Corinthians member Julien Bigden and his wife Jill sail their 40-foot Wauquiez Mojo out of their home dock on Back Creek in Annapolis and have been members of the Corinthians for 10 years. As he passes on the torch as fleet captain to Hank Recla, here’s what Julian had to say about his sailing career and club connection.
How did you get into sailing?
I started sailing in dinghies in England when I was 16 years old. My father bought an old 19-foot Sharpie that needed a lot of work, and I helped him refinish her. We sailed her until I purchased my own boat when I was 19 years old. It was an Enterprise, a 14-foot planing dinghy that was very popular for racing in England at that time. I was working for the Marconi Company and raced at the Marconi Sailing Club on the River Blackwater on the east coast of England. We also traveled extensively for several National Enterprise Championship Regattas in other areas in the UK and Scotland where there would typically be more than 60 boats competing. Since moving to Annapolis, I have enjoyed racing in a J/105, a J/109, and now in our Wauquiez—all called Mojo. In 1976, we moved to the U.S. with our young family and started cruising in New England before moving to the Chesapeake Bay.
What’s the best part of being in a cruising club?
The Corinthians is what is commonly termed a ‘virtual yacht club’ meaning we have no physical home and therefore no real estate costs which make membership very affordable. We have Corinthian fleets in New York, New England, Philadelphia, and Annapolis. We also have an association with the Little Ship Club in London, England, and share cruises together.
The Annapolis Corinthian fleet’s focus on sailing, our multiple fleets, and the association with the London Little Ship Club with opportunities to take part in cruises outside of the Chesapeake and in Europe, makes the Corinthians unique, and we feel privileged to be part of this group. We have made some great friends since joining the fleet. I have enjoyed being its fleet captain for the last three years. We welcome interested sailors to consider joining our fleet. Call John Butler, membership chairman for 2016 at (301) 613-7996. thecorinthians.org
