2013 Richard S. Nye Trophy is awarded to Stephen E. Taylor for bringing distinction to the Club for twelve years of meritorious service as Secretary, and sixteen years managing the Club’s database, and for his extensive cruising which includes two Atlantic crossings in his 1990  45 foot  Chuck Paine designed sloop MERIDIAN. The trophy will be presented by Commodore  Frederic T. Lhamon at the annual Awards Dinner onMarch 7, 2014 at the New York Yacht Club inManhattan.

Steve began sailing early in his life, with long standing family connections to the sport of sailing. His maternal great-grandfather and grandfather, Edward Burgess and W. Starling Burgess, each designed three successful defenders of the America’s Cup. His younger sister, Nell Taylor Stuart, was U.S. Yachtswomen of the Year in 1979.

He attended Yale and was a member of the US national sailing team in the 470 class during the 3-years leading up to the 1976 Olympic Trials; and was the top-ranked boat on the US team in the Flying Dutchman class in 1980, prior to President Carter’s boycott of the 1980 Olympic games in the former Soviet Union. In the 1970’s in his younger days, Steve won several World, North American, and US National sailing championships in the 420 and 505 classes.

During the late 1970’s, along with several fellow members of the Yale sailing team, he was an original developer of the Club 420, a rugged racing dinghy based on the International 420 design that is now used extensively in inter-collegiate and inter-scholastic varsity racing throughout North America. Steve has worked in the marine industry as a sailmaker and designer for North Sails prior to joining the Boston Globe in a 1980 career change. From 1980-1984 he served on the executive committee of the U.S. Olympic Yachting Committee as an athlete representative.