The Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show is an exciting point on every marine journalist’s calendar not just because of the gorgeous weather and menagerie of new designs on display. On day one before the show opens, Boating Writers International kicks off the festivities with their annual awards now in its 32nd year. The awards celebrate 16 contest categories representing $16,000 in cash prizes for “excellence in creating compelling content about boating through entertaining, educational and inspiring journalism.” Each of the 16 categories is judged by active journalists in the industry.
For a second year in a row, SAIL was the boating industry’s most celebrated publication, receiving 17 awards overall and five first prizes.
SAIL Editor-in-Chief Wendy Mitman Clarke took both first and third places in the Boating Columns category sponsored by KVH Industries for her letters from the editor. Judges said of her work, “The author’s voice is loud and clear in each story, drawing heavily upon personal experience and a superior knowledge of sailing without being preachy. I found all three stories made for enjoyable, entertaining and informative reading.”
Managing Editor Lydia Mullan won—for the second consecutive year—the competitive Adventure category for her riveting story “A Eulogy for Alliance” about the 2024 Bermuda Race when the J/122 on which she was crew hit a submerged object and sank. Of the story, judges said it was a “storm-powered adventure that braved the elements to deliver a uniquely engaging story.”
Mullan’s follow up article “Lessons from Alliance,” was also recognized, taking second place in the Seamanship, Rescue, and Safety category sponsored by Sea Tow Services International. Her story “Lightning in a Bottle” about Cole Brauer’s circumnavigation and managing the media campaign that took Instagram by storm took second place in the Women in Boating category sponsored by Yamaha Marine Business Unit/Yamaha Watercraft.
Cruising Editor Charles J. Doane received second place award in Boating Profiles sponsored by Nautical Ventures for “An Obsessive Sort of Sailor” and a merit award in the Lifestyles category sponsored by Discover Boating for his “More than A Dash of Grit.” Technical Editor Adam Cove took third in the Boat Tests and Reviews category sponsored by Volvo Penta for his writing on the X Yachts XC47, while
SAIL contributors swept the Boating Travel or Destinations category sponsored by Dometic, with Christopher Birch in first with his article “Searching for Farley,” Charles Scott’s “A Tall Ship Tale” in second, and Kia Koropp’s “The Hidden Gift” in third. Of Birch’s article, judges said, “The author cleverly juxtaposes a voyage to Newfoundland with an homage to writer Farley Mowat and his many seminal books about sailing the Canadian Maritime Provinces. The reader rides along as they cruise to small and abandoned villages, waterfalls and fjords, seeing for themselves the places that inspired the ‘Sage of Burgeo,’ and meeting the many people who call this special place home.” Birch’s “A New Balance” also came in second in the Boat Projects, Renovations, and Retrofits category sponsored by Boats Group.
Hugo Kugiya won first prize in the Boating Issues, News, and Analysis category sponsored by Mercury Marine for his story “Jumping on the Starwagon,”[ https://www.sailmagazine.com/gear/starlink-how-high-speed-internet-for-boats-is-changing-sailing] on Starlink and the rise of connected sailing. Said judges, “this well-researched article delivers a compelling read about a truly breakthrough development being advanced by sailors in ports and waterways throughout the world.”
Norris Comer took first in Women in Boating sponsored by Yamaha Marine Business Unit/Yamaha Watercraft for “Sails Like a Girl Lives Like a Wolf,” which the judges said “captures the essence of fear, bravery, and all the emotions that lay between. I felt connected to the subject and a part of her world.”
Boating Photography sponsored by Duree & Co. recognized two SAIL contributors: Charles Scott and Nick Croken for a third place and merit award respectively, and Stephen Titus came in third in the Boating Adventures category sponsored by Yamaha Marine Group with his “Father Watch Son Watch.”
SAIL received 17 awards in total and won first prize in five of sixteen categories, making it 2024’s most celebrated marine publication by both metrics. “I’m very, very proud of our writers and photographers,” says Clarke. “They do such great work.”
“We’re not a huge magazine with a massive staff, but our editors and contributors are some of the hardest working people out there. Under Wendy’s leadership SAIL has really come into its own,” says Mullan. “It’s so special to have our work recognized by our peers as some of the best writing the industry has to offer.”
February 2025
