Nominations open for Stoneways Marine YJA Yachtsman of the Year and the Young Sailor of the Year 2021. Submissions must be made by 29 August 2021
Nominations for the Stoneways Marine YJA Yachtsman of the Year and the Young Sailor of the Year 2021 have opened.
Established in 1955, past winners of the YJA Yachtsman of the Year award including Sir Ben Ainslie, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Dee Caffari MBE, Rodney Pattisson MBE, Sir Chay Blyth and Tracy Edwards MBE.
The award recognises not just performances in championship and major events but also great acts of seamanship.
In 2016, Clipper Race crew member Gavin Reid’s heroics during the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race earned him the trophy.
The YJA Yachtsman of the Year Award will be presented at the Southampton Boat Show. Credit: Sam Kurtul
He was crew on the Clipper Race boat, Mission Performance which answered an SOS from a yacht racing in the Sydney Hobart. A crew member was stuck at the top of the mast and his four fellow crew were too ill to help.
Gavin volunteered to swim between the two yachts, hoisted himself up the swinging mast and spent two hours untangling lines until the crewman was freed. Gavin then proceeded to lower the man down the mast.
Previous winners of the Young Sailor of the Year award include Montel Fagan-Jordan from London’s Greig City Academy, who won after taking part in the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race aboard the 45ft Admiral Cup yacht Scaramouche. The crew placed 144th out of 362 starters and became the first state school to enter their own boat in the race.
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To qualify for the YJA Yachtsman of the Year and the Young Sailor of the Year awards, the nominee must be the holder of a British passport.
For the Young Sailor award, the nominee must be under the age of 19 on December 31st 2021.
The nomination period closes at midnight on Sunday 29th August.
Nominations can be made here: https://yja.world/yja-stoneways-marine-award-nominations-2021/
The Stoneways Marine YJA Yachtsman of the Year and the Young Sailor of the Year Awards will be presented during a gala dinner, which will be held on the opening day of the Southampton Boat Show in September.