RYA reveals Yachtmaster of the Year 2015

Angus Watson awarded the RYA Yachtmaster of the Year 2015 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston © Emily Whiting

Recreational sailor Angus Watson has been awarded the RYA Yachtmaster™ of the Year 2015 for his exceptional demonstration of sailing skills when passing his RYA Yachtmaster™ certificate of competence exam.

Fittingly, round the world amateur yachtsman Angus was today presented with the prestigious trophy, donated by the Royal Institute of Navigation, by the first man to sail solo non-stop around the world, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, at the 62nd annual London Boat Show at ExCeL.

The presentation of the RYA Yachtmaster™ trophy followed a gathering of leaders and influencers in the maritime sector, hosted by the RYA, during which the Shipping Minister Robert Goodwill MP delivered a speech on the Government's response to the Maritime Growth Study.

Award criteria

The winner of the prestigious Yachtmaster of the Year annual award must possess outstanding skills and knowledge as a skipper and will have successfully demonstrated their expertise and experience during their exam.

Angus (51) learned to sail in Mirror and Laser dinghies on family holidays in Rock, Cornwall. In his teens he participated in family flotilla sailing holidays in Greece and bareboat charters on the west coast of Scotland. He has 'fond' memories of putting in a third reef at the mast in a gale with his brother aged just 12. Angus recalls: "I think my brother was doing all the work and I was just hanging on!" Thereafter in his twenties and thirties, Angus joined cruises with the Army Sailing Association in the Baltic, as well as cruising with friends to the Channel Islands and France.

Global experience

No stranger to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman of event organisers Clipper Ventures, Angus was also a bowman and deputy watch leader on Victoria Clipper – one of ten one-design 68ft racing yachts that raced around the world with amateur crew. Having trained with Clipper Ventures around the Solent, West Country and Ireland, Angus successfully took part in the Clipper 2005-6 Round the World Yacht Race.

Starting and finishing in Liverpool, the 10-month race included stopovers in Cascais, Salvador, Durban, Fremantle, Singapore, Subic Bay (Philippines), Qingdao, Victoria, Panama, Jamaica, New York, Jersey and Anglesey. Angus and the crew of Victoria Clipper claimed victory on the North Pacific leg into her "home" port of Victoria, British Columbia and came second on the notorious Southern Ocean leg. Victoria Clipper finished 6th overall in the race.

During the Clipper Race, Angus met his wife Laura. They own a Nicholson 31 "Snow Goose of Hamble" in which they have cruised the West Country, Ireland and Brittany as a family over the last five years. She is moored in the River Hamble and they cruise locally around the Solent when not on longer trips.

An active member of the Bembridge Sailing Club, Angus also sails a Scow and Redwing as well as encouraging his three small children to be active in all kinds of boats ranging from rowing a Peanut to messing around in motor boats. He's been an active member of the Royal Cruising Club since 2013.

A huge honour

Speaking at the presentation on the RYA Stand [D007], James Stevens, Chairman of the Yachtmaster Qualification Panel, said: "It's quite unusual that the winner of this year's award is a recreational rather than professional yachtsman. The Yachtmaster is easily the world's leading yachting qualification so to be the best candidate of the year is an outstanding achievement – and one that Angus should feel rightly proud of.

"The Yachtmaster of the year not only has to be a first class sailor and navigator they also have to demonstrate that with an examiner at their shoulder watching every move.

"But the Yachtmaster isn't just a test of sailing navigation and seamanship, it's a challenging test of a skipper, and Angus has shown that he's a first class skipper who understands how to motivate and lead a crew, keep them informed and how best to help when needed. Angus' examiner reported that his planning for the exam was meticulous and that he completed every part of the assessment to a very high standard."

Recognition and respect

Nominations for the highly-respected award were put forward by the RYA's worldwide team of Yachtmaster examiners. The RYA Yachtmaster™ qualification itself is highly respected across the globe, and is a great entry ticket to the maritime industry. To find out how you can learn how to sail, visit www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining or come along to the RYA Stand at the London Boat Show (D007) to find out more.