Sheila McCurdy, 55, the only female skipper to compete in the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race and 15-time veteran of the race (six as skipper) has been chosen to serve as the first female commodore of the Cruising Club of America (CCA). The Rhode Island sailor and writer was also recently honored as “Sailor of the Week” by U.S. Sailing where she serves as Vice Chair of U.S. Sailing’s Training Committee and head of U.S. Sailing’s National Faculty.
She is the daughter of yacht designer Jim McCurdy, a former commodore of the CCA in the 1980s and the first club official to recommend women be added to the club. This was adopted in 1994, the same year Ms. McCurdy sailed Selkie, a 38-footer designed by her father, to a second place overall finish in the Newport Bermuda Race.
