Evans Starzinger and Beth Leonard are among the leading blue watercruising sailors today.
During the 1990s they completed a Circumnavigation aboard a 37' ketch, using the typical tropical route but including Cape Hope. During the 2000s they have taken a custom built designed 47' aluminum fractional sloop on a second circumnavigation, above the Arctic Circle and around all five great capes - Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, South West Cape, Tasmania and South West Cape, New Zealand. This included a 9000-mile, 59-day, non-stop leg sailing East in the Southern Ocean from Puerto Williams to Fremantle. In 2007 they completed a second 65,000 miles circumnavigation, east about, under all the great capes and above the Arctic Circle. In 2008 they cruised again around Patagonia, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and then up the Atlantic in 2009 to St Helena, the Caribbean and back to the Chesapeake bay to return to the same slip from which they started the voyage on Hawk. Since the completion of these two circumnavigations they have been back and forth to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia several times. Beth & Evans have won a number of noteworthy awards for their cruising. These include:
The 2003 Vasey Vase by the Ocean Cruising club for 9000 miles/59-day non-stop passage in the southern ocean and 2009 Vasey Vase for 2008 cruise to South Georgia
The Far Horizons Medal by the Cruising club of America for their voyages.
The Seven Seas Award, which signifies the highest international recognition to a cruising sailor whose experiences on the sea demonstrate a deep commitment to good seamanship and an understanding of his ship and environment. In the 57 years of SSCA’s existence, this honor has only been awarded sixteen times
Previous to their first voyage they both worked for McKinsey & Company, a leading corporate strategy consulting firm. In between the two voyages, Evans Starzinger was a Vice President at General Electric running an IT business unit and Beth wrote three books. Most recently Evans has been CEO of two start-ups and the Offshore Safety Regulations advisor on two US Sailing accident investigation panels. Beth is Editor of Seaworthy Magazine and Director of Technical Services at BoatUS.
