You voted in your thousands for the best boats, sailors and kit of the past year. Here are the winners of the British Yachting Awards
SAILING’S BEST
The British Yachting Awards winners were announced at a ceremony at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, Knightsbridge, on 28 November, with the winners including the best sailors, boats, kit, marinas and events of 2023.
While our editorial team puts together the shortlists, each winner is decided by public vote and, after six weeks of voting, we counted around 18,000 votes in all. Thank you to everybody who voted – categories can be decided by a handful of votes, so every vote counts!
The shortlists for each category were published in our November 2023 issue and nominations included some of the biggest brands and most famous names in sailing, as well as burgeoning marine companies, along with amateur yachtsmen and youth sailors.
A roomful of sailing VIPs gathered at the Royal Thames YC for the ceremony – an audience ranging from solo circumnavigators and Olympians, to naval architects and boat builders, to weekend sailors and some of our subscribers who took advantage of the opportunity to pay for a ticket.
Presenter and host was Sailing Today regular, TV presenter and author, Paul Heiney. The evening’s guest speaker was Kate Fortnam, Campaigns Manager of the Green Blue environmental initiative and she spoke passionately on sustainability. There were also thanks for the event’s sponsors – BoatLife, Dartmouth Gin, Davey & Co, Hyde Sails, British Marine and Haven Knox-Johnston Specialist for their continued support.
Guest speaker – Kate Fortnam, Campaigns Manager, The Green Blue
Guest speaker, Kate Fortnam, Campaigns Manager for the RYA’s Green Blue programme talked about the need for greater sustainability in the sport.
“As a boating community we enjoy getting out on the water and experiencing the beautiful environment around us.” She said: “We therefore play an important role in helping to protect our marine and inland waters to safeguard the wildlife and habitats with which we share our boating environment.” For those not already in the know, The Green Blue is the joint environmental awareness programme created by the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine. Established in 2005, its mission is to promote sustainable boating for cleaner, healthier waters.
Trophies handmade by by Davey & Co
Each winner received a unique trophy handmade by
