YNZ Yachting Excellence Awards finalists announced

by Jodie Bakewell-White

Yachting New Zealand is pleased to announce a list of finalists and awardees for the prestigious Yachting Excellence Awards for 2010.

Ten Performance Awards, eight Service Awards, two Cruising Awards and the Emerging Talent Award have been announced today and will be presented at the Gala Dinner and Presentation Ceremony to be held in Auckland on the evening of Friday November 26th.

Also named today are four finalists in both the Young Sailor of the Year Award and the inaugural Coach/Official of the Year Award with a category winner to be announced in each at the ceremony around six weeks from now.

The prestigious President’s Award recognises work done to better the sport of yachting in New Zealand and may go to a Yacht Club, and individual or an organisation. Last year the Award went to the Team New Zealand 2000 Trust, and this year the President’s Award will be an eagerly anticipated announcement on the night.

In the grand finale, one winner will be selected, from any category, to be named Singapore Airlines Sailor of the Year for 2010, and presented with the Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy.

Performance Awards 2010

Significant achievement in the world of yachting by New Zealanders over the past year has been plentiful ensuring a tough job for the Judging Panel to select the Performance Awards recipients from a good number of quality nominations.

Competitive performance, sportsmanship and/or design can be the basis for a Yachting New Zealand Performance Award. Performance Awards in 2010 will go to...

Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie, RNZYS – Olympic class Women’s 470
Blackmatch Racing, RNZYS - World Match Racing Tour
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club and Kerikeri Cruising Club – Olympic class 49er
Neville Crichton, RNZYS – Offshore Yacht racing
Scott Leith, Pupuke Boating Club – Masters Laser Radial
Andrew Murdoch, Kerikeri Cruising Club – Olympic class Laser
Karl Purdie, Worser Bay Boating Club – OK Dinghy
Thomas Saunders, Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club – Laser Youth
Chris Steele, Wakatere Boating Club – Splash class
Sara Winther, Takapuna Boating Club – Olympic class Laser Radial

Young Sailor of the Year 2010

After serious deliberation the Awards Judging panel narrowed the quality list of nominations down to determine four finalists for Young Sailor of the Year 2010.

Laura Hemingway - Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club - Splash
Alex Maloney and Sam Bullock, Murrays Bay Sailing Club and Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club – 29er
Thomas Saunders, Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club – Laser
Chris Steele, Wakatere Boating Club – Splash

Emerging Talent Award 2010

New to the Awards Programme in 2010 the Emerging Talent Award recognises considerable promise in yachting, and the recipient is to have displayed outstanding potential as a future sailing star for New Zealand.

The Yachting New Zealand Emerging Talent Award in 2010 goes to...
Jayvee Buchanan, Charteris Bay Yacht Club and Murrays Bay Yacht Club – New Zealand Optimist Champion, P Class National Champion and Tauranga Cup holder.

Coach/Official of the Year 2010

In this category, new to the Awards in 2010, a New Zealand sailing coach or a sailing race official will be recognised for their work and achievements over the last twelve months and their career before that.

Four people have been named as finalists in the inaugural Yachting New Zealand Coach/Official of the Year Award each coming from a different corner of the yachting sphere.

Harold Bennett, Murrays Bay Sailing and RNZYS
Nathan Handley, Takapuna Boating Club
John Morgan, Sandspit Yacht Club
Guy Pilkington, RNZYS

Service Awards 2010

Recognising exemplary and selfless service to yachting, the Yachting New Zealand Service Awards are a highlight in the evening’s programme. Often going without recognition these are the people who make our sport tick, and it’s a delight to see them rewarded.

Eight Yachting New Zealand Service Awards will be presented in 2010.

Alexander Aitken, Waimakariri Sailing & Powerboat Club
Warren Belk, Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club
Des Brennan, Akaroa Sailing Club
Roger Kitchen, Torbay Sailing Club
Jim Lott, Cruising & Navigation Association NZ
Ross Munro, RNZYS
Sarah and Sefton Powrie, RNZYS
Doug Smeal, Whangarei Cruising Club and Onerahi Yacht Club

Cruising Awards 2010
Two Yachting New Zealand Cruising Awards will be presented in 2010. The Cruising Award recognises an outstanding non-competitive voyage or cruise, or services to this area of yachting.

Graeme Kendall, RNZYS – First person to sail the Arctic North West Passage solo non-stop
Phillip Zweiss, Bluff Yacht Club – Global circumnavigation on Caval, his Cavalier 32 (Solo passages)

Tickets will be on sale shortly with more information in subsequent issues of this newsletter and on www.yachtingnz.org.nz Enquiries can be directed to either Beth Orton reception@yachtingnz.org.nz or to Emily Flynn e.flynn@xtra.co.nz

Historical information on past winners is available on www.yachtingnz.org.nz under the Achievement header.

Yachting New Zealand