patrick, a traditional timber boat, in the high latitudes • 2005 Jarlath Curnane- for building and skippering Northabout in a four year east to west polar navigation ICC Commodore David Beattie has now extended an invitation to the CCA to participate in a race to Ireland in 2029 and a Cruise in Company for ICC’s centennial.”

“We at the ICC look forward to many more cruises and interactions between our two clubs!”

-Alan Markey

History of the CCA History of the Bond between the CCA and the Royal Cruising Club

Typhoon, William Wallace Nutting’s 47’ Ketch

The origins of the CCA begin with William Washburn Nutting’s visit with then Royal Cruising Club Vice Commodore Claud Worth in 1920. Worth was the noted author of a definitive book, “Yacht Cruising,” published in 1910. On July 29, 1920, Nutting sailed his newly constructed Atkin-designed 45 ft. ketch Typhoon from Baddeck, Bras d’Or, to Cowes, safely returning to New York in November. He wrote a marvelously detailed book, “The Track of the Typhoon,” in which he painstakingly described the design process and construction of Typhoon as well as his remarkable voyage. His voyage and visit with Claud Worth marked the germinated seed of the CCA.

As Nutting stated in his book:

Nick Chavasse, Commodore of the RCC and pilot book author currently working on a guide for western shores of France, shared the following history while aboard Aphrodite with his wife Margie on the recent CCA Mallorca Cruise: CC A H ISTORY PAGE 109

“The ‘Cruising Club’ was founded in 1880 by Sir Arthur Underhill. A Royal Warrant was granted in 1902 and known thence forward as ‘The Royal Cruising Club.’ Underhill, a well-known barrister in England, served as RCC Commodore for 50 years. The early founders with Underhill were a group of gentlemen based in the city of Birmingham, a long way from the sea, many of whom were also lawyers, and they were reasonably wealthy. And in those days, they had cruising yachts probably around the 30-40 foot length, many of them had paid hands, and they would concentrate on cruising rather than racing.

And this developed eventually. So we started to have an annual ‘Meet,’ which is based on the Beaulieu River down in Southampton and that started in 1923.”

“The first interaction with the Cruising Club of America was when continued

History of the CCA

Aboard Typhoon; L to R: Charles Hookey, Uffa Fox with saucepan cover, Nutting “the characteristically busy skipper” chomping his cigar and Jim Dorsett at the wheel.

William Nutting came to Cowes in 1920 and met with our then Vice Commodore, Claud Worth. He was actually quite taken with the way that the Royal Cruising Club had been set up. And so he sailed back across the Atlantic with a copy of our Blue Book which has not changed since the very early days. I found a letter not long ago in our archives, which actually was from Bill Nutting dated May 1923, saying how much he enjoyed meeting people at the Royal Cruising Club and had unashamedly set up the Cruising Club of America with its rules, regulations, and bylaws based on the RCC. So our history and working together and sailing together and so on has happened from that date. And there have been numerous joint Meets, on both sides of the pond. I happened to see documents recently that Blunt White, the Commodore of the CCA in 1960, was reserved for sailing on the at the Beaulieu Meet and he invited our Commodore to join their rally or to cruise in Canada that year. And there’s been lots of interaction ever since.

The RCC has 3 major medals we award periodically: • The Royal Cruising Club Medal for Seamanship

• The Tilman Medal, awarded for an outstanding voyage in Arctic or Antarctic waters or in other remote places in high latitudes • The Medal for Services to Cruising (Awarded to the CCA in 2022).”

“The RCC also has the Cruising Club Bowl, deeded to it by the CCA, which is awarded annually.The RCC donated a perpetual trophy to the CCA in 1997 deeded as follows: The Royal Cruising Club Trophy is to be awarded to a CCA member and skipper who has undertaken the most interesting cruise of singular merit and moderate duration.“ “We at the RCC look forward to many more events to share with the CCA in future years including a Western Scotland cruise currently in planning for July 2025 with the Irish Cruising Club and the Clyde Cruising Club.”

“Thank you for having me and my wife Margie aboard Aphrodite on this wonderful cruise in Mallorca!”

CC A H ISTORY PAGE 110

—Nick Chavasse

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS F LOR IDA The normal schedule of Florida Station luncheons on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts has resumed after pandemic-related cancellations and delays. All are grateful to be back on our regular calendar. This submission contains the report about Atle Moe’s cruise from Portland, ME, to Penobscot Bay, and onward to Nova Scotia and the Lunenburg CCA meeting. Pat Montgomery’s contribution recounts the next chapter in her ongoing cruise through the Telemark Canal in Denmark. And in a timely recollection, Gus Hancock recalls his 2008 voyage through the Eastern Mediterranean, along the coastlines of Syria, Turkey, Gaza, and Israel. Rear Commodore Atle Moe reports that the Princess Ascent luxury liner cruise from Fort Lauderdale, FL, to the Western Caribbean is fully subscribed and should be lots of fun.

From Atle Moe: Our cruising season started in Portland, Maine, where Summer Star spent the winter on the hard at the “winter spa” (aka: a heated shed). One of the best benefits of CCA membership is the camaraderie of meeting fellow members. While commissioning Summer Star for the season we were docked next to fellow CCA member Phineas Sprague & his wife Joanna. The Spragues reside in Portland and own Lion’s Whelp - a graceful 65’ Alden schooner. They kindly invited us out for a day sail, and what a day we had!

The cruising grounds we covered ranged from Newport to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, this year and we were joined by many friends and family, loving every minute of it.

We met up with many CCA members in Southwest Harbor in Penobscot Bay. While in Roque Harbor, we had a lovely time with CCA members Bob & Mary Rubadeau from Dog Star aboard Pieter & Joanna deZwart’s new nautical addition, Pastime.

The final stop of the season was

Lunenburg where we attended the CCA Fall meeting. A big shout out goes to the Bras d’Or Station who arranged a superb meeting. We love meeting up with fellow CCA members, and the Nova Scotia group couldn’t have been friendlier.

After the last official CCA meeting several fellow members joined us for cocktails onboard, including the Kirsten Neuschafer, winner of the Rod Stephens Trophy and Golden Globe singlehanded race. What an accomplished sailor and, equally important, nice person Kirsten is. She is down-to-earth and humble about her many accomplishments. What a great ending to a great year. Now, we are looking forward to cruising in 2024.

From Pat Montgomery: Once again, we returned to the waters of Sweden and Norway for our summer cruising.

Straight On Til Morning, a highly customized Schucker Motorsailor, was purchased in 1997 specifically to traverse the inland waterways of Europe. Having accomplished that adventure from 2014 to 2018, we have moved north and staged her on the west side of Sweden to explore the coastal waters of Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

The summer of 2023 allowed us to cover some old ground and meet up with some old friends on the way up the eastern coast of Norway. One memorable moment was the trip up the Telemark Canal.

The Telemark region is rich in agriculture, livestock, and timber production, backdropped by the stunning beauty of steep hills falling away to the deepest inland water in Norway. Developed in the 1890s, the canal became a main highway between Norway’s west and east coasts, transporting people, livestock, and timber. The area is divided between the upper Telemark or western arm – 65 miles, 18 locks, ascending 236 feet with waters of 1000 feet deep- and the lower Telemark or northern arm – 28 miles, 3 locks, and waters over 600 feet.

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Kristina and Joanna on Lion’s Whelp

A friend aboard Summer Star

After traveling up the Langesund Fjord, we entered the canal at Skien where we collected the paper charts for navigation, paid the fees, and entertained the lock-keepers with our travel history. Apparently Americanflagged vessels are a rarity in these inland waters; we were their first. We were met with the same enthusiasm and inquiries at the next set of locks before proceeding up the northern arm to Notodden. The contrast in navigation was noteworthy. From narrow channels, the waters opened to wide expanses with depths of over 500 feet all the way to shore, then choked to the point of one-way traffic with a strong current challenging us to stay within the navigable waters.

The Telemark western arm to Dalen (and to an historic hotel) provided an obstacle that we could not clear: the Ulefoss Bridge. Luckily, we arranged a 12-hour trip aboard the

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

The gathering on Pastime

historic canal boat, the Henrick Ibsen.

After a full day of travel, we were whisked back by bus and entertained by the Managing Director of the Telemark Canal Company. When we mentioned that we were from the U.S., she exclaimed, “I know you,” and excitedly shared a video of Straight on Til Morning on her phone. While many Americans explore Norway on their own vessel, apparently few venture into the waters of the Telemark.

Chart of the Telemark region

Recent turmoil in Gaza and Israel prompted Gus Hancock to revisit his memories of cruising those Mediterranean waters 15 years ago. Here’s his timely recollection.

In 2007 we sailed Indigo from Antigua to Gibraltar and then to Turkey. We then lived aboard until 2016. During the winter of 2007-2008 we were Kemer, Turkey, where Dick and Leslie York (NYS) joined us for the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally.

Al Lima, Kirsten Neuschafer, Kristina & Atle aboard Summer Star in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Our plan: spend the summer cruising the eastern Mediterranean coastline from Turkey to Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Turkish Cyprus, into the Suez Canal, and returning to Turkey in November for the winter of 2008-2009.

It turned out that 2008 was the last time foreigners would be allowed into Syria, save for Russia, who would carpet bomb whole cities, including the well-preserved ruins of Palmyra, an ancient and important city from 3rd millennium BC. Palmyra is now rubble. Some say Russia used Palmyra as practice for what they would do in the Ukraine.

We docked Indigo in Latakia, a small fishing harbor 45 miles from Russia’s only Mediterranean naval base in Tartus, Syria. It was our first experience entering a harbor escorted by a gunboat at full battle stations, but we got used to it.

Next, we sailed into the main ship harbor of downtown Beirut, Lebanon.

We hadn’t planned on going into this harbor, and our navigation aid was a xerox copy of a hand-sketched map.

The following night, the four of us were the only people from the yacht rally to attend a huge rock concert with 500,000 other people at Martyr Square. The venue was surrounded by army equipment, including weapons and small tanks. We stood out as non-middle easterners, but we smiled a lot and told all who asked that we

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were there to share their peaceful celebration.

Later, we motor-sailed to Israel under the control and watchful eyes of the Israel Defense Forces. We zig-zagged to coded waypoints, 35 miles or more offshore. GPS satellite signals were blacked out, and vessels entering Israeli waters were escorted by a gunboat with their bow guns, stern guns, and bridge machine guns tracking us, barrels lifted up, but ready to drop down and blow us up.

Some vessels handed their ship’s papers over to the gunboat via a crab net on a very long handle. In our case, I unfurled our large U.S. ensign on the stern and gave the gunboat my best military salute. Their captain returned a big smile and steamed away at full power.

We spent a few days in the downtown Ashkelon city marina, within rocket range of Gaza. The second night, the air raid sirens sounded at 2:30 am, and we gladly obeyed the order to leave the harbor immediately.

Now, in 2023, as Israel takes heavy rocket fire from Gaza, we recall our two months stay as a memorable experience, with the chaotic background of ongoing geopolitical strife, yet rewarded with the fascinating culture, history, museums, and people.

- Gus Hancock

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS GREAT L A KES Skip Novak reports on a sailing excursion in the northern arctic.

Pelagic, the 54-foot steel lifting-keel expedition boat, was in action this arctic summer. Skip, his son Luca, and friends made a 6,500 nautical mile high latitude circuit that started in Thomaston, Maine, in mid-June. They sailed directly for southwest Greenland and entered at Qaqortoc. With a fortuitous weather window, they sailed south and rounded Cape Farvel close inshore and got a birds-eye view of this notoriously famous headland

(the pilot recommends staying 120 miles south!) before doubling back through the inside channels and again on the west coast. The next six weeks were spent on a survey tour of the entire west coast of Greenland culminating in reaching the most northerly indigenous community in— not only Greenland—but the world: Siorapaluk, population 35. These folk are serious narwhal, seal, and walrus hunters operating from motorboats with big outboards to move around, but then hunting traditionally from museum-piece kayaks with hand harpoons. This was 77 45’ north and

the Pelagic crew found this was the limit of navigation in August due to ice conditions in Smith Sound. From there they sailed across into Lancaster Sound, visited Burnett Inlet on Devon Island (waiting five days for a weather window to sail south down the Baffin Island coast), and entered Canada at Clyde River. Skip got off at Port St Anthony, Newfoundland, and Chuck Gates, Skip’s ex-partner on Pelagic, took over for a two-week cruise in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia on the way back to Thomaston. There is still plenty of life left in this superb highlatitude vessel, now in her 38th year.

On board IKIAGI in Cabrera Harbour, Junior Clubbers from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto circa 1960: L to R – Les Crane, Kit Tatum, John Holmes, Bob Medland, Bill Brymer, Sally Medland, Peter Brymer, Jock Macrae, Stu Macrae, Stew Green, and Alan Adelkind.

Rounding Cape Farvel Greenland

Clockwise from above left: Luca Novak Brian and Melissa Hill and sons Organizing Committee meeting Indonesia Tom and Sarah Post’s Rambler

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NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS GLS Members Bob and Sally Medland, along with Jock and Val Macrae, enjoyed two glorious weeks sailing with Les and Mags Crane in the “Islea de Mallorca Cruise” in September, onboard a Jeanneau 51.

True to Les’s style of sailing, he had the Jeanneau clocked at 11 knots. What a ride it was. Kit Tatum, also a Member of GLS, Chartered a JFA 82, Ikigai.

During the first week of the cruise, Kit generously shared the boat with seven RCYC Junior Club Graduates from the 1960’s. With the addition of Bob and Sally Medland, Les Crane, and Jock Macrae, this made a total of eleven Club Graduates all together after fiftyfive years. What a great reunion it was.

The Captain of Ikigai reported that it was the best charter he had ever had.

Brian and Melissa Hill, with their two sons aboard (aged 10 and 6), are presently on their St. Francis 50 Catamaran for three months in Bali, Indonesia. This year they have sailed from New Zealand to Caledonia, Australia, and Indonesia. The balance of the year will take them to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. They are consistently making their way west and have absolutely loved it. It has been a unique experience for them. The culture is so different, and the lack of infrastructure is shocking and freeing.

The diving and snorkeling were some of the best they have ever experienced.

Whether it was the giant manta rays, the majestic whale sharks, or the unrivaled water clarity in Komodo, where they could see their anchor at 22 meters of depth, they have spent much time in the water. The boys absolutely loved this as they had been restricted in New Zealand (too cold), New Caledonia (too sharky), and Australia (killer crocs, killer sharks, killer jellyfish). The Hills had the pleasure of repeated meet-ups with fellow CCA GLS members Jim and Jean Foley in New Zealand, the highlight being the pizzas they made ashore in Smokehouse Bay, Great Barrier Island.

Brian and Melissa hope to see or hear

from other CCA members in 2024!

In August Amanda and Peter Balasubramanian spent a few weeks cruising the Algarve in Portugal aboard their X-Yacht, Elefance, visiting beautiful spots along the coast such as Lagos and the anchorages off Ferragudo and Culatra. They were then joined by Sean O’Brien and his daughter Amy (15), and they sailed Elefance from Lagos to Madeira (approx. 500nm). They were relieved to report that there were no orca sightings while in Portuguese waters, though there was a night encounter by another vessel about 50 miles away as heard on the VHF. After a four-day and threenight passage, they made landfall in Porto Santos, which they report to be a beautiful island with a wonderful laid-back Portuguese feel. The sole anchorage, while beautiful, turned very rolly with an incoming swell and made for a tough night’s sleep, so they made a quick departure the next day and finished the cruise to Madeira (just a few hours romp through some windy bumpy seas).

In Madeira, they chose Quinta do Lorde Marina as Funchal Marina, the marina in the main town, has very limited space for larger, deep-draft yachts. Quinta do Lorde Marina is a relatively newly-built marina with modern services (including diesel) and a convenient spot from which to explore the island. It’s located on the eastern tip of the island and abuts a beautiful nature park which has great hiking trails and overlooks a picturesque bay (a beautiful anchorage in the right conditions). Madeira is a wonderful island and is well worth a visit. It features incredible nature, beautiful towns, very impressive infrastructure (there are 150 tunnels through the volcanic mountains), and warm and welcoming people! After five days exploring, they set off for the 270nm sail to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It was a breezy passage, with winds topping out over 40knots, and they made landfall off Papagayo beach

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on the south end of Lanzarote after an overnight passage. They report that Papagayo beach is not to be missed – a fantastic anchoring destination should you find yourself in the area. After a day of hanging off the beach, they made their way to Marina Lanzarote in Arrecifes. Their current plan is for Elefance to remain in the Canaries until November 2024, and until then Amanda and Peter are looking forward to exploring the diverse wonders of the Canary Islands as time permits.

As some of us are getting older, you might be interested in GLS members Mike and Donna Hill. They are traveling the Great Loop in their new Black Cove 41 Baccalieu II. Their travels will take them down North America’s rivers, waterways, and canals, to Canadian and US cities, and to historical landmarks, National Parks, and river towns. For anyone interested in following their adventures (with lots of humor and history), you might like to follow them on their website https://travelingamericasgreatloop. com. At press time they are in Kentucky.

Tom and Sarah Post had a lovely summer of boating and cruising from their house in Harbor Springs, Michigan. They had a weeklong cruise to Traverse City in their Hinckley Picnic Boat, Rambler, with stops in Bower’s Harbor and Suttons Bay. The weather cooperated for the most part, but there was some exciting surfing on the return trip with a 25-knot southwesterly producing some steep 8’ Lake Michigan waves. Later in the summer, they went north to the Les Cheneaux Islands for another weeklong jaunt. The weather was gray, windy, and drizzly, but fortunately there are lots of little bays and coves in those islands in which to get out of the weather. They had a chance to tour an original home from the 1890s on Marquette Island replete with 10 fireplaces and 6 bedrooms. It is truly a land that time forgot.

- Jock Macrae

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS GU LF OF M A INE The focus of this past summer’s events was our Boston Station/Gulf of Maine Post Summer Cruise. Cruise Committee plans made in 2019-2020 were dusted off, reconfirmed, and tweaked to make our 2023 cruise plans. Some families with younger children added some nice events.

Part of the intent was to create a nice feeder cruise for Boston Station boats to gracefully enter into the wonderful cruising waters of the Gulf of Maine. Our kickoff event was held on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at the Maritime Gloucester campus, Gloucester, Massachusetts. Following rum punch (from our new rum keg) and chowder, we were treated to a lively presentation from the Captain of the fishing schooner Adventure. We were then invited for a tour of this storied vessel. Launches brought us out to our boats.

After a layover/ transit day, we gathered at the Portland Yacht Club in

Falmouth Foreside, Maine, on Monday night where we enjoyed a fine dinner overlooking the mooring field. The weather was holding nicely.

Another layover day was built in for exploring Casco Bay. Many cruisers were encouraged to haul in on the east side of the bay at the Basin, a wonderfully protected hole.

A short run to Quahog Bay allowed for some exploring and even a spinnaker run. We were hosted at the finely-refreshed facilities at Safe Harbor Great Island. A live band and the rum keg made for a raucous greeting on the decks followed by a nice dinner in one of the cavernous storage sheds. We were getting to know each other and bonding well as a Cruise in Company.

We left Casco Bay and were greeted by a bit of the famous Maine fog on our way to explore the Mid Coast of Maine. Up the Sheepscot River and a turn east brought us to the famed Oven Mouth. Entering this body of water is narrow, exciting, and

rewarding. Gale and Charlie Willauer invited everyone to their beautiful summer place near High Head. Their son in their launch started collecting people off the boats. A storm cell interrupted with a downpour for 1/2 hour but then cleared out for a sunny evening of cocktails. We returned to our boats for dinner.

Our farewell dinner was at the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club. Great camaraderie and fun stories were shared as we planned to change crews or make plans for future cruising down the coast.

Many thanks to all the cruise participants, planning committee, and the high brass for all your help and support.

Note: Our next planned event will be a luncheon on December 2, 2023, at the Damariscotta Grill, 155 Main Street, Damariscotta, Maine. This is usually a capacity crowd, so hope to see you there at the Grill in December.

- Charles A. Tarbell, GMP Secretary

Clockwise from far left: Leaving the Willauer’s cocktail party in good cheer at Oven Mouth Townsend Gut, Boothbay Harbor, ME Galatea in the Basin Safe Harbor Great Island party

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NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS NA R R A NGA NSET T The Narragansett Bay Post has been active this spring and summer. In April we elected Ned Jones as the new Secretary/Treasurer for the Post. We also combined the Secretary and Treasurer into one position which should help to streamline the Post’s administrative functions. Welcome Ned! As we moved into summer the weather worked against us. We needed to cancel two on-the-water gams in June and July due to poor weather conditions. It seems we never could escape a rainy weekend with northeasterly winds. While CCA members are a hardy bunch, nobody enjoys standing around in cool, rainy weather—at least by choice! However, in June a number of members participated in the dedication of the CCA dock in Mystic Seaport. The event was well represented by the NBP with members participating by boat and driving over for the celebration.

In August we finally had a great on-the-water gam in Dutch Harbor on Jamestown Island. About 12 boats convened and enjoyed a lovely evening.

Ed Kane on Bolero kindly hosted a BYOB gathering. Dutch Harbor is a well-protected anchorage from the prevailing southwesterly and boats could either anchor or use the mooring field. Everyone had a wonderful time catching up and swapping sailing stories before adjourning to their own boats for dinner.

Many NBP members have been cruising in Europe this summer. Steve and Nancy McInnis have enjoyed sailing the west coast of Norway the past two summers. They report many adventures sailing in this beautiful part of the world. In September, the NBP was well represented in the Mallorca cruise. John Bell and Jill Westcott were joined by Sheila McCurdy and David Brown on John and Jill’s Moon Shadow, which has been cruising in the Mediterranean for the last few years. Other NBP members

NEW YOR K

Members of the Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay Posts enjoying dinner after the CCA dock dedication at Mystic Seaport. Bob Morris, Paul Bushueff, Mark Grosby, Janet Garnier, Bob Dwyer, Henry DiPietro, and Suzanne Grosby.

who were on the cruise included: Dick and Karen Waterman, Janet Garnier, Henry DiPietro, Mark and Suzanne Grosby, Nick Brown, Heather McHutchison, Annie Lannigan, and Jay and Elizabeth Gowell. It was a great time and a fascinating part of the world to sail.

As we move into the fall and winter, we have a number of social events planned to keep everyone connected. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements and, as always, all CCA members are welcome to join us if you are in the area.

– Dick Waterman, Post Captain

Dutch Harbor GAM cocktail party on Bolero.

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The NYS hosted a GAM on August 26, 2023. There had been some weather, but everything finally fell into place, the sun finally came out, a dry breeze came off the water, and 26 members of New York and Essex stations came by both sea and by land to join the NYS GAM at the Noroton Yacht Club. Scott Kraft, the Station’s Cruise Chairman, skillfully broke what must have been an anti-GAM hex on the Station, and he gathered the members for the first time in something like 17 years. We were provided very nice quarters in the relatively new Noroton Yacht Club clubhouse for a festive potluck gathering.

Every time the CCA has a gathering of its members with no objective other than enjoying each other’s company and telling sea stories, it becomes clear what a special organization and fellowship we have, and what an honor it is to be a member. Attendants included new members, young and old members, those who have circumnavigated the world multiple times, and those who are in the beginning phases of their cruising experiences. Everyone was fully engaged with big smiles, enjoying the gathering. For the NYS this was a moment of re-grouping and re-energizing for more GAMs. For sure Scott will be put to work to create more moments like we had, and preferably the next time we can gather on the water in a big raftup.

From S/V BANTER USA 61682 – Transit to Stonington CT, June 2023, Matt & Tori Gimple. BANTER is an 11.98m Joubert-Nivelt design racer– cruiser (A40RC) built by Archambault Boats previously based in Dange-Saint Romain France.

My spouse Tori and I searched listings and began looking at sailboats approximately a year prior to locating BANTER in Quebec City. Our adult children, including CCA NYS member

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS Lindsay Gimple, were along for the ride figuratively and literally. After a test sail on the Saint Lawrence River during the fall of 2022, we knew this was the one. Subsequently we completed three more sixteen-hour round trip drives prior to May 2023 to prepare BANTER for the spring launch and the transit from Quebec to southeastern CT.

Beverly, MA, via the Cape Cod Canal.

Here are a couple of the log notes from that journey: June 10... Today is day one and our BANTER delivery begins! We departed Quebec City with a crew of five bound for Canso Straight and the Atlantic Ocean.

June 11... Cold, 42 degrees last night on the Saint Lawrence River (air and water temp!). But things are bright and sunny now with wind behind the beam. Making good progress towards Gaspe with BANTER’s A1 spinnaker in 16 knots of wind (we bypassed Gaspe as a logistics stop to stay ahead of a developing system that brought 20-25 knots out of the Southeast across the Gulf).

Peter and Tori Becker

With all that drive time and months to wait for spring and a homecoming, there was much discussion about what the name of our new boat would be. Various recommendations were submitted, debated, and dismissed, until one evening my girls texted each other in the middle of a conversation that they loved the family “banter.”

That was it—a unique and fitting name for a family-run sailing program.

During Memorial Day weekend, Tori, Lindsay, Megan, and Eric Gimple completed the finishing touches and commissioned BANTER for the season.

Lindsay researched and provided a very thorough trip plan routing us from Quebec City, out the Saint Lawrence River, across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and along the eastern seaboard of Nova Scotia to Halifax NS. Despite the planning, Lindsay was unable to transit with us as she was committed to an Olympic campaign and sailing a Nacra 17 during Kiel Race week in June. Tori, Megan, and I made up the core crew as we rotated several people throughout the transit including CCA members Mark Scott, Michael Wiseman, and Hiro Nakajima.

We made additional stops at Port Hawkesbury, NS, Rockland, ME, and

June 13… Motorsailing in calm conditions admiring the beautiful colors, the play of the water during sunrise, sunset, and moonrise (no doubt these scenic views were unfortunately driven by the presence of smoke and particulates from the Canadian wildfires. However, we did not see fire or visible smoke during our trip).

June 15... Underway after a lay day in Port Hawkesbury, NS. We rounded Cape Canso in the fog, and we are motorsailing southwest towards Halifax, NS. Welcome to the Atlantic Ocean BANTER! June 16/17… BANTER’s crew is enjoying a rest and doing laundry courtesy of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. Shifted berth to the downtown waterfront Marina near the Maritime Museum for our second night. We met up with the incoming crew for the trip around Cape Sable and across the Gulf of Maine.

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June 21… Good morning from Rockland, ME. We enjoyed a great crew dinner last evening with good friends at their nearby farm. Crew swap is complete, and with the next leg of our transit being a shorter overnight to Cape Cod, a little cabin clean-up and a grocery run were completed this morning. We are underway near Monhegan Island basking in the warm sun (a 1st in 10 days).

June 22… The wind increased to 18-20 knots out of the ESE. Reefed main and heavy weather jib set, boat speed averaging 8.5 knots.

Bypassed P-town to make favorable current through the canal. Arrived Marion MA at 1730 local and picked up a mooring at the Beverly YC (CCA mooring was occupied and BYC recommended a deeper water mooring— BANTER draws 8’3”).

June 23… After 1310nm and 209 hours underway, 6.3-knot average speed, 62 gallons of diesel, and 4 blocks of ice, BANTER is resting in Stonington Harbor awaiting her next adventure. Many thanks to everyone who helped make this a safe and fun

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

Scott and Kitty Kuhner – Station heroes, three-time circumnavigators

RC Peter Becker, Grill Master for the day

delivery transit. A very large shout out to my co-owner and lifelong sailing partner, you absolutely rocked this from planning to menu prep to sailing the boat! Thank you all!

The use of the CCA Guides and talking with members about their past experiences was instrumental to our success. Lindsay and I will be happy to provide additional details as needed. In closing, I pass on four watchwords I picked up during my time serving in US Coast Guard cutters that were relevant to our journey. These are paraphrased from the writings of Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers: • by diligence, by perseverance, by time, and by practice • Diligence. Demonstrated by constant, careful effort • Perseverance. Continuing on a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition • Time. An appointed moment or hour on the clock, but also marking time as in eeping a steady count • Practice. To apply one’s knowledge towards a purpose. To become proficient

Ginny Vought and Anne Kraft

- Peter Becker, NYS Rear Commodore Anne Kolker, Dan Wu-Linhares, and Michael Linhares

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NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS PACIF IC NORT H W EST With the relative absence of wildfire smoke and Covid variants, for a change, this year’s cruising season was very kind to Pacific Northwest yachties who took the opportunity to venture far and wide.

Joe Golberg and his committee deftly organized two cruises this year.

This year’s Spring Cruise was held in central Puget Sound under favorable weather starting in downtown Seattle at Bell Harbor Pier, which is close to the Seattle Aquarium and Pike Place Market. The second stop was two nights in Port Madison due west of Seattle, with the first night featuring a cocktail party hosted by Commodore Otorowski and his wife Shawn. The next night featured one of the most heavily attended rum barrels ever held in CCA-PNW history, at the Port Madison Yacht Club. The fleet then moved down to the Dock Street Marina in downtown Tacoma and ended with a lovely shore dinner held at Arabella’s Landing in Gig Harbor, due west of Tacoma.

The equally well-attended Fall Cruise began in Secret Cove, British Columbia, with a dock cocktail confab then moved to north to Pender Harbor for a chowder feed and rum barrel held at John Henry’s Restaurant and Marina. After a night at Egmont, BC, the highlight of the cruise was 2 nights in picture-perfect Princess Louisa Inlet in the eminently scenic anchorage and moorage surrounding Chatterbox Falls. A highlight was the tasty men’s appetizer competition served atop an overturned inflatable dinghy, which was won by John McCartney and his freshly-caught salmon tartare. Postdinner entertainment was provided

by Bruce Johnston and his lively, from memory, recitation of “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” Sunny weather prevailed, with rain showers holding off until the morning after the conclusion of the cruise.

Fall Cruise participants enjoy an ample appetizer table

Our Pacific Northwest cruisers did not disappoint this year with Kaspar and Trish Schibli moving from their winter berth in Rome to La Linea, Spain, just across the Spanish border from Gibraltar. Starfire has been there over the summer as they came home to enjoy July, August, and September in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. In October Kaspar and Trish are returning to Starfire, and after a quick haul out and provisioning, they plan to head out into the Atlantic, closing their 6-year cruise in the Med and beginning their homeward voyage. Their first leg will be to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, and across to Brazil. Early in the new year (2024), they plan to leave southern Brazil and cross to South Africa. Plans after that are not finalized, but ultimately, they plan to sail on to Australia and the Pacific.

Jim and Barbara Cole aboard Complexity visited friends in Bodrum, Turkey, on their way to Leros Island in the Greek Dodecanese Islands.

After recommissioning the boat, they sailed across Greece with stops in the islands across the Aegean, Peloponnesus, and Ionian Seas. They then cruised Albania, Montenegro, and Croatia in the Adriatic. They enjoyed a bit of land travel in all three countries and left the boat in a marina 35

Scenic Princess Louisa Inlet, destination of the PNW Fall Cruise

near gorgeous Kotor, Montenegro, for a longer Balkan road trip, visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Kosovo. Rejoining the boat, they sailed across the Adriatic Sea to Brindisi, Italy. From there they journeyed to Rome by train to pick up a new life raft, then sailed south to Siracusa, Sicily, and on to Malta where they left the boat on the hard for the winter. Their travels have included 13 countries this cruising season.

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

PNW Spring Cruise Rum Barrel at Port Madison Yacht Club

Scott and Mary Malone aboard Morningstar are in Baja, Mexico, following a summer where Scott, joined by his eldest son Timothy, sailed to weather six weeks, returning to Seattle on the clipper route. Then late in the summer, Scott returned to Baja solo, making a major leg non-stop from Neah Bay to Newport, California. They plan on joining the 2024 CCA spring Sea of Cortez Cruise.

The Stabberts left Japan late in the spring in Starr and spent the early summer cruising in Alaska before returning to the Northwest in early August. After some repairs, their plan is to depart back to Oahu late in September.

Rob and Kathleen Hurlow on Capaz sailed the west coast of Japan to Hokkaido over the spring in 2023. After arriving in Hokkaido, they left, bound for Homer, Alaska, by way of the Aleutian Islands. Bad weather and concerns about crossing into Russian waters caused them to return to Hokkaido, and Capaz now rests in Otaru Marina. Plans call for them to return to Japan and complete the crossing to Alaska in May 2024.

Cathy Sherwood (with Kent Powley) onboard Coquette finished their Pacific Circuit from Hawaii to Alaska to BC to Seattle arriving five years and one month exactly from when they left in 2018. On their way home, they were able to join us on our Fall Cruise in Princess Louisa.

Cruise Chairman Golberg acting like it’s all so easy……..

Having returned from the CCA cruise around the island of Mallorca, the Hearnes reported that they are entertaining guests during their last few days in Palma and preparing Keewaydin to be shipped off to Florida, thence via the Panama Canal back to her home waters.

Bill and Kathi Cuffel have recently returned to Jarana, still moored at Preveza near the Corinth Canal.

Earlier this year they left Turkey, crossing through the Cyclades and transiting the Corinth Canal. They are enjoying Glaxadi, which Kathi says is “my new favorite Greek Village. It’s a Venetian port fairly unspoiled though the centuries.”

Howard and Stephanie Conant spent last winter with Soul Mate in the Cobb’s Marina Norfolk,Virginia, yard and prepared for a rigorous cruising season in late March and April. They headed north to cruise the Hudson River, Erie Canal to Lake Ontario, and into the Saint Lawrence waterway—a short distance to the Thousand Islands. They visited Boldt Castle. From the Castle they reversed course on the Canadian side, heading west toward Kingston after checking in at Gananoque. They proceeded up the Rideau Canal and lake and river system to Ottawa for the Canada Day celebration on July 1. The Ottawa River then took them to Montreal. The villages and scenery were charming, quiet, and reminiscent of past times.

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The Richlieu River and Canal led them to Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal, and back to the Hudson, covering over 2,000 nautical miles in what is called the “Little Loop.”

Outside of the sphere of cruising, John Robinson continues his masterful orchestration of the invaluable PNW edition of the “Safety for Cruising Couples” workshop. An impressive 46 people are signed up for the workshop at Seattle Yacht Club this Fall. In the spring there are hopes for another presentation of the program to take place in Bellingham.

Our redoubtable speakers this past spring and fall include April’s program with Elise Brewer describing the renovation of her 1939 46-foot sloop Bongo, designed by Knud Reimers. September’s meeting had Joe Golberg showing us pictures of the Fall Cruise, and Commodore Otorowski, Past Rear Commodore John Robinson, and Secretary Stillman showing enviable slides of the 2023 Mallorca Cruise.

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

- John Kennell, PNW Historian

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS

© Sharon Green/Ultimate Saling

SA N F R A NCISCO

Gesture owner Alex Mehran, Jr. on the tiller during the Rolex Big Boat series sponsored by the St. Francis YC.

Our CCA-SAF members covered a lot of blue water this summer—and they received a lot of recognition.

Recognitions. Sally Lindsay Honey was elected to the National Sailors Hall of Fame, joining husband Stan Honey, and she will formally be inducted in a ceremony in Newport Beach, California, on November 5, 2023.

It was from Neiafu, Vava’u, Tonga, on September 21, 2023, where Jeanne Socrates joined a live video link to Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, for a Cape Horn Hall of Fame event where she was inducted into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame. She was inducted along with Ellen MacArthur, Skip Novak, Grant Dalton, Franck Cammas, and Michel Desjoyeaux. Jeanne is very proud of the honor as well as being inducted

along with such amazing sailors.

SAF member Mary Crowley, Founder and President of Ocean Voyage Institute, was featured as a keynote plenary speaker at the OCEANS 2023 conference in Limerick, Ireland, June 5-8, 2023, where global leaders and innovators in marine technology, engineering, science, research, and education gathered to learn from industry experts and to discuss current environmental issues and policies. Mary reports that a large issue discussed at the conference is the potential and feared startup of ocean seabed mining of rare and precious metals.

Racing. On the ocean racing side, our “usual suspects,” of SAF oceanracing members, raced to Hawaii again this year. Jim Quanci raced his 37

Cal 40, Green Buffalo, and won the Single-handed Transpac from San Francisco to Hanalei Bay, Kaua’i, Hawai’i, a distance of 2,125 nautical miles. This was the second time that Jim has won the single-handed Transpac, which is likely to become an unmatched record. Since 2008, Jim has sailed Green Buffalo on fourteen transoceanic voyages totaling more than 30,000 nautical miles to Hawaii and back!

Michael Moradzadeh raced his Santa Cruz 50, Oaxaca, in the 2,225 nautical mile Transpacific yacht race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Readers will remember that Michael in 2021 did very well in this race finishing 3rd in class and 20th overall.

In 2023, Michael and crew could not overcome a strategic error made at the

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS beginning of the race and finished 5th in class and 23rd overall. Only slightly disappointed, Michael points out that it was a light wind race in 2023, and, “Nothing was broken, and no one was hurt.”

Jim Gregory navigated Pinball Wizard in the Transpac, and the yacht finished a respectable 4th in class and 15th overall.

The SAF Station was well represented in the 59th edition of the St. Francis YC Rolex Big Boat Series (RBBS) with eight SAF members racing their yachts. In the Classics Division, Alex Mehran, Jr., raced Gesture to a 2nd place, Beau Vrolyk raced Mayan to a 3rd place, and Neil Gibbs raced Kay of Göteborg to 4th place. In the J-105 Class, Walter Sanford raced Alchemy to a 10th place (of 31 yachts!). In the ORC A Division, Aaron Wangenheim raced City Lights to a 3rd place and Michael Moradzadeh raced Oaxaca to a 6th place. In the ORC B Division, Dave MacEwen raced Lucky Duck to a 4th place. In the ORC C Division, Tom Hutton raced H-Pod to 2nd place.

Ronnie Simpson (https://ronnie simpsonracing.com/) has entered 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. Ronnie is racing an Open 50 Class yacht named after his primary sponsor, Shipyard Brewing, of Portland, Maine.

This race has a unique handicapping system whereby race management has determined how long each yacht or class of yacht should take to complete the course and then set starting times with expectation that all yachts should finish the 26,000NM race at approximately the same time. As the website (https://globalsolochallenge.

com/) states, “Boats will be grouped by performance characteristics and set off in successive departures from August 26th, 2023, to January 6th, 2024.” The slowest boats are expected to complete the race in 202 days; Ronnie’s Open 50 Shipyard Brewing is expected to complete the race in 139 days, and the fastest yachts are expected to finish in only 69 days.

Thus, expectations are that all yachts will arrive back in A Coruña on or about March 15, 2024. Shipyard Brewing starts on October 28th. Good luck to Ronnie.

Offshore Cruising. Led by our indefatigable octogenarian and “Cape Horner,” Jeanne Socrates, SAF members cruised in both high and low latitudes this year.

In 2019, when Jeanne was completing her second non-stop, unassisted, and solo circumnavigation, she made friends with a number of Aussie ham-radio operators who would keep her company over the airwaves. She promised to come and visit them once she completed her historic voyage from and to Victoria, BC, which she did September 7, 2019.

Not soon thereafter, she left her yacht Nereida in Victoria Harbor, boarded a flight down under, and rented a camper van to circumnavigate by land the continent of Australia, visiting her radio friends along the way.

Then, along came Covid and Jeanne was “marooned” in Australia for two years. She did complete her land circumnavigation of Australia and then spent eight months in Far North Queensland, the “FNQ” as the Aussies say, before she was allowed to depart Australia and fly back to Victoria, B.C. Now, having increased her number of friends in Australia due to her

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Covid “hold,” Jeanne is solo sailing back to Australia to visit them. She sailed south from Victoria to Mexico and departed Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia on May 4, 2023, and arrived in Nuku Hiva after sailing some 2,700 nautical miles.

Our SAF 2021 Blue Water Medal winner, Randall Reeves, wellremembered for his solo, Figure 8 circumnavigation of the Americas and Antarctica in 2020, is off again on Moli. This time he has a crew member, Harmon Shragge, and the two of them came up with an idea to do a “wrong way” multi-year, multi-leg circumnavigation around the Americas. Moli departed Sausalito on August 29th bound for Alaska where the boat will be put on the hard for the winter. Next summer, when the ice breaks up in the Northwest Passage, they plan to transit the NWP and sail to Nova Scotia where the boat will be laid up again for a winter. Then, in the spring of 2025, Randall and Harmon plan to set sail for Cape Horn, round it, and sail up the Pacific back to Sausalito.

Nora Slayden and her husband, Bruce, cruised over the top of North America in their 86-foot, high-latitude expedition motor yacht, Ugly Betty.

They departed St. Thomas, USVI, on May 9, 2023, and have since visited the Azores, Ireland, Scotland, and Greenland before transiting, eastto-west, the Northwest Passage to Alaska. After cruising to the Aleutian Islands, they set their course for west coasts of Canada, Washington, Oregon, and California, and arrived home in Sausalito on September 30, 2023.

Ashley Perrin and her husband, Merfyn Owen, completed a five-year

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS circumnavigation of Newfoundland via the “long way” of Greenland and Labrador, which began in 2018 (their planned three-year voyage took them five years to complete due to Covid).

During 2023, they still had to sail the southern coast of Newfoundland to complete their Newfoundland circumnavigation. Thus, for Ashley and Merfyn, the summer of 2023 started out at the Bay of Islands Yacht Club in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, where Santana had been dry stored during the winter of 2022/2023. They ended their cruise of the south coast of Newfoundland at the French port of Miquelon, attended the Miquelon Sea Food Festival, hosted by the 250 citizens of Miquelon, and then sailed Santana, Ashley’s 30-foot Carl Schumacher-designed yacht back to Nova Scotia, Canada. In late August, Ashley and Merfyn cruised down Cape Breton’s Bras d’Or Lake to St. Peter’s where, at the Lion’s Club Marina, Santana will be dry stored for the winter. Ashley was not done with the high latitudes for 2023, however.

She flew to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, to board the expedition vessel MV Sylvia Earl as Expedition Leader, and transited the Northwest Passage to Nome, Alaska.

Coastal Cruising. Even when coasting, SAF members cover the world. Anders Swahn sailed his 154-foot (LOA), three-masted schooner, Wolfhound, through the North Sea from Wilhemshaven to Sweden and back to Wilhemshaven via Denmark and the Kiel Canal.

Wolfhound’s size required Anders to take pilots through the Kiel Canal and one pilot relieved Anders at the helm so that Anders could take care

of business below deck. When Anders returned, the pilot refused to give up the wheel: he was having too much fun steering the big schooner.

Also in Northern Europe, Rowena Carlson and Robb Walker spent another summer cruising the Baltic aboard their Omega 42, Natsuko.

They began their four months there by sailing from Sweden to the Åland Islands where Rowena was able to do research on her Carlson ancestors.

Mid-Summer was spent at the island of Sotunga where they participated in a traditional celebration of the longest day of the year. They then headed further east into the Finland Archipelago and visited some of the beautiful private island harbors of the Nyländska Jaktklubben (big thank you to Ernie Godshalk and Henrik Roos for getting them permission to visit these wonderful locations that all come complete with gas grill and sauna!). After returning to Swedish waters, they attended the annual Omega 42 rendezvous. The gathering of 15 boats made for great parties with a lot of singing (in Swedish). The event ended with a race, and they are proud to report that they came second!

Natsuko is now stored in a warm shed in Nävekvarn for the winter. Rowena and Robb look forward to going back next year for another summer in the Baltic.

New England was a cruising ground for SAF members who have their boats there. Jim Gregory cruised Morpheus from Block Island to Maine.

Stafford Keegin spent two months cruising in Maine aboard Bayleaf, his Hinckley yawl. Liz Baylis and Todd Hedin cruised their Acquaviva in New England, and on Saturday, September

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23rd, Liz posted, “End of the season for Acquaviva. All cleaned up and ready to be hauled in Bristol on Monday. It’s been fun, but now time for a bit of dry land living.”

Peter and Melinda Darbee, now living in Jacksonville, FL, have two motor yachts: Moondance in Florida; and Sequoia in Maryland. They started the year by cruising Moondance up the St. John’s River over 100 miles and back. Says Peter, “Both the topography and the culture get a little wild that far up the river. While we did not see any alligators, we were ready for them.” During the summer Peter and Melinda cruised Sequoia from Maryland as far north as Cape Cod before returning Sequoia to Maryland and her winter berth.

Doug and Tamara Thorne spent the summer cruising the Pacific Northwest in Tamara Lee Ann. SAF Station had a cruise in its own home waters when eight yachts with 17 crewmembers sailed to Benicia and the Benicia Yacht Club on the weekend of May 5-7, 2023, including Sea Jay (Steve Mason), Vera Cruz (Mike Johnson), Boat (Bill Mittendorf), La Diana (Fred Huffman), Black Witch (Sandee Swanson), Athesa (Zia Ahari), Defiance (Bill Edinger), and Ebeneezer III (Richard Schaper). A good time was had by all. A great cheer of thanks goes to Bill Edinger and Bill Mittendorf for organizing the cruise and for negotiations both with the harbormaster and the Benicia Yacht Club.

- By Bob Hanelt, SAF Historian

NEWS FROM STATIONS & POSTS SOU T HER N CALIFOR NI A After an impressive double stint as Rear Commodore, Steve Calhoun is looking forward to handing off the watch to well-known member James Eddy III during our fall station dinner meeting at Newport Harbor Yacht Club on November 29. Along with enjoying an evening with our station members, a highlight will be getting to know CCA Commodore Chris Otorowksi and his wife Shawn who will be joining us for the meeting. They will be traveling from their home on Bainbridge Island.

Commodore Calhoun is happy to report that three SoCal Station members were voted into leadership of the Transpacific Yacht Club at TPYC’s biennial meeting in early November.

Bill Guilfoyle was elected Commodore for 2024-2025; Alan Andrews was elected Vice Commodore 2006-2027; and Allison (Alli) Bell was elected Rear Commodore for 2028-2029. She is in line to be TPYC’s first female Commodore.

Point Conception from Swan 44 Tomboy on delivery from San Francisco to Newport Beach

This past summer saw many of our SOC station members staying local and enjoying repeat trips to favorite coves at Catalina Island and the Northern Channel Islands. Moonstone Cove and Howlands Landing were the most visited destinations. Others ventured around the Island to Emerald Cove, Iron Bound Bay, Catalina Harbor, and Little Harbor. A few made the trek to Santa Cruz Island for visits to Pelican Cove, Lady’s, Forney’s, Coches Prietos, and Smugglers.

Jim and Joyce Brown enjoyed a lot of time at Howlands Landing in

San Simeon Bay Pier

June and early July and then joined a Lindblad voyage exploring the Northwest Passage from Greenland to Nome, covering 4,500 miles. In the fall they returned to more cruising aboard their Nordhavn 52 Sequel in Canada’s Gulf Islands In the Northwest, Tom and Dixie Jorgensen spent most of summer in the Anacortes area, making short cruises to the San Juans on their Back Cove 29 along with a longer cruise to Victoria with other members of Anacortes Yacht Club.

The highlight of Dan and Wendy Gribble’s summer in the Med was joining the CCA national cruise around Mallorca and the Balearic Islands aboard their Tripp 65 sloop Prevail.

They greatly enjoyed meeting fellow CCA members during the cruise and received many good tips from members on best Med destinations and cruising strategy. After the CCA cruise, Prevail headed to Italy and the Amalfi coast, Capri, and Naples. The boat is now on the hard in the small Italian town of Gaeta. In 2024 there will be more cruising: Sicily, Croatia, and the Greek Isles. They anticipate heading back across the Atlantic in the fall.

Other members cruising their boats out of country in 2023 include Doug and Debra Rastello (Med), Don and Lisa Joe Russell (La Paz/Sea of Cortez), and Mike and Kellie Priest (Eastern Pacific.)

In October Brad Avery took time to deliver the Swan 44 Mk II Tomboy from San Francisco to Newport Beach. With a crew of four on board, they sailed 40

through the Golden Gate on a clear morning with slack water and 15kts of NW breeze. Ports visited included Santa Cruz, San Simeon cove, Morro Bay, Port San Luis, and Alamitos Bay. Short fall days made for dark departures and landfalls. A full moon and clear nights lasted almost the entire trip. Good weather allowed for close daytime sailing off the coast from Pt. Sur to Pt. Buchon, and then from Pt. Arguello to Pt. Conception. Sailing downwind in 300 feet of water, all aboard were once again reminded of the spectacular beauty of this particular stretch of California’s coast. Close passes of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Station, Vanderburg Space Force base, and the iconic Point Conception Lighthouse were highlights. An afternoon in the Santa Barbara Channel saw clouds along the top of Santa Cruz Island and a breeze that built into the 30-kt range.

Seas grew enough to push the 28,000 lb.

Swan to GPS bursts of 12-15kts. Three course changes were necessary along the 60-mile stretch from Conception to Pt Dume; each was accomplished by tacking around instead of gybing, seizing on patches of relatively flat water. NE gale warnings were issued for the final 60 miles of the trip from Pt Dume to Newport Beach. The crew made an early morning run through LA harbor for flat water, and they later stayed close to the beach (and behind the dodger) in 30 feet of water from Alamitos Bay to Newport for another fine coastal tour in 25 kts of breeze.

Brad Avery

FI NAL VOYAG E S Arthur L. Armitage March 5, 2023

Blake Cady July 15, 2023

E.C. Kirk Hall September 13, 2023

Robert (Bob) Stewart April 2, 2023

Douglas Hickman July 29, 2023

Alan G. Harquail October 12, 2023

John Garrison June 5, 2023

James H. Day August 4, 2023

James K. Cooper October 22, 2023

Charles H. Brewer July 10, 2023

Peter W. Grimm August 11, 2023

Knight Coolidge November 13, 2023

John W. Braitmayer July 14, 2023

Eric B. Forsyth August 22, 2023

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

FINAL VOYAGE INFORMATION FLOW PROCEDURES ON THE PASSING OF A MEMBER-FRIEND The passing of a friend, no matter how expected, is one of life’s great moments of loss and grief. A revised procedure to better capture and act upon the information flow was recently discussed and approved by the Board. It is detailed in a Board Presentation document which you can review on the website – https://cruisingclub.org/member/passing The documented and revised procedure identifies the Station’s Rear Commodore as the principal gatekeeper for information pertaining to Station members and especially the death of one. He or she will inform the Station as appropriate and work with the deceased member’s spouse to see if he or she wishes to continue as a Surviving Spouse.

He or she will also work with the Final Voyages Coordinator/Editor (currently David Curtin) for matters such as arrangements for an Eight Bells Notification and for the Final Voyage essay to be written and included in Voyages.

The key here, like with a building on fire, is to “call it in”. Please be sure that information of a colleague’s passing is forwarded to your Station’s Rear Commodore as soon as possible. Everyone’s cooperation and knowledge of the system will help in the timely sharing of the information to allow friends and membership to be advised quickly and with dignity.

David Curtin – Final Voyages Coordinator and Editor 41

MEMBERSHIP On 5 September, thanks to 100 Proposers, Seconders and Letter Writers in seven Stations, the Governing Board elected 20 qualified new members. Of the 20, two are women; six are Next Watch (<55); the average age is 59+ years.

Station BDO BDO BDO BDO BOS BOS BOS BOS BOS BOS BOS BOS ESS FLA PNW PNW PNW SAF SAF SOC

Member Hugh Goodday S Anderson Noel Kimberly Crosbie Stephen Mercer David Nutt Edward Sitver Henry DiPietro Ike Babbitt Roy Greenwald Steve Richards Theodore Rice Walter Keenan Roderick Clingman John Hamm Adam Seamans James Utzschneider Jenna Miller Norman Davant Randolph Repass Christian Garner

Proposer David Stanfield Bill Bowers Julie Kallfelz Andrew Kallfelz Phin Sprague Bill Bowers Steve McInnis William Gammell Ray Cullum Steve Berlack Janet Garnier Tom Hutton Newton Merrill Barbara N. Watson Gary Meisner Joseph Golberg Joseph Golberg Elizabeth Baylis Stan Honey Gerald (Nick) Madigan

Great thanks to the Proposers, Seconders and letter writers, and to the Station Membership Committees for their service to the Club in attracting these qualified new members! Look for their biographies, prepared as usual

by Dianne Embree and Dorothy Wadlow, in the following pages.

These new members have received a letter from the Commodore and timely communications from the relevant Rear Commodore, Station Membership Committee chair and Next Watch Captain intended to welcome and engage the new members. We can all help make new members feel welcome (and also reach out to less-active members): • For some ideas, download the two-page document, “New Member Introduction,” sent to new members. It has been posted to the website on the “Propose a Member” page. It can be modified to include details relevant to a particular Station.

• You can help. The tradition and importance of warmly welcoming each newly elected member is deeply engrained in our club’s culture and cannot be overemphasized. The Proposer and Seconder and those who wrote supporting letters for a new member can easily play an integral role in this welcome process. And every member of the Station should make it a point to introduce himself or herself to new members and make each new member feel welcome.

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Seconder Will Greenwood John S Halsted Scott Miller Scott Miller Bart Chapin Erwin Wanderer George Day Max Taylor Murray Beach Richard Azar Bob & Ami Green Matthew Coudert Phillip Dickey Gerard B. Douglas Tom O’Brien Rod Hearne Rod Hearne John Callahan Chuck Hawley Carl W. Fuller

• Encourage them to attend at least one of the “open” committee meetings at the Annual and Fall Meetings, in person or via Zoom.

Do you know a qualified candidate? We welcome a diversity of candidates.

Do you know a great candidate but don’t know what members might be willing to Second or write letters? Your Station Membership Committee chair can help.

Are you wondering if your candidate is qualified?

Look at the Membership Qualifications Guidelines on the website at Member Links/Propose a Member. AND, look for the NEW “Click here to begin your online proposal” link on the Propose a Member webpage to quickly and easily send a brief description of your candidate to your Station Membership Committee chair.

Complete proposals are due to Station Membership Committees by early January (just after the holidays, so don’t wait). The full schedule is posted to the website on the Propose a Member page but check with your own Station Membership Committee chair.

Thank you for proposing qualified new members and engaging all members of The CCA. Ernie Godshalk, Membership Committee Chair

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS IKE BABBITT

RODERICK CLINGMAN

Dartmouth, MA Spouse: Sarah Yacht: Outremer 51 Goombay Station: BOS Proposer: William Gammell

Old Lyme, CT Partner: Dini Mallory Yacht: Edgewater 22 Hound Station: ESS Proposer: Newton Merrill

calm, self-effacing demeanor, but also note that he is the go-to guy when urgent questions need to be addressed regarding sail trim or mechanics, since he is well-versed in them all.

In the 1997 Transatlantic Race, Rod’s watchmate was Dan Nerney (BOS), who reports that Rod’s pleasant, cheerful manner made the crossing a pleasure, but that when swift action was required, Rod was first on his feet.

KIMBERLY CROSBIE (KIM)

Ike grew up sailing at the New Bedford Yacht Club, where he was the youngest member of the Club’s Board of Directors. In his early sailing years (not so long ago!), Ike raced in the Club’s Rhodes 19 fleet, and was head of the fleet class association for some years. He has also taken part in team racing in keel boats, winning some prestigious events for Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club. Ike’s passion is his cruising catamaran Goombay. He is wellversed in the unique considerations of offshore multihull sailing and puts a high level of planning and detail into any passage he undertakes. Lucky crew members on Ike’s boat receive Excel spread sheets months before a voyage, detailing watch schedules, reefing wind speeds (crucial on a cat), pertinent safety items, and even meals. In the past 3 years, Ike has captained Goombay on several passages between his home port and the Caribbean, with Sarah and their two children aboard, in addition to his parents, who taught him the joys of sailing around Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound throughout his youth.

Ike will surely be an active member of Next Watch and will fly our burgee for many years to come.

Affiliations: New Bedford Yacht Club

Rod grew up in a sailing family and was taken on his first voyage on the family Luders 32 when still in his bassinet. He sailed with his family throughout his youth, and in his teens, he joined the Sea Scouts in Southport, CT. During this time, he cruised annually aboard Resolution, a Hinckley Bermuda 40. In his twenties Rod sailed with, and crewed for, members of Pequot Yacht Club, Southport, as well as for the New York Yacht Club.

Rod’s offshore racing experiences include the 1995 Marion Bermuda race and the Marblehead to Halifax race in 1993. Rod has taken part in 5 Newport Bermuda races, the last of which was in 2022 when he was Watch Captain on Flying Lady owned

by Phil Dickey (ESS). Rod has also been Watch Captain on Flying Lady in a couple of Sam Wetherill Races and a Vineyard Race. He recently crewed for Martin Sutter (GLS) in the Chicago to Mackinac race. Sailors who have cruised with Rod all remark on his

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St. John’s, NF Spouse: Stephen Mercer Yacht: Lacoste (Dufour) 42 Nomad Station: BDO Proposer: Julie Kallfelz

Kimberly Crosbie and her husband Stephen Mercer decided to take up sailing after they were married.

Their first boat was a Tanzer 7.5 for local racing and cruising. Both partners loved the sport, and they soon upgraded to a Viking 33 Full Tilt to expand their cruising options. In summer they cruised the unforgiving coasts of Newfoundland; in winter they chartered boats in the BVIs. To improve their skills, both took seamanship courses and volunteered for offshore deliveries and races, together and separately. Kim did the 2014 Route Halifax Saint-Pierre Ocean Race aboard Dave Mitchell’s Lacoste 42 Nomad. Her most dramatic trip was as Watch Captain and second in command on a Dufour 500 delivery from NF to the Azores. Five hundred

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS and eighty miles out they began taking on substantial amounts of water and couldn’t identify the source.

Weather conditions were deteriorating (30+ knot winds) so they abandoned ship and were taken aboard a cargo vessel. This experience did not deter Kim from sailing. The next year she was Watch Captain on the J133 Bella J from Virginia to the Bahamas, and in 2023 she did the Antigua to Bermuda Race on that boat with a majority female crew. In 2018 Kim and Steve purchased Nomad and continued cruising extensively in Newfoundland, including overnight passages. Kim is involved with the management of the RNYC and is currently finishing a Master’s in Geography and the coursework for her Royal Yacht Association’s Yachtmaster Offshore Certification.

During the CCA/RNYC Cruise in the summer of 2022, Kim was involved in many of the activities. A number of CCA members got to know her and all enthusiastically support her membership in the club.

Affiliations: Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club, Newfoundland Cruising Club (Commodore)

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

NORMAN DAVANT Coral Gables, FL Spouse: Teri Yacht: Seawind 1600 Crazy Love Station: SAF Proposer: Elizabeth Baylis

Norman grew up sailing with his family in Miami, FL, on an Alden 38 ketch. His first opportunity to skipper was at age 18 when he delivered an Out Island 51 from Georgetown, Bahamas, to Miami. He started sailmaking in his late teens, and after graduating from college, he moved to Southern California. There he worked for Sails by Watts (later Sobstad Sails) and pursued his passion for sailboat racing. Participating in more than 30 Mexican races, Norman was Watch Captain for the first time at age 22 and later moved up to being Skipper.

During this time, he was also Watch Captain or Skipper for the Transpac Race aboard numerous ULDB boats.

In 1988 Norman moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he and two associates founded Quantum Sail Design Group. As a sailmaker he was offered many chances to skipper other people’s boats locally and offshore to Hawaii and Mexico, including the Reichel/Pugh 62 Invisible Hand.

Norman raced as Skipper/Watch captain/Tactician on most of the iconic races around the world over his long career. He also was Captain in over 35 Rolex Big Boat Series, having won over 25. Besides actively racing, Norman generously donated his time and energy to the sailing

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community. He chaired the Executive Race Committee at St. Francis Yacht Club for 10 years and was Rolex Big Boat Series Chairman for 15 years.

In 2020 Norman and his wife Teri retired and purchased a Catana 42 catamaran named Crazy Love. Mostly double-handed, they have sailed her at least 4,000 miles up and down the US East Coast from Maine to Florida and extensively in the Bahamas, including several long passages. As cruisers they sometimes sailed in company with CCA friends Liz Baylis (SAF) and Todd Hedin (SAF) on Acquaviva, John Callahan (SAF) on Epique, and Paolo Sheaffer (SOC) on Carlota’s Promise.

Norman and Teri have recently upgraded to a 52’ Seawind 1600 also named Crazy Love and plan future cruising to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Affiliations: St. Francis Yacht Club

HENRY N. DIPIETRO Newport, RI Partner: Janet Garnier (BOS/NBP) Yacht: Bruckmann 29 power cruiser Blue Yonder Station: BOS Proposer: Steve McInnis

Henry started sailing in his college years in Boston, on the Charles River. This eventually led to a partnership in a 28-foot O’Day, which he sailed in and around Buzzards and Narragansett Bays for about 15 years. In the early 90’s, Henry moved on to crewing on one-design boats, spending 10 years in the Etchells fleet

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS out of Fort Adams, RI. During that time, he also ventured into cruising on Windspirit, a Quickstep 21, followed

by Telltale, a Catalina 27, both of which he used for coastal cruising in local waters.

In 2011 Henry was invited on a 1200 nm passage as Watch Captain from Sydney to Hobart along the west side of Tasmania. From that time on, Henry has been Watch Captain on numerous passages, often short-handed. These passages ranged in distance from Bermuda to Marblehead, Auckland, NZ, to Tauranga, NZ, Watch Hill, RI, to Poole, UK, Las Palmas to St. Lucia, Newport to Cowes, and Newport to the Azores. In addition, Henry was Watch Captain on Araucaria on the Newport Bermuda races of 2016 and 2022.

Henry and Janet currently cruise the islands and LI Sound on their downeaster, Blue Yonder.

CHRISTIAN JOHN GARNER (CHRIS) Littleton, CO Spouse: Marcie Yacht: Outremer 45 Ho’okele Station: SOC Proposer: Gerald (Nick) Madigan

Chris Garner and his proposer Nick Madigan had the luck to grow up in sailing families at Newport Beach, CA, where they could sail year-round.

They both learned to sail dinghies in the Newport Harbor Yacht Club Junior Program. Next they cruised with their families to offshore islands and raced

locally and to Mexico on various boats including a series of Garner family boats, culminating in the S & S 57 Charisma. Beginning in his late teen years, Chris was trusted skippering the family’s boats on local cruises with his friends. It’s no wonder that he chose a similar lifestyle with his wife Marcie and their two children.

He has owned an Express 37 Sleeper for inshore and distance racing and Magic, a 37’ sportfish in partnership with Nick for family fishing and cruising trips. After owning a Tennant custom 52’ high performance sailing catamaran for 3 years, Chris purchased a 48’ Outremer 45 sailing cat built in France. He picked up the new boat, Ho’okele, there and sailed her to the Mediterranean for shakedown and cruising. In December 2021, Skipper Chris and friends completed a 16-day transatlantic passage on Ho’okele from Lanzarote, Canary Islands, to the BVI. Next was a sail north to Hampton, VA, with cruising time in the Bahamas. The boat has spent the past two summers in Virginia, but Chris sailed her to and from the Bahamas for winter cruising with family and friends. Although he relocated to Colorado for business reasons several years ago, Chris still considers Southern California his home. Plans are to enjoy the Bahamas again this winter, then ship the boat to Newport in spring 2024 and commute there to enjoy local sailing. A Pacific tour is anticipated in the next several years when his career obligations wrap up.

Affiliations: Newport Harbor Yacht Club

REMEMBER TO PAY YOUR DUES ONLINE! 45

HUGH B R GOODDAY Chester, NS Spouse: Sarah Yacht: J44, AKUBRA (family boat) Station: BDO Proposer: David Stanfield

Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Hugh began his deep relationship with sailing as an infant, cruising the South Shore and Bras d’Or Lakes with his parents and three sisters. He raced dinghies, becoming Eastern Canada’s Under-16 Laser Champion and later the Canadian F-18 Catamaran National Champion. While in college, Hugh worked summers as a sailing instructor and marine contractor, following which he spent a year in New Zealand as first mate for Sail NZ on the America’s Cup Class Yachts NZL 40 and 41, as well as Sir Peter Blake’s Whitbread Maxi Lion New Zealand. During this time, he was also racing and delivering the family’s J44 AKUBRA with his father, Reginald Goodday (BDO). Hugh and Reg competed together in four Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Races and two Newport Bermuda Races prior to 2011. Hugh’s ability to sail in any position on a yacht from bow to stern, his reputation as a sturdy offshore seaman, and his congenial personality led to positions on racing yachts that competed in events such as the Student Yachting World Cup in France, the International Maxi Transatlantic Race, the International Rolex Regatta in the USVIs, Block Island Race Week, the Lake Ontario 300, and the Van

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Isle 360. Hugh completed law school in 2014 and practiced as a securities lawyer in Toronto and London until 2020 when he returned to Nova Scotia and joined an early-stage real estate business. In recent years, when he is not cruising aboard AKUBRA or bareboat chartering in the Med with his wife Sarah, Hugh has been a core member of the team campaigning Matthew Stokes’ J133 Blue Jay III in offshore classics such as the Rolex Middle Sea Race and Newport Bermuda Race. Hugh and Sarah, who met while sailing, had their first child in June—Forrest Reginald Hugh Goodday—who they are optimistic will carry on the Goodday family sailing tradition!

Affiliations: Chester Yacht Club, Marlborough Woods Yacht Club (founding member)

ROY F. GREENWALD Cambridge, MA Spouse: Gail Yacht: Valiant 42 Cordelia Station: BOS/BUZ Proposer: Ray Cullum

Roy has been sailing since he was a boy, and achieving a degree in Engineering from MIT only added to his knowledge of the workings of seagoing vessels. In the past 20 years, Roy has sailed Cordelia out of Marion, MA, on 4 Bermuda 1-2 races and on 4 Marion Bermuda races. He made a Pacific crossing starting in Marion, through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica, the Galapagos, Tonga,

Fiji, and ending in Sydney, Australia.

The voyage took 2 ½ years in total, from November 2011 through April 2014, accomplished in segments.

Roy has also completed an Atlantic Circle (Marion to the Azores, Canary Islands, Caribbean and back to Marion), as well as countless passages between Marion and Bermuda, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas. While Roy has made some solo passages, in almost all voyages Roy has sailed doublehanded with his wife Gail, also an engineer and accomplished sailor. Roy brings his knowledge and experience to his role as a Trustee of the Marion Bermuda race, in which he has medalled, and he also serves on the Bermuda 1-2 Organizing Committee.

Affiliations: Blue Water Sailing Club (Past Commodore)

JOHN H. HAMM, JR. Riverview, FL Spouse: Janet Yacht: Hylas 54 RS Split Decision Station: FLA Proposer: Barbara Watson

John’s first experiences sailing were on lakes at summer camps in Wisconsin and Missouri between ages 8 and 13. However, once his family moved to Panama City, FL, when he was 14, he began sailing in earnest at the St. Andrews Bay YC, participating at club racing up and down the Gulf Coast in Flying Scots, as well as sailing in many ‘Scot’ midwinter and national regattas. John was Club

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Commodore at Spring Hill College for 2 years and brought the first intercollegiate sailing trophy home to the college. John’s first boat was a used 10’ Styrofoam Sunfish knockoff, which only survived a couple of years. After college John purchased a Prindle 16’ catamaran which he raced extensively for many years. At the same time, he enjoyed taking out his family’s larger vessels, and crewing and racing on other larger boats. He first skippered a race at age 14, began cruising at age 22, and for several years he and his family chartered in the BVI’s. In 1996 John purchased a Tayana 52, Jazz Time, with the intention of making a circumnavigation with his wife and his children. After extensive preparation, the family set off in 1998, completing the 34,000 mile circumnavigation in 2001. Along the way they encountered a few likeminded CCA members, who were grateful for the assistance the Hamms provided, and who remember Jazz Time as a happy, well-run family boat. The Florida station has enjoyed a narrated video of the Hamm family’s circumnavigation. Since their return, John and family have continued cruising, and he has also taken part in many races. He has skippered Split Decision in 3 races from St Petersburg to Isla Mujeres, as well as in the 2022 Newport Bermuda race.

Affiliations: St Petersburg Yacht Club

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS WALTER C. KEENAN

JENNA MILLER

San Juan, PR Spouse: Susan Yacht: Lyman-Morse 63 Mystery Station: BOS Proposer: Tom Hutton

Seattle, WA Spouse: James Utzschneider Yacht: Lagoon 51’ Catamaran Sophie, 54’ wooden tugboat (1942) Owl Station: PNW Proposer: Joseph Goldberg

Walter is a lifelong sailor, sailing in his first Newport-Bermuda Race in 1982 at age 14. He has completed five Newport Bermuda Races as Skipper or Watch Captain and several Marblehead Halifax races, winning overall in 2007 as skipper of his family’s Frers 49, Acadia. Walter and his wife Susan, herself an accomplished sailor, acquired Mystery in 2022 and sailed her from New England to the Windward Islands via the Chesapeake, down the east coast and through the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the BVIs. From there, Mystery returned to her berth on Fishers Island for summer 2023, with a trip to Penobscot Bay in July and August. In 2024, the plan is for Mystery to return to Maine en route to Nova Scotia and the Bras d’Or Lakes, with a potential extension to Newfoundland if time and weather permit.

Susan and Walter are often joined aboard Mystery by their two adult sons and spend time ashore in San Francisco (Susan’s hometown), New Orleans (Walter’s hometown) and San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Walter has a business.

Affiliations: New York Yacht Club, Fishers Island Yacht Club (past Commodore), St. Francis Yacht Club and Storm Trysail Club.

Jenna Miller began cruising and racing the waters of Puget Sound in 2002. Her first boat was the HallbergRassy 46 Sarita, which she co-owned with her husband Jamie Utzschneider.

After starting out as a novice, Jenna quickly excelled in the sport and was soon skippering Sarita in local races and on cruises to British Columbia and Vancouver Island. After Jamie survived a serious bout with cancer, Jenna and Jamie decided it was time to take off and go cruising, even though their children Leo and Hazel were small. They purchased a 51’ Lagoon 500 catamaran and in 2012 sailed off to the Marquesas via San Diego.

They cruised many islands in the South Pacific and New Zealand and then headed around the north coast of Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

In 2020 the route west from Thailand presented a dilemma—South Africa or the Red Sea? After much research, Jamie and Jenna decided to hire armed guards in the Maldives and do a non-stop passage from there to Egypt. They did not meet any pirates and happily arrived in the Med where they stayed for two years. In 2018 they crossed the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Barbados, then cruised through the islands to Florida and 47

north to New England. In 2020 when Covid limited their cruising options, they sailed non-stop from Florida to Panama and through the Canal.

During their longest passage (4500 miles) from Panama to Hawaii, they crossed their outgoing path to the South Pacific, officially completing their 9-year circumnavigation. Both Jenna and Jamie earned their USCG 100-ton Masters Licenses along the way. Returning to Seattle they bought a live-aboard classic 1942 tugboat, outfitted for cruising by a series of owners. Both Jamie and Jenna have given interesting slide talks to fellow members of the Seattle Yacht Club.

Jenna currently races on a J-105 with an all-women crew. Future plans call for cruising Sophie back to the Caribbean and Owl to Alaska. You can read more of their adventures at https://svsophie.com/ Affiliations: Seattle Yacht Club, the Classic Yacht Association

S ANDERSON NOEL St John’s, NF Spouse: Sheilagh Murphy Yacht: Gulf Star 44 Center Cockpit Sloop Navio Lento Station: BDO Proposer: Bill Bowers

While circling Newfoundland in the summer of 2018, Bill Bowers (BDO) and his brother-in-law Jay Halsted (BOS), aboard Bill’s J-42 ConverJence, broke their DriveSaver just as they arrived at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club. While awaiting parts, they

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS got to know RNYC Rear Commodore Anderson Noel. It was RNYC Race Week, and Anderson invited them to sail aboard his C&C 37 Dora Maar. Both were impressed by his depth of knowledge and leadership abilities, both onboard and ashore.

This should have been no surprise given Anderson’s background. He began sailing at age 5 and has been racing and cruising ever since. Post high school he became a Merchant Mariner and spent 20 years sailing internationally in the Canadian Merchant Navy and Coast Guard. He has his Master Mariner Certificate (STCW Unlimited) and a Marine Engineering License. He has taught advanced navigation and seamanship including celestial navigation. In the 2016 Newport to Bermuda Race, he was Navigator aboard the J133 Bella J. Currently he works as Director of Fleet for Marine Atlantic Inc., the Newfoundland ferry company. He has cruised and raced Dora Maar extensively in Newfoundland waters.

During that pleasant summer week, Bill, Jay, and Anderson hatched the idea for the 2021 CCA/RNYC Newfoundland Cruise. As co-chairs they brought in Erwin Wanderer (BDO) who also became wellacquainted with Anderson and his family. The cruise almost didn’t happen. In January 2020 a severe winter storm seriously damaged the dock, infrastructure, and breakwater at RNYC. Then Covid arrived. As 2021 Commodore, Anderson oversaw the repair of the docks, and the cruise was successfully completed in 2022, allowing many more CCA members to get to know him. In 2019 he traded Dora Maar for a Gulf Star 44 center

cockpit sloop Navio Lento. He has completed an extensive refit and the family plans more distance cruising in the future.

Affiliations: Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club, The Company of Master Mariners of Canada, The Crow’s Nest Officers’ Club Merchant Marine Service: 20 years of service in Canadian Merchant Marine including Coast Guard service.

DAVID C. NUTT Edgecomb, ME Yacht: Bristol 35.5 Nakamal Station: BOS Proposer: Phin Sprague.

in March 2000—David, his late wife Dr. Judy Sandick, and their four children, all under 12 years of age.

They returned in June 2005, having completed over 45,000 miles, and with many adventures under their belts.

In 2010 David followed his father’s footsteps to Greenland in Danza. He found it extremely rewarding, and he has encouraged others to head North. He and Phin had a joyful sail last year on the 135 ft Harvey Gamage, which brought back memories of David’s childhood on his father’s schooner Blue Dolphin.

David is a well-respected member of the Midcoast of Maine sailing community to which he has always given back, and he serves on the local planning board.

RANDOLPH REPASS (RANDY)

David grew up in Maine in a family entrenched in seafaring.

Before David’s birth, his father had spent WWII on the arctic Schooner Bowdoin in Greenland, and many years later David was asked to work on the Bowdoin restoration. At that time, he was finishing building a 38 ft double ender wooden boat named Sopris near Boothbay Harbor. Having made several trips to the Bahamas and Caribbean on Sopris, David sold her and purchased a steel boat which had been dropped in a boatyard, naming her Alsager. David and his family had decided to circumnavigate, so they made a test run to the Caribbean on Alsager but were dissatisfied with her performance. They then purchased Danza, a steel sistership to Chay Blyth’s original British Steel.

After a refit in Maine, they set off

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Watsonville, CA Spouse: Sally-Christine Rodgers Yacht: Wylie 65 Convergence, Santa Cruz 40 ProMotion, 42’ lobster yacht Explorer Station: SAF Proposer: Stan Honey

When Randy Repass was 7, his family bought a retired Brown Tech 10ft dinghy and the family learned to sail together. Then they cruised a series of sailboats in New England and Maine. Randy earned his engineering degree at Duke and moved to the SF Bay Area. He convinced his father, co-founder of New England Ropes, to let him sell their rope from his

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS garage. Frustrated by his experiences buying boat parts to upgrade his FJ, he expanded selection and opened a marine store in Palo Alto. Blessed with a hard-working, talented crew, the rest is history. West Marine was sold in 2017. Good fortune allowed Sally-Christine and Randy to create a foundation with a marine conservation mission. They own ProMotion, a Santa Cruz 40 (raced to Hawaii in the West Marine Pacific Cup and to Mexico) and Explorer, a 42’ lobster yacht (which they cruised extensively in the Pacific NW). In 2004 Randy and Sally-Christine launched their Wylie 65 cat-ketch Convergence, built for fast and comfortable distance cruising. They and son Kent-Harris began a “few months a year” circumnavigation in 2004, often with friends aboard, sailing from Santa Cruz, CA, through the South Pacific to New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania—Sally-Christine as Admiral, Randy as Skipper/Engineer, and son Kent-Harris as first mate.

Early in 2011 Randy and 2 friends transited from Thailand to Turkey, via the Maldives and the Suez Canal, visiting 5 countries in 5 weeks and sailing 5,000 miles. After 6 years cruising the Med, they crossed from the Canary Islands via Bermuda to Newport, Marion, Maine, and Nova Scotia. In the winters of 2018-2020, they sailed to the Eastern Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, and north to Mexico. Convergence is now in San Diego, but instead of sailing north to complete the circumnavigation, they plan to join the Baja Ha-Ha back to Mexico this winter, closing the loop later.

Affiliations: St. Francis Yacht Club, Santa Cruz Yacht Club, Musket Cove YC

CAPT. THEODORE (TED) L. RICE Westerly, RI Spouse: Shan Station: BOS Proposer: Janet Garnier

between France and Gran Canaria and then on to St. Lucia. Shan and Ted then sailed North Star to Antigua before taking on more crew for the return to RI in March 2018. Ted has since assisted friends in their deliveries up and down the coast, and he completed one last Maine passage on North Star prior to selling her in 2020.

STEVE RICHARDS Green Cove Springs, FL Spouse: Angela Yacht: Hylas 56 Stellina Station: BOS Proposer: Steve Berlack

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1966, with nuclear power and submarine training, Ted served in two nuclear attack submarines and three nuclear ballistic submarines for a total of 16 deployments to the Mediterranean and North Atlantic.

He served as Navigator, Executive Officer, and finally as Commander of the USS George C. Marshall deployed to the North Atlantic. During his more than 25 years of service, Ted sailed a 30-year-old 25’ wooden sloop around his home waters of Noank, CT, as well as a 9 meter sloop which he kept in the Chesapeake until 2007. Due to an unreliable outboard engine on this vessel, Ted gained much experience in sailing alone with a 3 year-old daughter and no engine! In 2008 Ted purchased the storied vessel North Star, a 38’ Shannon Pilothouse Cutter, and delivered her from VA to RI. His intention was eventually to cross the Atlantic on her, so during the next few years he made several passages on North Star from RI down east to Maine and south to Vero Beach, FL. Finally, in June 2014, Ted and his crew, including Shan, set off for Poole, UK, from where they sailed on to the Channel Islands and France. They completed the return in segments over a period of four years, making passage

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Steve started sailing in summer camp as a child in Massachusetts and always enjoyed it. The happy memories got him back into sailing as an adult, and at age 45 he bought his first boat, a Nonsuch 30. In 2015, two days after their retirement from the pharmaceutical industry, Steve and Angela headed south to the Bahamas on Stellina, which they had acquired in 2009. They have now become liveaboards who regularly travel the eastern seaboard to the Caribbean.

They have logged over 40,000 nm in the process. En route, they contribute knowledge and assistance to community and island nation charities, notably in Sint Maarten and Bequia-Grenadines. They maintain detailed spreadsheets of contact information by harbors they visit, initially as a method of keeping track of customs and immigration nuances for their dog, Guinness. Their records

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS grew into an extensive database for cruising in the Caribbean and were readily shared with fellow members of the New York Yacht Club. The Seamanship Committee of NYYC then asked if it could be presented at their “Sailing in the Caribbean” program.

While Steve and Angela were unable to make the presentation themselves due to communication issues in the Caribbean, the information was presented and made available to all NYYC members.

As liveaboards the couple have become proficient in offshore navigation techniques, weather forecasting and interpretation, and in the ongoing repair and maintenance required to maintain Stellina in its Bristol fashion. Their database also provides a list of service and parts providers throughout the eastern Caribbean and spots along the Atlantic seaboard.

Affiliations: New York Yacht Club, Sint Maarten Yacht Club, Ocean Cruising Club

ADAM SEAMANS Seattle, WA Spouse: Lorna Yacht: Heritage 20’ sloop, Drummer Station: PNW Proposer: Gary Meisner

Adam Seamans’ life fits the CCA motto “Making Adventurous Use of the Sea.” From infancy to adulthood he sailed on family boats including Viva, a Tartan 41 owned by his grandfather

Robert C Seamans, Jr. (BOS). Adam was active in the junior program at Manchester YC in Massachusetts and sailed on several CCA members’ boats.

Steve Loutrel (BOS) fondly remembers taking him aboard Adelie on a sailing, exploring, and climbing expedition to Northern Labrador in 1996. Adam graduated from Maine Maritime Academy where he was on the sailing team. Working as a Mariner he earned his USCG Unlimited Masters License. He was the Captain of Knorr and Atlantis at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Sikuliaq at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

After some difficult solo qualifying passages, including a mid-Atlantic dismasting, Adam sailed his Class 6.5 (21’) boat USA 175 in the 2003 Mini-Transat single-handed race from France to Brazil. All of his fellow racers had their boats shipped home, but Adam solo-sailed his from Brazil to the US. Other examples of Adam’s maritime adventures are skippering in the 1999 Marblehead to Halifax Race, crewing in the 2006 Bermuda Race and cruising the Norwegian coast doublehanded on a 20’ open catamaran, camping on the trampoline at night.

Since 2019 Adam has been a Puget Sound Maritime Pilot. Adam and his wife Lorna, who is a USCG Unlimited Third Mate, have introduced their son Winslow to the sailing life.

When a friend recently bought Yak, a Class 40, in France, the two fathers and their four children (ages 11 to 4) sailed it from Caen to Brest. In 2022 Adam was aboard Yak for a doublehanded passage through the Bahamas to Georgia. The family cruises each summer in the Pacific NW aboard their 20’ sloop, Drummer. When career and family responsibilities allow, Adam will certainly be adding more sea adventures to his resume.

Affiliations: Manchester Yacht Club

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EDWARD SITVER Pawcatuck, CT Yacht: J/42 Sloop Ventus Station: BOS Proposer: Bill Bowers

Ed decided to take sailing lessons in the winter of 2016 and acquired his J/42 in late 2017. He has since enjoyed the invaluable support of the very active J/4X Owner’s Group, as well as the sailing community at large.

He has become a regular contributor to the Group as he gains personal experience with the maintenance and improvement of Ventus. While Ed does enjoy cruising with friends and fellow sailors, his active schedule means he is typically cruising single-handed. He is considering a transatlantic for 2024 or 2025. However, if he is unable to roust an able-bodied crew for a Viking Route crossing, he is considering a single-handed trip via the Azores.

Ed strives to keep Ventus a safe and efficient passage-maker, and to that end he has made many improvements to her since 2017. Many of his projects have focused on ease of single and short-handed sailing for harbor hopping, such as two-line reefing from the cockpit and installation of dual autopilots. In the span of 6 years, Ed has logged over 10,000 nm, increasing his self-reliance in sailing and in managing and maintaining his boat.

In addition to Ventus passages, Ed has made several offshore passages aboard a variety of boats, including the Newport Bermuda and Marblehead to Halifax races, as

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS well as deliveries from Hawaii to San Francisco, Bahamas to Mystic, CT, and from St Augustine, FL, to the Azores, via Bermuda.

Ed was a guest on the CCA/ RNYC cruise in 2022 and helped with planning by compiling the spreadsheet of relevant links and data sources for the cruise. Ed singlehanded during the 2-week cruise, demonstrating his boat handling abilities in blustery Newfoundland.

Ed is looking forward to becoming an active contributor to the CCA.

JAMES UTZSCHNEIDER (JAMIE) Seattle, WA Spouse: Jenna Miller Yacht: 51’Lagoon 500 Catamaran Sophie, 54’wooden tugboat Owl (1942) Station: PNW Proposer: Joseph Goldberg

Jamie Utzschneider grew up in sailing, cruising annually in New England and in the Maritime Provinces of Canada out of Newport, Rhode Island. After moving to Seattle for his career in software, Jamie sailed the Catalina 36 Escapade and then the Hallberg-Rassy 46 Sarita up and down the Salish Sea, including a passage to Glacier Bay Alaska, with stops at Haida Gwaii and the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Jamie had always dreamed of distance cruising and luckily found a partner in his wife Jenna who shared that dream. After Jamie survived a serious bout with

cancer, they decided it was time to go, even though their children Leo and Hazel were small. They purchased a 51’ Lagoon 500 catamaran and in 2012 sailed off to the Marquesas via San Diego. They cruised many islands in the South Pacific and New Zealand and then headed around the north coast of Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. In 2020 the route west from Thailand presented a dilemma—South Africa or the Red Sea? After much research Jamie and Jenna decided to hire armed guards in the Maldives and do a non-stop passage from there to Egypt. They did not meet any pirates and happily arrived in the Med where they stayed for two years.

In 2018 they crossed the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Barbados, then cruised through the islands to Florida and north to New England. In 2020 when Covid limited their cruising options, they sailed non-stop from Florida to Panama and through the Canal. During their longest passage (4500 miles) from Panama to Hawaii, they crossed their outgoing path to the South Pacific, officially completing their 9-year circumnavigation. Both Jamie and Jenna earned their USCG 100-ton Masters Licenses along the way. Returning to Seattle they bought a live-aboard classic 1942 tugboat, outfitted for cruising by a series of owners. Both Jamie and Jenna have given interesting slide talks to fellow members of Seattle Yacht Club, and Jamie is currently the club Race Committee Chairman. Future plans call for cruising Sophie back to the Caribbean and Owl to Alaska. You can read more of their adventures at https://svsophie.com/.

Affiliations: Seattle Yacht Club, the Classic Yacht Association

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There are copies available of this 1987 authoritative book by the CCA Technical Committee, edited by CCA member John Rousmaniere, online through Amazon and AbeBooks. The book contains classic chapters on stability and design that are relevant today and should be studied by sailors who race and cruise in the ocean.

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

Cruising Club of America Phil Dickey, Chief Editor 298 Winslow Way W. Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

CCA Calendar of Events

Deadline for Spring Issue is March 15, 2024

2024

February 29-Mar 1 March 9 May 3-12 June 21 August October 17-19

CCA Annual Meeting/Awards Dinner, NYYC CCA/NYYC Antigua Cruise Sea of Cortez Cruise Newport Bermuda Race Downeast Maine Cruise Fall Meeting, Chesapeake Station, Annapolis MD

2025

March March June July September September

CCA Annual Meeting/Awards Dinner NYYC TBD Caribbean Cruise Transatlantic Cruise In Company, Newport to Scotland Scotland Western Islands Cruise Fall Meeting, Pacific Northwest Sation, Bellingham, Washington 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.