Sailing’s Best of 2015 Are Shortlisted
US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year Awards
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 9, 2015) – The most significant sailing performances of the year are being heralded by US Sailing with the announcement of the 12 men and six women who have been shortlisted for the 2015 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 2015 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. The winners will be announced in mid-January and honored on Thursday, February 25, 2016, 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 2015 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award: Lightning World Champion Geoff Becker (Annapolis, Md.); distance racing record-breaker Ryan Breymaier (Annapolis, Md.); Etchells North American Champion Steve Benjamin (Norwalk, Conn.); J/70 World Champion Bill Hardesty (San Diego, Calif.); Etchells World Champion Skip Dieball (Toledo, Ohio); Rolex Farr 40 World Champion John Demourkas (Santa Barbara, Calif.); Rolex Maxi 72 World Champion Hap Fauth (Naples, Fla./Weekapaug, R.I.); 470 European Champion Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.); Melges 20 World Champion John Kilroy (San Francisco, Calif.); 470 European Champion Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.); distance racing record breaker Lloyd Thornburg (Santa Fe, N.M.); and J/24 North American Champion Will Welles (Portsmouth, R.I.).
Nominees shortlisted for US Sailing’s 2015 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award: U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion Nicole Breault (San Francisco, Calif.); Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Olympic Test Event) 470 Women’s Champion Anne Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.); Pan Am Games Laser Radial Gold Medalist Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Olympic Test Event) 470 Women’s Champion Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.); Buddy Melges Challenge winner Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wisc.); and Lightning North American Champion Jody Starck (Buffalo, N.Y.).
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 highlights from the year’s racing results for each nominee, please visit: http://rolex.ussailing.org
CONTACT: Jan Harley, Media Pro Int’l for Rolex Watch U.S.A., 401.849.0220 or
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
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 programs.
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