For Immediate Release

Contact:
Daria Blackwell Skype: Daria.Blackwell
Rear Commodore +353 87 954 2514
OCC Press Officer PR@oceancruisingclub.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The OCC Announces Awards for 2018

Dartmouth, Devon, UK, 5 February 2019 – The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC), the Worldwide
Community for Adventure Sailing since 1954, has announced the recipients of awards that
recognize achievements in blue water sailing over the past 18 months.

Commodore Anne Hammick noted, “The OCC awards recognise many different types of cruising
achievement. Some are open to all sailors, while others are restricted to OCC members – among
the most adventurous blue water cruisers worldwide. This year we are delighted to honour sailors
from several continents, reflecting the global nature of our membership. On behalf of the OCC Flag
Officers, Committee and Members, I extend my sincere congratulations to all the remarkable
winners for 2018.”

The Club’s premier award, the OCC Barton Cup, named after OCC founder Humphrey Barton, goes
to Australian member BILL HATFIELD, s/v L‘EAU COMMOTION, for his recently-completed
westabout single-handed circumnavigation, which included a particularly difficult and protracted
passage around Cape Horn.

His voyage took him south of the Great Capes, with just one stop in the Falkland Islands after
sustaining damage to rig and steering. His storm-damaged rig seriously slowed his progress to
windward and yet he persevered for weeks in the frigid waters of Drake’s Passage before steering
failure led to a retreat to Port Stanley for repairs. That was not the first time that Bill had made the
Falkland retreat as he had been forced to do the same in the voyage that led to him winning the
OCC Australian Award in 2016. With his boat repaired, Bill left Stanley to complete a less eventful,
late season, rounding of Cape Horn and a passage across the Pacific to end his circumnavigation in
Sydney.

Aged 79, Bill Hatfield arrived at Southport Yacht Club on Monday 10th September 2018 after
spending 414 days at sea, becoming the oldest solo sailor to circumnavigate the world west-about.
Bill’s ambition and determination would be remarkable at any age but is extraordinary for someone
in his late 70s. Every twist and turn of his epic voyage is told in his beautifully written blog.

Blog: https://www.sailblogs.com/member/leaucommotion/407102/

The OCC Lifetime Cruising Award is awarded to LIN PARDEY (a member since 1977) and her
husband LARRY (non-member), for their 50 plus years of ocean cruising, two engineless
circumnavigations, and inspirational books and DVDs.
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Among the world’s best-known and most experienced cruising sailors, having covered more than
200,000 miles at sea, the Pardeys have inspired countless thousands of others to embrace cruising
as a lifestyle. By the time they met in 1965, aged 21 and 26, Larry was already an experienced blue
water sailor, but it was a new world for Lin. . Almost immediately they set to work to build their
engineless 24ft 7in cutter SERAFFYN to a design by Lyle Hess, launching her in October 1968. They
left California with two guiding principles: They would keep going “as long as it’s fun”, and they
would “go small, go simple, go now.”

Over the following eleven years they sailed SERAFFYN some 45,000 miles on a slow eastabout
circumnavigation which included a detour to the Baltic, three years in the Mediterranean, and
across the Indian and Pacific Oceans back to her home port of Newport Beach, California.

TALEISIN was commissioned from the same designer in 1977 and built by Larry and Lin halfway up a
mountainside in California. Launched in October 1983, she is 29ft 6in on deck and of teak planking
over black locust frames with bronze floors and hanging knees. Her deck is of solid teak. Immensely
strong, some years ago Lin described her to our Commodore as a ‘seagoing tractor’ – though a
remarkably fast one.

Following a number of Pacific passages while putting down shoreside roots in New Zealand, they
set off to circumnavigate westabout via South Africa, northern Europe, the US East Coast, and then
south to round Cape Horn and through the Beagle Channel – some 80,000 miles in all, again
without an engine or sophisticated electronics. Between times, and to help pay the cruising bills,
they delivered yachts all over the world, covering another 60,000 or so ocean miles.

Between – or perhaps during – long ocean passages they found time to write a dozen books and
create five videos and DVDs, which have provided inspiration and instruction to a whole generation
of cruising sailors. All their advice is based on solid, first-hand knowledge, generally melding
practicality with economy, unlike all too much cruising advice which assumes a bottomless purse.
Their website is a treasure trove of information and Lin has started up a series of podcasts.
Canadian and American by birth, they eventually settled in New Zealand.

It is 50 years since SERAFFYN was launched and, though sadly Larry now has dementia and is no
longer able to sail, Lin continues to sail and write from her home in New Zealand. Over those 50
years their lives revolved around boats and the sea, and they have become legendary wherever
cruising sailors congregate. Their biography, As Long as It's Fun, was written by Herb McCormick
and released by Paradise Cay Publications in 2014. It would be hard to imagine a couple more
deserving of the OCC LIFETIME CRUISING AWARD.

Website: http://www.landlpardey.com
Lin's podcast: http://landlpardey.com/POD.html
Nearly all the 12 books and 5 DVDs mentioned above are still in print and available from Amazon
and elsewhere.

The OCC Seamanship Award, which recognizes acts of bravery or extraordinary seamanship, goes
to DUSTIN REYNOLDS, s/v TIAMA, for his outstanding courage and tenacity as a double amputee
in setting out to circumnavigate alone. So far he has made it halfway around the world.

In 2008, Dustin Reynolds lost an arm and a leg in a motorcycle accident. He did not allow this to
become a catastrophe, however, but instead used it as a defining moment to create change in his
life. After buying a 1986-built 35ft Alberg sloop in Hawaii for $12,000, in June 2014 he cast off on his
planned circumnavigation. He has just reached Richards Bay, South Africa, having crossed the
Indian Ocean, a feat many with fully-crewed yachts would balk at.
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Dustin’s spirit, determination, and seamanship prove that any obstacle can be overcome with a
positive attitude and perseverance. Anyone who uses his teeth to tail his main halyard due to the
fact he has only one arm and his boat doesn't have self-tailing winches or mast jammers show an
incredibly high level of seamanship!

Website: www.thesinglehandedsailor.com
Dustin’s trip is featured in a documentary film in the series The Folks of the Ocean
https://youtu.be/eiCkCu4a37Y

The OCC Jester Award is presented to SZYMON KUCZYNSKI, s/v ATLANTIC PUFFIN, for his 270-
day solo unassisted circumnavigation in a boat just under 21 feet in length, securing a new world
record.

Szymon Kuczynski, the Polish Skipper of ATLANTIC PUFFING, a 6.36m (20 feet 10.4 inches) yacht,
clinched a new world record for the smallest vessel to circumnavigate single-handed and unaided
with no engine when he returned to Mayflower Marina in Plymouth, UK on Thursday 17 May 2018.
He spent 270 days, 10 hours and 29 minutes alone at sea, living in a space of only 4 square metres.
He set off from Plymouth to follow the route of legendary sailors before him on his ‘Call of the
Ocean’ voyage.

Szymon is the image of what the OCC Jester Award is intended to recognise – he self-funded an
around the world single-handed voyage in a small boat, with no help or assistance along the way
and without stopping for 9 months and close to 29,000 miles. From the great sailing nation of
Poland, the OCC is delighted to honour the achievement of this adventurous 37-year-old blue water
sailor.

Website: http://www.zewoceanu.pl/
Photo gallery: photos.app.goo.gl/iMO5DfXcCkfWzPTt2
YouTube video: https://youtu.be/vvn6MjjWnAQ

The OCC Awards Sub-committee Co-Chair and Regional Rear Commodore for Great Britain, Fiona
Jones, said, “The Awards Judging Panel, comprised of highly experienced cruisers many of whom
are underway in various parts of the world, had a varied and fascinating slate of choices this year. It
is clear that adventure cruising as a pursuit is alive and well.”

Co-Chair, and Port Officer for Stavanger, Norway, Eoin Robson added, “This year we had 42
nominations for 11 awards so our judges had much to do. The streamlined online nomination
process has made it easy for any Full Member to submit nominations from anywhere in the world.
Choosing the winners was a most unenviable task, but it was done. The OCC Awards Subcommittee
thanks the Judging Panel for their hard work and congratulates all our winners.”

Further awards made for 2018 are:

 THE OCC VASEY VASE – Sue & Andy Warman

For their exploration of Japanese waters, described in a very informative report for the OCC
Forum, followed by their passage north to Alaska and then on to British Columbia.
 THE OCC AWARD (member) – Dick Guckel
Primarily in recognition of his more than 20 years’ service to the OCC

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 THE OCC AWARD (non-member) – Des Cason
For the highly professional weather and routing assistance, free of charge, to yachts approaching
the coast of South Africa
 THE OCC WATER MUSIC TROPHY – Mike Norris
For the practical information incorporated in their two articles about cruising Greek waters
 THE OCC EVENTS AND RALLIES AWARD – José Azevedo
For his pivotal role as owner of Peter Café Sport in facilitating last June’s Azores Pursuit Rally
 THE OCC PORT OFFICER SERVICE AWARDS – Mary Schempp-Berg, Dianne Tetreault &
Agustin Martin For their friendly and helpful attitude towards visiting OCC members
 THE OCC DAVID WALLIS TROPHY – Ellen Massey Leonard
For her article A PENCHANT FOR THE PRIMITIVE: REFLECTIONS ON SPENDING MY TWENTIES AT
SEA
 THE OCC QUALIFIER'S MUG – James McCaughan
For his transatlantic passage as skipper of Seamogs, a family-owned Nicholson 48.

For more information, please visit the OCC website www.oceancruisingclub.org. High resolution
photos will be available upon request by emailing PR@oceancruisingclub.org. The awards will be
presented to the winners at the OCC Annual Dinner, this year to be held at Plas Menai, North Wales
on 6th April.

Ocean Cruising Club Limited – a company limited by guarantee

Registered in England and Wales No 4919549
Registered Office: Westbourne House 4 Vicarage Hill Dartmouth DevonTQ6 9EWUK
Tel (UK) +44 20 7099 2678 Tel (US) +1 844 696 4480
 About the Ocean Cruising Club

The Worldwide Community for Adventure Sailing Since 1954

The OCC is the “home port” for those who have sailed long distances across big oceans. With 48
nationalities represented among almost 2900 members, and Port Officers around the world, we have
a more diverse membership and a more international reach than any other blue water sailing
organisation.

The Ocean Cruising Club exists to encourage long-distance sailing in small boats. A Full Member of
the OCC must have completed a qualifying voyage of a non-stop port-to-port ocean passage, where
the distance between the two ports is not less than 1,000 nautical miles, in a vessel of not more than
70ft (21.36 m) LOA; associate members are committed to achieving that goal. This standard
distinguishes the OCC from all other sailing clubs.

Our membership as a whole has more experience offshore than any other sailing organisation – in the
number of circumnavigators, in the range of extraordinary voyages members have completed, and in
the number of solo sailors and female sailors among our ranks. This is what sets us apart from other
organisations, even as it draws us together as a group.

Web: www.oceancruisingclub.org
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OceanCruisingClub/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/oceancruisingclub/
Twitter: @OCC_org

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Ocean Cruising Club Limited – a company limited by guarantee

Registered in England and Wales No 4919549
Registered Office: Westbourne House 4 Vicarage Hill Dartmouth DevonTQ6 9EWUK
Tel (UK) +44 20 7099 2678 Tel (US) +1 844 696 4480