OCC Award Winners 2017

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Josh Ghyselincks s/v Maistral, winner of the OCC Jester Award.
The photo shows Josh steering using the poled out storm jib method, as he does not have self-steering gear. Photo (c) 2017 by Rekka Bellum during Josh's latest passage from Tonga to NZ.
Josh Ghyselincks playing guitar aboard a much larger vessel.
Maistral aerial photo
The OCC Jester Award goes to Josh Ghyselincks for sailing solo 2900 miles in 24 days from Mexico to the Marquesas in Maistral, an Arpege 29, built by Michael Dufour in 1967 (29 foot LOA). Maistral was formerly owned by Vice Commodore Tony Gooch and his wife Coryn.
Maistral at anchor
Maistral, an Arpege 29, built by Michael Dufour in 1967 (29 foot LOA).
Josh Ghyselincks rowing out to Maistral
Josh Ghyselincks, s/v Maistral, winner of the OCC Jester Award for 2017
Photo (c) 2017 by Rekka Bellum during Josh's latest passage from Tonga to NZ.
Lisa Blair, s/v Climate Action Now, recipient of the 2017 OCC Seamanship Award
Lisa Blair's soon to be released book
Dave Register, m/v Dyad, winner of the OCC Award for 2017
Developer of Open CPN
Fergus Quinlan and Katherine Cronin s/v Pylades winners of the David Wallis Trophy for 2017
Beneath the walls of the Kremlin “in Red Square we danced by the light of the moon”
David S. Register, m/v Dyad, winner of the OCC Award for 2017
Dave Register grew up around boats in Clearwater, Florida. He graduated from The University of Florida with advanced degrees in Engineering and Naval Architecture. Register then began a career in the computer industry. He retired in 1996 after holding a number of engineering and management positions. Along the way, he has owned, built, and/or designed many boats. It all started with sailing prams, moved into a variety of racing sailboats, and finally embraced passagemaking trawlers. Dave and his soulmate Kathi had their catamaran trawler Dyad built in Nova Scotia in 2000, a singularly rewarding experience. It was while fitting out this vessel that he became interested in Electronic Charting. Finding no commercial solution that satisfied, he started development on what was to become OpenCPN. He released the first open-source version in 2008. Dave and Kathi now happily cruise and code the U.S east coast, Great Lakes, Canada, and the Bahamas.
Dave Register developer of Open CPN, navigation and charting software
Port Officer Peter Flutter, s/v Tyrian of Truro, winner of the Port Officer Rally Award for 2017
Photo (c) by Sylvia French.
Port Officers Gary Naigle and Greta Gustavson, winners of the Port Officer Service Award for 2017
Photo credit (c) Martin and Elizabeth Bevan s/v Caduceus
Port Officer Robert Ravensberg winner of the Port Officer Events Award for 2017
Pictured: PO Roy McBride, PO Robert Ravensberg, Jenny Crickmore-Thompson and Past Commodore John Franklin!!
Andrew and Janice Fennymore-White, s/v Destiny, Svalbard 2017, winners of the OCC Vasey Vase for 2017
Destiny's track in the Arctic 2017
Janice Fennymore-White contemplating in Svalbard
Andy Fennymore-White with a cod caught in Svalbard 2017
David Scott Cowper m/v Polar Bound, winner of the OCC Lifetime Achievement Award
Photo credit (c) Jane Maufe. David awaiting a favourable tide to carry us through the Unimak Pass in the Aleutian chain from the North Pacific into the Bering sea in 2013.
Susanne Huber-Curphey s/v Nehaj, winner of the OCC Barton Cup for 2017
Susanne in Nuuk Greenland. Photo credit Dr. Guido Marx.
Nehaj in Arctic Bay
Photo credit Susanne Huber-Curphey
Baffin Bay Sailing on Nehaj
Photo credit Susanne Huber-Curphey
Susanne Huber-Curphey portrait
Nehaj in Arctic Bay
Photo credit Susanne Huber-Curphey
Nehaj in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia/Canada, 23.01.2018 - Susanne Huber-Curphey Sailing Bio.
My Sailing Biography I was born in Ingolstadt/Germany and educated as an Architect. My first circumnavigation was on Glory, a 30' Seadog. In New Zealand I met the single-hander Tony Curphey, we married in the Solomon Islands. The second circumnavigation was on So Long, a Rhodes 41. Tony and I sailed on parallel courses, each on our own boat. Then I planed to build a boat by myself. It was a single-handed challenge of three years to transfer the bare aluminium hull into a seaworthy home: A 39' Koopmans cutter, full keel and over dimensioned in hull and rigg. Tony encouraged me, but made very clear that he would not be involved, true. In memory to my parents I called her Nehaj. Nehaj and I started in June 2015 in Holland. We had a good shake-down sail over the top of Iceland to the Azores, followed by a 133-day non-stop trip to New Zealand. In 2016 we made a loop via Tonga and New Caledonia to Tasmania. In January 2017 I laid course across the Pacific Ocean. By the time we r
Bootsbau in Sneek, Netherlands, Susanne working on the deck beams
Megan Clay s/v Flycatcher of Yar, winner of the 2017 Qualifier's Mug
Megan with iceberg in western Greenland
Megan and Ed paddling ashore in western Greenland
New crew member Charlotte Clay planning the next voyage.
Liza and Andy Copeland - winners of the Vertue Award
Photo by PO Ian Grant. Award was presented at an OCC event in Vancouver BC by Vice Commodore Tony Gooch. Andy and Liza Copeland fully meet all the requirements for the Ocean Cruising Club's Vertue Award which is given each year to the North American member who best represents the club founder, Humphrey Barton, through sailing achievements and/or service to the club and cruising community. Andy qualified as a member in 1986 with a voyage in 1973 from St Barts to the Azores in "Eileen", a Fife built yacht. Liza became a member in 2002 with her qualifying voyage on "Bagheera" from Gran Canaria to Barbados in 1985. The Copelands have sailed extensively with over 160,000 miles on their current vessel "Bagheera" visiting over 1.L0 countries. They set off in 1985 with their then young family on a circumnavigation which would take 6 years. This voyage would eventually be documented in a series of 4 best selling books which have, over the years, been of inestimable help tp neophy
Tony Gooch with Andy and Liza Copeland
Tony and Liza Copeland - Vertue Award