Mid-ocean rescue rewarded
11 Jan 2017
Gavin Reid, second left, receives the coveted boats.com YJA Yachtsman of the Year trophy. Left to right, Barry Pickthall, YJA chairman; Gavin Reid; Ian Atkins, chairman, boats.com; Ian Walker, MBE, last year‘s winner. Photo: Sam Kurtul
Gavin Reid, a 27-year old adventurer who took part in last year’s Clipper Round the World Race, has been rewarded for a heroic mid-ocean rescue of a sailor trapped at the top of a mast with the 2016 boats.com Yachting Journalists Association (YJA) Yachtsman of the Year Award.
Fifteen-year old Elliott Kuzyk from Poole, Dorset, won the 2016 boats.com YJA Young Sailor of the Year Award after winning the 2016 Topper World Championship.
Both sailors received their awards at a gala lunch held at Trinity House, London, presented on behalf of the YJA by the 2015 Yachtsman of the Year, Ian Walker MBE following a close vote taken by members of the YJA.
Mr Reid was crewing the Clipper Round the World race yacht Mission Performance when an SOS was picked up off the New South Wales coast of Australia from a yacht returning from the Sydney Hobart Race that had a crewman stuck at the top of the mast.
Mr Reid, who is profoundly deaf and had no sailing experience prior to signing up for the Clipper Race, volunteered to swim between the two yachts and found four other crew onboard all incapacitated and unable to help their crewmate who had been tangled in halyards at the top of the mast for several hours.
Using the one remaining staysail halyard, Gavin hoisted himself two-thirds of the way up the mast, then climbed the rest of the way hand-over-hand to reach the crewman, untangle the lines and help to lower him down safely.
“To be named 2016 boats.com YJA Yachtsman of The Year over some of my absolute heroes of the sport, feels like an incredible honour,” he said.
“If someone had told me two years ago when I was starting my training for the Clipper Race that I would be here today collecting this award, I couldn’t have believed it.”
The runners up were Olympic gold medalist Giles Scott and Round the Island Race record holder Brian Thompson.
Elliott eventually took the world champion title after a seven-way battle for top spot and also broke UK regional records by winning the Topper Southern Area Championships for a fifth year.
“It really is a prestigious trophy and I didn’t expect to win,” he said. “But I am very happy.”
The runners up were 18-year-old 29er class dinghy sailors Tom Darling and Crispin Beaumont and 15-year-old powerboat champion Thomas Mantripp.
“I’m proud to present the Yachtsman of the Year and Young Sailor of the year awards once again this year,” said Ian Atkins, boats.com chairman. “2016 was so full of extraordinary sailing achievement — from multiple Olympic gold medal wins, to many new British world champions, to life saving heroics.”