Cruising Club of America celebrates 2015 award winners at annual dinner
Members of the Cruising Club of America (CCA) from across the globe assembled at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan to recognize their outstanding sailors of 2015 during the international organization’s Annual Awards Dinner on March 4, 2016.
Representing a broad array of sailing achievements, the recipients of the 2015 Blue Water Medal, the Blue Water Medal “Without Date,” Far Horizons Award, Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship and the Richard S. Nye Trophy were celebrated for their accomplishments.
The CCA presented British sailors Tom and Vicky Jackson its 2015 Blue Water medal, established in 1923 to recognize examples of meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the seas. The Jacksons have an extensive racing and cruising spanning over more than 34 years aboard their 40’ Sparkman & Stephens-designed Sunstone.
The CCA presented Jon Sanders of Perth, Australia, its Blue Water medal “Without Date.” The medal recognizes examples of meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the seas and has only been awarded seven times to recognize a variety of achievements. Sanders has made nine circumnavigations – eight of them solo, including a single “three times around” voyage, and one crewed – and has made a lifetime of significant contributions to sailing.
The 2015 Far Horizons award was presented to Kaspar and Trisha Schibli, of Victoria, British Columbia, in recognition of their extensive offshore cruising, especially their current multi-ocean cruise.
The 2015 Richard S. Nye trophy was presented to John E. Sanford of Tiburon, Calif., for meritorious service to the CCA and the San Francisco Station over a period of 34 years.
The 2015 Rod Stephens trophy for Outstanding Seamanship was presented to Canadian cruisers George Juri and Grit Chiu for their lifesaving rescue in critical conditions of a man found floating offshore who had been in the water for four days following the sinking of a work barge off Phuket.
