OCC Jester Award - Ep. 242

Donated by the Jester Trust as a way to perpetuate the spirit and ideals epitomised by Blondie Hasler and Mike Richey aboard Jester, this award recognises a noteworthy singlehanded voyage or series of voyages made in a vessel of 30ft or less overall, or a contribution to the art of singlehanded ocean sailing. In 2007 this Award was won by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler, DSO, OBE (27 February 1914 - 5 May 1987) was a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Marines. Soon after joining the Marines, he grew a blonde moustache, from which he acquired his nickname 'Blondie'. Hasler is known[by whom?] as the father of single-handed sailing, owing to his invention of the first practical self-steering gear for yachts: many sailing vessels continue to rely on systems substantially based on Hasler's work. In 1960, Hasler competed in the first Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race (OSTAR), from Plymouth to New York. The race, originated solely by Hasler, did not include any "half a crown" bet as the myth suggests with Sir Francis Chichester the fourth of the five competitors to enter the race. My nominator wrote: 'I met Jacqueline in Vava'u Tonga and her lovely little boat Loveworkx stood out in the mooring field. At just 27' long she was dwarfed by all the other yachts around her but still looked very seaworthy and rightfully so! Loveworkx and her owner Jacqueline have sailed all the way from the Netherlands to New Zealand, single handed. She left in July 2023 and has sailed 16,000 nm in 15 months. Jacqueline is a lovely person and epitomises the values of an OCC member. Friendly, social, adventurous and keen to connect with others along the way. She is inspirational to all solo sailors, small boat sailors and women sailors alike. She has a great YouTube channel @sailingloveworkx where she records her adventures along the way.' Congratulations Jacqueline! If you like my videos, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. And if you click on the notification bell, you will automatically see my new videos. Thank you! My name is Jacqueline Evers. My sailboat is a 27 foot Grinde called Loveworkx. As of 1st July 2023 I am on my solo circumnavigation from The Netherlands. Do you want to know more about my boat or read my blogs? Then you can also check out my website https://sailing.loveworkx.com/. Do you want to support me? You can do this from 1.50 euros per month via my Patreon account: https://patreon.com/loveworkx. If you want to make a one-time or monthly donation, you can also do so via PayPal: paypal.me/Loveworkx (Thank you very much!!) You can buy a hoody, t-shirt or bag via: https://sailing.loveworkx.com/shop Thanks for watching, liking and subscribing! Sailing with love around the globe. Jacqueline Evers