Wednesday 30th November
Bob Shepton
Before his talk on Sailing and Climbing, Bob was presented with a replica of the Blue Water Medal he had received in 1995 from the Cruising Club of America. The original was lost when the previous Dodo’s Delight caught fire and sank in the ice when it was being over-wintered in the Arctic. Gareth King from Cruising Club of America (right) came to make the presentation. The new Dodo’s Delight and an iceberg can be seen in the background.
The wording on the plaque reads: For a circumnavigation in the 33ft sloop Dodo’s Delight from 1993 to 1995. England via Antarctica, Easter and Pitcairn Islands, the South Pacific, New Guinea, Australia, South Africa and returning to England with a crew of boys from the Kingham Hill School. The award recognizes not only the considerable achievement of the voyage itself, but also the efforts made by Bob Shepton on behalf of the young people in his care.
Sailing and Climbing
Rev. Bob Shepton returns to tell us about a further expedition, sailing and climbing in Greenland and Baffin Island with his team of star top climbers (the Wild Bunch). The talk is presented with slides and an excellent film of the expedition.
Bob Shepton has made 14 Atlantic crossings and carried out some 60 first ascents of mountains in Greenland and Arctic Canada. He won the Yachtsman of the Year Award in 2014, the Royal Cruising Club’s Tilman Medal twice (the only person to do so), the Cruising Club of America’s Blue Water Medal and the Piolet d’Or (an annual mountaineering award given by the French magazine Montaigne).