I describe my home port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as the unofficial waterway capital of the world. In fact, many of the boaters with whom I belly up to bars here are fair-weather cruisers like me, quite content hanging around the shallows, where boating tends to be more comfortable, safe and manageable for our children. 

Great pleasure can be had with that type of boating, which is vastly different from the bold offshore endeavors some of our readers undertake. I’m basically playing in the kiddie pool, which is fine, though sometimes it feels like a waste of a perfectly good ocean. Sure, I’ve also enjoyed every drip of some salty offshore legs. They’ve made for some of my most vivid and fulfilling memories on the water. Still, like many of you, I’ve yet to cross an ocean under sail, and a circumnavigation is more a fantasy than a reality. 

Where I’m lucky is that I can embrace my role of helping make the truly adventurous stories come to life within the pages of Cruising World. I can’t imagine the sense of pride and achievement (and relief) that comes with catching that first glimpse of land on the other side of an ocean, or from crossing one’s wake after circling the globe, but I can read and dream about it. 

Cruisers are an adventure-oriented breed. A lust for open water and a healthy respect for Mother Nature run thick in our DNA. Our happy place is any lat/lon where the sea reveals its serene beauty and formidable power. The allure of offshore sailing lies in its ability to transport us to uncharted waters, literally and metaphorically. As we cast off lines and bid farewell to familiar shores, we embark on a transformative journey where self-reliance and resilience become our trusted companions. Each voyage is a unique story, etched with the imprints of challenges overcome, camaraderie forged and dreams realized.

One of the most profound lessons we learn at sea is humility. The vastness of the ocean humbles us, reminding us of our insignificance in the grand scheme of nature. This humility is what drives us to become better sailors, better stewards of the sea. It fuels our thirst for knowledge and our relentless pursuit of skills that can mean the difference between life and death in the unpredictable theater of the deep.

In our sport, safety and preparedness are paramount. We pursue mastery of navigation, where technology and tradition coexist to guide us safely through the labyrinth of currents and weather patterns. We stress the importance of proper maintenance and equipment checks, where vigilant attention to the smallest details can prevent catastrophe. We also learn from stories of survival, where sailors confronted the harshest of conditions and emerged as stronger, wiser mariners. 

Safety at sea is also about the profound connection we share with our fellow sailors. The bonds formed at sea are unique, born out of shared challenges, triumphs and the understanding that we are one another’s lifelines. To that effect, I’m drawn to the stories told by fellow sailors who are out there—many of them way off the grid—facing those challenges and experiencing those triumphs every day. For a shining example of this spirit of camaraderie, look no further than Cruising Club of America member Steve Brown, a venerable skipper who knows a thing or two about heavy weather. Throughout his sailing career, Brown and his wife, Trish, took on a four-year circumnavigation aboard their Oyster 56, Curious, sailed a 30,000-mile circumnavigation of the Americas—sailing north from Camden, Maine, and then an east-to-west transit of the Northwest Passage—and spent more than his fair share of time in the Southern Ocean. 

Brown is up for debating the superlatively inhospitable places on Earth. Along the way, there’s been brash ice and icebergs, rogue waves and drogues, penguins and polar bears. He’s a sailor who’s had the real-life experience of switching from gale-force storm management to survival tactics after conditions transcend control—just the kind of expert you want to lean in to for heavy weather sailing strategies that may save your life. And the recent story about how he managed to lift up a battle-weary crew in the harshest of elements off Antarctica is a must-read.

If you’re like me, perhaps you’ve recently developed an itch to leave the shallows once more, to let your mind wander and wonder about aspiring to that next tier. I’m all for it but with one caveat: Know your limits. With great adventure comes great responsibility.

The post Leaving the Shallows appeared first on Cruising World.

In its annual affair, the Cruising Club of America has announced the recipients of five awards honoring sailors for completing circumnavigations and other rigorous bluewater passages, as well as for exemplary innovation, contribution to the sailing community, and service to the club itself. Headlining this year’s winners list is Kirsten Neuschäfer, who sailed into the record books in her victory in the 2022-23 Golden Globe solo round-the-world race. She became the first woman to complete the Golden Globe Race; the first woman to win it; the first South African sailor to win a nonstop, unassisted round-the-world event; and the first woman to win any round-the-world race, including solo and fully crewed races, nonstop or with stops. The Blue Water Medal winner and other awards for adventurous use of the seas has taken place nearly every year since the CCA was founded in 1923. Here are this year’s award recipients.    

Blue Water Medal: Kirsten Neuschäfer

Kirsten Neuschäfer of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, received 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, she 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.   

The Blue Water Medal was originated by the founding members of the Cruising Club of America 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…” 

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

The CCA named Max Campbell, of Falmouth, UK, as the recipient of the 2023 Young Voyager Award. The award 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, halfway around the world aboard his 37-foot Swan Elixir, he’s an accomplished sailor, writer and social media star. 

The CCA Young Voyager Award is a prestigious recognition that celebrates the spirit of adventure and seamanship. The award is historically given to young sailors who have demonstrated exceptional skills and courage in their voyages. Campbell’s early adventuring took him across the Atlantic twice, singlehanded, and on the first trip he had a galley fire, which he barely survived. In announcing this year’s winner, 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 Bieker

The CCA named Paul G. Bieker, of Anacortes, Washington, as the recipient of the 2023 Diana Russell Award. The award 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. The award is named for one of the first three women to join the CCA—Diana Russell optimized designs under the IOR handicap rule for Sparkman & Stephens and later became president of the design think tank named WingSystems.   

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. His efforts helped win two America’s Cups (2010 and 2013), and he is now recognized as one of the world’s foremost foiling-boat designers. Bieker has developed everything from surfboard foils to International Moth and 14 classes, America’s Cup boat structures and foils, Sail GP’s 50-foot foiling cats, and foiling powerboat and foiling ferryboat projects.   

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 Fletcher

The CCA chose Maxwell A. Fletcher, of Orr’s Island, Maine, to be the winner of the club’s premier sailing award for a member for 2023: The Far Horizons 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 Naranjo

Ralph J. Naranjo, of Annapolis, Maryland, was selected as the recipient of the Richard S. Nye Award for 2023 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the CCA and the international sailing community. The Nye Award, established in honor of the late CCA Commodore, 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…”   
Naranjo is well known in the yachting community for his safety-at-sea and seamanship knowledge, instruction and leadership. He was for many years the Vanderstar Chair, supervising 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 bluewater sailors.

The post Kirsten Neuschäfer Named CCA 2023 Blue Water Medal Winner appeared first on Cruising World.

“Well, troops, I think we may have a problem up here,” my dad said, cinching his foulies a bit tighter around his wrists and neck. 

It was just after dawn when he peered down the hatch to my mom and me, deep in the warmth of the cozy salon. We were halfway down the Eastern Seaboard, heading to warm Florida waters.

Dad had hoped to cast off lines early for the next leg of adventure on our Hunter 31, Ragtime. Things obviously weren’t going according to plan. Twenty-one-year-old me sprang into action, joining him topside. 

Late the night before, we had puttered to the sleepy sea town of Coinjock, North Carolina, which had already shut down for the night. There wasn’t a soul about. And with no response to our calls to the marina, we decided to tie up to the public dock across the channel, fire up the gas stove to heat up a can of beef stew, and call it a night. 

As we lay nestled in our bunks, lulled by the gentle rocking of the waves, a chill settled upon Ragtime. By morning, temperatures had dropped to freezing, encasing our world in a frosty embrace. Winter had caught up with us, a fact that was finger-numbingly clear to my father as he assessed the situation. 

“It’s all frozen,” he said with a hint of a smile that he would flash my way anytime things were going sideways. If my dad has one talent when it comes to running a boat, it’s his ability to find humor in any stressful situation. 

“The dock lines, the hose—they’re frozen solid,” he said. “Here, see if you can make a dent in it. I’ll go down and put on a kettle. We’re going to need a warm cup of tea.” 

If you’ve never tried coiling a frozen dock line, I highly recommend giving it a whirl, if for no other reason than because an occasional dose of humility is good for the soul. We carefully tended to the frozen elements, coaxing life back into them, and finally managing to pry our lines and hose free from the dock. 

As we sailed farther south, the frost melted away, replaced by the gentle touch of a kinder climate. The sensation of thawing in the atmosphere and within ourselves reminded us of the transformative power of nature, where winter gives way to spring and hardships give way to growth.

Decades later, I don’t remember all the events of that expedition, but I’ll always recall our “Coinjock surprise” when it comes time to prepare for the annual migration south. This transit is a rite of passage for many boaters with home ports in the Northeast. If you’re among them, I imagine you have filed away several memorable moments of your own. If you’re considering undertaking the adventure in the future, author and photographer David Lyman’s “Three Ways South,” in which three veteran cruisers weigh in on three popular fall routes from the US East Coast to the islands, should be recommended reading.

As you prepare to leave familiar shores behind and set sail toward the southern horizon, remember to approach the journey with a blend of excitement, caution, and respect for the sea. Most of all, enjoy the ride. While reaching your destination is undoubtedly important, it’s also key to relish the journey itself. Take time to savor each moment, whether it’s the thrill of catching a favorable wind, witnessing a stunning sunset or forging lasting memories with your crew.

And by all means, embrace the unexpected. Unplanned moments often create the most enduring memories, especially the ones served with a side of frost.

The post Cool Memories of Sailing South appeared first on Cruising World.