The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has chosen Paul G. Bieker, of Anacortes, Washington, to receive the 2023 Diana Russell Award. This award goes to a club member in recognition of innovation in sailing design, methodology, education, training, safety, and the adventurous use of the sea, with a focus on recipients whose accomplishments deserve recognition by the CCA.
Established in 2022, the award is named for one of the first three women to join the Cruising Club of America. The award recognizes a CCA member for innovation in sailing design, methodology, education, training, safety, and the adventurous use and enjoyment of the sea. Diana Russell fit that description: As a math major out of Bryn Mawr, she was hired by Sparkman & Stephens to optimize their designs to the IOR handicap rule. She later became president of WingSystems, a small sea-going think tank designing a number of boats including the “Wing Dinghy.” She raced worldwide and was one of the early sailors to explore Svalbard, Norway in a small boat. Her watchwords were “Make haste slowly, function in disaster, finish in style."
The inaugural 2022 Diana Russell Award for innovation goes to a lifelong sailor who founded and directs the Ocean Voyages Institute and actively supports several non-profits dedicated to the marine environment.