by
Jorge Mahauad
| Sep 14, 2021
St. Petersburg, FL
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When William "Scott" Piper III was a child, his father laid a piece of advice on him:
"There's no reason to live in Florida if you don't do what it has to offer."
With this, a passion for sailing was born. With it, a legacy that Piper's father would have been proud of: Four "near" circumnavigations, podium finishes in high-profile events such as Key West Race Week and the now-defunct Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC), a third-place finish in the double-handed Newport-Bermuda Race, an invitation to sail with Dennis Conner in his Stars & Stripes '87 campaign, and numerous ocean crossings, including rounding three of the world's five great capes.
Scott began sailing at age 10, and within a year, had a boat of his own, a Moth (Pipe Dream I). Next came a Comet (Pipe Dream II) and a penchant for buoy racing. By the time he was in high school, Piper was racing Lightnings and doing foredeck on big boats, including offshore SORC events with his father. By age 19, while still an undergrad at Dartmouth, Piper made his first Atlantic crossing; his second came two years later.
Scott lived a life that any sailor would admire. He completed five circumnavigations, transited the Suez and Panama Canals, and rounded both Cape Hope and Cape Horn, logged over 200,000 miles, and visited 147 countries along the way. He was awarded the prestigious CCA Blue Water Medal in 2008 and received 17 CCA Parkinsons Awards for 17 Ocean Crossings. He was the SORC Chairman 1986-1987 and 1991-1992.
Scott passed away on December 2, 2019, in Coconut Grove, Florida. Knowing how much sailing meant to Scott, his wife Mary decided to donate Pipe Dream to AMIkids in 2021.
Pipe Dream is available for sale. Professionally kept and maintained, this donated J160 has many upgrades, including new electronics, engine, generator, and rig. She is currently in St. Petersburg, FL.