After sailing with the NSHSA for a couple of years and hearing the tales that were told at raft-ups, then accumulated and re-told at the fall meetings, it became apparent to me that there was a need for an award for the biggest blunder of the year. Mary Jane and I talked about it a couple of times, but I didn’t do anything about it.

Then in 1994 we planned a trip to Elizabeth City, NC, through the Dismal Swamp. Two other boats accompanied us on the trip. On that trip, we were delayed at the South Mills lock for a repair. After the problem was fixed, they opened the drawbridge so we could pass into the lock. The lead boat hit the bridge high up on the mast; fortunately it was a fractional rig. After watching this, I concluded that the award that Mary Jane and I talked about must be developed.

After the 1994 Labor Day Picnic and Race at Tidewater, the returning boats either cruised or raced to Worton beach for the evening raft-up. It was on that beach that the building materials (driftwood) were collected. However, the trophy itself was not finished for the fall meeting. My youngest daughter, Julie, came up with the name, "Calamity Cup," for this award.

The trophy was finally finished in 1995 while I continued to collect more horror stories.

Calamity Cup Winners

	Year	Winner	Boat
	1994	John & Kathy Molnar	Penury's Prize
	1995	Gordon & JoAnn Palmer	Rapid Transit
	1996	Bob Holmes	Seabreeze
	1997	Steve Hornberger	Wind Starr
	1998	Chris & Deb Schultz	Rhapsody
	1999	John & Kathy Molnar	Penury's Prize
	2000	Tom & Esther Barron	Off The Charts
	2001	Wolf & Maria Milz	Mosella
	2003	Karl & Jean Schuh	Schuh String IV
	2006	Earl Greene	Adventure Bound
	2007	Marc Leinard	Champagne
	2008	Tom Schmidt	Narsilion
	2009	John & Linda Yates	Jo-Lin-Dy
	2012	Bill Ubelacker	Silent Running
	2013	Jarvis & Elke Fox	Sly Fox
	2016	Steve & Elsie McDonough	Elsie's Phantasie

THE CALAMITY CUP TROPHY!

The award was presented for the first time at the fall meeting in 1995. There were two presentations: the 1994 prize and the 1995 prize.

Since the first awards, the Calamity Cup has been an annual award. Beginning with the 1995 winner, the recipient of the award selected the winner for the following year and presented the trophy, with appropriate citations, at the fall Change of Watch meeting. The past winners list is in the Mar-Apr 2002 issue of the Portlight for all to enjoy.