We are proud to be members of the Yachting Journalists Association and always ensure that we add our voice when it comes to the voting for the “YJA Yachtsman of the Year” award and the “Young Sailor of the Year Award”.
These two well respected and highly competitive awards recognise the achievements of Britain’s top yachting talent of the year and are awarded at a gala ceremony each year at Trinity House, London.
The Yachtsman of the Year Award was established in 1955 by Sir Max Aitken, Battle of Britain pilot, chairman of Express Newspapers and himself a leading yachtsman in both sail and power.
Previous winners of the award include
- Sir Robin Knox-Johnston,
- Dame Ellen MacArthur
- Sir Ben Ainslie
- Geoff Holt
But you cannot run gala award ceremonies and dole out gongs without backing so it was heartening to learn that boats.com, the global online resource for boating enthusiasts to explore, discover and research, announce a three-year sponsorship deal with YJA to cover the awards.
Ian Atkins, President of boats.com, commented: “We are delighted to be part of this historic event. As a long time competitive sailor myself, I felt strongly about being involved in a framework that rewards the most deserving yachtsmen. We are really looking forward to the awards ceremony and presenting the awards to this year’s winners.”
Bob Fisher, Chairman of the Yachting Journalists’ Association, added: “We are delighted to welcome boats.com as our new title sponsors; our partnership is a perfect fit.”