Cruising Club of America: Solo Circumnavigator Awarded Blue Water Medal
The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has announced its 2023 award winners, with the prestigious Blue Water Medal going to Kirsten Neuschäfer of South Africa in recognition of the tremendous effort, determination and skill she exhibited during her 235-day solo circumnavigation in the 2022-2023 Golden Globe Race.
Published 8 months ago
Source: Cruising Club of America
The recipients of five awards announced by the CCA, honor sailors for completing circumnavigations and other rigorous passages, as well as for exemplary innovation, contribution to the sailing community, and service to the Club itself.
Blue Water Medal
Kirsten Neuschäfer, of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, receives the Blue Water Medal for 2023 in recognition of the tremendous effort, determination, and skill she exhibited during her 235-day solo circumnavigation in Minnehaha, her Cape George 36 sailboat.
Out of 17 starters, Kirsten was first among only three finishers of the Golden Globe Race, which is a singlehanded race around the world that limits competitors to using sailboats and technology available when the first race was held, in 1968. As one example of her determination, while crossing the Southern Ocean, Neuschäfer spent several hours in the water below her boat, scraping sharp, speed-robbing barnacles off the bottom.
In announcing the award, the CCA said “In her comprehensive preparation for the race and determined persistence throughout the eight-month marathon, Neuschäfer clearly demonstrated she belongs on the distinguished list of previous medalists including the two previous Golden Globe winners Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. She also takes her place alongside other solo circumnavigators including Sir Francis Chichester and Bernard Moitessier. ”
Young Voyager Award
Max Campbell, of Falmouth, UK, is the recipient of the 2023 Young Voyager Award which recognizes a young sailor who has made one or more exceptional voyages.
Campbell set sail eight years ago, at age 20, on a 22-foot wooden sailboat. Today, despite personal disasters and Covid lockdowns, he is halfway around the world aboard his 37-foot Swan Elixir—an accomplished sailor, writer, and social media star.
Announcing the award, CCA Commodore Chris Otorowski said, “Max’s achievements are a perfect example of the spirit within the CCA where we find fulfillment in ‘exploring’ the oceans and our own inner-limits aboard small boats at sea.
Diana Russell Award
Paul G. Bieker, of Anacortes, Washington has been chosen to receive the 2023 Diana Russell Award which goes to a club member in recognition of innovation in sailing design, methodology, education, training, safety, and the adventurous use of the sea, with a focus on recipients whose accomplishments deserve recognition by the CCA.
Bieker is a yacht designer and boatbuilder with a degree in naval architecture. He has 30 boat designs to his credit starting with a series of immediately successful International 14 skiffs. His development of small hydrofoils for the 14s led to being recruited to work on foil design and structures in several America’s Cup campaigns optimizing IACC monohulls and semi-foiling and foiling multihulls.
CCA Awards Chairman Steve James, said, “The CCA is proud to recognize our member, Paul Bieker. Paul’s foil designs and developments are the leading edge of our sport. With them he continues to advance sailing and the adventurous use of the sea in remarkable ways.”
Far Horizons Award
Maxwell A. Fletcher, of Orr’s Island, Maine, is the winner of the CCA’s premier sailing award for a member, the Far Horizons Award for 2023. This award recognizes the sailing achievements of a member who has embarked upon a cruise or series of cruises that demonstrate the broader objectives of the Club including the adventurous use of the sea.
Fletcher has been sailing with his family since childhood, so he had his eyes set on the horizon from a young age and with his wife Lynnie, he has made four Atlantic crossings and cruised throughout Europe.
Among many adventurous passages, Fletcher made a 52-day double-handed voyage, in 1985, aboard his Westsail 32 when he sailed eastward from New Zealand, around Cape Horn, to the Falkland Islands. The trip included surviving a knockdown well past horizontal and a 60-hour stretch of hand-steering under bare poles, covering 130 miles per day.
Richard S. Nye Award
Ralph J. Naranjo, of Annapolis, Maryland, has been selected as the recipient of the Richard S. Nye Award for 2023 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Cruising Club of America and the international sailing community.
Naranjo is well known in the yachting community for his safety-at-sea and seamanship knowledge, instruction, and leadership. Ror many years he was the Vanderstar Chair, managing the sailing program for the US Naval Academy midshipmen.
He is also a past chair of US Sailing’s Safety and Seamanship Committee and has led countless safety-at-sea seminars. Naranjo earned his credentials in a variety of ways including sailing around the world (and writing a book about it, Wind Shadow West), and managing a full-service boatyard (another book titled Boatyards & Marinas followed. Naranjo’s best-known book, The Art of Seamanship, was published in 2014 and is a go-to reference on the collective skills required of blue water sailors.
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About the Awards
The Blue Water Medal was originated by the founding members of the Cruising Club of America (CCA) and first awarded to Alain J. Gerbault 100 years ago. It has been given almost every year since to “reward examples of meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the sea, displayed by amateur sailors of all nationalities…”
The CCA Young Voyager Award is a prestigious recognition that celebrates the spirit of adventure and seamanship. The award is given to young sailors who have demonstrated exceptional skills and courage in their voyages.
The Diana Russell Award is named for one of the first three women to join the CCA. Russell optimized designs under the IOR handicap rule for Sparkman & Stephens and later became president of the design think tank named WingSystems.
The Far Horizons Award recognizes the sailing achievements of a CCA member who has embarked upon a cruise or series of cruises that demonstrate the broader objectives of the Club including the adventurous use of the sea.
The Richard S. Nye Award was established in honor of the late CCA Commodore and is presented annually to an individual who has “brought distinction to the Club by meritorious service, outstanding seamanship, outstanding performance in long distance cruising or racing, or statesmanship in affairs of international yachting
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Related to the following Cruising Resources: Circumnavigation, Cruising Information, Cruising Organisations
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