Sailing’s Best of 2014 Are Shortlisted
US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year Awards
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 17, 2014) – The most significant sailing performances of the year are being heralded by US Sailing with the announcement of the ten men and seven women who have been shortlisted for the 2014 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards.
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 2014 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. The winners will be announced in mid-January and honored on Thursday, February 26, 2015, during a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan, when they will be presented with specially-engraved Rolex timepieces.
Nominees shortlisted for US Sailing’s 2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award: Laser North American Champion Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.); Etchells World Champion Bill Hardesty (San Diego, Calif.); J/70 World Champion Tim Healy (Jamestown, R.I.); Rolex Farr 40 World Champion Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.); J/80 World Champion Brian Keane (Weston, Mass.); Extreme Sailing Series Champion Morgan Larson (Santa Cruz, Calif.); ISAF Sailing World Cup 470 Men’s Bronze Medalist Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.); A Scow National Champion Vincent Porter (Chicago, Ill.); Kona World Champion Rasmus Sayre (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.); and J/24 World Champion Will Welles (Portsmouth, R.I.).
Nominees shortlisted for US Sailing’s 2014 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award: Etchells skipper Shannon Bush (Refugio, Texas); IOD Celebrity Invitational Champion Heather Gregg-Earl (Boston, Mass.); ISAF Sailing World Cup 470 Women’s Bronze Medalist Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.); Sperry Top-Sider ICSA Women’s National Champion Deirdre Lambert (Cumberland, Maine); Laser Radial North American Champion Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); ICSA Women’s Singlehanded National Champion Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.); and US Women’s Match Racing Champion Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wisc.).
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 42 men and 34 women, including these distinguished sailors who have claimed the honor multiple times: Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Dennis Conner, JJ Isler, Allison Jolly, John Kostecki, Buddy Melges, Ken Read, Cory Sertl, Lynne Shore, Jody Starck, Jan O’Malley, Anna Tunnicliffe and Ted Turner.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jan Harley, Media Pro Int’l for Rolex Watch U.S.A., 401.849.0220 or
Jake Fish, US Sailing, jakefish@ussailing.org, 401.683.0800 x614
About Rolex
Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its Oyster watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand 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 introduced 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 in-house all the essential components of its watches, 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 programmes.
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 Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
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