Honorary Members

In a magnificent show of humanity overcoming bureaucracy, Jesse and various Trinidad officials did everything they could to help the nearly 200 cruising yachts fleeing Beryl. Jesse, Vice President of MSATT(previously known as YSATT), set up an Operations Centre where a combined effort with Immigration, Customs, Port Health, Government Vets, volunteers from the local business community and cruisers assisted in preparing the necessary paperwork and arrival forms. Jesse also lobbied for relief supplies to assist the islands that were devastated by Beryl.Cruisers in Trinidad, NGOs, local community groups, ODPM, local businesses, individuals, the business community in Chaguaramas and church groups all responded. About 45 of the sheltering boats stayed to help ferry supplies back to the affected islands.

During her tenure as Vice Commodore, Daria led the OCC's COVID pandemic response in the Atlantic. The team coordinated, monitored, tracked, assisted virtually and arranged real-time assistance, to hundreds of sailors both in the Atlantic and the Pacific who were undertaking hazardous voyages because of the pandemic and often with hurricane and cyclone seasons threatening. These sailors included many OCC members but also many non-members only too glad to have their help. It cannot be too highly emphasized what a tremendous and often literally life-saving job they did, coordinating too with official national rescue services in the USA, UK and the Azores. Many sailors owe their gratitude. On 9 January 2021, The Royal Cruising Club recognised their efforts by awarding the OCC their Medal for Services to Cruising for 2020. Past & Present OCC Positions: 2019-2023 Vice Commodore, 2017-2019 Rear Commodore, 2013-2017 General Committee, 2013-present Port Officer – Westport, Co Mayo, Ireland, 2013-2024 Web Digital Content Editor, 2013-2023 Marketing and PR, 2013-2014 Awards.

Kirsten won the 2022 GGR in an elapsed time of 235 days and in doing so became: • the first woman to win any round-the-world race by the three Great Capes, either solo or crewed, non-stop or stopping; • the first woman to win the GGR; • the first South African sailor to win a round-the-world event. During the 2022 GGR Kirsten assisted in the successful rescue of fellow GGR competitor Tapio Lehtinen, whose boat sank in 15 minutes some 500nm SW of Port Elizabeth. For her part in the rescue she was awarded the 2022 OCC Seamanship Award jointly with Tapio, MRCC Cape Town and the Master and Crew of the bulk carrier Daria Gayatri. Also, for the same rescue she was awarded the Rod Stevens Seamanship Trophy by Cruising Club of America.

Anne has written or co-written 16 cruising guides and other sailing books, including the essential guide to the Atlantic Islands, Ocean Cruising on a Budget (1990), several editions of The Atlantic Crossing Guide, The Baltic Sea (2003), Atlantic Spain and Portugal and Islas Baleares. Anne took over as editor of Flying Fish in 1990. In 2016, after a long period of service on the General Committee and Board, Anne was elected Commodore of the OCC and served until 2019. After 35 years Anne has finally retired from writing pilot books, but even with the approach of her 70th birthday and having overseen 65 Flying Fish over the past 32 years, she assures us that she has no intention of quitting just yet.

Ian was apprenticed to Poole based yacht designer and builder Frederick R Parker from 1945; served his journeyman ship with John I Thornycroft Ltd. From 1951 he worked under Canadian yacht designer Thorton Grenfell. After a spell as a naval architect, Ian joined Alfred Mylne & Co in 1959. Amongst his varied day work Ian has written at least 28 books, mostly on yacht design, construction and surveying, but also popular accounts of the ocean voyaging of his youth. He has written for many yachting publications including Yachts & Yachting, Yachting Life and Water Craft. He has lectured to three Universities and constructed six yachts for his own use. Born in 1928, Ian Nicolson today still races and cruises his Maxi 1000 yacht St Bridget on the West Coast of Scotland and continues to work as a surveyor.

Bob Shepton is a highly experienced Arctic explorer who has led several sailing and climbing expeditions to Greenland and Arctic Canada in his yacht, the Westerly 33ft sloop Dodo's Delight. Through countless seasons of exploring, he has become a leading expert on the waters around Greenland, winning The Royal Cruising Club’s Tilman Medal twice for his exploits. He has sailed both ways through the NW Passage, the only person to do so in a sailing boat, and in consecutive years. In the 1990s he took a crew of semi-underprivileged school leavers on the ‘First School Group to sail Round the World’, via Antarctica and Cape Horn. He has made 15 Atlantic crossings, 13 visits to the Arctic, and 3 to the Antarctic, including to South Georgia.

More Information

In 2017, German sailor and multiple times circumnavigator, Susanne Huber-Curphey became the first woman to single-hand through the Northwest Passage, completing East 6. She is a prior winner of the CCA Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship after rescuing her husband from his sinking yacht and has received a TransOcean Medal in recognition of her solo circumnavigations. In 2018 Susanne sailed the Longue Route Voyage departing Maine and kept sailing replicating Moitessier's voyage of sailing 1.5 times around the earth in a total of 33,043 miles in 251 days aboard Nehaj. During which she became the first woman to complete a circumnavigation of Antarctica solo nonstop Tasmania (October 2018) to Tasmania (February 2019) in 121 days and 16,873 miles.

Built more than 70 boats in his lifetime including Tom Crean, the replica of Shackleton's James Caird lifeboat used in the South Aris expedition to recreate Shackleton’s rescue sail. Jarlath was awarded the Barton Cup twice, firstly for a successful 7,800 - mile transit of the Northwest Passage in Northabout, and again when Northabout became the first sailing vessel to circumnavigate the northern polar icecap in a westerly direction.The second voyage also won awards from the Cruising Club of America, Irish Cruising Club, and Royal Cruising Club.

Bill Hatfield became the oldest man to sail west-about around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted, on 22st February 2020. The 81-year-old completed his eight-month journey sailing into the Gold Coast, Australia, in his 38-foot Northshore yacht L'Eau Commotion. It was his third circumnavigation and he sailed a total distance of ~30,555nm in 259 days. In March 2020, World Sailing Speed Record Council established a new World Record Reference Time for Bill’s circumnavigation and he was confirmed as the first person to complete this passage from Australia at any age, and the first to complete in a boat under 40ft.

Jeanne took up sailing later in life when she was almost 50 years old. Her first solo circumnavigation ended 100nm short of the finish when an autopilot failure shipwrecked her yacht on the shore. She went on to complete three solo circumnavigations, the last completed September 2019 when Jeanne became the oldest person to sail solo non-stop unassisted east-about around the world in her Najad 380 Nereida.

José Henrique is presently OCC Port Officer Representative in Horta, Faial, Azores. He is the son of the late ‘Peter’ Azevedo who was formerly OCC Port Officer and himself an OCC Honorary Member. 2018 saw an incredibly successful OCC event to celebrate the centenary of Peter Café Sport, attended by some 46 boats, all of which had to make an ocean passage to get there, and around 170 members and non-members. José Henrique performed an outstanding service in helping to organise a week of multiple events. His enormous enthusiasm for the OCC was ably demonstrated to all. He has very strong local contacts throughout Horta all of which he brings to bear when required to assist OCC members and other yachtsmen.

More Information

Dick stepped down from editing our monthly e-Bulletin in December 2018 after more than 20 years on the job. During his two decades as editor he never missed a single month, even while away cruising or during a period of poor health. That members appreciate the e-Bulletin is demonstrated by its outstanding opening rate, consistently 60% or more, when the average among association newsletters is nearer 20%. Dick stood for the Committee in 2010 and served as Rear Commodore 2012-2017.

A famous Australian sailor, Jon's first solo circumnavigation was from 1975-77 in the first Perie Banou, an S&S 34. In 1981-82 Jon then completed a double circumnavigation west to east via the Southern Ocean. This voyage was recognised in the Guinness Book of Records and in 1983 he was awarded an OBE and the Chichester Award amongst many other accolades. In 1986 Jon set off again in the Parry Endeavour, a 14m sloop, completing a triple solo circumnavigation of the world in just under two years, spending 658 days at sea and covering 71,022 nautical miles. Jon's only contact with the outside world was via electronic communication and a couple of parcels of mail thrown to him from another vessel. In 1988 he acquired his current yacht Perie Banou II, an S&S 39 built in 1971, extensively refurbished to handle severe conditions and has since completed a further three circumnavigations, finishing his ninth in 2015 in Fremantle at the age of 75.

More Information

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the first man to circumnavigate non-stop solo winning the Sunday Times ‘Golden Globe’ in 1969. Robin and his brother Chris joined the club after sailing their ketch Suhaili from Bombay to England via Capetown. Without funds to build the boat specifically designed by founder member Colin Mudie for the round the world race, the spartan Suhaili was refitted for the challenge. Robin was also the second winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994 (together with Sir Peter Blake). For this he was awarded with Blake the ISAF Yachtsman of the Year award. In 1996 Robin established the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. In 2006 he became at 67 the oldest yachtsman to complete a round the world solo voyage in the VELUX 5 Oceans Race.

More Information

The eldest of four daughters sailing with parents James and Ann Griffin aboard the Colin Archer gaff ketch Northern Light met Hum Barton in 1965 in the Canaries. She had grown up aboard boats and was a registered British Seaman (through a loophole in British law) which gave her father peace of mind sailing foreign seas with his young family. Gerry was both Navigator, with a preference for star sights, and bo'sun learning the traditional ways to look after the sails and rigging. Hum became a firm friend of the family. They sailed concurrently across the Atlantic to Barbados where all the family joined the OCC and met up from time to time over the following years. By 1971 Hum had married Mary and came to Geraldine's wedding to Cdr Nick Wright in Gibraltar whom she met during his time as captain of HMS Chichester. Hum's wedding present was life membership of the OCC on account of her extraordinary and then unique upbringing and traditional skills.