The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has selected John E. Sanford of Tiburon, Calif. to receive its 2015 Richard S. Nye Award, established in 1978 to recognize a member of CCA “who has brought distinction to the Club by meritorious service, outstanding seamanship, outstanding performance in long distance cruising or racing, statesmanship in the affairs of international racing, or any combination of the above.” Sanford was cited for his meritorious service to the Cruising Club of America and the San Francisco Station over a period of 34 years. The award will be presented at the CCA’s annual Awards Dinner at the New York Yacht Club in New York on March 4, 2016.

CCA’s Richard S. Nye Trophy Awardee John E. Sanford

Sanford has continuously participated in the activities of CCA since he became a member in 1981. He was elected as Rear Commodore of CCA’s San Francisco station for two terms, and under his leadership, that station organized and managed the successful 1999 Club cruise to New Zealand. Sanford also served on the Committee for the equally successful Thailand Cruise in 2014 and served as his station’s historian for ten years. He was Co-Chairman of the San Francisco Station Committee for the 2006 CCA Spring Meeting in San Francisco, having served on two previous San Francisco CCA Spring Meeting committees.

At the Club level, Sanford was a member of the Board of Governors for three years, served as a member of the Nominating Committee for six years, and also, over the years, was on the Membership, Awards and Communications Committees. He was Editor of the Cruising Club News(now Voyages) from 2000-2003 and received the Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize in 2004 for his editorials and articles in the Cruising Club News. He remained active in the Club’s literary endeavors, serving on the Advisory Committees for the Cruising Club News and the GAM. Even with all his land-bound involvement, Sanford participated over the years in numerous Fall and Spring Cruises.