In under a week ISAF and Rolex will welcome sailors and guests to the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2011 in Puerto Rico. The ceremony will be held in the historic Cuartel de Ballaja, a former military barracks in the mid-19th century, and an impressive backdrop to a night that welcomes some of the best sailing talent the world has seen. This year there are four female and five male nominees who have been shortlisted for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award based on their achievements during the qualifying period of 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011.
The 2011 nominees are:
Female
Dee Caffari (GBR) – Record Breaking Round The World Yachtswoman
Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU) – Double Professional Windsurfing Association World Champion
Alexandra Rickham (GBR) – ISAF Sailing World Cup Champion and IFDS World Champion
Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) – ISAF Sailing World Cup Champion
Male
Ben Ainslie (GBR) – Match Racing World Champion & ISAF Sailing World Cup Champion
Lorenzo Bressani (ITA) – Melges 24 and 32 World Champion
Rob Douglas (USA) – Outright World Speed Record Holder
Iker Martinez & Xabier Fernandez (ESP) – IMOCA60 and 49er Success
Nathan Outteridge (AUS) – International Moth World Champion and 49er Champion
Click here to find out more about the nominated sailors and their achievements.
The winners will be selected by the ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), the national governing bodies for sailing around the world, who have been invited to vote for the one male and one female nominee who they believe most deserves the Award. HM King Constantine, ISAF President of Honour, will announce the winners who will be presented with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year trophy and a distinctive Rolex timepiece.
Note: El Cuartel de Ballaja was built in 1864 and initially used to house Spanish troops and, in 1898 it became the quarters for American soldiers following the Spanish-American War. During World War II the building was used as a military hospital and has recently been renovated by its owners, the Puerto Rican government.
Visit the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards microsite at www.sailing.org/worldsailor
