Yachting Australia

Male Sailor of the Year
Richard Perini
Richard has achieved unprecedented success by winning both the 2004 Mumm 30 World Championship and the 2005 Farr 40 World Championship and holding the titles simultaneously. He is the 2005 Australian National Farr 40 champion and has claimed a string of victories and podium finishes in other major events. In addition to his excellent results, Richard is a strong supporter of youth sailing and is Treasurer of the Australian and International Farr 40 Class Associations.

Female Sailor of the Year
Adrienne Cahalan
Adrienne was the navigator and weather router on board the 125ft catamaran, Cheyenne, that broke the Around the World Non Stop record. Sustaining an average speed of 15.52 knots. The team’s time of 58 days 9 hours 32 minutes 45 seconds smashed the previous record by more than five days. Along the way, the yacht set six segment records. Adrienne is the first and only woman to be part of a round the world record holding team, ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

In addition, she guided a number of teams to the podium in events such as Newport to Bermuda race, Rolex Maxi World Championship and Hogs Breath Regatta. Adrienne competed in her fourteenth Sydney Hobart, the most ever by a female sailor and she was named as a finalist for Rolex World Yachtswoman of the Year for the fourth time. In March 2005 Adrienne was announced as Navigator for Brasil1 for the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race and is the only female competitor. She is a Yachting Australia Board Member and patron of the Marist Sisters College sailing program and Lane Cove 12ft Skiff Club.

Sailor of the Year with a Disability
Jamie Dunross, Colin Harrison, Jeff Milligan
Jamie, Colin and Jeff were members of the 2004 Australian Paralympic Team and finished 5^th in the Sonar class at the Athens Paralympics. All team members give back to the sport through coaching of other sailors with a disability, at the beginner level in the Access Dinghy and intermediate level in the Sonar class. In addition, Jamie provides input to the strategic development of the sport through national conference participation and membership of the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Equipment Evaluation Commission for the 2008 Paralympics.

Youth Sailor of the Year
Nathan Outteridge
A member of the Australian Youth Team, Nathan was crowned ISAF World Youth Champion in the double handed event for the third consecutive year, shortly after winning the 420 class at Kiel Week. He transferred his skills to claim second at the Laser Radial World Youth Championship and first at the Australian National Laser Radial Championship. Also an excellent match racer, Nathan won the Cowes Week under 25 Match Racing regatta and was second at the Australian Youth Match Racing Championship. He was competitive on the open age international 470 circuit and won the 29er Australian National Championship.

Services to Yachting Awards
Stanley Burnicle
Stanley has volunteered his services to the Dobroyd Aquatic Club in Sydney since 1964, soon after the club first opened, when he became involved as a parent. He also skippered a VS and later became a club official. He has been a reliable race officer, attending every weekend as the club’s starter and has provided support to the sailors, especially the children. Stanley was honoured as a Life Member in 1975 and became Patron in 1980. He is a respected and admired patriarch of the club and, after recent fire destroyed the premises, has become the figurehead for the club’s rebuilding project.

Arthur Hodge
As a volunteer, Arthur has made a continuing contribution to sailing since he became National Secretary of the Cherub Class Association in the 1970s. Since then he has given his time as Commodore and Club Captain of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and has been Principle Race Officer for a number of major events over many years, including the Hamilton Island Big Boat, Clipper Cup, Etchells Winter Championships and an Etchells World Championship. He will again be Principal Race Officer for the 2006 Australian Youth Championship. A member of Mooloolaba Yacht Club, Arthur’s outstanding skills have secured a number of major national and international events for the club. He is a qualified Yachtmaster and Yachting Australia Offshore Instructor and has spent much time developing the skills of his race management teams. Arthur is a passionate sailor and has competed in ten Sydney Hobart events, as well as numerous other ocean races.

Jackie Kay
Jackie has made an outstanding contribution to sailing for people with disabilities since she first gave her services to Sailability in 1995. She initially worked with NSW but soon extended her contribution to all other states and territories and eventually thirteen other countries. Her commitment is full time. She has developed a number of manuals covering disability awareness, volunteers and safety as well as forming a membership database. She is currently the Chairperson of the Access Dinghy Foundation, which includes being editor of the "Telltales" newsletter, administrator of website, promotion of Access Dinghy sailing around the world and organising regattas. She is also the Chairperson of the Sailability International Steering Committee and a member of the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Development Committee and Yachting Australia’s Sailability Australia Committee.

David Tillett
David has made a significant contribution to sailing through his skills and service as an international jury member, umpire and committee member. David was an Olympic Jury member at the 1996 & 2000 Games and was promoted to Chairman for the 2002 & 2003 Pre-Olympic regatta and the 2004 & 2008 Olympic Games. He was an Umpire at the 1992, 1995 & 2003 America’s Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup and will again fulfil this role from 2004-2007 for the events in Valencia, Spain. He was a jury member for the 2003 America’s and Louis Vuitton Cups and will also be on the Jury leading up to and including the 2007 competition. David has been Chairman of the ISAF Racing Rules Committee and a Director of ISAF since 1998 and has been recently reappointed until 2008. He is a member of the ISAF Board of Review and in 2004 was named "Official of the Year" by the Confederation of Australian Sport. Also an accomplished sailor, David was International Cadet World Champion in 1969/70.

Media Award
Peter Campbell
Peter is a widely recognised yachting journalist and has been raising the profile of the sport since 1948 when he began covering the Sydney Hobart for The Mercury. He has reported on approximately 50 Sydney Hobart races since then. In addition, through print, radio and television, he has covered the America’s Cup, Admiral’s Cup, Kenwood Cup, Sardinia Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and five Olympic Games, dating back to the 1970s. Peter was the Sydney Hobart Media Director from 1995 was the editor of the CYCA’s respected Offshore Yachting magazine for 26 years. He is also a former editor of Modern Boating magazine and has written several books about yachting. Peter is a keen sailor.