MIAMI VIDEO: Soundings writers honored at BWI awards
MIAMI - Boating Writers International honored the industry's top marine journalists with the presentation of its annual writing awards.
The contest drew 301 entries from 113 writers, and $16,000 in awards were handed out to first ($500), second ($300) and third ($200) place winners in 16 categories. In addition to cash awards, certificates of merit were presented to writers of another 34 articles that scored within 95 percent of third-place tallies in each category.
No winners were named in the Gear, Electronics and Product Tests category because it had an insufficient number of entries to be judged.
Jim Flannery, senior writer for Soundings Trade Only and sister publication Soundings, received the top honor BWI presents to a journalist with the BWI Grand Prize Writer's Award.
Click play to watch Flannery receive his honor in Miami.
Announcement of the award, consisting of a $2,500 check and a crystal trophy, was made today during the BWI membership meeting at the Miami International Boat Show.
Flannery, of Fort Lauderdale, covers the Southeast and beyond for Soundings and Trade Only, filing dozens of articles annually that range from safety and legislative concerns to industry profiles and human interest tales.
His in-depth treatise, "The fading glory of working waterfronts," profiled the human impact that the demise of water-based commercial enterprise brings and identified the issues that lead to it. In Maine, and coastal states also tied to a challenged fishery, the competition between private land use and development and civic interest in keeping businesses and resulting jobs is a constant faceoff.
Flannery also reported on individuals, groups and government programs seeking healthy mixed-use solutions that offer hope for restoring waterfront vitality. The article was first recognized in the Boating Issues, News and Analysis writing category, one of 48 award winners in the 2010 BWI Annual Writing Contest. The top three entries in each of 16 writing categories were considered for this grand prize.
Among the annual writing awards, Soundings took two first-place awards — Stephen Blakely’s “Destination: New York City” in the Boating Travel or Destinations category, and Tom Neale's "Don't shortcut the learning curve" in the Seamanship, Rescue & Safety category.
Here are the first-, second- and third-place winners in each category and the writers recognized with certificates of merit:
Boating Columns
1st, “On Watch,” by Gary “Cap’n Fatty” Goodlander, Cruising World
2nd, “On the Wind,” by Chris Caswell, Sailing
3rd, “Off Watch,” by Wendy Clarke, Cruising World
Boating Lifestyles
1st, “Black Pearls, Reef Sharks and Ancient Ghosts,” by Antonia Murphy, Cruising World
2nd, “Around the World by Thumb,” by Clive Webber, Cruising World
3rd, “From the White-Knuckler Files,” by Elaine Lembo, Cruising World
Awards of merit: “Let There Be Pirates” by Jane Meneely, Chesapeake Bay; and “Are You Being Served?” by Chris Caswell, Yachting
Boating Profiles
1st, “Beauty and the Beasts,” by Marty LeGrand, Chesapeake Bay
2nd, “Full Noise or No Noise,” by Herb McCormick, Cruising World
3rd, “No Stranger to the Grind,” by Stuart Streuli, Sailing World
Awards of merit: “A Space Odyssey,” by Gary Kramer, BoatUS Magazine; “Resurrecting a Legend,” by Heather Steinberger, Sailing; “Insider — Geoff Eisenberg,” by Michael Verdon, International Boat Industry; and “Remembering John Krevey,” by Betsy Haggerty, Boating on the Hudson & Beyond
Boating Travel or Destinations
1st, “Destination: New York City,” by Stephen Blakely, Soundings
2nd, “In Darwin's Wake,” by Herb McCormick, Cruising World
3rd, “Society Islands Sojourn,” by Tim Murphy, Cruising World
Awards of merit: “Byzantium Bound,” by Jane Meneely, Chesapeake Bay; “The City That Care Forgot,” by Mary South, Yachting; “Diamond in the Rough,” by Wendy Clarke, Cruising World; and “Baja Magic,” by Peter Swanson, PassageMaker
Boating Adventures
1st, “The Voyage in Between,” by Gary Goodlander, Cruising World
2nd, “Emergency Exit,” by Chris Caswell, Yachting
3rd, “From Penguins to Palm Trees,” by Beth Leonard, Cruising World
Awards of merit: “Ten Feet Across the Pacific,” by Marlin Bree, The Ensign; and “Chesapeake Sailor Earns Stripes,” by Stephen Blakely, Soundings
Boat/Engine Care and Maintenance
1st, “Turning Heads,” by Jen Brett, Cruising World
2nd, “Importance of Oil Sampling,” by George Sass Sr., PassageMaker
3rd, “Home Sweet Hazard,” by Chris Caswell, Dockwalk
Awards of merit: “The Unprotected Saildrive,” by Ed Sherman, Cruising World; “Choosing a New Cruising Main,” by Frank Lanier, Practical Sailor; and “No Mechanical Skill? — There’s a Fix for That,” by Tom Neale, Soundings
Electronics
1st, “Touchscreen Technology,” by Tim Bartlett, Power & Motoryacht
2nd, “Social Navigation,” by Peter Swanson, Motor Boating
3rd, “Managing Your Boat's Power Consumption,” by Chris Landry, Soundings
Award of merit: “Glancing Sideways,” by John Page Williams, Chesapeake Bay
Ethics and Environment
1st, “Dammed If You Do, Damned If You Don’t,” by Jody Schroath, Chesapeake Bay
2nd, “Down in the Hole,” by Kevin Koenig, Power & Motoryacht
3rd, “Eating the Aliens,” by Chris Landers, BoatUS Magazine
Awards of merit: “Phasing Out Copper Bottom Paint,” by Jim Carrier, Cruising World; “The Critters Below,” by Martha LeGrand, Chesapeake Bay; and “SOS — Save Our Seas,” by Jeni Bone, Ultimate Boating & Lifestyle
Fishing
1st, “Miami Vice,” by Pete McDonald, The Drake
2nd, “Find the Churn, Find the Fish,” by John Page Williams, Chesapeake Bay
3rd, “Gold Rush,” by Lenny Rudow, Saltwater Sportsman
Awards of merit: “The Big One That Didn't Get Away,” by Jim Flannery, Soundings; and “Fishing Gone Wild,” by Doug Olander, Sport Fishing
Boating Issues, News and Analysis
1st, “Magnificence Reborn,” by Chris Caswell, Yachting
2nd, “Florida Feuding: Don't Drop the Hook in My Backyard,” by Jim Flannery, Soundings
3rd, “Alcohol & Boat Engines, Is There Another Way?” by Ryck Lydecker, BoatUS Magazine
Award of merit: “Don't Get Lured into a Deal That’s Too Good,” by Caroline Ajootian, BoatUS Magazine
The Business of Boating
1st, “Machined Solutions,” by Chris Caswell, Professional Boatbuilder
2nd, “Ready and Waiting,” by Michael Verdon, International Boat Industry
3rd, “Morgan Huntley, 31, Vanquish Boats,” by Richard Armstrong, Soundings Trade Only
Awards of merit: “Exporting to a Changing World,” by Reagan Haynes, Soundings Trade Only; and “Car Loans Easier To Get — Boats Next?” by Jim Flannery, Soundings Trade Only
Seamanship, Rescue & Safety
1st, “Don't Shortcut The Learning Curve,” by Tom Neale, Soundings
2nd, “Stack the Deck to Survive,” by Beth Leonard, Cruising World
3rd, “Heavy Weather Sailing: Remembering Hurricane Mitch,” by Charles Doane, WaveTrain.net
Award of merit: “When the Stick Comes Down,” by Patrick Childress, Cruising World
Technical Writing
1st, "Broadband Affordability," by Gram Schweikert, Cruising World
2nd, "Onboard Entertainment: The Digital Files Converge," by Ben Ellison, Cruising World
3rd, "Back Cove: A Study in Resin Infusion," by Eric Sorensen, Soundings
Awards of merit: “Corrosion 101,” by Lenny Rudow, Texas Fish & Game; “Are Carbon Nanotubes Coming to a Yacht Near You?” by Roger Marshall, The Megayachts 2012; “Clearly Sensational,” by Marilyn Mower, The Megayachts 2012; and “Secret Surveyor,” by David Seidman, Boating
Boat Tests
1st, “Fire in the Belly,” by Dudley Dawson, Yachting
2nd, “Mama Mia,” by Chris Caswell, Yachting
3rd, “Sea Trial: Tiara 4500 Sovran,” by Alan Jones, Sea magazine
Award of merit: “Catalina 355: Thoughtful Design,” by Tim Murphy, Cruising World
Megayachts
1st, “Expedition Yachts: A Journey,” by Mark Masciarotte, The Megayachts 2012
2nd, “Motoryacht Boundless,” by Lisa Overing and Rebecca Cahilly, ShowBoats International
3rd, “Guiding Light,” by Alyssa Haak, Power & Motoryacht
Awards of merit: “Carpe Diem,” by Rebecca Cahilly, ShowBoats International; and “Calliope,” by Kim Kavin, Yachting
Original Online Content
1st, Panbo.com — The Marine Electronics Weblog, by Ben Ellison
2nd, SailingWorld.com reports, podcasts and videos, by Stuart Streuli
3rd, TheMarineInstallersRant.blogspot.com, by Bill Bishop
Awards of merit: www.BoatingLocal.com, by Tom Richardson; and the NOOD Regatta Series on SailingWorld.com, by Michael Lovett
