Please select your home edition
Edition
Melges 15

2001 boat of the year awards to be webcast

by Cynthia Goss on 8 Oct 2000
Ian Grant
Tonight, in a festive ceremony to kick-off the 2001 Boat of the Year (BOTY) Awards,
organizers of this annual award series turned their own traditions around.

The custom of the Boat of the Year Awards - the Academy Awards of sailboat design and
construction created by Cruising World and Sailing World magazines - has been to hold
celebrations off until winners were announced at a wintertime gala. But this year, the revelry
started early.

Tonight's celebration, emceed by NBC Olympic sailing expert Gary Jobson and held during the
U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, was staged to honor all award nominees and the collective
excellence they represent with new designs for 2001. The celebration was also held to herald a
new chapter for these awards. Winners will no longer be announced at an invitation-only winter
gala; this December, boats.com will reveal BOTY winners in a webcast of the award
announcements that will make news of these accolades immediately available to an infinite
number of boating enthusiasts.

"This year, our sponsor CCP challenged us to raise the bar on the Boat of the Year Awards -
to find a way to bring not only winners, but all nominees into the limelight; and to find a way to
bring the news of these awards to a wider public," said Sally Helme, publisher of Cruising
World and Sailing World magazines. "Hosting this early celebration and partnering with
boats.com on a webcast of the award announcements will enable us to set this new standard."
Official sponsor Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP), the world's largest gel coat producer,
has saluted innovation and excellence in sailboat design and construction as the official BOTY
sponsor for three consecutive years.

Boating enthusiasts can log onto boats.com - an online marine information and e-commerce
marketplace - on December 7, at 9 P.M. (ET), to access the worldwide announcement of the
winners of the BOTY awards.

"By partnering with the 2001 Boat of the Year Awards, we are helping to increase awareness
of this prestigious event and, concurrently, to enhance the sailing community's knowledge of
great sailing boats - whether those sailors are off-the-beach beginner sailors or experienced
offshore racers and cruisers," said Stuart Johnstone, chief strategy officer and co-founder,
boats.com. "Through our technology and our webcast, boats.com is taking the awards to the
next level by delivering the ceremony 'live' over the Internet and into sailors' living rooms."

Award winners will also be featured in the December/January issue of Sailing World and the
January issue of Cruising World.

Judging for the 2001 BOTY Awards will be held at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis. An
independent panel of experts will conduct a rigorous round of sea-trials and dockside
inspections to select the standout designs launched for the coming year. A group of 44
nominees (new boats or substantially redesigned boats launched for 2001) are being
considered for this year's awards. (See the list of nominees, below.)

Sailing World judges will select the overall performance design of the year; Cruising World's
panel will select the top cruising Boat of the Year. Winners in multiple performance and
cruising categories will also be chosen. The 2000 Cruising World Overall Cruising Boat of the
Year was the Amel Super Maramu 2000, a 53-footer built by Chantiers Amel (La Rochelle,
France). The 2000 Sailing World Overall Performance Boat of the Year was the Inter 17-a
295-pound, 17-foot singlehanded catamaran built by Performance Catamarans (Santa Ana,
Calif.).

Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP) is the official sponsor of the BOTY Awards.
Headquartered in Kansas City (Missouri), CCP develops highly engineered resins for a variety
of applications. Marine applications include structural resins, gel coats, acrylic and urethane
coatings, as well as base for bottom paints. CCP, the only manufacturer in the United States
that produces both marine gel coats and resins, has devoted intensive efforts to offering
environmentally friendly, low-VOC products.

Presenting sponsor boats.com is the premier online marketplace for the boating community
and the marine industry exclusively endorsed by the National Marine Manufacturers
Association and Marine Retailers Association of America. The boats.com site enables boat
users and the marine industry to participate in a thriving online marketplace, opening up new
commercial opportunities for the industry while enhancing the consumer's boating experience.
Founded in 1999, boats.com is a private, venture capital-funded business located at Pier 38,
The Embarcadero, in San Francisco.

Cruising World and Sailing World, of Newport, Rhode Island, are principal titles of the Miller
Sports Group, along with Tennis. Other Miller properties include Vibe, an urban music and
culture magazine; Spin, a title specializing in alternative rock; and Where, a monthly visitors
guide published in major destination cities around the world. Miller Publishing LLC is
headquartered in Los Angeles (Calif.).

CRUISING WORLD NOMINEES
Atoll 50, Dufour Yachts
Bavaria 40 Ocean, Bavaria Yachts
Bavaria 50, Bavaria Yachts
Belize 43, Fountaine Pajot
Beneteau 473, Beneteau USA
Catalina 390, Catalina Yachts
Catana 472, Catana SA
Clipper Cat, Chesapeake Yachts LLC
Conser 47, Conser Catamarans
Dehler 39, Dehler USA
Dragonfly 1200, Quorning Boats APS
Etap 39, Etap Yachting NV
Fast Passage 40, Fast Passage
Gib'Sea 33, Dufour Yachts
Hans Christian Offshore Explorer 4750, Anderson Yachts USA
Hunter Helsen Signature 470, Hunter Marine
Hunter HC50, Hunter Marine
Hunter 320, Hunter Marine
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 43 DS, Jeanneau USA
Manta 42, Manta Enterprises Inc.
Moorings 433, Dufour Yachts
Morris 454, Morris Yachts Inc.
North Wind, NorthWind Yard S.L.
Royal Passport 43, Passport Yachts
Shearwater 45, Shearwater International
Sydney 38, Sydney Yachts International
Tartan 3500, Tartan Yachts
W 46, W-Class Yacht Company LLC
X-482, X-Yachts USA

SAILING WORLD NOMINEES
Catalina Capri 22, Catalina Yachts
Dewitt Competition, Dewitt Sailboats
Dias Dayboat "Small," Antonio Dias Design
Dragonfly 1200, Quorning Boats APS
Escape Playcat, Escape Sailboats
Hobie Fox, Hobie Cat
J/145, J/Boats
Morris 454, Morris Yachts Inc.
Pisces 21, Classic Boat Shop
Schock 40, W.D. Schock Corp.
SunGlider, Vanguard Sailboats
Sydney 38, Sydney Yachts
Taipan 4.9, Taipan America
Vanguard Vector, Vanguard Sailboats
W 46, W-Class Yacht Company LLC

Related Articles

Gold star for Wilson's National 18 at the Birkett
230 boats do battle in a range of conditions on Ullswater It took an Olympic gold medallist to help win this year's edition of the northern classic handicap race in the Lake District, the 63rd Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy, sponsored by Magic Marine.
Posted on 14 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Four preview
The pinnacle of grass roots sailing has 97 entries The very largest yachts, including the 100ft Ultim foiling trimarans and 60ft IMOCAs are an essential part of the spectacle of the Fastnet Race, however a critical element in the race's enduring appeal is that this is predominately a grass roots event.
Posted on 14 Jul
Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta day 2
Classic Long Beach conditions return The weather conditions at the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta shifted noticeably today, delivering the classic Long Beach breeze that many expect from this world-class venue.
Posted on 14 Jul
ILCAs at Notts County
With complementary watermelon for after-racing hydration A lovely warm and sunny day greeted 26 ILCA sailors at Notts County Sailing Club on 12th of July 2025. The wind was from a steady light south east breeze with occasional 14 mph gusts.
Posted on 14 Jul
NYYC International Women's Championship update
Third group of skippers includes Nicole Breault, Dominique Proyoveur, Laura van Veen While there is no nationality requirement for the crews that will compete in the 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship, a number of teams are embracing the opportunity to wave their respective national flags at the debut edition.
Posted on 14 Jul
The Sardinia Cup set to return in 2026
The competition will make its long-awaited return to the waters of the Costa Smeralda The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) is pleased to announce the return of the Sardinia Cup, one of the Club's most iconic regattas and a renowned international sailing event.
Posted on 14 Jul
KSSA Mid Season Training Camp & Regatta at Downs
Testing conditions and top talent in Kent Downs Sailing Club, nestled on the exposed coastline of Deal, Kent, delivered a weekend of demanding conditions, standout performances, and high-energy racing as it hosted the latest round of the Kent Schools Sailing Association Mid-Summer Regatta.
Posted on 14 Jul
OK Nationals at Dabchicks day 3
Efficient use of WhatsApp ensures fleet are aware of the change to SIs The third day of the OK National Championships was kindly sponsored by Ovington Boats, who are the headline sponsors for our 2026 Nationals, to be held at Tynemouth Sailing Club from 4 to 7 September 2026.
Posted on 14 Jul
RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race concludes
Farr 100 Leopard 3, skippered by Joost Schuijf, completed a remarkable hat-trick Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in association with the UNCL, Yacht Club de Dinard, Société Nautique de la Baie de St Malo, JOG and the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Posted on 14 Jul
RS300 Inlands at Whitefriars
16 boats start in light fickle conditions with massive shifts Whitefriars SC was host to a fantastic RS300 open on the hottest weekend of the year which began with some training on Friday followed by beers and a barbeque and then two days of racing.
Posted on 14 Jul