Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

Change of the watch at the Cruising Club of America as centennial year begins

by John Burnham 16 Mar 2022 08:53 PDT

The Cruising Club of America turned 100 years old and installed new flag officers and governors at its annual meeting, earlier this month. Chris Otorowski, of Seattle, took the helm as Commodore, succeeding Bob Medland, of Toronto.

During the two-year period marked by the global pandemic, Medland led the club with distinction. It was already a yacht club without a clubhouse that for 100 years has "steadfastly refused to have an onshore contingent," but Medland rallied the 1400 CCA members to hold effective, virtual gatherings and improve communications both socially and in the spirit of helping others learn about offshore sailing.

"In some respects, thanks to Zoom, we got to know each other better and learned more from each other than ever," says Otorowski, who served as Vice Commodore during the period. "It wasn't exactly the role Bob expected to play," said Otorowski, "but he showed exceptional leadership throughout and was unfailingly cheerful and enthusiastic."

Typical of the 1400-member club, which is organized into 11 stations in the U.S., Canada and Bermuda, new members of its leadership group are drawn from the ranks of yacht and cruising clubs in all corners of the continent. Installed this year were 10 new officers and board governors affiliated with 22 other sailing organizations (see list below).

All members of the CCA are cruisers and racers who have demonstrated their capabilities in command of offshore sailing vessels on ocean voyages of significant duration. Among those who rise to its leadership positions, most also serve their local yacht and cruising clubs as well. For example, Medland previously served as Commodore of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, and Otorowski as Commodore of the Seattle Yacht Club.

The Cruising Club of America was formed in 1922 by 34 charter members in New York City after the concept was initiated during a conversation in Maskells Harbour on Nova Scotia's Bras d'Or Lake between American small-boat cruiser William Washburn Nutting and Canadian hydrofoil and aviation pioneer Casey Baldwin. In the years since, members have voyaged extensively, and 19 of their stories have been collected into The Adventurous Use of the Sea: Formidable Stories of a Century of Sailing from The Cruising Club of America written by Tim Murphy, published by Seapoint Media. The book, made possible by Mystic Seaport Museum, is due out in the fall of 2022.

The official CCA Centennial event will take place this September in Newport, R.I., when members will celebrate the club's ongoing leadership role in ocean sailing. That includes rating-rule development intended to promote seaworthy offshore sailboats, 96 years of partnership with Royal Bermuda Yacht Club as co-organizer of the Bermuda Race, and the awarding since 1923 of the iconic Blue Water Medal for "meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the sea displayed by amateur sailors of all nationalities."

The club has continued its leadership role, notably in recent years by administering an increased number of International Offshore Safety-at-Sea with Hands-On Training courses, which yield a World Sailing Approved Offshore Personal Survival Course certificate for those who successfully complete it. The club began staging courses every quarter in Rhode Island in 2019 and early 2020, and since December 2021, at an even higher frequency to help prepare sailors for the Newport Bermuda Race.

Commodore Otorowski welcomes Vice Commodore Jay Gowell and the other new officers and governors to help guide the activities of the membership in their adventurous use of the sea. "Members young and old are resuming plans for races, not only to Bermuda and Hawaii this year, but also to make ocean crossings and cruise the oceans of the world," says Otorowski. "We believe it's still the case that 'Nowhere is Too Far,'" as that maxim was coined in 1923 by founding member and visionary, Henry Wise Wood."

New members of CCA leadership

Chris Otorowski, Commodore - Seattle YC, New York YC, Royal Ocean Racing Club
Jay Gowell, Vice Commodore - Conanicut YC, New York YC, Storm Trysail Club, Off Soundings Club
Molly Barnes, Secretary - Ocean Cruising Club
Kathleen O'Donnell, Treasurer - Larchmont YC, New Bedford YC, Royal Scandinavian YC, Nylandska Jaktklubben
Douglas Adkins, Historian - Seattle YC, St. Francis YC, Royal Scandinavian YC, Nylandska Jaktklubben, Orcas Island YC, Ocean Cruising Club
Dennis Durgan, Governor - Newport Harbor YC, St. Francis YC, Transpacific YC, Long Beach YC
Jeffrey Gonsalves, Governor - New Bedford YC, Ocean Cruising Club, New England Beetle Cat Boat Association
Amanda Balasubramanian, Governor - Royal Canadian YC, Royal Scandinavian YC, Nylandska Jaktklubben
Chris Terajewicz, Governor - Epping Forest YC
John Wright, Governor - Corinthian YC of Philadelphia, Chester River Yacht and Country Club, Storm Trysail Club

Read the complete list of CCA Officers, Governors, Station Rear Commodores, and Committee Chairs.

Related Articles

Viking Route Across the Atlantic sailing guide
Created by members of the Cruising Club of America The CCA Essential Passage Guide to the Viking Route, created by members of the Cruising Club of America, provides mission-critical information for the high-latitude crossing between the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland. Posted on 7 Jul
2023 Marion Bermuda Race wrap-up
Not for the faint of heart The fleet saw conditions ranging from fast-moving squalls to completely still air; the mostly light winds tested both patience and skill for the 32 skippers and their crew that set sail on June 16th from Buzzards Bay in Marion, Massachusetts. Posted on 26 Jun
Richard Moody's Boudicca Wins Line Honors
Finishing n the early morning light on Monday in the 2023 Marion Bermuda Race In the early morning light on Monday, Richard Moody's Boudicca crossed the Marion Bermuda Race finish line off of St. David's Lighthouse, having sailed a total of 705 miles in just 2 days, 17 hours, 26 minutes, 27 seconds. Posted on 19 Jun
2023 Marion Bermuda Race day 1
The fleet sets sail from just off Marion, Massachusetts Beneath sunny skies and a light breeze, the 32-boat fleet in the 2023 Marion Bermuda Race set sail from just off Marion, Massachusetts on Friday, June 16th. Posted on 17 Jun
Marion Bermuda Race: Weather in the Gulf Stream
W. Frank Bohlen has prepared two documents ahead of the race W. Frank Bohlen, from UConn's Marine Sciences Program, has prepared two documents ahead of the Marion Bermuda Race in regards to the Gulf Stream. Posted on 25 May
Clearing Customs 101
Sailing to a foreign country involves a great deal of planning and paperwork Sailing to a foreign country involves a great deal of planning and paperwork. The Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Organizing Committee is here to help. We have many years of experience and local knowledge of Hamilton and all of Bermuda. Posted on 19 Apr
How to get out of Buzzards Bay, fast
We checked in with 2 experienced Buzzards Bay skippers to get tips for getting out of the Bay fast Buzzards Bay, where we place our start line, is notoriously tricky. In the last handful of years, we've seen everything from gale-force winds to dying breeze, flat or lumpy sea states, and — literally — everything in between. Posted on 12 Apr
CCA honors extraordinary 2022 ocean sailors
Blue Water Medal presented to Kenichi Horie The 2022 Cruising Club of America (CCA) awards ceremony was held at the New York Yacht Club on Saturday and was highlighted by the presentation of the Blue Water Medal to octogenarian Kenichi Horie. Posted on 6 Mar
The Northeast Ocean Race Symposium
The Marion Bermuda Race, Marblehead Halifax Race and the Bermuda 1-2 Race combine For the first time ever, in 2023, the three odd-year ocean races in the northeastern United States are jointly sponsoring an event called the Northeast Ocean Race Symposium on March 25th. Posted on 13 Feb
Hands-On Safety at Sea Training
By Marion Bermuda Race and Cruising Club of America The Marion Bermuda Race and Cruising Club of America are partnering in a Hands-On Safety at Sea training course leading to a US Sailing International Offshore Safety at Sea Certificate. Posted on 11 Feb
North Sails Performance 2023 - FOOTERT Clewring Cruising 728x90 BOTTOMZhik 2023 September Seaboot 700 FOOTER