Established in 1961 by US Sailing and sponsored by Rolex Watch,U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize the individual male and female U.S. sailors who have demonstrated on-the-water excellence at international and national events to earn their place in the history of the sport. These prestigious awards are widely viewed by the sail-racing industry as the foremost individual competitive sailing honors in the nation.
The 2022 Awards
PETE BEACH, FL. (February 2, 2022) – On Thursday, February 2, 2023, as part of US Sailing’s Sailing Leadership Forum, the best U.S. sailor athletes of 2022 were honored among family, friends, peers, competitors, and contributors to the sport of sailing.
Ravi Parent (Sarasota, FL) and Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, CA) were awarded the 2022 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year award and were celebrated along with fellow 2022 award finalists Laura Grondin, Sara Stone, David Starck, and Doug DeVos.
The winners were presented with Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year award trophy along with specially engraved Rolex Yacht-Master timepieces. These honorees join an elite group of notable national sailors.
In 2022, Daniela Moroz won gold at the Princesa Sofia Olympic regatta and captured her 6th Kite Foil World Championship title. Moroz also placed first at the French Olympic Week Regatta, held at the 2024 Olympic venue.
“I turn 22 today, and I keep thinking how unreal my day has been,” said Moroz after winning her award. “I went out on the water, got to race, spend the evening with my parents, and now this. It couldn’t have gone any better.”
Raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Moroz competed in her first international event at age 14, winning her first World Championship only a year later, at 15. Since then, she has won six world championships and four European championships. Moroz is currently campaigning for the 2024 Olympic games, where the Formula Kite will make its Olympic debut.
This is the fourth time Moroz has won the award. Her first win, as a 16-year-old in 2016, made her the youngest ever to claim the prize. She was also the first kiteboarder to receive this award.
In 2022, Ravi Parent became the first sailor to win the A Class Worlds, F18 European Championships, and F18 World Championship in the same year. Adding to that success, Parent won the A Cat Midwinters Championship and the A Class division at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Series.
“To see the list of those that won before me is truly amazing,” said Parent. “As was said this evening, these awards are not given, they are earned, and thanks to my networks of sailors and those I’ve trained with, receiving this award is truly humbling.”
Parent was first introduced to multihull sailing growing up at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, where at the age of 14 he joined the Sarasota Youth Multihull Team. From that first introduction to the F18, Parent went on to compete in two Youth World Championships, complete a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Boston University, and campaign for the Olympics in the Nacra 17.
In February, three men and three women were chosen as finalists for US Sailing’s 2022 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards. The annual rundown of the year’s “best in the U.S.” represents a wide range of accomplished sailors from various disciplines and at different stages of their respective careers. Yachtsman and Yachtswoman finalists earned their spot on this exclusive list by dominating their respective classes and showing true variety in their sailing accomplishments. All six of these sailors represent their own unique pathway to the sport, having demonstrated on-the-water excellence at international and national events bringing global recognition to sailing in while representing the United States.
Past Winners
2019 – Mike Martin and Adam Lowry/Daniela Moroz
2018 – Jud Smith/Carmen and Emma Cowles
2017 – Peter Duncan/Erika Reineke
2016 – Caleb Paine/Daniela Moroz
2015 – Steve Benjamin/Annie Haeger
2014 – Terry Hutchinson/Stephanie Roble
2013 – Brian Porter/Jody Starck
2012 – Johnny Heineken/Jen French
2011 – Bill Hardesty/Anna Tunnicliffe
2010 – Stan Honey/Anna Tunnicliffe
2009 – Bora Gulari/Anna Tunnicliffe
2008 – Terry Hutchinson/Anna Tunnicliffe
2007 – Jeff Linton/Sally Barkow
2006 – Jud Smith/Paige Railey
2005 – Nick Scandone/Sally Barkow
2004 – Paul Foerster & Kevin Burnham/Jody Swanson
2003 – Augie Diaz/Hannah Swett
2002 – John Kostecki/Liz Baylis
2001 – Steve Fossett/Cory Sertl
2000 – Mark Reynolds & Magnus Liljedahl/JJ Isler & Pease Glaser
1999 – Eric Doyle/Dawn Riley
1998 – Paul Cayard /Betsy (Gelenitis) Alison
1997 – Chris Larson/JJ Isler
1996 – Dave Ullman/Courtenay (Becker) Dey
1995 – Ed Baird/Cory Sertl
1994 – Ken Read/Danielle Brennan
1993 – Cam Lewis/Betsy (Gelenitis) Alison
1992 – Kevin Mahaney/Julia Trotman
1991 – Ed Adams/JJ Isler
1990 – Jim Brady/Courtenay Becker
1989 – Larry Klein/Jody Swanson
1988 – John Kostecki/Allison Jolly & Lynne Jewell
1987 – Ed Adams/Susan Dierdorff Taylor
1986 – Dennis Conner/JJ Isler
1985 – Ken Read/Kathy Steele & Heidi Backus
1984 – Bill Buchan/Betsy Gelenitis
1983 – Dave Curtis/Wendy Thomson
1982 – Randy Smyth/Betsy Gelenitis
1981 – Dave Curtis/Betsy Gelenitis
1980 – Dennis Conner/Lynne Jewell
1979 – Ted Turner/Nell Taylor
1978 – Buddy Melges/Bonnie Shore
1977 – Ted Turner/Jan O’Malley
1976 – Lowell North/Allison Jolly
1975 – Dennis Conner/Joan Ellis
1974 – Ted Hood/Sally Lindsay
1973 – Ted Turner/Sally Lindsay
1972 – Buddy Melges/Jane Pegel
1971 – Ding Schoonmaker/Jane Pegel
1970 – Ted Turner/Jan O’Malley
1969 – Robert F. Johnson/Jan O’Malley
1968 – Lowell North/June Methot
1967 – Bus Mosbacher/Betty Foulk
1966 – Bill Cox/Jerie Clark
1965 – Dick Tillman/Timothea (Schneider) Larr
1964 – Bob Bavier/Jane Pegel
1963 – Joe Duplin/Leggie Mertz
1962 – Bus Mosbacher/Sue Sinclair
1961 – Buddy Melges/Timothea Schneider