Cruising Club of America Celebrates Its Centennial

Windcheck / Chris Szepessy / By Chris Otorowski

One hundred years after its founding, the Cruising Club of America threw itself a big party in Newport, RI last September. More than 400 CCA members and spouses took over the Newport Harbor Hotel and its marina for four days of fun and education.

Cruising “royalty” attending included featured guest Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who delivered a keynote at the opening dinner on Monday night. Knox-Johnston was the winner of the 1968 Golden Globe, sailing singlehanded around the world, and currently manages the Clipper Round the World Race.

Besides Knox-Johnston, several other past winners of the Club’s prestigious Blue Water Medal made presentations during the week, including Rev. Bob Shepton, Rich Wilson, Randall Reeves, and Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. The latter three took part in a two-hour panel discussion on preparing for and sailing in heavy weather conditions. The Club plans to release an edited video of that session at a later date.