Four new inductees to the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame (ASHoF) were announced at the Australian Sailing Awards and Hall of Fame Gala on Friday evening, November 1, with those announced officially named as part of the top echelon of sailors in our nation’s history.
The top honour a sailor can receive in Australia, the ASHoF was established in 2017 to recognise the greats of the sport, those who have achieved at the highest level and contributed to make sailing what it is today, including those in supporting roles such as coaches and designers.
The first to be announced on the night was Pittwater's James (Jimmy) Spithill. A two-time America’s Cup winning skipper, world match-racing champion and multiple Sydney to Hobart Champion, James raced in his eighth consecutive America’s Cup last month.
“It is an absolute shock and honour to be recognised in this way,” said Spithill.
“If you told me I'll be fortunate enough to skipper eight teams in eight America's Cup campaigns in a row and win a couple along the way, mate, I would have thought you were just downright crazy.
“I’d really like to thank Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club who have really supported me every step of the way, and also my family, my friends and my incredible team mates who I would not be here without.”
James' father Arthur accepted the award on his eldest sons behalf.
Growing up in Elvina Bay on Pittwater, Jimmy Spithill spent his youth surrounded by water. With no access by road, Jimmy’s home was only accessible by boat, so sailing became an everyday necessity.
“It was a way of life to spend hours on the water,” he says. “It’s like a surfer growing up at Sunset Beach.”
James started windsurfing at the age of five and when nine his father Arthur found an old abandoned wooden dinghy which they restored.
He then won the first race he entered at age 10 with his younger sister Katie. Younger brother Tom rounds out the trio of Spithill sailing excellence.
Precociously talented, James progressed to junior match-racing success before finishing third in the deadly 1998 Sydney to Hobart aboard the late Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin.
A year later at 19 he was asked to helm Young Australia and at 20 became the youngest skipper in the history of the America’s Cup when he led the young crew into the 2000 Louis Vuitton Cup.
In 2003 and 2004 Spithill won back-to-back Nations Cup titles and in 2005 was the Match Racing World champion after a victory on home waters.
In 2003 he made the semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Cup aboard Oneworld, before being handed the reigns of the Italian syndicate Luna Rossa Challenge for the 2007 Cup which made it all the way to the Challenger Finals.
In 2010, Spithill again rewrote history as the youngest winner of the America’s Cup as helmsman and skipper of BMW Oracle Team.
“It was relief and ecstasy, like a huge weight came off my shoulders,” he said about the 2010 win.
Three years on he led one of the greatest sporting comebacks ever, as Oracle Team USA came from minus two behind to beat New Zealand 9-8 to claim his second America’s Cup victory.
He was again at the helm of Oracle’s 2017 defence Bermuda, where they lost to the innovative challenge from Emirates Team New Zealand by a score of 7-1.
Spithill then join the Challenger of Record entry, Luna Rossa Challenge and in 2021 he steered Luna Rossa to victory in the Prada Cup before losing in the Finals, and in 2024 Luna Rossa made the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
James Spithill, AC, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team. Credit: Luna Rossa/Carlo Borlenghi
Spithill now holds the honour of winning the most races in the history of the America’s Cup as a skipper.
This sailing ace has also raced five Sydney Hobarts with his results including a line honours win in LDV Comanche in 2017.
He was also helmsman and CEO of the United States SailGP Team from 2020 to 2023 before departing to launch the Italy SailGP team.
During his stellar career he won Australian Male Sailor of the Year twice in 2006 and 2010 and was named Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2014.
He's is also known locally as a really nice bloke, always has time for youngsters and goes out of his way to inspire and foster the next generation of sailors.
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James at BYRA in 2023
The other three inducted into the ASHoF were the only sailor in history to defend an ILCA 7 gold medal at the Olympics, Matt Wearn OAM, Australian great in Sailboarding with four Olympic appearances and multiple world titles to her name, Jessica Crisp, and Lindsay Cunningham AM, who was recognised with his induction as one of the greatest and most innovative multihull designers of all time. In addition to being an accomplished sailor, Cunningham’s contributions include the design of many of Australia’s best catamarans.
The Australia Sailing Awards were held in Sydney on November 1 2024, celebrating the best in this sport and the great achievements across the past year.The night of nights has seen Paris Olympians and outstanding contributors celebrated at the 2024 Australian Sailing Awards and Hall of Fame Gala, with Olympians Matt Wearn OAM and Breiana Whitehead awarded Male Sailor of the Year and Female Sailor of the year respectively.
Just minutes after being inducted to the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame (ASHoF) - an honour reserved for only the top echelon of sailors in Australia’s history - Double Olympic gold medallist and Paris 2024 closing ceremony Flag Bearer, Matt Wearn (WA), was honoured to accept the prestigious award for the second year in a row.
“I’m thrilled to have won the Male Sailor of the Year Award and to have been inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame. It is such an honour to be recognised by the community, I can’t really believe it if I’m honest,” said Wearn.
“It has been an incredible journey and it’s been great to have the Australian Sailing Team behind me - I'd really like to thank them and the Australian Institute of Sport for all their support,” he said.
After an impressive 12 months that saw her claim the overall trophy at the 53rd Trofeo Princesa Sofia in April and finish ninth on Olympic debut at Paris 2024, Whitehead (QLD) was excited to be announced as the 2024 Female Sailor of the Year.
"To win Female Sailor of the Year is really cool - I'm especially stoked to win it as I'm assuming I'm the first female foiling athlete to do so," said Whitehead.
"I really enjoyed racing this year and going to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was really special."
Fellow Paris 2024 Olympians Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine were also celebrated on the night, awarded Team of the Year for their impressive efforts over the last twelve months.
"It's really special to win tonight," said Haseldine.
"Olivia and I have a super special relationship and I actually asked her to mentor me just after Covid. Since then she's taken me under her wing and it's been a privilege to have herself and our coach Victor [Payá] teach me so much."
"This is the first time I've won this award and I'm just so proud of this team," said Price.
"We've worked so hard for so long, it was a very intense two and half years. To go to my second Olympics after twelve years was amazing, and what I'm really proud of is that we didn't give up and worked well together as a team.
"Evie will be my little sister forever," she said.
In the Para Sailor of the Year category, Genevieve Wickham (WA) was awarded the trophy for her gold medal at the RS Venture Connect World Championships in Rostocker, Germany late last year.
Up-and-coming sailor Healy Ryan (NSW/ACT) was also recognised for his outstanding results over the last 12 months, including that he made history as the first U15 sailor to win the Open ILCA 6 State Championships.
In addition to the high-performance awards, a range of outstanding community contributors were honoured this evening, including Volunteers of the Year, Peter Royle and Malcolm Hughes (SA).
“It’s quite special to win Volunteer of the Year tonight, our club has relied heavily on volunteer work this year so to win the award on behalf of the whole team means a lot,” said Hughes.
“There are so many incredible volunteers within the sailing community Australia-wide and volunteers are really what makes our sport special,” agreed Royle.
"We all chip in, we all help each other, no matter the size of the club, we're there for each other," he said.
Adelaide Sailing Club (SA) and Toronto Amateur Sailing Club (NSW) were also honoured on the night, taking out the top gongs in the Club of the Year (Category A) and Club of the Year (Category B) categories respectively.
Australian Sailing extends its sincerest congratulations to all Awards recipients and offers its thanks and gratitude to all finalists for contributing so significantly and positively to the Australian Sailing community.
2024 Australian Sailing Awards:
Male Sailor of the Year - Matt Wearn OAM (WA)
Female Sailor of the Year - Breiana Whitehead (QLD)
Team of the Year - Olivia Price & Evie Haseldine (NSW)
Para Sailor of the Year - Genevieve Wickham (WA)
Youth Sailor of the Year - Healy Ryan (ACT/NSW)
Coach of the Year - Rafael Trujillo (QLD)
President's Award - David Gotze (VIC/NSW)
Club of the Year (Category A - Large Club) - Adelaide Sailing Club (SA)
Club of the Year (Category B - Small Club) - Toronto Amateur Sailing Club (NSW)
Instructor of the Year - Emily Vivian (QLD)
Official of the Year - David Brookes (QLD)
Volunteer of the Year - Peter Royle & Malcolm Hughes (SA)
She Sails Award - Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron - AWKR (VIC)
Sport Professional of the Year - Premo Jacniacki (WA)
Sport Promotion Award - Donna Evans - Adelaide Sailing Club (SA)
Sustainability Award - Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (VIC)
2024 Australian Sailing Hall of Fame Inductees:
Matt Wearn OAM
James Spithill
Jessica Crisp
Lindsay Cunningham AM