Writing awards presented in Miami

MIAMI – A number of publications and writers were recognized for excellence in marine writing at various events throughout the 2006 Miami International Boat Show.

Farnham Award
Darrell Nicholson was honored by the Boat Owners Association of the United States Friday with the 2005 Moulton H. “Monk” Farnham Award for Excellence in Editorial Commentary.

Michael Sciulla, BoatU.S. senior vice president recognized Nicholson for his editorial column, “From the Helm,” in Offshore magazine at the annual meeting of Boating Writers International during MIBS.

Established in 1996 by BoatU.S. in memory of former chairman of the BoatU.S. National Advisory Council Farnham, the award recognizes editors of boating and fishing magazines who have a passion for boating, a crusading spirit and a willingness to use their editorial page to lead the debate on issues facing the recreational boating community and marine industry. The award includes a trophy depicting a quill pen drawing inspirational “ink” from a series of rolling waves as well as a check for $1,000.

BWI writing contest
Top marine journalists were recognized Friday in an annual writing contest conducted by the membership of Boating Writers International. There were 14 contest categories and $14,000 in awards. All winners move into a “Phase II” competition which culminates in a single selection honored with the West Marine Writer’s Award and a $5,000 grand prize at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show next October.

Boating Columns
1st place, “From the Helm” by Darrell Nicholson (Offshore magazine); 2nd place, “Under Way” by Bill Sisson (Soundings); 3rd place, “Off the Charts” by Wendy Mitman Clarke (Chesapeake Bay magazine).

Boating Lifestyles
1st place, “Fathers and Daughters” by Herb McCormick (Cruising World, December); 2nd place, “Water Work” by Katie and Gene Hamilton (Power Cruising magazine, May/June); 3rd place, “A Century of Sailing” by Douglas Campbell (Soundings, October).

Boating Profiles
1st place, “The World is Their Kingdom” by Cindy Christian Rogers (Good Old Boat magazine, July/August); 2nd, “The Monster Man Returns” by Tom Rock (Salt Water Sportsman, October); 3rd, “Welcome to New Jersey” by Eric Colby (Boating magazine, February).

Boating Travel or Destinations
1st, “Sailing Beyond Bali” by Lisa Gosselin (Islands magazine, September/October & November); 2nd, “The Natural” by Wendy Mitman Clarke (Chesapeake Bay magazine, June); 3rd, “One Last Run?” by Paul Clancy (Chesapeake Bay magazine, August).

Boat/Engine Care and Maintenance
1st, “The Rinse-off” by Frank Lanier (Chesapeake Bay magazine, April); 2nd, “Pantyhose, Sawdust and Other Boating Essentials” by Lenny Rudow (Texas Fish & Game, November); 3rd, “Tips from a Boater’s Bag of Tricks” by Tom Neale (Soundings, February).

Electronics
1st, “Charting the Way Forward” by Nigel Calder (Ocean Navigator magazine, May/June); 2nd, “Bath Time” by Lenny Rudow (Boating magazine, December); 3rd, “Ensuring an Ever-Ready EPIRB” by Steve D’Antonio (Ocean Voyager).

Ethics and Environment
1st, “Understanding the Science Behind Tsunamis” by Douglas Campbell (Soundings, March); 2nd, “State of Our Bay, A Whole New Oyster” by Joel McCord (Chesapeake Bay magazine, July); 3rd, ” Leaving a Clean Wake” by David Allester and Eileen Quinn (Canadian Yachting magazine, June).

Fishing
1st, “Invasion of the Red Demons” by Doug Olander (Sport Fishing magazine, November/December); 2nd, “Stalking the Phantom” by Ron Eldridge (Sport Fishing magazine, February); 3rd, “Makos on the Mount” by Ron Ballanti (Pacific Coast Sportfishing, July).

Consumer Issues, News and Analysis
1st, “Hurricane Katrina” by Jim Flannery (Soundings, November); 2nd, “Trigger Happy” by Rich Beattie (Boating magazine, July); 3rd, “Katrina vs. the Superyachts” by Shaw McCutcheon (Yachting magazine, November).

The Business of Boating
1st , “Pure Artistry” by Ken Textor (Offshore magazine, March); 2nd , “Covering the Waterfront” by Michael Verdon (International Boat Industry, November); 3rd, “The Boomer Bubble” by JoAnn Goddard (Soundings Trade Only, May).

Seamanship, Rescue & Safety
1st place, “Gulf Stream Gales” by Douglas Campbell (Soundings, August & September); 2nd, “80-Year-Old Survives 18 Hours in the Water” by Jim Flannery (Soundings, July); 3rd, “This Man Wants to Save Your Boat” by Ted West (Boating magazine, April).

Technical Writing
1st, “How To Be A Hero At The Docks” by Tom Neale (Soundings, August); 2nd, “Oil In The Gas” by Charles Plueddeman (Boating magazine, February); 3rd, “The Wheel Thing” by Peter Nielsen (BoatWorks magazine, Spring).

Boat Tests
1st, “The Boat to Beat” by Josh Adams (Sail magazine, May); 2nd, “You Can Go Home Again” by Captain Bill Pike (Power & Motor Yacht magazine, June); 3rd, “Iron City” by Lenny Rudow (Boating magazine, November).

Gear, Electronics and Product Tests
1st, “Bad News, Good News” by Don Sherman (Boating, August); 2nd, “Avoiding Collisions” by Chuck Husick (Yachting, June); 3rd, “And… Action” by Robert Stephens (Boating Life, July/August).

Southam Awards
Sail America gave out its 2005 John Southam Awards for Excellence in Media Communications at the Strictly Sail breakfast at MIBS Thursday. The awards, named for former publisher of Cruising World and Sailing World magazines John Southam, had a record-breaking number of media impressions, totaling 76,200,417, generated by 2005 contest submissions. Several entry categories broke new records including the magazine, online media/websites and expanded outlets.

Joyce Harvey won the grand prize in the newspapers over 100,000 circulation category for her article, “Families Can Learn to Sail on Any Budget.” Her award-winning entry was an article that clearly explained various methods that consumers could take to learn more about and get involved in sailing. She packaged the story with a stock photograph of a small cruising sailboat and sent it to hundreds of newspapers. As of December 2005, more than 67 newspapers across the United States had published the piece, reaching nearly 2.5 million readers in print alone, not including online/website postings.

J.J. and Peter Isler won in the magazine category for a piece entitled, “Sail Away,” which ran in Cooking Light. Bill Sargent won in the newspapers under 100,000 circulation category for his article, “Small Boat Day: An Intro to Sailing,” which ran in Florida Today. John Glynn was selected as the winner in the column category for “On the Water,” which runs regularly in the Greenwich Times newspaper. The Boston Sailing Center won for the online/websites category with bostonsailingcenter.com. John Vigor won in the expanded outlets category for his book, “Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started Sailing.”

The judges also recognized Gary Jobson of Jobson Sailing Films in partnership with Sunsail Sailing Vacations, for a special commendation award for the documentary-style DVD production entitled, “Paradise Found: Sailing the BVI.”

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