Matthew Favier of AIS with Award Recipients Carrie Smith and Ella Clark

WA Sailors Scoop 2013 Australian Yachting Awards

Another outstanding year for Australian Olympic and Paralympic sailing team members was celebrated at the 2013 Australian Yachting awards at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney a fortnight ago.

A year after the London 2012 Olympic Games the future of the Australian Sailing Team looks bright with the 2013 Youth World Champions Carrie Smith and Ella Clark of WA, newcomers to the Australian Sailing Squad, rewarded with both the Female and Youth Sailor of the Year awards. Their success was the reward for three years of focused and committed training. Progressing into an Olympic Class will be their next focus.

CEO of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) Jason Hellwig presented the Sailor of the Year with a Disability Award to WA sailors Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden. This was in recognition of their bronze medal at the 2013 IFDS World Championships in Kinsale, Ireland in August. It was the first regatta the crew of former Paralympians has sailed together and made for a promising start to their Rio 2016 Paralympic Games campaign.

The Male Sailor of the Year category was awarded to the 470 Class 2013 World Champions, Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan of Queensland. This new combination were rewarded for their domination of the 470 Class winning a total of nine regattas including the ISAF World and European Championships, three ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas and a number of other national and regional championships. The pair has only been sailing together for nine months.

Yachting Australia President David Gotze presented the President’s Award to David Kellett, recognising him for his continued contribution to the sport nationally and internationally.

Sydney Fischer and the late Ian Grant were recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award for their involvement and contributions to the sport of sailing. Syd Fischer was acknowledged as one of Australia’s greatest ever yachtsman, his sailing career spanning a record 44 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races. He self-funded a record five America’s Cup campaigns and captained Australia to win at the Admiral’s Cup and Clipper/Kenwood Cups.

Renowned sailing journalist Ian Grant’s work in championing the sport included time with several Queensland news outlets. Grant, who passed away earlier this year, was also passionately involved in radio reporting of sailing events such as the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, Airlie Beach Race Week and Hamilton Island Race Week.

The Canberra Yacht Club was named as the Sport Promotion Award winner for the introduction of a special sailing program, Buoyed Up, which is designed to provide vulnerable young people aged 7-12 years with a fun, confidence building sailing experience.

Victorian John Burgess was the recipient in the Sport Volunteer Award and Sandringham Yacht Club CEO Richard Hewett in the Sport Professional Award category.