Please join us in congratulating 48° North’s history and cruising columnist, Lisa Mighetto—the author of our recurring series A Northwest Sailor Navigates the Past. Her always excellent work was recently recognized with an award from Boating Writers International. Well done, Lisa!
Historian Lisa Mighetto is the best. She loves boats, loves history, loves the Pacific Northwest and its cruising community, and she loves sharing all of these things with readers.
After writing a fascinating series for us called Beacon Background about some of the lighthouses of the Pacific Northwest, Lisa decided she wanted to broaden her subject matter. Her newer column, A Pacific Northwest Navigates the Past, has highlighted everything from shipwrecks of the PNW to history of the Key Peninsula, from the grand tradition of nautical literature about the Salish Sea to the ways the sport of rowing defined our region.
This month, Lisa was selected for the 3rd place prize in the “Boating Lifestyle” category of Boating Writers International’s annual writing contest for her 48° North story, “Once More, With Feeling: Making Music While Cruising,” in the July 2023 Issue. A rich and heartfelt look at music on boats, historically and in the present, it’s a fabulous article, and we’re proud that her good work is garnering acclaim. Be sure to read that story if you missed it (or delight in it again, as we just did!). And please thank Lisa for her contributions to 48° North and congratulate her on this honor!
Here is a portion of BWI’s press release announcing the winners:
Boating and fishing journalists, photographers and videographers were recognized today during the annual breakfast meeting of Boating Writers International (BWI). This event kicked off the 2024 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show…. In BWI’s 2023 Contest, presentations in 16 contest categories representing $16,000 in cash awards were made to first ($500), second ($300) and third ($200) place scorers. Cash award recipients also received a recognition plaque noting their “Excellence in creating compelling content about boating through entertaining, educational and inspiring journalism.” This year’s BWI Awards (presented now for 31 years) attracted 76 participants submitting 248 entries. In addition to cash awards, 26 Certificates of Merit were presented. All submissions to the contest were published in 2023. Each of the categories (noted below along with sponsors) was judged by four active journalists in the first few weeks of 2024.
Results: Boating Lifestyles – sponsored by Discover Boating
1st “Sailing with the Boy” by Wendy Mitman Clarke (SAIL magazine)
2nd “Out of Their Gourds” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)
3rd “Once More with Feeling” by Lisa Mighetto (48° Degrees North)
Fun note, Lisa also received a Merit Award for one of her articles in Passagemaker magazine.
