75,000nm wins couple the CCA's 2013 Far Horizons Award

by Kirsten Ferguson on 2 Feb 2014 The Cruising Club of America (CCA) chose Tom and Dorothy Wadlow (Mystic, Conn.) to receive its 2013 Far Horizons Award for an admirable 18 years and 75,000 miles of cruising. The award is given to recognize specific members 'for a particularly meritorious cruise or series of cruises that exemplify the objectives of the Club.' Commodore Frederic T. Lhamon will present the award at the annual CCA Awards Dinner on March 7, 2014 at New York Yacht Club in Manhattan.

In 1995, the Wadlows had their Chuck Paine designed Apogee 50 Joyant built at Able Marine in Mt. Desert Island, Maine. The boat was shipped to San Diego, Calif. and outfitted before the couple took her south on a shakedown cruise to Mexico then north to Seattle.

In 1997, the duo embarked on a year-long cruise, which included Alaska’s Glacier Bay, the Gulf of Alaska, and Prince William Sound. From there, the Wadlows cruised Joyant south to Baja (Mexico) and back north to San Diego where Joyant stayed until 1999 when the couple set out on a 1,500 nautical mile journey south to Zihuatanejo (Mexico) and through the Panama Canal. In 2000 the couple toured Costa Rica’s San Blas Islands and Columbia’s Bay Islands. From there they cruised Guatemala’s Rio Dulce and then on to Belize. After that, the Wadlows took Joyant up the eastern coast of Mexico to Florida and then north to New England.

From 2001 to 2005 the Wadlows cruised Joyant along the eastern coast of North America. They sailed to Florida, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Dominican Republic. After that, the couple sailed north to circumnavigate the Canadian province of Newfoundland before sailing south again to Bermuda and continuing on to the Caribbean Islands where they cruised to Trinidad and the eastern Caribbean before returning to Maine.

In 2006, the Wadlows took Joyant on a 16-day transatlantic passage from Mystic, Conn., to Ireland, where they cruised the country’s west coast, and continued on to the Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands along the western coast of Scotland. In 2007 they cruised the Orkneys and Shetland Islands. From there, they sailed to a latitude of 80 degrees north to Svalbard (Norway) and then south to Sweden. In 2008 the couple explored the Baltic Sea, touring Finland, Denmark and Sweden. In 2009 they cruised to Germany, Holland, Belgium, London (England), and the Isles of Scilly before returning to Ireland.

In 2010, the Wadlows cruised the Faroe Islands off the mainland of Scotland and then headed south to the Isle of Man. After that they crossed the Bay of Biscay to get to Spain and Portugal, and from there they sailed to Gibraltar and Morocco. In 2011 they cruised the Western Mediterranean, touring Barcelona (Spain), Cannes and St. Tropez (France), Monaco, Italy, Corsica (France), Sardinia and the Balearic Islands (Spain). From there, the couple sailed south to the island of Maderia and continued on to the Canary Islands.

In 2012, the Wadlows departed from the Canary Islands and sailed back across the Atlantic Ocean to New England, via the Cape Verde Islands, Antigua and the Eastern Caribbean.

In 2013 the couple embarked on yet another cruise, starting and ending in Mystic, which took them to Cape Chidley on the northeastern tip of the Labrador Peninsula (Canada). Currently the Wadlows are embarking on a new excursion, which will take them to the west coast of South America by way of the Panama Canal. Cruising Club Website