British Yachting Awards winners announced
The winners of the 4th British Yachting Awards were announced in London yesterday (30 November), at the event which honoured icons and newcomers of the sailing and marine world.
Fifty years since his ‘Impossible Voyage’, iconic Scottish sailor Sir Chay Blyth was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award
The first person to sail solo, non-stop the ‘wrong way’ around the world, Sir Chay [pictured left] was described as ‘a trailblazer for the sport of sailing, who has inspired many sailors and broken-down barriers.’
The British Yachting Awards, run by Chelsea Magazines, were held in London at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the UK.
Having only started sailing in his seventies, 82-year-old Murdoch McGregor, the oldest person to have sailed solo around Britain, took home the Sailor of the Year award following his epic voyage, which raised £10,000 for Mental Health UK, while Youth Sailor of the Year award went to Katie McCabe who completed the same journey on her own earlier this year when she was just 14.
Pip Hare was also honoured, being presented with the Outstanding Achievement of the Year Award for her valiant efforts in the most recent edition of the Vendée Globe, where she took 19th place and was the first British skipper to finish.
For the first time at the British Yachting Awards, there was a tie. The Dufour 470 and Jeanneau 60 were crowned joint winners in the Cruising Yacht of the Year Category, receiving exactly the same number of votes.
Gosport-based charity, the Disabled Sailors Association was announced as Charity of the Year, with founder Mike Wood accepting the award on behalf of the organisation which offers sail training and rehabilitation for all types of disabled people on its purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible boat Spirit of Scott Bader.
The shortlist of nominees for each category was curated by the editorial team at Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting, but the winners were voted for and decided by the publication’s readers.
The full line-up of winners and runners up at the 2021 British Yachting Awards:
Cruising Yacht of the Year
Joint Winner
Dufour 470 and Jeanneau 60
Runner Up
Solaris 40
Multihull of the Year
Winner
Lagoon 55
Runner Up
Outremer 4 Zero
Bluewater Cruiser of the Year
Winner
Discovery 48S
Runner Up
Hallberg-Rassy 400
Performance Yacht of the Year
Winner
Pogo 44
Runner Up
Beneteau First 27SE
Event of the Year – sponsored by GAC Pindar
Winner
Vendée Globe
Runner Up
SailGP Plymouth
Sailor of the Year – sponsored by Pantaenius
Winner
Murdoch McGregor
Runner Up
Pip Hare
Youth Sailor of the Year – sponsored by BoatLife Live
Winner
Katie McCabe
Runner Up
Timothy Long
Marina of the Year
Winner
Berthon Lymington Marina
Runner Up
MDL’s Ocean Village Marina
Equipment Innovation of the Year
Winner
ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo
Runner Up
B&G Halo20+
Clothing Innovation of the Year
Winner
Musto Flexlite Vapour range
Runner Up
Baltic Athena lifejacket
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner
Sir Chay Blyth
Charity of the Year
Winner
Disabled Sailors Association
Outstanding Achievement of the Year
Winner
Pip Hare
