Sail-World Journalist Wins Seamanship Award

by Des Ryan on 21 Nov 2007 One of Sail-World's seven world-wide editors has won a coveted annual seamanship award. Cruising Editor Nancy Knudsen with her husband Ted Nobbs on their yacht Blackwattle had just completed a five year circumnavigation, arriving back into Australia two weeks ago, when they learned of the award.

The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) has awarded them the OCC's Australian Trophy, for 'A Voyage of Merit to or from Australia.', and the award has been made primarily to recognise an incident that occurred half way across the Atlantic Ocean during the 2006 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.

In part the Award reads 'They exhibited the qualities of seamanship and the brotherhood of the sea by selflessly and at some personal risk assisting a vessel in distress during the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, crossing from Horta to the West Indies.'

At the time another Australian yacht, Mary Constance, with Mike and Jocelyn Franklin and their two daughters Pippa (7) and Justine (5) on board, had lost both lower shrouds and were in danger of losing their mast while still 1300 nautical miles from shore. The crew on Blackwattle transferred one replacement shroud to the other boat and then escorted them across the Atlantic

Of the award, Ted Nobbs said, 'Of course we are very proud that the OCC has seen fit to give us this award, but we only did what any other cruising sailor would do.'

Nancy added, ' You've got to understand that when you are cruising in remote places, whether it is in remote islands, the middle of an ocean or the Red Sea, the spirit among long range cruising sailors is fantastic. We have seen – and received - the most amazing acts of assistance and sacrifice in our years of cruising – ours was very small really in the scheme of things. I think we should be accepting the award in recognition of that spirit, which is very much alive and well and I trust it always will be.'

The award was presented at a glittering function at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron in Sydney last Friday evening.

The couple, who are currently sailing south down the east coast of Australia were unable to be present, and the award, which was presented by the Rear Commodore of the OCC John de Launey, was accepted on their behalf by well known Sydney sailor Graham Evans.

Graham commented, ' I have been involved both as a competitor and administrator of many ocean races such as the Hobart, the Kenwood Cup, the Noumea and so on, most of which started as ‘passage races, but which have evolved into dangerous macho sprints that often see 1/3 of the fleet retiring with broken gear, broken bones, queasy stomachs and low morale, even bad seamanship as we saw in the 1998 Hobart.

'It is therefore an added pleasure to have been asked to accept on behalf of Ted and Nancy this award celebrating their old fashioned courage, seamanship and sense of adventure.'