YJA MS Amlin Yachtsman of the Year

Picture courtesy of YJA/Sally Golden

Lucy MacGregor with the coveted trophy, congratulated by MS Amlin's Keith Lovett.

The YJA MS Amlin Yachtsman of the Year and the YJA MS Amlin Young Sailor of the Year Awards were presented during a Gala Dinner at the Grand Café Southampton on September 13, following on from Press Day at the Southampton International Boat Show. The event drew together the great and the good of the marine world, distinguished guests and many previous winners of the awards.

Lucy MacGregor, four-times winner of the Women's Match Racing World Championship after her victory at the Lysekil Women's Match in August, is the YJA MS Amlin Yachtsman of the Year. '

The YJA MS Amlin Young Sailor of the Year 2019 is Matilda Nicholls, winner of the Women's Laser Radial Youth World Championship at Kingston, Canada.

The MS Amlin Seamanship Award, presented by 2018 winner Sean Rose. The trophy, previously awarded for acts of seamanship in the Round the Island Race, has been extended worldwide in 2019, this year being presented to Roy Disney, the owner of Pyewacket who rescued the team on John Sangmeister's Santa Cruz 70 OEX during July's Transpac 50 Race after they were forced to abandon ship due to water ingress from damage to their rudder post.

Next up was the YJA MS Amlin Young Blogger of the Year Award which was presented to Alex Rabbitt, who produced a fabulous short video story, filmed over a year, which is about the experience a group of youngsters went through in passing their sailing instructor course in Manchester, called 'Journey to Instructor'.

In 2018 the vote was split between two great sailors from different generations - Tracy Edwards and Nikki Henderson - the first time this has happened in the history of the event. Conrad invited Nikki to the stage to present the award to Lucy MacGregor - four-time winner of the Women's Match Racing World Championship after her victory at the Lysekil Women's Match in August. 'Team Mac' took the final 3-0 against French skipper Claire Leroy. -- Mark Jardine