FEATURED REGATTAS: June 26, 2008
On November 9, 2009 the Cruising Club of America (CCA) will install Sheila McCurdy as Commodore.  Sheila, who has sailed fifteen Newport Bermuda Races and raced six of them as skipper, was second placed in class 1 and second in the running for the Lighthouse trophy in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division for the second time since 1994. She is likely to take a hiatus from racing the Newport Bermuda Race during her tenure as Commodore.  She will be the club’s the first lady Commodore. 

The CCA shoulders much of the responsibility for the stateside organization of the Newport Bermuda Race and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club takes over 24 hours after the start of the race.  The CCA change of guard takes place in the off years because there is so much to do in advance of the race. 

Offshore sailing runs through the McCurdy family’s bones.  Sheila, her husband, David Brown; her nephew, James Morgan McCurdy; Newport Bermuda Race historian, John Rousmaniere; Richard Hambleton;  Anne Becker and Carol Vernon  sailed Selkie. The boat itself a McCurdy & Rhodes 38 was designed by her father, Jim. 

Sheila follows in her father’s footsteps in many ways.  There were numerous races in which Sheila navigated while her father skippered.  Her father was Commodore of the CCA during the mid-1980’s.  As Commodore, Jim recommended that women be admitted as members of the CCA, but it wasn’t until 1994, during the same year that Selkie finished second overall in the Newport Bermuda Race with Sheila as skipper,  that women were admitted to the CCA.

Sheila sails offshore “because I like being at sea.  I race offshore because of the challenge.  It’s like a triathlon.  The first part is getting the boat ready and that goes concurrently with getting the crew organized.  You feel as if 2/3’s of the job is done by the time you get to the start, and then you have a four-day sprint through changing conditions and a lot of unknowns.  It’s not just about steering 160 degrees.  It’s about sailing 160 degrees for a reason.”

Sheila, like most skippers, was highly complimentary of her crew.  “ They are an incredible crew.  They are engaged and focused and take care of one another and the boat,” said McCurdy.  Selkie saw winds as low as 3 knots in the eddy to the north of the Gulf Stream and gusts up to 25 knots as she got closer to Bermuda. 

Sheila did a transatlantic crossing with John Rousmaniere nearly thirty years ago and was comfortable delegating the provisioning to Annie Becker, Assistant to the Executive Director of US Sailing.  She has total confidence in Carol Vernon, a marine engineer, naval architect and delivery skipper who has been involved in numerous America’s Cup campaigns.  “We try to have a couple of younger sailors join us.  Not only do they follow orders well, their enthusiasm and excitement add to the energy of the boat.  They can haul sails around without popping Ibuprofen,” joked Sheila after this year’s long beat to Bermuda.

McCurdy looks forward to enjoying what she refers to as the “greatest sailing reunion on earth” on the grounds of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, to her term as Commodore of the CCA and working with the joint Newport Bermuda Race committees to improve logistics and operations and provide good customer service.  “After all, we do this race for the sailors,” stated McCurdy.