The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has added a new category in its prestigious Ocean Racer of the Year Awards – Ocean Navigator of the Year.
The 2008 Ocean Racer of the Year Awards will be announced on Wednesday 17 December 2008 and the CYCA has requested that fellow offshore clubs nominate candidates that they feel would be eligible for these awards.
The categories for the 2008 awards are:
Ø Ocean Racing Yachtsman of the Year
Ø Ocean Crew Person of the Year
Ø Ocean Veteran of the Year
Ø Ocean Rookie of the Year
Ø Ocean Navigator of the Year
Nominations close on Wednesday, 3 December 2008 and should be forwarded to the CYCA with a brief history of the candidate’s offshore successes in the past 12 months.
“While navigators have been recognised in Ocean Crew Person of the Year Awards in the past, the CYCA feels that their contribution not only to the specific navigation of a boat but also to race tactics was worthy of a separate category,” CYCA Sailing Manager Justine Kirkjian said today.
Since its inception in 1985, the Ocean Racer of the Year Award has gone to many of Australia’s most notable ocean racing skippers, starting with Tasmanian Don Calvert and including Victorians Gino Knezic and Lou Abrahams, South Australian Kevan Pearce and Sydney yachtsmen Syd Fischer (three times), Roger Hickman, Geoff Ross, Matt Allen (twice), and last year, Bob Thomas and Ed Psaltis, for the second time.
Last year Syd Fischer was also named Ocean Veteran of Year while the Rookie of the Year award went to West Australian Alan Brierty and Ocean Crew Person of the Year to Sydney sailor Tom Barker, a graduate of the CYCA’s Youth Sailing Academy. Syd Fischer this year is sailing in his 40th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
The Crew Person of the Year list of winners includes some of the best Australian sailors who have played significant roles in the success of the boats on which they sailed.
Among the winners have been David Blanchfield (NSW), Brad Stephens (NSW, Phil Thompson (NSW), Julian Freeman (Tas), Tom Braidwood (NSW), Ian ‘Barney’ Walker (Vic), Adrienne Calahan (NSW), Lori Wilson (NSW), Brett Filby (NSW) and Tony Ellis (NSW).
The Ocean Veteran of the Year winners have included Alby Burgin (NSW), twice, the late Merv Finn (WA), the late John Bennetto (Tas), Dick Fidock (SA), John Walker (NSW), twice, Lou Abrahams (Vic), Don Mickleborough (NSW), Richard Hammond (NSW) and Alex Whitworth (NSW), twice. – Peter Campbell
Further information from Justine Kirkjian, Sailing Manager, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Ph (02) 8292 7800 or email – Justine.kirkjian@cyca.com.au
