David and Marianne Scott by their Hanse 411, at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. Credit: Marianne Scott.

Jan 21, 2025

by Mathew Channer

Writer, sailor, and Canadian Boating contributor Marianne Scott has been awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Maritime Achievement for her contributions to Canada’s marine community.

The award recognizes 25 years of writing in the maritime sector, during which Scott has covered a broad range of marine topics including travel, environment, history and culture within Canada.

Scott has been extensively published in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and Great Britian, including in Canadian Boating Magazine, Pacific Yachting, International Yachtsman, Cruising World, Northwest Yachting, and many others. She has authored 3 books on marine topics.

She also served as a shortlist judge for the predecessor of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Maritime Achievement, the S.S. Beaver Award for Maritime Excellence.

Scott was unaware that she had been nominated for the award until she received it. She was nominated by Canadian marine artist and writer Gordon Miller.

Scott says she was thrilled when she received the award.

“It’s really nice that a contemporary writer who writes about all sorts of things in the marine sector also gets recognized,” she said. “I think I have highlighted an enormous number of issues.”

Already a writer, Scott switched her attention to marine writing when she and her husband sailed their 35-foot monohull to French Polynesia in the late 1990’s. She has also sailed extensively in Europe, Canada’s West Coast, and Alaska. She now lives in Victoria, BC.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Maritime Achievement is a collaboration between the Government House Foundation and the Maritime Museum of BC. It recognizes and acknowledges individuals and organizations in British Columbia who have made noteworthy contributions to BC’s maritime interests in the areas of science, technology, business, applications of maritime skills, nautical heritage and culture, art, and academic endeavours.

Scott continues to write avidly in Canada’s marine sector and has more exciting stories and projects underway.

Keep up to date on her website.