Terribly sad news. Captain Virginia A. Wagner passed away on Friday January 30, 2015 in Newport, Rhode Island, following a courageous battle with mesothelioma cancer. From Scuttlebutt Sailing News:
Virginia was amongst an elite sorority of professional female captains and spent much of her 28 year career in command of Traditional Sailing Vessels. Holding both a 3,000 ton USCG and MCA Ocean Master, Virginia logged over 400,000 nautical miles — and was always quick to add “most of those miles were navigated by sextant.”
Virginia possessed a natural expertise and passion for both traditional sail training and celestial navigation. Early in her career Virginia worked as mate on 135’ CORWITH CRAMER and the 125’ WESTWARD and after obtaining her captains license advanced to command the vessels 90’ OCEAN STAR, 125’ schooner GALAXY 158’ CLIPPER CITY, 140’ Schooner AMERICA replica.
Although traditional sailing vessels always remained Virginia’s passion she continued to upgrade her license and captained private and charter yachts including MATAU, TRUE NORTH, ARIA, MOONLIGHT II, SHIWARA, CORO CORO. During her career Virginia was a mentor to many, many crew who continued on to successful maritime and yachting careers.
While Captain Wagner has left us, her legacy continues through a scholarship fund in her name established last October for Rhode Island’s Official Sailing Education Vessel, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, by her friends and family.
“I started out as a trainee on a Tall Ship,” said Wagner, explaining to the guests that the scholarship fund will be used to help at-risk youths attend the education-at-sea programs offered by the non-profit organization Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI), “and through a series of circumstances, I became a captain of the Tall Ships Galaxy and Ocean Star and then eventually a captain of yachts. As a young adult trying to find my path through life, sailing on a Tall Ship gave me purpose and made me into who I am today. If we can help even one young person who was like me and could otherwise be ‘lost,’ it’s worth it.”
I worked with Ginny on Clipper City the summer of 1990 and she was an amazing woman. At 19, I had no idea how brave and amazing it was for her to be a Captain of Tall ships and yachts and am in awe of her talents. Ginny was a supportive kind friend to me in a very male dominated field.
She was a good captain, a safe captain with only the best interests of her crew, passengers and boat in mind at all times.
Fair winds and following seas