Jean Pierre Dick awarded Rod Stephens Trophy 2013
by Anne-Charlotte Meyer and Laurent Simon on 23 May 2014
Jean Pierre Dick awarded for act of 'Good Seamanship' Virbac-Paprec Sailing Team
Eric Tabarly (1964), Alain J. Gerbault (1923), and Bernard Moitessier (1966) were honoured by the Cruising Club of America. Yesterday evening, in the surroundings of the magnificent New York Yacht Club, Jean-Pierre Dick was highly privileged to be awarded the 'Rod Stephens Trophy 2013'* by the CCA.
This trophy 'rewards Jean-Pierre Dick for his extraordinary feat in the Vendée Globe 2012, during which he sailed 2,643 miles (4254 km) without a keel, finishing the race brilliantly in fourth place'. This international award honours the outstanding seamanship of the gentleman skipper!
James G. Binch 'I am delighted to award Jean-Pierre this very special prize. The Rod Stephens Trophy is a special trophy. It takes neither the skipper's nationality, nor boat class or type into consideration. It rewards an 'act of good seamanship' accomplished on all oceans. So it is a great honour for the Cruising Club of America to reward Jean-Pierre Dick for his outstanding feat in the Vendée 2012, during which he sailed 2,643 miles (4254 km) without a keel, finishing the race brilliantly in fourth place'.
JP 'First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude. This means a great deal to me and I am very touched to receive the Rod Stephens Trophy this evening. My story has been built around the world of offshore racing and it was very satisfying to succeed in finishing this race, despite the damage to the boat. At sea, tenacity is an important strength helping you overcome difficulties.'
JP 'The magic of this race is that you can stop mid-route and still finish with a good place! This reminds me of one of Bruno Troublé's exploits (Ed. French skipper and Louis Vuitton’s Cup organizer) who won a race by dropping his anchor for a whole night, because the mistral wind was too strong. When I was anchored in Spain, the first thing I did was phone Bruno to try and do the same!'
*Regarding the Rod Stephens Trophy:
Roderick 'Rod' Stephens, Jr. (1909–1995) was one of America's best known and respected sailors. He was President of Sparkman & Stephens, a naval architecture firm founded in 1929. The Rod Stephens Trophy, awarded in his honour, rewards an act of seamanship which significantly contributes to the safety of a yacht, or one or more individuals at sea.
For more information on the Cruising Club of America
website.
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