Yachting Australia is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2009 Australian Yachting Awards with the winners to be announced at a gala event at Sandringham Yacht Club on Friday, 16 October, 2009.
The 2009 Australian Yachting Awards recognises outstanding achievement in sailing over the period of March 2008 through to July 2009.
The 2009 Voting Academy was faced with a tough decision to narrow down the high quality field with numerous outstanding achievements across multiple classes taking place around the world throughout the nomination period.
The finalists for the Male Sailor of the Year award are Flying Fifteen World Champions Grant Alderson and Dean McAullay, Olympic Silver medalists Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby, Etchells World Champions Jason Muir, Paul Wyatt, Matthew Chew and Bucky Smith, and Olympic Gold medalists Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page.
In the Female Sailor of the Year category the finalists are Women's Match Racing World Champion Nicole Souter, fellow Women's Match Racer Katie Spithill, Olympian Jessica Crisp and Olympic Gold medalists Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson.
The OAMPS Insurance Brokers Youth Sailor of the Year award will be won by either 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship Gold medalist Gabrielle King, 29er sailors James Sly and Andrew Gillies, 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship Gold medalists Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin or Laser Radial sailor Ashley Stoddart.
Nominees for the Sailor of the Year with a Disability award are Paralympic Silver medalists Daniel Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox, Queensland's Angus MacGregor and Paralympic Bronze medalists Colin Harrison, Graeme Martin and Russell Boaden.
The Sport Promotion Award will go to either photographer Andrea Francolini, the Canberra Yacht Club, Yachting Victoria's Go Sailing Program or the Australian Sailing Team's Facebook Page.
In the Sport Professional Award category the finalists are Alistair Murray from Ronstan, Matt Owen from the Canberra Yacht Club and Australian Sailing Team coach Victor Kovalenko.
In the Volunteer Award category the winner will be either Ian Davis, Richard Grubb, Dugald Henderson or Richard Howard.
The 2009 Australian Yachting Awards will also see three individuals receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. They are John Flower, John Hurley, and Edmund Michael Burke.
In addition, the evening will see the presentation of the President's Award, introduced in 2008 with Audi Australia the inaugural recipients.
Tickets for the 2009 Australian Yachting Awards are now on sale and can be purchased at
http://yachting.org.au/site/yachting/ayf/downloads/Awards/2009/Bookingform.pdf
For additional information go to
www.yachting.org.au.
– Craig heydon
