Yachting magazine contributor John Rousmaniere has been awarded the William P. Stephens Award by Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.
“We are deeply honored to present this award to John Rousmaniere to recognize his life’s work,” Mystic Seaport President Steve White stated in a press release. “There are very few people with even a passing interest in boating or yachting who have not picked up a book he has written. His intuitive sense and passion for the subject matter makes sailing come alive on the page because he has lived that life.”
The award is named for William P. Stevens, the “Dean of American Yachtsmen,” and is given in recognition of a significant and enduring contribution to the history, preservation, progress understanding or appreciation of American yachting and boating. Previous recipients include naval architect Olin J. Stephens II, International Yacht Restoration School founder Elizabeth Meyer and America’s Cup skipper Briggs Cunningham.
Rousmaniere has written 15 books about yachts and yachting history. They include The Golden Pastime: A New History of Yachting, two studies of marine photography featuring the Rosenfeld Collection and biographies of the yacht America and the classic yawl Bolero. Rousmaniere also has served as the yachting editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History.
In addition to writing about yachts, Rousmaniere is chiefly responsible for Mystic Seaport’s acquisition of the Carleton Mitchell photography collection, has served on the selection committees for the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame, and is a member of the Cruising Club of America and the New York Yacht Club, where he chairs the library committee.
Congratulations to our colleague — and look for his work in upcoming print editions of Yachting magazine.
