boats.com YJA Yachtsman and Young Sailor 2016

Nominations for the 2016 boats.com YJA Yachtsman of the Year Awards have opened to start the selection process of finding Britain’s top Yachtsman and Young Sailor of the Year.
The nominations announcement came at a reception hosted by Premier Marinas at the Southampton Boat Show attended by past Award winners and members of the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA).
Nominations for these two prestigious awards are welcomed from anyone within the UK yachting community and the public and can include those involved in dinghy sailing, windsurfing, offshore and ocean racing, short handed and long distance cruising and from the world of powerboating.
The Awards provide an opportunity for the public to put forward their yachting heroes and celebrate the achievements of up-and-coming talent.
Barry Pickthall, Chairman of the YJA encourages the yachting community to make their nominations: "Don’t rely on someone else to name your yachting hero or rising star to be considered for the 2016 boats.com YJA Awards.  Nominating couldn’t be simpler." 
Nominations can be made online at www.boats.com/nominate  or by posting back one of  nomination cards distributed throughout the Boat Show,  Yacht Clubs and from any Premier Marinas site across the south of England.
This year’s Awards are expected to attract a particularly high calibre of nominations following Team GB’s success at the Rio Olympics, where they finished at the top of the sailing medals table. Other popular nominees will undoubtedly include Sir Ben Ainslie and his Land Rover BAR America’s Cup crew who lead the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, and Richard Carr, Steve Curtis MBE and Paul Sinclair following their victory in the Annual Cowes-Torquay powerboat race.

Ian Atkins, President of boats.com added, "Today is a great day.  It’s the day we start the process of selecting the winners of the 2016 Yachtsman of the Year Awards. There have been some incredible feats in yachting throughout the year; we’ve watched speed records tumble and our national teams top podiums not just in Rio, but around the world. Every sport needs its heroes to inspire future generations and we are delighted to support the yachting community in the selection of theirs."