Yachts & Yachting — February 2018

GEAR OF

THE YEAR

HARKEN V BLOCK

e name Harken has long been a mark of quality,

evidently a factor that appealed to our voters

as this latest product took the top spot. e V

Block is aimed at grand prix racers and uses a

number of technological advances and top end

materials like titanium in the cheeks and rollers,

and carbon bre to reduce weight. e result is a

strong, lightweight block that oers unmatched

eciency at high loads, while spinning freely

at low loads for smooth easing in light air.

Supported by: Andark Diving, British Marine Sailing, Clyde Challenger, Cream Cornwall, Kingfisher Yacht Ropes,

KiwiGrip, Marlow Ropes, Pantaenius Insurance, Rooster Sailing, SailChecker, Seago, Topsail Insurance, Wildwind

YOUTH SAILOR OF THE YEAR

BEN HUTTON-PENMAN AND LUCY HEWITSON

e young sailor of the year category is oen a close run thing and this

year was no dierent, with all the nominees nishing within a handful of

points of each other. Ultimately it was the impressive performance of Ben

Hutton-Penman and his crew Lucy Hewitson – the latter recovering from

a ground-breaking operation to beat scoliosis – at the RS Feva Eurocup

and Nationals, that saw them pick up the biggest number of votes.

Special mention should also go to the Grieg City Academy sailors

who were just edged into second place in the public vote by Ben and

Lucy. e inner London state school’s position as the only school to

enter the Fastnet Race this year clearly impressed the voting public.

KIT OF THE YEAR

MUSTO FOILING RANGE

Voters were clearly impressed by this

new dinghy range from Musto, featuring

steamers, long johns, thermo tops and

rashguards. In particular the trusted

clothing marque has focussed on the

needs of high performance racers. e

approach to this is two-fold: innovative

eco-friendly, limestone based neoprene

ensures ease of movement oering high

levels of exibility; meanwhile, garments

are able to protect from big impacts - an

increasing problem as the performance

of boats gets ever higher. But, aware that

not all sailors need impact protection at

all times, exibility has been key, and pads

can be inserted or removed as required. It’s

a range that tick a lot of boxes and from

their position out in front of the public

vote, it seems to be delivering just that.

ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR

CONRAD COLMAN

e Vendée Globe is a unique race in the sport of sailing. Certainly in the modern era, there

are very few races that have quite so many non-nishers and, though this has improved in

recent years, it still represents a spirit of adventure that can be hard to nd elsewhere.

Conrad Colman was the denition of this adventuring spirit in this latest edition of the

race. e New Zealand-born racer was desperately light on funds, entering the race and

eectively risking everything to make it to the startline. His boat was converted to run

exclusively on natural energy, and his images, video and writing throughout engaged with

the public. By the time he lost his mast some 700 miles from the nish the Kiwi had built

a sizeable following and limped across the nish to a well-deserved hero’s welcome.

WINNERS Y&Y AWARDS

GILES MARTIN RAGET/BARCELONA WORLD RACE; PETER NEWTON

24 Yachts & Yachting February 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk

AWARDS_V3_TH_gc_AMENDS-GC.indd 24 19/12/2017 16:10