New York, N.Y. While it may be moored in the concrete canyons of Manhattan, the New York Yacht Club’s unequivocal ties to the sea were on full display today during US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards luncheon.
Determined from nominations submitted by the members of US SAILING, a short list of nine male and five female sailors was evaluated by a panel of sailing journalists who ultimately selected Tunnicliffe the 2008 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year.
Tunnicliffe (age 26), a first-time winner, was cited for her rise to number one in the world rankings and her gold-medal performance in the Laser Radial at the 2008 Olympic Games in China. Her excellent 2008 sailing resume made her the panel’s unanimous choice for the award.
"I'm very, very excited," said the 26-year-old Tunnicliffe, a three-time ICSA All-American (at Old Dominion University) and the 2005 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year. ”It's a fantastic end to a great year.” Tunnicliffe sails full-time and has announced her intention to train for the 2012 Olympics. “Winning the Olympic medal was a dream, and branching out to other boats and expanding myself as a sailor is one of my goals. I want to win another gold medal for the U.S.A.”
Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize the outstanding on-the-water competitive achievement of an individual man and woman in the calendar year just concluded.
A video podcast from the awards luncheon, produced by Gary Jobson, will be available this evening at www.jobsonsailing.com, as well as at www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex.
For additional information on the awards please visit www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex.