Short Story Winners Announced

Inspired by the stories and anecdotes they heard from captains and crew, The Crew Network (TCN) and Fraser created a Short Story Competition with the theme “When Your Life is Your Short Story.” It was open to captains and crew working aboard vessels 24-meters or larger, and the winners were judged by a panel of five judges and announced on October 26.

They received stories from crew of many nationalities and ranging from “tales of romance, drama, and laugh-out-loud comedy and a number of very touching and personal accounts. And every single story, in its own way, reflected a little of what life is really like when working on board a yacht,” the winner announcement says.

Third place went to Lead Stewardess Georgia Rex on a 90-plus-meter yacht for her story, “Dear Diary” an upbeat entry about going from an office view of gray, bustling streets of London to working on board in Tahiti and enjoying the opportunity to explore the destination.

Project Manager and Capt. Stephen Crosthwaite took second place for “Birthday Cake.” The judges all laughed out loud reading the highly amusing account of an unfortunate misstep, an angry yacht chef, and a group of entertained guests.

The winner is Capt. Stephen Wilkins for “Wave Splashes to Ashes,” a tale of a chance encounter with an extraordinary yachtsman and his dog at a French marina, which leads to a sharing of experiences and extraordinary connections. Wilkins is a captain specialized in high latitude and polar regions, along with an ice pilot, engineer, expedition leader, and maritime lecturer.

TCN and Fraser gave a special mention to Andrew Kelly for “Always a Horizon,” an intriguing and delicately written story that brings alive the feeling of missing a faraway love while away at sea.

To read the stories, find out more about the winners, and the judge’s thoughts, visit:
https://www.fraseryachts.com/en/tcn-fraser-short-story-competition-winners/