The Cruising Association unveiled the winners of its annual Log Competition on 27 March 2024, celebrating the best stories of inland, coastal, and offshore voyages from the past cruising season.
The CA Log Competition dates back to 1910 with The Love Cup, and honours members' cruising adventures across various categories. The CA Log Competition serves as both a retrospective of cruising adventures and underscores the essence of sharing cruising experiences with fellow sailors.
Winners of the 2023 Log Competition received their awards from Katy Stickland, Editor of Practical Boat Owner, after the annual Hanson Lecture. Delivered by Commander Michael Sturm, United States Naval Attaché to the United Kingdom, the Hanson Lecture compared methods of naval intelligence during the era of Admiral Horatio Nelson with the current age.
Celebrating Cruising
The evening celebrated a diverse range of fascinating logs, with this year's entries again illustrating the joy of being on a boat, capturing moments of challenge, exploration, and achievement.
Katy Stickland, who reviewed and judged the diverse range of entries, said, "Excellent writing, video and photography should have the power to inform, engage and transport the reader and viewer, and the diversity and quality of logs in this year's competition meant it was challenging to judge but the winning logs were those that got the balance right between cruising information and a well-crafted and interesting narrative. Congratulations to the winners and all those who took the time to enter. I hope these logs inspire others to follow in their wake and experience the joy of cruising."
Photos © John Hadley
2023 Log Competition Winners
Hanson Cup - best log of any duration / Bjorn Riis-Johannessen
Log Title: Cruising the Scottish west coast looking for the King of Norway
Judge’s comments: "This thoughtful log was so engaging, it felt like I was in the Aphrodite 37 with them. This was not only a sailing adventure but a voyage of discovery, and the thread of Norwegian and Scottish history running through the narrative worked really well, binding it together. A real treat to read."
Love Cup - best log of under 30 days' duration / Julian and Vanessa Dussek
Log Title: Completing the circle, Westhoek to Calais
Judge’s comments: "This log combined essential cruising information within a well-written narrative."
Dugon Cup - best log in a vessel not more than 32’ LOA of any duration / Colin Reid
Log Title: A solo cruise up the West Coast of Scotland and back down the Outer Hebrides
Judge’s Comments: "A thoroughly interesting record of solo cruising, with some captivating passages and solid factual cruising detail, illustrated with some truly stunning photos."
Dolphin Cup - best photographic log / Alison Cable
Log Title: Illulisat to Nuuk
Judge’s comments: "This thoughtfully presented log featured a delightful, eloquent narrative, inter-mixed with lots of essential cruising information and good photography."
Yachting World Family Cruising Award / Kamil Kolodziej
Log Title: Ahoy! Gdańsk to Göteborg: Navigating the Göta Canal with a 4-Year-Old Captain on Our Yacht!
Judge’s comments: "A realistic, lively account of the ups and downs of boat modifications and family boating life. Packed full of detail."
The osCA - best video / Jonathan Rollison
Log Title: The ‘Long Way Down’
Judge’s comments: "This was a friendly and engaging watch with good pieces to camera intercut with images and charts. Very entertaining."
PBO Award – best photographic log of one week / Nick & Alison Boxall
Log Title: Whimbrel 2023 In Scotland and Orkney
Judge’s comments: "This beautiful photo log had it all! Evocative photos of the Scottish landscape with informative and descriptive passages that complimented the photography and really drew the reader in."
The PBO Award winners also receive a one-year subscription to Practical Boat Owner.
The Lacey Trophy - best website or blog covering cruising / James Kenning
Log Title: Through Orca Alley to the Med for summer cruising of the Balearics
Judge’s comments: "A brilliantly engaging blog, with captivating photography, and clear, easy-to-read essential technical and cruising information covering everything from boat hacks to how to navigate to avoid orcas. Five stars."
The Lacey Trophy Runner up – Kerry & Fraser Buchanan
Log Title: From Bangor, Northern Ireland to Greece
Judge’s comments: "The use of the two alternating voices of Kerry and Fraser made this log really stand out and gave this well-written and descriptive blog a fresh feel."
The Lacey Trophy Runner up – Anna Pocock
Log Title: Island hopping from Cornwall to Atlantic France
Judge’s comments: "This log would be useful for those planning a similar voyage with excellent cruising information intercut with vivid passages. The use of the charts really helped visualise each leg of the voyage."
Members can read the winning logs and all entries from the 2023 Log Competition, along with past editions, on the member website's Cruise Logs section.
3 April 2024