YJA Stoneways Marine Awards shortlist announced
by YJA 1 Sep 2021 16:29 BST
Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition © Sailing Energy / World Sailing
YJA Stoneways Marine Yachtsman of the Year, Young Sailor of the Year and Young Journalist of the Year 2021
It's been quite a year for sailing with the Vendée Globe, the America's Cup, SailGP and most recently the Tokyo Olympics, and the Yachting Journalists' Association Committee has been delighted by the number of nominations made by the public, YJA members and some of the greats of the sailing world.
Of particular note is the strength and depth of the entries, recognising just how diverse the sport of sailing is.
The YJA Committee deliberated long and hard on a wonderful list of nominated sailors for this year's Awards - the breadth of sailing talent is simply awesome, and some extremely tough choices had to be made to produce the shortlist.
YJA Stoneways Marine Yachtsman of the Year
- Hannah Mills
Hannah won Women's 470 gold with crew Eilidh McIntyre at Tokyo 2020 to add to her gold medal at Rio 2016 and silver at London 2020, making her the most successful female Olympic sailor in history.
- Pip Hare
From start to finish Pip's Vendée Globe campaign was a superb example of how to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders. Her prowess as a skilled yachtswoman was never in doubt, but the human-interest aspects of her very personal race were fascinating, truly inspiring, and will undoubtedly have broadened the sailing audience.
- The Team GB Olympic Sailing Squad - Tokyo 2020
With three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze, the Team GB Olympic Sailing Squad was by far the most successful sailing nation at Tokyo 2020. There were stand-out performances throughout, with some incredible results against worldwide legends of the sport.
YJA Stoneways Marine Young Sailor of the Year
- Katie McCabe
At 14 years old, Katie is the youngest person to sail solo around Great Britain sailing in a 26' wooden Morgan Giles boat, Falanda.
- Lucy Kenyon
1st girl in the Youth IQ Foil windsurfing class at Porthpean and Weymouth, 5th in the iQFoil Youth Worlds held in July at Lake Garda.
- Millie Irish & Jess Powell
Winners of the RS Feva Nationals, while always having a smile on their faces.
YJA Stoneways Marine Young Journalist of the Year - NEW AWARD
- Katie McCabe
For her blogs of her record-breaking solo journey around Britain, which were full of emotion and vivid description.
- Timothy Long
Recently sailed around Britain and wrote wonderful blogs of his experience which captured readers' interest from the get-go.
Clifford Webb, Chairman of the Yachting Journalists' Association, said:
"YJA members may now cast their votes for the nominees in the three categories, and what a stellar line-up this is. We received the largest number of nominations for many years, and it's perhaps no surprise that the Olympics proved popular, given the performances of the sailors involved in Japan this year.
He continued:
"The YJA Stoneways Marine Young Sailor of the Year award is also hotly contended, with lots of nominations received, and therefore a challenge to eventually decide on these talented final three nominees.
"The YJA Committee was delighted to see the interest in our new perpetual award for the Young Journalist of the Year, with these youngsters starting out on their media careers, and who we hope will be receive a huge boost from being recognised and nominated for the award. It is shaping up to be a spectacular evening in Southampton next week."
The very last tickets are available for this not-to-be-missed event. These are priced at:
- YJA members tickets are available for £25.00;
- YJA members may invite one partner/guest, at a ticket price of £65.00;
- Non-members tickets are available at £99.00.
The evening will begin with a drinks reception in the famous Grand Café foyer, and then we will move through to the main dining area, where the awards ceremony will take place. The evening includes a 3-course meal with coffee/tea afterwards.
If you would like to reserve your tickets, please do so immediately. Contact YJA Secretary, Chris English via email at stating how many tickets you would like, and he will send you the available menu for the evening, as your choice must be made in advance due to restrictions.
Find out more about the Yachting Journalists' Association at yja.world