18th October 2010
15 year old Angus MacGregor named Sailor of the Year with a Disability
The 2010 Sailor of the Year with a Disability award has been won by Queensland teenager Angus MacGregor. Fifteen year old MacGregor’s win follows his victory at the Access 2.3 World Championship earlier this year with his award coming after he was a finalist at the 2009 Australian Yachting Awards.
The winners of the 2010 Australian Yachting Awards were announced in Sydney over the weekend with a gala event for 250 guests hosted by yachting’s peak body Yachting Australia at the Deckhouse in Woolwich.
Angus’s major successes started in 2008, winning the Australian Access Class Championship, and coming second in the Silver Fleet in the IFDS Worlds in New Zealand.
After a fantastic 2009 during which he won the International Access Class Regatta in Yokohama in Japan, Angus, from Tinaroo Sailing Club, on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland has had continued success this year.
In June, MacGregor won the Access 2.3 World Championships at Rutland in England with seven race wins from eight starts. (Rutland is UK headquarters of RYA Sailability.) He also finished fourth at the O’Pen Bic Breizh Cup in France.
Angus is now recognized as one of the world’s top O’Pen Bic sailors and his results are even more remarkable when you consider that most of his sailing is done in open competition against able-bodied opposition.
James Spithill was named Male Sailor of the Year after becoming the first Australian since John Bertrand in 1983 to helm an America’s Cup winning boat. Spithill is a worthy recipient of the award after taking charge of the giant 90-foot multihull, USA-17, in the Deed-Of-Gift match against Alinghi in Valencia in February.
Australian Women’s Match Racing Team skipper Nicky Souter and her crew Rayshele Martin, Nina Curtis, Lucinda Whitty, Kat Stroinovsky and Amanda Scrivenor were named Female Sailor of the Year following their victory at the 2009 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship in Sweden.
The OAMPS Insurance Brokers Youth Sailor of the Year award was presented to solo sailor Jessica Watson following her successful circumnavigation of the world on her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady. Watson returned home to a hero’s welcome on Sydney Harbour in May 2010.
Release based on release from Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia Media Relations.
Graeme Adam, PR, Sailability Australia, 0423 741 681, graemeadam@sailability.org
