OCC Awards Dinner 2026

 

The Ocean Cruising Club Annual Awards dinner was held in Edinburgh this year. We flew out of Ireland West Knock Airport. A 52-minute flight, as soon as you ascend, you begin the descent. We took a bus to the end of the line, which was a couple of blocks from our hotel, the Apex Waterloo. Very easy.  The tram was also a couple of blocks away. 

The first night, dinner was a lousy dinner in a tiny crammed room with no place to sit down but it was nice catching up with people we had not seen for several years, like John and Jenny Frankin, Phil and Norma Heaton, Rachelle Turk, Simon and Sally Currin, and so on. Jimmy Cornell was elected Honorary Member having done so much for cruising, like the ARC and his books. 

On the second day, we visited the Royal Yacht Britannia, permanently installed on the waterfront, with a mall built around her. It was quite impressive to see and quite surprising at times. The queen and king slept in adjoining bedrooms on single beds. Quite austere. But the dining room held something like 196 people for a banquet and took hours to set with a ruler to measure precise placement. 

That night was the awards dinner, and we were welcomed to the Royal Scots Club by a lone piper. I had been asked by Susanne  Huber-Curphy to read out her acceptance speech for the Barton Cup, which she has won for the second time for her 1.5x circumnavigation of the earth, solo, nonstop. People liked it very much and were very impressed. 

Anne Hammick took the Lifetime Award home. 

I was sitting next to delightful Heather Richard who won the Qualifier's Cup and flew all the way from San Francisco with two of her children. She and her older son double-handed in the Pacific Cup to qualify for OCC membership. 

 

What a lovely weekend in the beautiful Scottish city of Edinburgh, otherwise known as the home of Hogwarts. We visited the Royal Yacht Britannia, the massive castle, the streets that inspired JK Rowling, the shops selling Harry Potter souvenirs, and Calton Hill, the first public park ever and the home of Nelson's Tower Monument, one of the highest points in Edinburgh from where you can see the Firth of Forth, Hollyrood Palace, King Arthur's Seat, and all of the city of Edinburgh including the fortified castle and the port. Great location at the Apex Waterloo Hotel. Easy flight from Knock and very easy transport in Edinburgh with buses and trams everywhere. I wasn't used to the vast numbers of people on the streets. I've become a real country girl.