MainSail
SHOW #66
ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards
The ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards are the highest awards achievable in the sport of sailing. Presented in November every year, the awards recognize sailing's most outstanding achievements in every class of the sport - the male and female stars nominated are the very best in the business. There is no accolade higher in the world of sailing.
This month, CNN MainSail comes straight from the red carpet in Korea, with exclusive behind the scenes coverage of this glittering event. Shirley Robertson, herself a winner in 2000, rubs shoulders with the sport’s role models, and with a look back at some of the best sailing pictures of the year, we take a closer look at 2009’s roll call of sailing legends.
Michel Desjoyeaux and Sam Davies both took on the ultimate test in solo sailing, the Vendee Globe, and finished in France, legends in their own right – Desjoyeaux became the only man to win it twice. Brazilian maestro Torben Grael’s lap of the planet wasn’t alone – but he and his crew on board Ericsson 4 faced unimaginable conditions on their way around the globe to Russia, where they finished winners of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Paul Goodison and Anna Tunnicliffe are both reigning Olympic gold medallists, and this year have dominated their Laser dinghy classes, both becoming world number ones in their own disciplines. Pascal Bidegorry and his French crew on board the monstrous trimaran Banque Populaire have smashed the trans-Atlantic record, quadraplegic sailor Hilary Lister has overcome unimaginable odds to become the first disabled woman to sail solo round the British Isles, Nathan Outteridge has battled back from a broken back 3 years ago to competitive success in the 49er class, whilst Spanish windsurfing sensation Blanca Manchon has secured the top spot in the RS:X World Championships in 2009.
CNN will be there at the awards ceremony in Korea, with exclusive interviews with the nominees and winners, and an inside look at an amazing year in the sport.
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