Brother and sister double act take top yachting award

4pm, Saturday 10 January 2009 - Today, talented young sailors, brother and sister James and Frances Peters, from Hayling Island scooped the Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year award, to jointly share the prestigious title.

Possibly Great Britain’s sailing stars of the future, the Peters siblings follow in the footsteps of previous Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year winners, Olympic Gold Medallist Ben Ainslie and transatlantic solo yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur.

The award was announced today at the London Boat Show, and was presented by Alex Thomson, the record breaking round the world racing yachtsman and Hugo Boss skipper.    

Winning the Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year title is in recognition of James and Frances Peters’ fantastic 2008 season.  They were crowned joint RYA regional winners for the South; and they both achieved gold medals at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF Worlds Championship in Denmark, sailing separate 29ers in the men’s and women’s classes with their crews Ed Fitzgerald and Claire Lasko.  Plus, they were instrumental in helping Britain win the Volvo Trophy for best nation with a medal haul of two golds and one bronze at the event. James and his crew also won the European Championship.

James and Frances Peters beat off stiff competition from fellow finalists in the young sailor category:

· Martin Evans, the Under 17 European Champion in the Laser Radial Youth Worlds.

· Elliot Hanson, the season’s World Champion, National Champion, Inland Champion and Winner of the Nationwide Travellers series in the Topper Class.

· Alex Hovden, who overcame adversity to make it into the Challenger transition squad for possible selection to the 2012 Paralympic Squad.

The public made nominations for the Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year, and the vote for the overall winner was by members of the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA).

In addition to presenting James and Frances Peters with their Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year award, Alex Thomson also presented the RYA Regional Winners with their awards:

Notes to Editors:

· The winner of the prestigious Raymarine/YJA Yachtsman of the Year will be revealed at a ceremony at The Painted Hall on the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, Tuesday 13 January 2009, also during the London Boat Show.  Finalists include: 

- Dag Pike who, at 75 years of age, became the oldest person to win the Round Britain Power Boat Race and the only person to win the event twice.

- The 2008 Olympic Sailing Gold Medallists - Ben Ainslie (Finn class), Paul Goodison (Laser class), Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (Star class), and Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson (Yngling class), who between them won 4 gold medals helping gain the highest results seen for Great Britain in yachting history.

- Jim Saltonstall who had a major influence on the racing coaching of the Olympic winners in their formative years.  

· The Raymarine YJA Yachtsman of the Year award is open to any British resident or passport holder who has made an outstanding achievement under sail or power during 2008. Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year awards British youngsters aged 18 and under (as at 31 December 2008), in possession of a British passport (or are immediately eligible to receive a British passport), who have made a significant impact on youth sailing.

· Raymarine YJA Yachtsman of the Year award was initiated in 1955 by Sir Max Aitken and now bears the names of the greatest achievers in British yachting circles over the past five decades. Previous winners include Eric Hiscock, Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Chay Blyth, Sir Edward Heath and Tracy Edwards, together with Dame Ellen MacArthur and Ben Ainslie who have both won the award twice, and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who has now won the award a record three times,

· Raymarine YJA Yachtsman of the Year receives the prestigious Yachtsman of the Year trophy, a silver navigation buoy mounted on a sea of crystal, which was commissioned by the late Sir Max Aitken.

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

· The winners of both awards are nominated by the public and elected by the votes of the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA).

· In addition to votes from members of the public for Raymarine 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 Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year.

· Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year receives a trophy and Raymarine goodies.

· Nominations will be elected by the YJA and winners of both awards announced in January 2009.

· Raymarine is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of marine electronics for the recreational marine market.

For further information contact Chloe Bartle, UK Marketing Manager,  +44 (0)23 9269 3611 Ext. 1395 or chloe.bartle@raymarine.com or James Tuck or Alice Driscoll at ADPR, Tel +44 (0)1460 241641 or James on 07830 426654 or by email at alice@adpr.co.uk or james@adpr.co.uk.

This text can be downloaded from www.adpr.co.uk. For high res images: Please contact alice@adpr.co.uk.

January 2009 (RM583)