Who will win the 2025 Rolex USA Honors?

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
To win US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards is to survive a subjective assessment with few guidelines, and overcome a level of nominees that varies each year. Not every winner is created equal. Some years are easier.

As a longtime voter, here are some standards that have endured:

• World titles (and other iconic events) trump national or continental titles
• International achievement is harder than domestic achievement
• It is not just what was won, but who was beaten
• Achievement in age-based events (youth, school) limits who was beaten
• Achievement in a variety of event types is harder than it used to be
• Helming has more pressure than crewing
• Team racing achievement has too many skippers to assess
• Assessing crew contribution gets hard beyond tactician or navigator
• Achievement is measured, not the sailor’s categorization (Group 1 or 3)

Here’s my take on the 2025 nominees:

Among the men, the Star Class has a long history of attracting the best, so Paul Cayard’s World Title win in Croatia is significant. However, the Star Class no longer has the immense depth as during its Olympic era, and it is his lone noteworthy win. Justin Callahan has team racing wins and age-based achievement, with his Snipe Western Hemisphere win as substantial but done in the USA. Taylor Canfield is the only non-skipper, but his contribution in winning the J/70 Worlds (Argentina), M32 Worlds (USA), and runner-up in Melges 24 Worlds (Italy) was massive.

Comparing the women candidates is harder. Alli Bell’s victory in the 2225 nm Transpac Race had never been done by a woman, but assessing offshore races must also take in account variables like weather, boat type, and crew composition. The foiling WASZP Class is gaining considerable international attention, with Pearl Lattanzi claiming the Women’s World title among a mixed fleet of 211 boats in England. As helm, Laura Grondin won the J/70 Worlds (Argentina), and was runner-up at the Melges 24 Worlds (Italy) despite a collision that sidelined her for two races. These two keelboat one design classes set a high bar in professional sailing.

The award recipients will be announced February 12 at New York Yacht Club in New York, NY.