US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year Awards
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 16, 2016) – Sailing’s top performers of the year are being heralded by US Sailing with the announcement of the eight men and six women who have been shortlisted for the 2016 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards.
Nominees shortlisted for US Sailing’s 2016 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award: Star World Champion Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.); Paralympic Silver Medalists and Para Sailing World Champions Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine); Rolex Farr 40, Maxi 72 and TP52 World Champion Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.); Melges 20 and J/70 World Champion John Kostecki (San Anselmo, Calif.); Melges 24 World Champions and 470 North American Champions Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.); J/22 World Champion Mike Marshall (Jamestown, R.I.); 505 World Champion Mike Martin (Mill Valley, Calif.); Olympic Bronze Medalist Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.).
Nominees shortlisted for US Sailing’s 2016 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award: Etchells Biscayne Bay Series – Sidney Doren Memorial Regatta Champion Shannon Bush (Refugio, Texas); 470 South American Championship Silver Medalists Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.); IKA Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, Calif.); Laser Radial World Championship Silver Medalist Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), Melges 32 World Champion and College Sailing’s Women’s Singlehanded National Cham
pion Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.); Melges 20 Winter Series Champion and Women’s International Match Racing Series Finals runner-up Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wisc.).
The nominees will be reviewed by a panel of noted sailing journalists who discuss the merits of each sailor’s racing results before voting to determine US Sailing’s 2016 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. The winners will be announced in January and honored on Thursday, March 2, 2016, during a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan, when they will be presented with specially-engraved Rolex timepieces.
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 are considered the sport’s ultimate recognition of an individual’s outstanding on-the-water achievements for the calendar year. Over its history the coveted award has been presented to 43 men and 34 women, including these distinguished sailors who have claimed the honor multiple times: Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, JJ Fetter, Allison Jolly, John Kostecki, Buddy Melges, Lowell North, Jan O’Malley, Jane Pegel, Ken Read, Cory Sertl, Lynne Shore, Jody Starck, Anna Tunnicliffe and Ted Turner.
For more information about these awards, please visit: http://rolex.ussailing.org
MEDIA CONTACT: Jake Fish, US Sailing, 401.683.0800 x614
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About ROLEX
Rolex, the leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, is headquartered in Geneva and enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its Oyster watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. Founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905, the brand pioneered the development of the wristwatch and is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces all the essential components of its watches in-house, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, exploration, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities as well as philanthropic programs.
-end-