Honours awarded

“It has been an incredible journey and it’s been great to have the Australian Sailing Team behind me – I’d really like to thank them and the Australian Institute of Sport for all their support,” he said.

After an impressive 12 months that saw her claim the overall trophy at the 53rd Trofeo Princesa Sofia in April and finish ninth on Olympic debut at Paris 2024, Breiana Whitehead (QLD) was excited to be announced as the 2024 Female Sailor of the Year.

“To win Female Sailor of the Year is really cool – I’m especially stoked to win it as I’m assuming I’m the first female foiling athlete to do so,” said Whitehead.

“I really enjoyed racing this year and going to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was really special.”

Fellow Paris 2024 Olympians Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine were also celebrated on the night, awarded Team of the Year for their impressive efforts over the last twelve months.

“It’s really special to win tonight,” said Haseldine.

“Olivia and I have a super special relationship and I actually asked her to mentor me just after Covid. Since then she’s taken me under her wing and it’s been a privilege to have herself and our coach Victor [Payá] teach me so much.”

“This is the first time I’ve won this award and I’m just so proud of this team,” said Price.

“We’ve worked so hard for so long, it was a very intense two and half years. To go to my second Olympics after 12 years was amazing, and what I’m really proud of is that we didn’t give up and worked well together as a team.

“Evie will be my little sister forever,” she said.

In the Para Sailor of the Year category, Genevieve Wickham (WA) was awarded the trophy for her gold medal at the RS Venture Connect World Championships in Rostocker, Germany late last year.

Up-and-coming sailor Healy Ryan (NSW/ACT) was also recognised for his outstanding results over the last 12 months, including that he made history as the first U15 sailor to win the Open ILCA 6 State Championships.

In addition to the high-performance awards, a range of outstanding community contributors were honoured this evening, including Volunteers of the Year, Peter Royle and Malcolm Hughes (SA).

“It’s quite special to win Volunteer of the Year tonight, our club has relied heavily on volunteer work this year so to win the award on behalf of the whole team means a lot,” said Hughes.

“There are so many incredible volunteers within the sailing community Australia-wide and volunteers are really what makes our sport special,” agreed Royle.

“We all chip in, we all help each other, no matter the size of the club, we’re there for each other,” he said.

Adelaide Sailing Club (SA) and Toronto Amateur Sailing Club (NSW) were also honoured on the night, taking out the top gongs in the Club of the Year (Category A) and Club of the Year (Category B) categories respectively.

Four new inductees to the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame (ASHoF) were announced and officially named as part of the top echelon of sailors in our nation’s history.

The top honour a sailor can receive in Australia, the ASHoF was established in 2017 to recognise the greats of the sport, those who have achieved at the highest level and contributed to make sailing what it is today, including those in supporting roles such as coaches and designers.

Matt Wearn, Male Sailor of the Year Award, was inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.

Two-time America’s Cup winning skipper, world match-racing champion and multiple Sydney to Hobart Champion, James (Jimmy) Spithill was also inducted into the ASHoF. Spithill raced in his eighth consecutive America’s Cup last month.

“It is an absolute shock and honour to be recognised in this way,” said Spithill.

“If you told me I’ll be fortunate enough to skipper eight teams in eight America’s Cup campaigns in a row and win a couple along the way, mate, I would have thought you were just downright crazy.

“I’d really like to thank Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club who have really supported me every step of the way, and also my family, my friends and my incredible team mates who I would not be here without.”

An Australian great in Sailboarding with four Olympic appearances and multiple world titles to her name, Jessica Crisp was also inducted into the ASHoF and was there to celebrate on the night with her family and friends.

“I fell in love with sailing as a kid and haven’t looked back since, so I’m incredibly honoured to be inducted,” said Crisp.

“I was 14 at my first Olympics and it was an amazing experience. I remember queuing up to enter the venue and being asked if my mum was there with me, I had to convince them I was a competitor as they thought I was there to watch.”

Last but not least, Lindsay Cunningham AM was recognised with his induction as one of the greatest and most innovative multihull designers of all time. In addition to being an accomplished sailor, Cunningham’s contributions include the design of many of Australia’s best catamarans.

“I’m deeply honoured to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame,” he said.

“I’ve enjoyed applying advances in sailing to innovations over the years, and have been proud to achieve things like winning the Little America’s Cup, breaking the World Sailing speed record, and then being the first to break the 50 knot mark.

“I’d like to express my gratitude to all of those who were part of my journey.”

Australian Sailing extends its sincerest congratulations to all Awards recipients and offers its thanks and gratitude to all finalists for contributing so significantly and positively to the Australian Sailing community.

2024 Australian Sailing Awards:

Male Sailor of the Year – Matt Wearn OAM (WA)
Female Sailor of the Year – Breiana Whitehead (QLD)
Team of the Year – Olivia Price & Evie Haseldine (NSW)
Para Sailor of the Year – Genevieve Wickham (WA)
Youth Sailor of the Year – Healy Ryan (ACT/NSW)
Coach of the Year – Rafael Trujillo (QLD)
President’s Award – David Gotze (VIC/NSW)
Club of the Year (Category A – Large Club) – Adelaide Sailing Club (SA)
Club of the Year (Category B – Small Club) – Toronto Amateur Sailing Club (NSW)
Instructor of the Year – Emily Vivian (QLD)
Official of the Year – David Brookes (QLD)
Volunteer of the Year – Peter Royle & Malcolm Hughes (SA)
She Sails Award – Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron – AWKR (VIC)
Sport Professional of the Year – Premo Jacniacki (WA)
Sport Promotion Award – Donna Evans – Adelaide Sailing Club (SA)
Sustainability Award – Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (VIC)

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