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Nominate your Sailor of the Year!

4 April 2023

Northstar Admin
Published Date1 Year Ago

Let’s recognise our top sailors!

The RSYS Sailing Committee is calling upon Members to nominate an appropriate person for one of the five significant awards for the 2022-2023 sailing season. The time period for consideration for the award is 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023. The award winners will be announced at the Annual Squadron Prizegiving Friday 26 May.

The awards are:
  • Yachtsman of the Year
  • Yachtswoman of the Year
  • Flag Officers’ Crewperson of the Year
  • Youth Sailor of the Year
  • Sportsperson of the Year
If you know someone who you think should be acknowledged, please read the criteria for each award and complete the online nomination form. Your contribution would be very much appreciated. Nominations close on Friday 28 April.

Award Criteria

Yachtsman of the Year – The Idris Cup
Donated to the club in memory of Mrs Idris Wolseley Picton-Clark, born in Sydney in 1894 to a pioneer family. Mrs Clark was a life long devotee of both rowing and sailing. In making the award the principal considerations are:
  • Excellence in local, national and international sail competition
  • Demonstration of the art of good seamanship and sportsmanlike conduct
Yachtswoman of the Year – The Joanne Trophy
Donated to the Club in memory of Mrs Joan Godfrey. A sailor of more than 50 years, she started out in VJs at Vaucluse, moved to 12ft Skiffs and eventually to keelboats. She was an enthusiast, deeply involved and an active participant rather than a spectator. The trophy is to be awarded annually to a woman who, like Joanne:
 
  • Sails regularly from the Squadron.
  • Is, above all, enthusiastic, deeply involved and an active participant – even if her role be relatively unobtrusive. The activities can relate to any aspect of sailing from junior to family sailing. It should preferably not be oriented towards, but not exclude, competitive sailing. There is no age limit.
Flag Officers’ Crewperson of the Year – Carabella Tray
This award will recognise a Squadron Member who has demonstrated a high level of commitment to their sailing and contributed to the success of their skipper in club and regatta events.

Youth Sailor of the Year
Criteria for this award, established in 2019, are:
 
  • Aged 25 or under as of April 30 in the year of nomination
  • Have a record of outstanding achievement in national and or international competition
  • Have followed a committed training program during the award year, and brought recognition to RSYS competitive sailing
  • Have demonstrated leadership and sportsmanship
Sportsperson of the year
The Ruth McCance Memorial trophy is awarded to a Member who embodies the spirit and traditions of the Club and encompasses the love of competition, fair play, support of the sport of sailing and contribution to club life. The award shall be made by the Sailing Committee who shall consider the following guidelines in its deliberations:
 
  • The winner shall be a Member of the RSYS
  • The Member shall embody the club values of integrity, progressiveness, inclusiveness, respect and safety
  • The winner must have competed in a sailing event run by the RSYS in the award period
  • Shall demonstrate a high level of sportsmanship at all times. Their behaviour shall be ethical, appropriate, polite, and fair
  • Shall contribute to the development of the sport of sailing
  • Shall contribute to club life
  • Should display courage in what they undertake either in competition or service
  • The activities in the previous full club year, based on membership fee due date, shall be the basis of consideration
  • A nominee may be professional however activities undertaken in a professional capacity will be excluded from consideration
  • Nominations shall be received from the general membership
  • Committee members are eligible for the award but they may not be nominated by a current member of any committee
  • A member may not self nominate.

Past Winners


Will Ryan

Yachtsman of the Year
2021-22 Will Ryan
2020-21 Jack Ferguson
2019-20 Iain Murray
2018-19 Martin Hill
2017-18 Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea
2016-17 Rob Lowndes
2015-16 Paul Clitheroe
2014-15 Roger Hickman


Julie Clarke

Yachtswoman of the Year
2021-22 Julie Clarke
2020-21 Nicola Wakefield Evans
2019-20 Charlotte Alexander
2018-19 Karyn Gojnich
2017-18 Maddie O’Shea
2016-17 Jeanne-Claude Strong
2015-16 Millie Brown
2014-15 Jeanne-Claude Strong


Richard Allanson

Crewperson of the Year
2021-22 Richard Allanson
2020-21 Kevin Wong
2019-20 joint winners: David Chapman, Finn Alexander, Charlotte Alexander, Zac Quinlan (Sailing Champions League)
Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, Michelle Belgiorno-Nettis, Marlena Berzins, Nicholas Cleary, Michael Dunstan, David Edwards, Tom King, Greg O’Shea, Ivan Wheen (New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup.)
2018-19 Richard Allanson
2017-18 Will Ryan
2016-17 David Chapman
2015-16 David Chapman
2014-15 David Chapman


Finn Alexander

Youth Sailor of the Year
2021-22 Finn Alexander
2020-21 Jed Cruickshank
2019-20 Mina Ferguson
2018-19 Brooke Wilson


Tony Coleman

Ruth McCance Memorial Trophy
2021-22 Tony Coleman
2020-21 Richard Lawson
2019-20 Adam Tran