Jan 15, 2006 - 0730hrs EDT │Sydney

0730hrs 15 Jan 2006 EDT Sydney

[ed: Well, what do you know.  Yet another award, this time the Award of Merit from the Ocean Cruising Club in the UK.  Honoured.

It reads:

 Dear Alex and Pete,

 re: OCC Award of Merit for 2005.

 I am very pleased to inform you that the Committee of The Ocean Cruising Club has decided to award you one of the two, 2005 OCC Awards of Merit which is for ‘performing some outstanding voyage or achievement’.  This is awarded to you for your wonderful achievement of completing your circumnavigation and including two, successive Sydney to HobartSydney-Hobart Race: often described as the most gruelling ocean race in the world, this annual race starts on 26th December from Sydney Harbour and ends in Hobart. The course is 628 nautical miles.’s and the FastnetFastnet Race: 608 mile biennial race from Cowes, UK, Isle of Wight, to the Fastnet Rock off Southern Ireland, finishing in Plymouth. Berrimilla took part in 2005 and 2009. Race all in the space of one year (plus a few days!) in your, relatively, small boat: Berrimilla. You are two, huge people in the eyes of yachtsmen throughout the world and for “two old geezers in a battered old boat” you have shown the rest of us what sheer guts and determination can achieve and all done with a sense of humour and lots of time to respond to the thousands of email comments and queries.

 Well done and many congratulations on your achievements on behalf of the members of a worldwide club of long-distance sailors.

 The Club’s awards are, traditionally, presented at the AGM Dinner which, this year, will be held in The Royal Thames Yacht Club, 60 Knightsbridge, London SW1 on Friday evening the 7th April, 2006.  It would be most appropriate if you could both attend as dinner guests of the club, to receive the award yourselves in person.  However, if you are not able to get there, and it would be quite understandable considering the distance involved, you may want to elect someone to receive the award on your behalf.  Either way please let me know so that I can arrange for the accompanying medal to be given to you.  Incidentally, I am planning a trip to Australia at the end of April and there may be an opportunity to make a presentation then.

 The evening will include drinks, the Presentation of Awards followed by dinner and a short speech given by a guest speaker. Dress is reefer jackets.  For your information, our club was formed in 1954 by Humphrey Barton for long-distance sailors (you have to sail 1,000 miles across an ocean in order to qualify!) and now has 1,800 members worldwide.

 Once again, many congratulations.

 Yours in sailing,

 Erik Vischer

Chairman, Awards Sub-Committee.

…. And don’t forget, Sunday 22nd Jan at 10:30am, here

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