OGA Cape Horn Trophy

I was surprised and delighted to receive this award from the OGA and Tom's comments below were very generous.

Judge's comments: Tom Cunliffe

It has long been a mystery to me why sailors bound on a first ocean voyage should be willing to pay money to be part of an Atlantic Rally. The essence of ocean sailing is adventure, and the essence of adventure is self-sufficiency. To set forth into the Atlantic without backup, with an inexperienced crew and a boat one barely knows at sea might be considered foolhardy or irresponsible. Sometimes it is just that, and the sea has its way of bringing home the results, but in other cases, with careful preparation and the right mix of humility coupled with a no-compromise will to succeed, it represents the spirit of that sort of seamanship that comes from the heart rather than a series of instructional courses.

Reading between the lines of her accounts, Jo-Jo and her bold family made some carefully weighted decisions on this trip. The best was probably to lay up in Grenada for the hurricane season, then continue their voyage at the right time of year. Keeping the boat low-tech was in the best traditions of gaffer sailing. It's hard to imagine any boat on the ARC today with no refrigeration, yet many a yacht has completed successful cruises without it. My own first deep-sea experience was based on a boat of a similar size to Island Swift with no technology at all beyond a diesel engine which worked at best intermittently. She was well ventilated, as are Wylo boats, we chose our food appropriately and we mostly drank rum and water with a little lime, a wholesome confection that costs next to nothing in the tropics and has no need of ice. The freedom that spins off from the lack of worry about equipment failures is a tangible thing. It also makes such voyages affordable for the leanest of budgets or, in my own case, no budget at all.

Reading between the lines, one can imagine the usual family tensions coming and going with Jo-Jo's crowd, but the over-riding impression of this voyage is one of deep satisfaction and delight. A family that sails as a crew in this way stays together for life, bound by love, a real knowledge of one another, and mutual esteem. The Wylo boat is the ideal vehicle. I know this to be true because I cruised in company with Nick Skeates, the designer, with his own Wylo II and saw at first hand the many benefits it bestows for remarkably little money.

Many families make so-called Atlantic Circuits these days, mostly in 'white boats' bristling with kit. Jo-Jo's voyage was altogether more organic. It was accomplished, as Eric Hiscock famously said of the best way to sail, 'without fuss'; the emergencies were handled 'in-house' and all her objectives were achieved. She showed the gaffers' flag to the world in Antigua and brought distinction to the association. If more families followed her example, making a proper voyage based on a sound attitude and a traditional approach to good seamanship, our world would be a better place. 

Link to OGA Trophies