Eight Bells: Phebe Corckran King

Phebe Corckran King

On Monday November 7th, the Annapolis community began to mourn the loss of Phebe Corchran King. A loving mother to three beautiful children and devoted spouse to Aden King, she succumbed to the effects of a cancerous brain tumor at the age of 42 years.

Phebe was very well known in the local sailing community. She grew up on the shores of the Severn River in Sherwood Forest. Upon graduation from the College of Charleston in 1996, where she was All-American, she hit the bay at full boat speed in the local J/22 fleet. She and her husband Aden were avid and fierce competitors in the local J/22 Thursday night series. From the very start, she was often seen on the podium for a local and national events, including the Annapolis NOOD.

She orchestrated several ROLEX International Women’s Keelboat Championship campaigns, coming in as the top amateur of 40 teams in 2001. In 2003 Phebe made lasting impressions on her team winning the Women On Water (WOW) regatta skippering Steve Phillips’ J/105, Le Renard. Sarah Phelps, who was part of her winning crew said, “One of my favorite sailing days on the Chesapeake. First time seeing a female skipper of a big boat who approached each phase of the race with confidence, leadership and a smile.”

One of the lasting memories I have is one Thursday night on the J/22, I was crewing for Phebe who was pregnant with their second child. We were having a decent race and it just so happened we were approaching the leeward mark with about 10 other boats. We were leeward so we had that going for us.

Phebe says, “Toddy? What do we do?” I replied, “Watch this.” As we approached the mark I began hailing for room. It wasn’t until we were inside the two boat length circle, and nobody was responding, when I began yelling that I had a pregnant lady on the helm and WE NEEDED ROOM. It was like opening a backyard gate. Made our rounding clean and preceded to win the race.

The calls across the Annapolis Yacht Club Annex parking lot of “Toddy!” will forever ring true. Phebe will truly be missed and will never be forgotten. She will always be remembered for her infectious smile, wit and uncanny ability to keep her competitors at bay. A class act in every true sense of character and sportsmanship. – Todd Hiller

Note: A Memorial Service will be held 11:00 AM, Friday, November 11, 2016 at St. Ann’s Church, Annapolis. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) in Memory of Phebe King.