Vote for World Sailing Award nominees

World Sailing has revealed the nominees in this year’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year, 11th Hour Racing Sustainability, and Team of the Year awards.

The nominees for each award represent the very highest achievement in the sport over the past year, with the award recipient to be done by public vote that is now open and closes at midnight UTC on October 30, 2023.

The awards will be presented during the live World Sailing Awards on November 14 in Malaga, Spain.

“This year’s nominees are drawn from far and wide across the entire sport of sailing,” noted David Graham, World Sailing CEO. “With so many diverse disciplines, inspirational figures and great achievements to honor, selecting the nominees was an incredibly difficult task for the judging panel as every one of them has a strong case.

“We can also take pride in the huge progress in sustainability throughout the sport, from the use of recyclable materials, to extending the lifespan of existing equipment and making a change in the way events are organized. This year’s finalists reflect the impact sailing can have on communities across the globe and we are very proud of everything all of the entrants have achieved.”

The 2023 Rolex World Sailor of the Year nominees:

Female
• Betsy Alison (USA): Alison showed great courage with an inspirational win in the Hansa 303 at the Allianz Sailing World Championships, less than a year after surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from the American’s hip.

• Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler (SWE): The Swedish duo’s dominant perfomance in the 49erFX secured victory at the Allianz Sailing World Championships in The Hague as they won seven out of 15 races and earned podium positions in five others.

• Kristen Neuschafer (RSA): South African Neuschafer wrote her name into the history books by becoming the first woman to win the solo Golden Globe Race, a journey around the world reliant on no modern technology. She also came to the rescue of a fellow competitor during the course of the race.

• Lauriane Nolot (FRA): France’s Nolot defined consistency in 2023 with Formula Kite victories in the Sailing World Championships, the Paris 2024 Test Event, the Princes Sofia Regatta and the Semaine Olympique Francaise De Voile.

Male
• Charlie Enright (USA): An exceptional performance in The Ocean Race, saw Enright become the first American skipper to win the event with his leadership of the 11th Hour Racing Team.

• Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken (NED): Lambriex and Van de Werken won the 49er world title for the third time in a row, this time with a race to spare on home waters at the Allianz Sailing World Championships. The Dutch pair also won 49er gold at the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille with a race to spare.

• Max Maeder (SGP): The Singaporean teenager amassed a pile of medals in 2023, including golds at the Allianz Sailing World Championships, the Asian Games and the Formula Kite Youth World Championships.

• Tom Slingsby (AUS): Slingsby secured victory for Team Australia in SailGP Season 3 in May, marking their third consecutive season win and has achieved four podium finishes in Season 4 to date. The Australian also skippered American Magic to victory in the inaugural event of the 2024 America’s Cup held in Vilanova in September.

The 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award nominees:

• Biotherm Sailing Team: The Biotherm Sailing Team studied biodiversity, capturing data onboard their IMOCA class using an automated microscope to analyse phytoplankton in understudied parts of the ocean.

• Club de Vela la Ballena de Alegre: Hosts of the 2023 Optimist World Championships, Club de Vela la Ballena de Alegre created a sustainability program for the event, focusing on the environment by reducing waste and improving biodiversity conservation, as well as socially through community engagement and education.

• Ecoracer Sailing: Manufacturers of the Ecoracer 30 boat, the world’s first 100% recyclable production boat, Ecoracer Sailing are also aiming to develop a racing series using the boats to showcase the issue of end of life composite materials that are not reused.

• The Magenta Project: A global leader in female empowerment in sailing, The Magenta Project’s nine-month mentoring programme has helped 150 women accelerate their progress into their chosen sailing field over the last four years.

Team of the Year nominees:

• 11th Hour Racing Team: The winners of the 2022-23 Ocean Race demonstrated all the qualities needed to succeed in one of the sport’s most demanding events and also supported a number of initiatives to improve ocean health.

• Australia SailGP: Skippered by Tom Slingsby, Australia SailGP won their third series title with victory in Season 3 of SailGP when they won the Grand Final in San Francisco. Slingsby’s team won four of the 11 regattas throughout the season to finish top of the overall series leaderboard before going on to win the three-boat Grand Final.

• Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken: Also nominated for Rolex Sailor of the Year, the crew of Lambriex and Van de Werken won the 49er world title at this year’s Allianz Sailing World Championships on home waters, making it their third consecutive win, and 49er gold at the Paris 2024 Sailing Test Event in Marseille, claiming both titles with a race to spare.

• Match In Pink Normandy Elite Team: Skippered by Pauline Courtois, the Match In Pink Normandy Elite Team has had a stellar year. In 2023, they won the Women’s Match Racing World Championship in Denmark, the Women’s Match Racing European Championship in Italy, and finished first in both the Women’s World Match Racing Tour in Normandy and in the World Sailing Match Racing Ranking.

To vote, click here.

About Rolex World Sailor of the Year
World Sailing launched the World Sailor of the Year Awards in 1994 to reward individual sailors for outstanding achievements in the sport. Rolex has been the title sponsor of the awards since 2001, celebrating more than 20 years of excellence in sailing.

Previous recipients of the Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award:
2022 Ruggero Tita (ITA), Caterina Banti (ITA)
2021 Hannah Mills MBE (GBR) & Eilidh McIntyre (GBR), Tom Slingsby (AUS)
2020 Not awarded
2019 Marco Gradoni (ITA), Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN)
2018 Pavlos Kontides (CYP), Carolijn Brouwer (NED) / Marie Riou (FRA)
2017 Peter Burling (NZL), Marit Bouwmeester (NED)
2016 Santiago Lange (ARG), Hannah Mills & Saskia Clark (GBR).
2015 Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (NZL), Sarah Ayton (GBR)
2014 James Spithill (AUS), Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze (BRA)
2013 Mat Belcher (AUS), Jo Aleh & Polly Powrie (NZL)
2012 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Lijia Xu (CHN)
2011 Iker Martinez & Xabier Fernandez (ESP), Anna Tunnicliffe (USA)
2010 Tom Slingsby (AUS), Blanca Manchon (ESP)
2009 Torben Grael (BRA), Anna Tunnicliffe (USA)
2008 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Alessandra Sensini (ITA)
2007 Ed Baird (USA), Claire Leroy (FRA)
2006 Mike Sanderson (NZL), Paige Railey (USA)
2005 Fernando Echavarri & Anton Paz (ESP), Ellen MacArthur (GBR)
2004 Robert Scheidt (BRA), Sofia Bekatorou & Emilia Tsoulfa (GRE)
2003 Russell Coutts (SUI), Siren Sundby (NOR)
2002 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Sofia Bekatorou & Emilia Tsoulfa (GRE)
2001 Robert Scheidt (BRA), Ellen MacArthur (GBR)
2000 Mark Reynolds & Magnus Liljedahl (USA), Shirley Robertson (GBR)
1999 Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), Margriet Matthijse (NED)
1998 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Carolijn Brouwer (NED)
1997 Pete Goss (GBR), Ruslana Taran & Elena Pakholchik (UKR)
1996 Jochen Schümann (GER), Lai Shan Lee (HKG)
1995 Russell Coutts (NZL), Isabelle Autissier (FRA)
1994 Peter Blake (NZL) & Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR), Theresa Zabell (ESP)

Source: World Sailing