William (Scott) Piper III to receive 2008 Blue Water Medal

by Dana Paxton on 15 Jan 2009 The Cruising Club of America has selected William (Scott) Piper III, M.D. to receive its prestigious 2008 Blue Water Medal for 12 years of adventurous cruising and voyaging in two boats, Pipe Dream VI, a J/40, and Pipe Dream IX, a 52’ J/160, aboard which he has logged over 132,000 miles, for a total of 180,000 miles. The medal was presented at the club’s annual Awards Dinner in New York on January 13, 2009 by CCA Commodore Ross Sherbrooke, of Boston, Mass.

Now 69, Scott Piper retired a few years ago as an orthopedic surgeon. He graduated from Dartmouth, and later took his residency in New York City, where he served in the Far East during the Vietnam War, and until not long ago practiced in southern Florida. His wife Gillette, is a practicing psychologist. In remote areas, word of a doctor’s arrival travels fast and on numerous instances Scott has performed emergency procedures. On one such occasion a few years ago, a young man was swept over a large waterfall, smashing numerous bones and almost drowning. Scott trucked him to a hospital, took over the emergency room, and performed successful surgery.

Scott Piper has crossed the Atlantic eight times and the Indian and Pacific Oceans four times each. His routes have varied substantially, including high latitude crossings of the North Pacific and Southern Oceans. His voyages have included roundings of three of the world’s great capes, Cape Horn, the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Leeuwin on the southwest tip of Australia. While he usually sails with friends, some of his voyages have been done solo.

He has been awarded 14 Parkinson Trophies (including one for his recent Pacific crossing) for transoceanic voyaging, and it appears he is due for two more that he has never applied for. In his cruising he has accumulated 126 foreign courtesy flags. He has also raced his boats in offshore races including the Transpac, the Newport Bermuda Race (doublehanded), and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

In addition to presenting its Blue Water Medal, the CCA also presented the following 2008 Award Citations:

The Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship is awarded to Susanne Huber-Curphey and Tony Curphey for their joint seamanship in saving Galenaia in the Tasman Sea. The couple, sailing solo on their own boats (Tony in Galenaia and Susanne in So Long) on a passage from West Australia to Fiji, they encountered severe weather until, 29 days out, Galenaia’s rudder and skeg broke. Susanne and So Long sailed back 150 miles, found her husband and his damaged and leaking boat, and in heavy seas took them in tow. For eight days and 650 miles they were separated by 80 meters of tow line. On April 5th they arrived safely at Port Nelson, South Island, New Zealand.

The Far Horizons Award is awarded to John H. Harries and Phyllis Nickel for their extensive cruises and long distance passages in Morgan’s Cloud to northern high latitudes, including Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Svalbard. In the past 11 years they have completed four transatlantic passages, and twice wintered over in Tromso, Norway, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle. They have shared their Norwegian cruising experiences and taught and inspired other sailors in their extensive on-line cruising guide.

The Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize is awarded to Skip Novak for the story of his voyage in 2008 submitted to the 2009 Cruising Club News, 'Witness to Change.' Skip hosted a National Geographic film crew aboard his specially fitted out boat Pelagic Australis in January 2008 as they documented the changes that global warming has brought to the Antarctic Peninsula. He drew upon his 20 years of Antarctic voyaging to complete the expedition with exemplary seamanship and with a keen eye and appreciation for this harsh yet fragile area. Skip Novak’s story and his voyage provide great reading and help raise awareness of changes in the sailor’s environment.

The Richard S. Nye Trophy is awarded to Ronald C. Trossbach for bringing distinction to The Cruising Club of America by meritorious service, able seamanship, outstanding performance in long range cruising, and his statesmanship in the affairs of international yachting with his long term and ongoing contributions to Safety at Sea programs and seminars.

The Royal Cruising Club Trophy is awarded to Robert A. Van Blaricom for his trip from San Francisco to Prince William Sound in Alaska in his 32’ sloop Misty, a cruise of some 2,000 miles. His story in the 2009 Cruising Club News, 'Voyage to the Hall of the Mountain King' is most interesting and a helpful reference for others planning a trip to Alaska.

About the Cruising Club of America
The Cruising Club of America is dedicated to offshore cruising, voyaging and the 'adventurous use of the sea' through efforts to improve seamanship, the design of seaworthy yachts, safe yachting procedures and environmental awareness. Now in its 88th year, the club has 10 stations throughout the U.S., Canada and Bermuda, with approximately 1200 members who are qualified by their experience in offshore passage making. In even-numbered years, the CCA organizes the Newport to Bermuda Race in conjunction with the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. It also sponsors several Safety at Sea seminars and hosts a series of 'Suddenly Alone' seminars for the cruising couple.

For more information on the CCA, go to http://www.cruisingclub.org