Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize—Max Fletcher and Lynnie Bruce
Max Fletcher and Lynnie Bruce, of Orr’s Island, Maine, are the recipients of the Cruising Club of America's 2022 Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize for their collaboration in writing and editing of “Spain to Maine,” an account of their non-stop passage home from Portosin, Spain.
Published in the 2023 edition of Voyages magazine, “Spain to Maine” earned top marks from the Voyages editorial committee for its creative use of log entries written in rotation by crewmembers. Carefully edited and illustrated, the excellence of the article took its final form ashore in Maine after 30 days of sailing, covering 3,900 nautical miles.
The voyage from Portosin, Spain was the culmination of a multi-year cruise of northern Europe, at first extended and then hurried by the Covid pandemic. Thirty days at sea with three people aboard a small, 40-foot sailboat should be challenge enough, but Lynnie the mate added further challenge for Max and his nephew Rudy Guliani, by tasking them to participate in “keeping the log” while learning and incorporating Shakespearian curses for intellectual stimulation.
The edited log serves as the central narrative of the adventure, creating a delightful account of a month wearing a harness aboard a rollicking boat with humor and a shared appreciation of nature. The crew spent the entire trip without news of political upheaval nor alcohol, leading the skipper to suggest, “Perhaps indulging the first leads to the second.”
To learn more, read Max Fletcher’s “Spain to Maine.”
