Recipients of the 2024 US Sailing Awards

US Sailing recognized recipients of the 2024 US Sailing Association Awards during the 2025 Sailing Leadership Forum on February 6 in Coronado, California. These awards honor individuals and organizations who have made remarkable contributions to the sport of sailing through leadership, service, and excellence.

Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy
The Herreshoff Trophy was presented to Gordy Bowers (Wayzata, MN; above right) for his outstanding contributions to the sport. His dedication, leadership, and influence have made a lasting impact on the sailing community.

Kevin Burnham Memorial Award
Ian MacDiarmid (Miami, FL) was recognized with the Kevin Burnham Memorial Award for his achievement in the men’s Olympic skiff. The award is for a sailor who best exemplifies Kevin’s spirit and embodies the characteristics: passion, perseverance, persistence, sportsmanship on and off the water, love of the sport and love of his competitors. Ian’s name will appear on a perpetual plaque displayed beside the Olympic Torch which Kevin carried in the 1996 Games.

Harman Hawkins Trophy
Kirk Brown (Long Beach, CA) was honored with the Harman Hawkins Trophy for his extraordinary commitment to the development of umpiring in the US and around the world. He was a member of the group that developed match race umpiring in the 1990s, and has developed and delivered countless seminars, lectures, clinics and instructional races over the past 30 years.

St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy
The San Francisco Yacht Club (Belvedere, CA) received the prestigious St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy for its outstanding management of the 2024 Melges 24 World Championship. Competitors were unanimous in their praise of both the yacht club and the race management team, led by Mark Foster. One skipper wrote, “The SFYC took amazing care of their sailors, accommodated all kinds of extra requests, made sure sailors had plenty of access to health, nutrition and social resources, and provided lots of space for sailor exchange and boat prep.”

Source: US Sailing