At the awards ceremony of World Sailing, held at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, the sport’s top sailors were honored after a standout year of performance on the water with the Rolex World Sailor of the Year.
The prestigious Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award for men was awarded to French skipper Charlie Dalin, who dominated the recent solo round-the-world race on board Macif Santé Prévoyance. Meanwhile, the women’s award went to Swiss sailor Justine Mettraux — she became the fastest woman ever to complete the same race, finishing eighth overall.
Their achievements were selected via a combination of 17,480 public votes and the judgement of an expert panel of sailing specialists.
In the young sailor category, the Kuehne+Nagel Young World Sailor of the Year Award went to two emerging talents: Greece’s Nikolaos Pappas — at just 13 years old he won the 2025 Optimist World Championship — and Spain’s Marta Cardona Alcántara, who claimed both the 470 Mixed European and World Championships after only 40 days sailing with her partner.
Other special awards included:
The 11th Hour Racing Impact Award, awarded to the LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES Project — a collaboration to restore and protect seagrass meadows and marine habitats in southern England.
The inaugural World Sailing Technology Award, given to the company Vakaros for their “RaceSense” system that enhances timing, tracking and communication in sailing events.
The Team of the Year was awarded to Emirates Team New Zealand following their decisive win at the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona.
The Beppe Croce Trophy was presented to Bernard Bonneau in recognition of his long-standing contribution to the governance and officiating of sailing’s Racing Rules.
The President’s Development Award went to Singapore-based Jevan Tan for his leadership of inclusive sailing programmes that promote access and sustainability across the region.
A few further details about the winners:
Charlie Dalin completed the 2024-25 Vendée Globe in a time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds — smashing the previous record by over nine days.
Justine Mettraux set the women’s benchmark in the same race: finishing in 76 days, one hour and 36 minutes to become the fastest woman ever to complete a solo, nonstop, monohull circumnavigation.
The World Sailing Awards were first launched in 1994 and have been sponsored by Rolex since 2001, celebrating outstanding sailing achievement across the sport.
