# Australian Yachtsman of the Year

Australian Yachtsman of the Year Award was created in 1962 by Max Press, OAM, the then Commodore of the Parkdale Yacht Club in Melbourne. The club was launching an appeal to build its new clubhouse on Port Phillip Bay foreshore at Parkdale and to hold an annual Ball at the Springvale Town Hall. To further the attendances, Max Press approached Ampol, the Australian petroleum company and a supporter of sailing through its part sponsorship of the 1962 Australian bid for the America's Cup with the 12-metre yacht, Gretel launched by the syndicate head, Sir Frank Packer. Ampol supported this award for many years, which recognises the outstanding achievements of leading Australian yachtsmen and women.
Rolex, the Swiss watch company, supported the award for many years, presenting a Rolex Submariner to the winner annually.
The award presentations moved to Sydney in 1966 when the voting panel was handed to the Editors of the national boating publication, Modern Boating. The Award briefly went back to Melbourne for three years being presented at the opening of the Melbourne International Boat Show.
In recent years, the award was taken over by Australian Sailing – the governing body for the sport of sailing in Australia.

## List of winners of the Australian Yachtsman of the Year award

From 1962 to 1996
| Year | Winner | Achievement |
| 1962–63 | Jock Sturrock MBE | Skipper of the America's Cup challenger, Gretel |
| 1963–64 | Bryan Price | World Champion in the 505 class |
| 1964–65 | Bill Northam | Gold Medalist in the 5.5-metre class at the 1964 Olympic Games at Enoshima,Tokyo. Australia's first ever Gold medal win in sailing. |
| 1965–66 | Tryge and Magnus Halvorsen | Still unbeaten record of three successive wins in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race |
| 1966–67 | Craig Whitworth and Robert Miller (Ben Lexcen) | Australian Champions in the Flying Dutchman class |
| 1967–68 | John Cuneo | Australian Dragon representative at the 1968 Olympic Games |
| 1968–69 | Carl Ryves | Australian Flying Dutchman representative at the 1968 Olympic Games |
| 1969–70 | David McKay | World Champion in the Moth class |
| 1970–71 | Syd Fischer OBE | World One Ton Champion on Stormy Petrel |
| 1971–72 | John Gilder | World and Australian Champion in the 420 class |
| 1972–73 | David Forbes | Gold Medalist in the Star class at the 1972 Olympic Games |
| 1973–74 | Peter Hollis | Twice World Champion in the Contender class |
| 1974–75 | Kevin J McCann OAM | For outstanding services to yachting as Olympic Team Manager and as an Administrator. The first time a Team Captain and Administrator has won this award. |
| 1975–76 | Tom Stephenson | World Half Ton Champion on Foxy Lady |
| 1976–77 | John Bertrand OAM | Bronze medalist in the Finn class at the 1976 Olympic Games |
| 1977–78 | Brian Lewis | Australian Champion and runner-up in the World Championships in the Tornado class and as the Australian Tornado representative at the 1976 Olympic Games |
| 1978–79 | Mike Fletcher OAM | Australia's first Olympic yachting coach |
| 1979–1980 | Peter (Pod) O'Donnell | World Champion in the Etchells class |
| 1980–81 | Sir James Hardy OBE | America's Cup helmsman and involved in four America's Cup challenges |
| 1981–82 | Mark Bethwaite | World Champion in both J/24 and Soling classes |
| 1982–83 | Alan Bond, John Bertrand and Ben Lexcen | Winners of the America's Cup on Australia II |
| 1983–84 | Chris Cairns and Scott Anderson | Bronze Medalists at the 1984 Olympic Games and consecutive World Champions in the Tornado class |
| 1984–85 | Iain Murray AM | World Champion in the Etchells class |
| 1985–86 | Colin Beashel OAM | World Champion in the 12-metre class on board Australia II |
| 1986–87 | Stuart Wallace | First Australian winner of the Laser class at the World Championships |
| 1987–88 | Peter Gilmour | World Champion in the 12-metre class and World Match Racing Champion |
| 1988–89 | Glenn Bourke | Twice World Champion in the Laser class |
| 1989–90 | Glenn Bourke | World Champion for a third time in the Laser class |
| 1990–91 | John Dransfield | Three times World Champion in the Fireball class |
| 1991–92 | Mitch Booth and John Forbes | Bronze medalists at the 1992 Olympic Games and World Champions in the Tornado class |
| 1992–93 | Syd Fischer OBE | Winner of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on board Ragamuffin and Captain of the Admiral's Cup Team |
| 1993–94 | Chris and Darren Nicholson | Twice World Champions in the 505 class |
| 1994–95 | David Adams | Winner of Class 2 in the BOC Challenge (solo round-the-world yacht race) in True Blue |
| 1995–96 | Mitch Booth and Andrew Landenberger | Silver medalists in the 1996 Olympic Games in the Tornado class |

## Male Sailor of the Year Award, and Female Sailor of the Year Award

From 1996, the award was restructured into Male Sailor of the Year, and Female Sailor of the Year.
| Year | Male Winner | Achievement | Female Winner | Achievement |
| 1996–98 | Chris Nicholson and Daniel Phillips | World Champions in the 49er class | Sarah Blanck | Gold medalist at the Women's Laser Radial World Championships |
| 1998–99 | Colin Beashel and David Giles | Australia's first World Champions in the Star class | Melanie Dennison | Silver medalist in the Olympic Europe World Championships |
| 1999-00 | Lars Kleppich | World Champion in the Olympic Mistral One Design sailboard and gold medal at the 1999 pre-Olympic regatta | Jessica Crisp | Consistent outstanding performance in the Olympic Mistral One Design sailboard |
| 2000–01 | Tom King and Mark Turnbull | Gold medalists in the men's 470 class at the 2000 Olympic Games and Australia's first World 470 Champions | Jenny Armstrong and Belinda Stowell | Gold medalists in the women's 470 class at the 2000 Olympic Games and Australia's first women's Olympic sailing gold medalists |
| 2001–02 | Arthur Brett, Darren Bundock and John Forbes | Two award winners: Brett – 2001 and 2002 Contender World Champion; Bundock and Forbes – 2001 World, European and Australian Tornado class champions | Jenny Armstrong and Belinda Stowell | Second placing in 2001 470 World Championships |
| 2002–03 | Darren Bundock and John Forbes | Winners at the 2002 Tornado World Championships (Forbes' fifth and Bundock's third World Championship) | Adrienne Cahalan | Key member of teams that set four open World Sailing speed records in the space of five months |
| 2003–04 | Darren Bundock and John Forbes | Winners of the 2003 Tornado World Championships (Forbes' sixth and Bundock's fourth World Championship), the pre-Olympic regatta, and the Tornado class at the European Sailing Championships in 2003 and 2004. | Krystal Weir | Winner of the 2004 World and Australian Laser Radial Championship |
| 2004–05 | Richard Perini | Winner of the 2004 Mumm 30 World Championship and the 2005 Rolex Farr 40 World Championships | Adrienne Cahalan | Navigator and weather router on the Cheyenne which in 2004 broke the Around the world sailing record |
| 2005–06 | James Spithill | 2005 ISAF Match Racing World Champion | Allison Shreeve | In 2006, she scored the Women's Australian Formula Windsurfing Championship winning every race. Winner of the Windsurfing Worlds, the Formula Oceanic Championships and the South American Windsurfing Title |
| 2006–07 | Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby | Winners of the Princess Sofia Trophy, Kiel Week, World Tornado Championships, second in Holland Regatta, Tornado World Championships, and the Tornado South American Championships-in 2007 they won the Rolex Miami OCR and again the Princess Sofia Trophy gaining the world number one ranking in the Tornado Class. | Sarah Blanck | Sarah moved to the Laser Radial class in 2005 after being our highest placed Olympian in Athens with a 4th in the Europe class. She was World Champion in the Europe's in 2002.In 2006 she won a bronze medal in the ISAF World Sailing Games and won the Laser Radial class at the Sydney Int.Regatta and won the 05-06 Australian Radial class championships. Currently ranked 4th in this class and is co-captain of the Australian Sailing Team. |
| 2007–08 | Tom Slingsby | Winner of the 2007 Laser World Championships | Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson | Gold medalists in the 470 class at the Olympic Sailing Test Event and bronze medalists at the 2008 Women's 470 World Championships |
| 2008–09 | Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page | Gold medalists at the 2008 Olympic Games in the men's 470 class. | Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson | Gold medalists at the 2008 Olympic Games in the women's 470 class |
| 2009–10 | James Spithill | Skipper/helmsman for BMW Oracle Racing, winning the 33rd America's Cup, and becoming the youngest ever winner of the America's Cup | Nicole Souter, Rayshele Martin, Nina Curtis, Lucinda Whitty, Kat Stroinovsky and Amanada Scrivenor | Gold medalists at the 2009 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship |
| 2010–11 | Tom Slingsby | Winner of the 2010 Laser World Championship, First Australian to win the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award and the ISAF World Sailor Cup. | Lynda Patterson | Winner of the 2010 Laser Grand Master Worlds sailed at Hayling Island, UK |
| 2011–12 | Tom Slingsby, Malcolm Page, Mathew Belcher, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen | Gold Medalists at the 2012 Olympic Games in the Laser, 470 and 49er classes respectively | Olivia Price, Nina Curtis and Lucinda Whitty | Silver medalists at the 2012 Olympic Games in the Elliott 6m match racing |
| 2012–13 | Mathew Belcher and William Ryan | Winners of nine 470 regattas, including the 470 World Championships | Carrie Smith and Ella Clarke | Gold medalists in the 420 girls class at the 2013 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships |
| 2014 | Mathew Belcher and William Ryan | | Vanessa Dudley | Completed her 18th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, finishing 2nd on Ragamuffin 100 and was 2013 World Champion in the grand-master Laser Radial class at the Laser Master World Championships |
| 2015 | Mathew Belcher and William Ryan | Gold medalists in the 470 class at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships | Lisa Darmanin | Second place at the Nacra 17 World Championships |
| 2016 | Tom Burton | Won Olympic Gold in the Laser Class at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | Lisa Darmanin | Together with her cousin Jason Waterhouse, Lisa won the silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the Nacra 17 Class. They finished just one point behind the gold medalists in a highly competitive field. |
| 2017 | Glen Ashby | Skipper of the 2017 America's Cup winners, Emirates Team New Zealand | Tash Bryant and Annie Wilmot | Won 2017 Youth Sailing World Championship in the 29er class |
| 2018 | Matt Wearn | Won Oceania Laser Championships, Trofeo Princesa Sofía and Laser European Championships | Wendy Tuck | First female skipper to win the Clipper Round the World race (or any Round the World yacht race) aboard Sanya Serenity Coast. |
| 2019 | Mathew Belcher and William Ryan | Belcher and Ryan remained world number one throughout the entire nomination period in the 470 class. They dominated their class internationally, as they claimed the 470 World Championship, Ready Steady Tokyo Olympic Test Event and the World Cup Series events in Marseilles and Enoshima. | Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries | Finished ninth at the 470 World Championships and second at the World Cup Series event in Enoshima |
| 2020 | Tom Slingsby | SailGP champion and winner at the 2019 Moth World Championships in Perth | Lisa Darmanin | Won bronze medals at two Nacra 17 World championships |
| 2021 | Mathew Belcher and William Ryan | Belcher and Ryan dominated the Men's 470 class at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, securing Gold before the Medal race which they went on to win | Lisa Darmanin | Lisa Darmanin proved again in 2020/21 that she is among the very elite female sailors in Australia, finishing 5th at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 1st at a Coaches regatta in Europe during the awards period. |
| 2022 | Tom Slingsby | Slingsby dominated the global sailing scene with significant victories in multiple classes, including leading Australia SailGP team to their second consecutive SailGP championship, winning his second consecutive Moth World Championship and Helming Commanche to a monohull race record in the Rolex Middle Sea race. | Mara Stransky | Won the ILCA 6 class at Kiel Week along with top-10 finishes at the World Championships, Hyeres Olympic Week and Allianz World Cup Almere regattas |