Recognizing excellence in 2019

US Sailing annually honors the year’s top performing sailors with the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year, and the nomination period is open to the public for the male and female sailors who they believe turned in the most outstanding on-the-water performances during the 2019 calendar year.

Nobody wins without being nominated.

Following the close of the nomination period on December 20, 2019, US Sailing will select three finalists for both the Yachtsman and Yachtswoman based on the merits of the nominees. The finalists will be posted to a ballot and presented to panels of past award winners and sailing media journalists who will vote for the winners.

New this year, the public will also have an opportunity to be part of the selection process and vote online for the 2019 winners. Votes from the three voting groups – sailing media, past award winners, and the public – will count equally towards determining the winners. The online public voting begins in January following the shortlist announcement.

The winners will be announced live at the US Sailing Awards Ceremony as part of the 2020 Sailing Leadership Forum on February 6 in San Diego, CA. Winners will be presented with US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year award and specially engraved Rolex timepieces.

Established in 1961 by US Sailing and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize the individual male and female U.S. sailors who have demonstrated on-the-water excellence at international and/or national events.

J/70 World Champion, Jud Smith (Gloucester, Mass.), and Girl’s International 420 Youth Sailing World Champions, Carmen and Emma Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.), were selected as Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswomen of the Year for their remarkable sailing performances in 2018.

Previous recipients who have earned the honor multiple times include, Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, JJ Fetter, Terry Hutchinson, Allison Jolly, John Kostecki, Buddy Melges, Lowell North, Jan O’Malley, Jane Pegel, Ken Read, Cory Sertl, Lynne Shore, Jud Smith, Jody Starck, Anna Tunnicliffe, and Ted Turner.

Awards Criteria:
• Awards recognize the individual male and female U.S. sailor who has demonstrated on-the-water excellence in the calendar year. In the past, there have been outstanding situations resulting in a skipper and crew nomination being accepted (Olympic years).
• Must be eligible to represent the USA under World Sailing regulations, and actually representing the USA at the event(s) for which the nominee is being considered for the award.
• Must have won a major international or national event and/or performed at a high level consistently in multiple events against elite competition.
• There is no minimum age required to win the award.
• The awards are not based on career racing results (lifetime achievements) or philanthropic contributions to the sport.

To submit your nomination: click here.

Source: US Sailing