Izzy Hamilton wins YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year

By Fiona Williams on 8 Jan 20118 January 2011

Izzy Hamilton is presented with the prestigious YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year Award 2010

RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year winners

All photos © onEdition

Izzy Hamilton, 18, from Holsworthy in North Devon was presented with the prestigious YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year Award 2010 at the Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show on Saturday 8th January 2011. The award was presented by Match Racing winner Lucy MacGregor.

Izzy picked up her third Youth National title in April 2010. Izzy won a Silver medal at the European Youth Championships in Sopot, Poland and another at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Izzy has just successfully defended her class Youth World title in Cyprus becoming Britain’s first ever double windsurfing Youth World Champion.

The other finalists for the YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year were Anya Colley. RYA 2010 National Jetsport IJSBA Ski Stock Champion. Six of her World titles and many of her other achievements have been secured in mixed gender competition. Joanna Freeman and Hannah Mitchell. Joanna and Hannah won the RYA Volvo Nationals in Weymouth in April 2010 and placed 4th at the ISAF Youth Worlds in Turkey, narrowly missing out on a 2nd through protest.

Izzy was amongst the nominations for this year’s Award, 12 of which were for RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year winners who are voted for by RYA affiliated sailing clubs. These young sailors have made a significant impact on youth sailing, ranging from gold medal winning achievements and overcoming adversity, to the huge amount of hard work and effort they give back to their clubs.

Lucy MacGregor also presented awards to the RYA Regional Winners:

East Midlands: Anya Colley
Northern Ireland: Sophie Murphy
North East: Jordan Muckles
Scotland: Callum Airlie
Southern: Joanna Freeman & Hannah Mitchell
South East: Richard Thomas
South West: Sam Sills
Thames Valley: Aaron Reynolds
Wales: Ellie Meopham
West Midlands: Sarah Norbury
Yorkshire and Humberside: Connor Bainbridge
North West: Cameron Douglas

YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year award was first presented in 1993. Early winners include Dame Ellen MacArthur and Ben Ainslie CBE, who both went on to win the Yachtsman of the Year title.

In addition to nominations from members of the public for the YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year, over 1,700 RYA affiliated clubs have the opportunity to nominate. Plus, the RYA puts forward winners from each of its 13 regions as nominations for the YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year.

YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year receives a trophy and goodies provided by Yacht Parts Plymouth and a VIP day at the show including BrushBoarding provided by Extreme Sports Zone Ltd.

The 2010 YJA Pantaenius Yachtsman of the Year will be announced on Tuesday 11th January, at an awards ceremony to be held at Trinity House, London. Finalists for this prestigious title are Edward Wright. Finn World Champion and double World Cup Winner. Edward is one of the true heavy hitters of the Finn class. This year he took first place in the Rolex Miami OCR , Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia MAPFRE, Mallorca, the North American Championship and the Finn Gold Cup in San Francisco. Lucy MacGregor and team. Ladies World Match Racing Winners. Having gained National, European and World Championship titles and rapidly risen through the ranks to lead the World rankings, Lucy MacGregor and her team are a promising prospect for the future of British sailing. Geoff Holt. Geoff became the first quadriplegic to sail across the Atlantic when he sailed into the British Virgin Islands on January 7th 2010, overcoming personal adversity and achieving his own impossible dream. It took 28 days to complete the 2,700 mile voyage. Geoff was also the first disabled person to sail solo around Great Britain and has been awarded an MBE for his services to disabled sailing.

The award will be presented by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston a previous winner himself.