Latest OCC News

OCC Member, Pat Pocock, has died aged 90

Pat Pocock, an Ocean Cruising Club member for 68 years, died peacefully in Lymington after a short illness.

by Anne Hammick - 31/12/2024


OCC member, Jasmine Harrison, begins the qualifying leg for the Mini Globe Race

Jasmine began her global adventure in Lagos on 27th December. Fellow Ocean Cruising Club Members have given her huge assistance during her Portuguese preparations.

by Simon Currin - 29/12/2024


Book Review: ‘Wild Preaching’ by Bob Shepton

Rev Bob Shepton is an Honorary Member of the Ocean Cruising Club and has written many books about his adventures but his latest, ‘Wild Preaching’, is a little different. Below is a book review.

by Sally Currin - 21/12/2024


Voyages to the Wild: Collisions with Whales

How boat collisions are endangering one whale species in particular

by Charlie Young - 16/12/2024


Sudden death of an Ocean Cruising Club member

It with great sadness that we report the sudden death of Ewan Hind.

by Simon Currin - 15/12/2024


Ocean Cruising Club 70th Anniversary: Langkawi

OCC event in South East Asia

by Sarah Tadd - 12/12/2024


Ocean Cruising Club Webinar: Alaska

Ralf & Wiebke describe their voyage to Alaska and focus on the highlight of their summer in South East

by Ralf & Wiebke Gerging - 12/12/2024


Celebration of Life for Pam Wall

11 December 2024

by Richard Goldstein - 11/12/2024


Whale makes epic migration

A whale was seen in the Pacific Ocean off Colombia in 2017, then popped up several years later near Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean - a distance of at least 13,000 km.

by Simon Currin - 11/12/2024


70th Anniversary Opua Pot-Luck

6 December 2024

by Nina Kiff - 10/12/2024


OCC Webinar: S/V Flora in Alaska

Ocean Cruising Club Alaska Webinar, Thursday 12th December at 8pm UTC

by Wiebke and Ralf Gerking - 07/12/2024


Reflections on COP29 Climate change negotiations and sailing

Ocean Cruising Club Challenge Grant winner and skipper of S/V Novara, Dr Nigel Jollands shares his thoughts on COP29. Nigel is a sustainable energy, climate finance and policy professional.

by Nigel Jollands - 07/12/2024


OCC Webinar: The building and voyages of Helacious

This webinar describes the building of Helacious (by Brian & Helen Russell) and their subsequent cruising highlights. It is presented from their winter berth in London’s St Katherine Dock.

by Brian & Helen Russell - 05/12/2024


OCC Challenge Grant Winner: Novara continues climate action

Novara’s climate action project highlights the severe impacts of climate change on coastal communities, emphasising unique local adaptations and grassroots efforts to mitigate climate change impacts.

by Nigel Jollands and Veronica Lysaght - 29/11/2024


Ocean Cruising Club Webinar: Patagonia

Judith Jacobsen describes the voyage of S/V Touché along the challenging coastline of Patagonia.

by Judith Jacobsen - 29/11/2024


70th Anniversary Algarve Celebration

12-14 November

by Neil Chapman - 26/11/2024


OCC Member Jon Amtrup wins the 2024 Brian Black Memorial Award

Congratulations Jon!

by Emily Winter - 26/11/2024


70th Anniversary of Ocean Cruising Club: London

One of the last OCC 70th anniversary events of year.

by Helen Russell - 24/11/2024


Ocean Cruising Club Webinar: Predict Wind Questions and Answers with Nick Olson

A discussion between OCC Members and the Business Development Manager at PredictWind about the features available within a PredictWind subscription

by Simon Currin - 22/11/2024


Report on OCC Challenge Grant awarded to the Mediterranean Cleanup Mission

The Ocean Cruising Club awards money to various adventurous and environmental good causes through the OCC Challenge Grant scheme. Below is a report on one recipient - Mediterranean Cleanup Mission.

by Manuel Marinelli - 20/11/2024


OCC Award (member) recognising valuable service to the OCC

Daria Blackwell | 19/01/2023

This year, the Club recognises two members who have contributed a great deal to the OCC for many years, both of whom are standing down from their responsibilities: Jeremy Firth and Daria Blackwell.

Jeremy Firth has edited the OCC Newsletter for six years and has done a superb job throughout his tenure. The Newsletter is one of the most popular membership perks, keeping us all connected, interested and aware of each other's doings, and he richly deserves this recognition for his hard work and dedication.

Jeremy was 74 when he became our Newsletter editor, and it was initially viewed as a relatively short-term assignment on both sides. Jeremy fitted into the role so perfectly that we never looked back. Neither, fortunately, did he. Jeremy has been thoroughly professional throughout his years as editor, meeting every printer’s deadline even when drafted in for grandfather duties while his daughter was seriously ill.

Jeremy had previously edited the Royal Hobart Yacht Club’s newsletter for several years, and written "Round the World with Rosinante" (reviewed in Flying Fish 2016/2), a highly readable account of his and Penny’s eastabout circumnavigation during the 1990s in the 40ft home-built steel cutter which he still owns.

Jeremy produced multiple editions of "The Tasmanian Anchorage Guide", honing his chart-drawing skills in the process. He has drawn chartlets for the Newsletter when appropriate, at no charge despite their being well outside the normal duties of an editor. He also played a major role in organising nine circumnavigations-in-company of Tasmania, called the  Van Diemen's Land Cruise. 


Daria Blackwell has held numerous positions in the OCC since she joined in 2011 after three Atlantic Crossings, including Halifax to Westport, Ireland followed by an Atlantic circuit. Her dream of a circumnavigation aboard their Bowman 57, Aleria, with her husband Alex and cat Onyx, was cut short by illness in the family. Instead, she was coopted by John Frankin onto the Strategy Team and has been deeply involved in OCC activities ever since, having been elected to the General Committee (GC) shortly thereafter. 

Daria's background in marketing communications was helpful in filling gaps in the coverage of OCC needs. She took over the Public Relations function first, helping to elevate the image of the OCC among the cruising community. She then instituted a style guide for OCC communications and wrote a marketing plan for increasing awareness of the benefits of joining OCC among bluewater cruisers, then implemented it over several years. Support materials created included brochures, flyers, ads, PowerPoint presentations and boat show displays.

Daria next took on the co-Chairmanship of the Awards Committee helping to manage awards selection, global PR distribution, and organisation of the annual AGM and Awards dinner for several years.

Daria and Alex volunteered to serve as the Port Officers for the West of Ireland, specifically the Clew Bay region. They wrote a cruising guide, Cruising the Wild Atlantic Way, after thoroughly exploring the entire West Coast. They had previously co-written the popular anchoring book, Happy Hooking: The Art of Anchoring

While continuing her other responsibilities, Daria also took on the role of web editor. She collected articles and photos from members, edited and posted them in the CMS, wrote original articles on subjects of interest to members, reported on events, and intercepted items on social media channels to preserve on the website. To increase the visibility of the OCC and highlight members' adventures, Daria worked with global media outlets such as Noonsite and Sail-World to share OCC news. She also took on responsibility for proofreading and supervising the production of the eBulletin. 

Daria joined the Board in 2018 as Rear Commodore during which she assumed responsibility for OCC's Social Media presence, overseeing Facebook and initiating presence on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and ISSUU while continuing to fulfill the Marketing & PR, eBulletin, and Web Editor responsibilities. 

When the Vice Commodore's position was vacated, she stood for and filled the position for a full three-year term plus one year. During her tenure, Daria led the OCC's pandemic response in the Atlantic, for which the OCC was awarded the Royal Cruising Club's Medal for Services to Cruising - 2020.


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