The Blue Water Medal is an honor awarded annually by the

Cruising Club of America The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is an international organization of cruisers whose objects are to promote cruising and racing by amateurs, to encourage the development of suitable types of cruising craft, to stimulate interest in seamanship, nav ...

for a remarkable

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

feat. The first award was issued in 1923.

Winners

Kenichi Horie is a Japanese solo yachting, yachtsman. In 1962 he became the first person to sail solo and non-stop across the Pacific Ocean. He has made other significant solo voyages, usually involving boats exhibiting some sort of environmentally friendly the ...

(2022) *Ginger and Peter Niemann (2021) * Randall Reeves (2020) *

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (born 8 June 1945 in Amiens) is a French sailor. He is best known for his achievements in single-handed sailing and set the current Around the world sailing record, world-record for the westabout circumnavigation (he holds ...

(2019) * Bruce Halabisky and Tiffany Loney (2018) *Webb Chiles (2017) *Michael J Johnson (2016) *Tom and Vicky Jackson (2015) * Skip Novak (2014) *

Jeanne Socrates Jeanne Socrates (born 17 August 1942) is a British yachtswoman. She is from Lymington. She holds the record as the oldest female to have circumnavigated the world single-handed, and she is the only woman to have circumnavigated solo nonstop fr ...

(2013) *

David Scott Cowper David Scott Cowper is a British yachtsman, and was the first man to sail solo round the world in both directions and was also the first to successfully sail around the world via the Northwest Passage single-handed. Biography Born in 1942, ...

(2012) *Thies Matzen and Kicki Ericson (2011) on Wanderer III "for 24 years and 135,000 miles of sailing the oceans of the world with a focus in the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean". This is the second Blue Water Medal earned by the Wanderer III, the first being with Eric and Susan Hiscock who made two circumnavigations with her and received the Blue Water Medal in 1955. * Alex Whitworth (2010) "for a circumnavigation of the world via the Northwest Passage west to east." * Annie Hill and Trevor Robertson (2009) * Peter Passano (2007) * Minoru Saito (2006) * Anthony Gooch (2003) "For his very well planned and executed single-handed nonstop circumnavigation from Victoria to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

. His 177-day voyage began in late 2002 in his 42 foot cutter, Taonui and was completed in 2003. Prior to that, he and his wife, Coryn, had sailed about 115,000 miles over most of the world." * Nikolay Litau (2001) "For his circumnavigation of Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. He departed St. Petersburg, Nov. 1996, spent a winter laid up on the NE coast of Siberia, made it through the Bering Strait, where ice forced him to lay up again in Tiksy (Northern Siberia). In Aug. 1999, he made it through the

Northeast Passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP; , ) is the Arctic shipping routes, shipping route between the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islan ...

, a first in history. After 30,905 miles, he finally returned to St. Petersburg in November." * Eric Forsyth (2000) "For a remarkable voyage in his 42-foot sloop to Antarctica from Patchogue, Long Island, via Panama Canal, Galapagos, Chile, Port Lockroy on the Antarctic Peninsula, SouthGeorgia Island, Cape Town, and home by way of St. Martin and Bermuda. 21,784 miles,10 months with crew of 1 or 2 young men. Wrote copious descriptions of his cruise, and produced special guide to the Patagonian passages." * Jerome and

Sally Poncet Sally Poncet (born 1954) is an Australian-born scientist and adventurer who has explored and studied the Antarctic region since 1977. Her specialty is birds and she made extensive studies of albatross and their habitats for the British Antarctic ...

(1992) for 12 years of cruising in the

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

and their publication of a handbook on preservation of the region. *

Gerry Clark Gerald Stanley Clark (9 May 1927 – June 1999) was a New Zealand sailor, writer and ornithologist. He is notable for his ornithological research work on subantarctic islands and for his circumnavigation of Antarctica in his self-built yacht '' ...

(1987) * Thomas Watson Jr. (1986) * Marvin C. Creamer (1985) * Rolph Bjelke (sic) and Deborah Shapiro (1984) "For a cruise of 33,000 miles including both Arctic ice and Antarctic ice in a forty foot ketch with essentially zero material casualties." * Willi de Roos (1980) * William Donald Aelian King (1975) *

Miles and Beryl Smeeton Miles Smeeton (1906–1988) and Beryl Smeeton (1905–1979) were an outstanding couple of travellers, pioneers, explorers, mountaineers, cruising sailors, recipients of numerous sailing awards, farmers, prolific authors, wildlife conservationist ...

(1973) * Bob, Nancy, and Reid Griffith (1972) "Since 1959 this family has cruised over 170,000 miles. Notable voyages include the first Antarctic circumnavigation, the first windward (east to west) circumnavigation south of all continents, and a circumnavigation via the canals." *

Hal Roth Hal Roth (1927 – 18 October 2008) was an American sailor and author. In 1971 he was awarded the Blue Water Medal of the Cruising Club of America. He died of lung cancer. Biography Early life Hal Roth was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927. H ...

(1971) Awarded for his cruise of 18,538 miles around the Pacific Basin, with his wife as crew, aboard a 35-foot sloop "Whisper" * Richard S. Nye (1970) "For meritorious cruising and ocean racing" sailing his boat "Carina" described as "a sleek, black-hulled 48-foot sloop from Greenwich, Connecticut." * Frank Casper (1970) Extended singlehanded cruising including one circumnavigation and numerous trans-Atlantic passages aboard "Elsie" *

Éric Tabarly Éric Marcel Guy Tabarly (24 July 1931 – 13 June 1998) was a French naval officer and yachtsman. He developed a passion for offshore racing very early on and won several ocean races such as the Ostar in 1964 and 1976, ending English domination ...

(1964) Winner of the second single race across the Atlantic from Plymouth, England to Newport, R. I. aboard "Pen-Duick III" in 27 days, 1 hour, 56 minutes. * Charles W. Atwater (1937) "A voyage from New York to Reykjavik, Iceland and return to Newport via Trepassey, Newfoundland, June 19-August 26, 1937. A 37-foot oa. Mower cutter." * Charles Foster Tillinghast (1935) "For his seamanship in the effort to save three members of the crew of the Hamrah who were overboard in the North Atlantic, and in bringing the disabled and short-handed ketch safely into Sydney, N.S." * Roderick Stephens Jr. (1933) for a "three-month, 8,000-mile trans-Atlantic crossing from New York to Norway and return, including victory in the

Fastnet Race The Fastnet Race is a biennial offshore yacht race organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) of the United Kingdom with the assistance of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and the City of Cherbourg in France. The race is named after th ...

. The 52-foot 3-inch Stephens-designed yawl returned home from England by the northern route in the remarkable time of 26 days." * Robert Somerset (1932) Award was given for his remarkable feat of seamanship and courage, aboard his vessel "Jolie Brise", rescuing all but one of 11-man crew of burning schooner Adriana in the 1932 Bermuda Race * William A. Robinson (1931) In his 32-foot 9-inch "Svapp" Alden ketch departed New London June 23, 1928, in the Bermuda Race of that year, and circumnavigated via Panama and Suez Canals with crew of two, arriving in N.Y. November 24, 1931 * Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. (1927) Ames sailed his 50-foot "Primrose IV" Alden schooner to England for the 1926 Fastnet. The medal was awarded for the return passage, from Portsmouth, north about, Iceland, Labrador, Cape Breton Island, in 58 days to Newport, R.I. * Harry Clifford Pidgeon on '' Islander'' (1926) for having the "first circumnavigation-from Los Angeles to Los Angeles via Cape and Panama Canal, November 18, 1921–October 31, 1925. Home-built a 34-foot yawl of Sea Bird type. Single-handed." * Evelyn George Martin (1925) * Axel Ingwersen (1924) for his trip where he "departed Shanghai February 20, 1923 and arrived Denmark via Cape of Good Hope in May, 1924. Double-ended ketch, 47 feet oa., built by native laborers. Crew of three." * Alain J. Gerbault on '' Firecrest'' (1923) for leaving Gibraltar on June 7, 1923, and arriving at

Fort Totten, New York Fort Totten is a former active United States Army installation in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the north shore of Long Island. Fort Totten is at the head of Little Neck Bay, where the East River widens to become Lon ...

, 100 days later, nonstop in his Dixon Kemp designed British cutter, 34 feet

length overall Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also ...

, single-handed.

External links

Blue Water Medal
awards from 1923 to 2004
Blue Water Medal
awards from 2005 to present

References

{{reflist Sailing awards Awards established in 1923 American sports trophies and awards 1923 establishments in the United States