Finalists Announced for the 2026 Victorian Sailing Awards

We are proud to announce the finalists in the 2026 Victorian Sailing Awards!

From outstanding sailors and coaches to officials, volunteers, clubs and innovative programs, this year’s finalists showcase the people and organisations making Victorian sailing stronger, both on and off the water.

The Victorian Sailing Awards celebrate and recognise the people and organisations in our community that go above and beyond.

Join us at Sandringham Yacht Club as we celebrate their achievements and the extraordinary contribution they make to sailing across Victoria.

·Date: Friday 11 September 2026

·Time: 6pm – 10:30pm

·Location: Sandringham Yacht Club (32 Jetty Road, Sandringham VIC 3191)

·Dress: Cocktail Dress

·Canapes and complimentary drink on arrival

Tickets on sale now:

·Book here: https://www.sailing.org.au/events/362485

·Cost: $45

2026 Victorian Finalists

FEMALE SAILOR OF THE YEAR

Casey Imeneo - Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club & McCrae Yacht Club

·In 2026, Casey cemented herself as one of the top ILCA 6 sailors internationally with consistent top 10–15% finishes across the sport's biggest regattas (including a top-11 result at Palma), while also coaching Victorian club sailors and giving back to the pathway she came through.

Laura Harding – Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron

·Laura delivered a standout 49erFX season toward LA 2028 highlighted by a silver medal at French Olympic Week and back-to-back Australian titles while balancing university study with coaching junior sailors.

MALE SAILOR OF THE YEAR

Mark Bulka – McCrae Yacht Club

·Mark had an outstanding year across multiple classes, a 2nd at the Contender Worlds, wins at NSW Championships and Sail Sandy, and a world #12 Star Sailors League ranking all while coaching junior squads and driving the Contender class in Victoria.

Jack Felsenthal – Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club

·JJack competed in multiple classes winning the Sabre Australian titles and Victorian State Championships in Trailerable, Sabre and 2K Teams Racing as well as placing highly in the Waszp, Mosquito Catamaran and Etchells. He is on the committee again driving the Next Gen events for Sorrento Sailing and Couta Boat Club and takes novice crews to J24 state title regattas.

Rhett Gowans – Mount Martha Yacht Club & RS Aero

·Competing in the RS Aero 6 in the states and nationals Rhett travelled to Travemünde Germany for the RS Games winning all three events.

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Ginan (Nigel Jones & Cameron McKenzie) - Mornington Yacht Club

·Ginan delivered standout offshore results this season with a 3rd in Division 4 IRC at the Sydney to Hobart and multiple overall titles at various events while also giving young sailors real offshore opportunities, including three under-25s aboard for their Hobart debut.

Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot - Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron

·Laura and Annie had a strong 49erFX season, highlighted by a silver medal at French Olympic Week and a Gold Fleet qualification at the World Championships, showing strong promise and resilience as they continue building toward LA 2028.

MRV – Sandringham Yacht Club, Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

·Led by skipper Damien King, MRV has built a reputation for tactical excellence and team building on the east coast circuit highlighted this season by a 1st Corinthian IRC win at Cabbage Tree Island, IRC overall clubhouse leaders and Division 2 winners in the 80th Sydney to Hobart while also mentoring youth and first-time offshore sailors.

PARA SAILOR OF THE YEAR

Evan Milne – Australian Hansa Class Association, Ballarat Yacht Club

·Evan continues to encourage new sailors while also volunteering to act as one of the two state reps to continue to develop the Australian Hansa Class Association programs and regattas in Victoria all while still competing.

Neil Patterson - Royal Brighton Yacht Club

·Neil reached the podium at both national 2.4mR Championships in this period, 1st in 2025 and 2nd in 2026 in Perth with his ongoing success helping inspire the class's growing fleet.

Tim Marchinton – Australian Hansa Class Association, Docklands Yacht Club

·In addition to developing his skills and participating in regattas Tim joined the Sailability Victoria Committee and introducing new sailors to the winter program at Docklands Yacht Club.

YOUTH SAILOR OF THE YEAR

Acklin Stent – Mornington Yacht Club

·Acklin cemented himself as Victoria's top Optimist sailor with consecutive top-Victorian finishes at Nationals and podiums at state and interstate regattas, while also earning his Assistant Instructor Qualification and Mornington Yacht Club's Achievement & Sportsmanship Award.

Aidan Simmons – Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club & Indented Head Yacht Club

·Aidan made a strong transition into the ILCA6 class, winning the Inland Waters Championship and Victorian state title and finishing 2nd male at the Oceania/Australian Championship and now coaching young Opti and ILCA sailors using experience from his four Australian titles.

Callum Simmons – Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club & Indented Head Yacht Club

·Callum had a determined season transitioning from ILCA4 to ILCA6 winning the Victorian State ILCA Championship, finishing runner-up at the Australian ILCA4 Championship for a second consecutive year, and taking first prize in his debut ILCA6 regatta while also coaching junior Optimist and ILCA sailors.

COACH OF THE YEAR

David White – Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club

·David has gone well beyond expectation as a coach coordinating VIC Youths and coach development programs, coaching the Australian Optimist Worlds team to its best result in 10 years, growing a successful academy with strong junior and adult participation, and becoming a qualified Australian Sailing Senior Coach.

Ellen Juhasz - Sandringham Yacht Club

·Since becoming SYC's full-time Head Coach in September 2025, Ellen has driven the success of the revitalised OTB Sailing Program coaching 98 junior and youth sailors across nine groups, supporting sailors at over ten regattas, and building a culture of confidence, resilience and professionalism.

INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR

Gus McIntyre – Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron

·Since qualifying as a Dinghy Instructor in 2023, Gus has become one of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron's most valued instructors and its 2025–26 Instructor of the Year progressing from Assistant Instructor to a respected leader and pursuing further coaching qualifications while mentoring fellow instructors.

Ian Fox – Royal Yacht Club of Victoria

·For over 20 years as Training Manager at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Ian has delivered an extensive Discover Sailing program spanning keelboats, powerboats and the popular Tackers junior program, excelling at converting first-timers into lifelong sailors and mentoring generations of instructors along the way.

Thomas Jackson – Sandringham Yacht Club

·A qualified Dinghy Instructor, Keelboat Instructor and Sailing Coach at Sandringham Yacht Club, Thomas guides sailors of all levels from first-timers to emerging racers, pursuing ongoing professional development while mentoring fellow instructors and pitching in on equipment maintenance and club life.

OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR

Andrew King – Royal Geelong Yacht Club

·Andrew made a major contribution through volunteer race management this season, serving across multiple roles including Race Officer, Deputy and Principal Race Officer, Course Race Officer and Mark Layer at club, State and National Championship events, while achieving National Race Officer accreditation.

Clare Cope – Sandringham Yacht Club

·Clare has rapidly grown into one of SYC's most respected race officials, serving as Deputy Race Officer at national championships and Course Race Officer at major regattas across Victoria, earning her National Race Officer accreditation while also teaching race technology and championing women's pathways into officiating.

Paul Pascoe - Royal Brighton Yacht Club

·Paul has officiated across major national and international events this season including six overseas regattas and two World Championships as Jury Chairman or RO while continuing to mentor officials and chair juries, protests and appeals across Victorian sailing.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Brian Fraser – Mornington Yacht Club

·Known as "Mr. Everywhere," Brian has run Mornington Yacht Club's Sailability program three days a week for nearly a decade, while also contributing weekly through the Thursday Action Group, organising the safety boat roster, and turning up for every regatta and boat maintenance job the club needs.

Huw Provis – Making Waves Foundation & Royal Geelong Yacht Club

·As Head Skipper of Making Waves Foundation since 2023, Huw has led up to six sailing programs a week supporting 750+ participants across 55 program days in 2025 alone, while training over 65 volunteers, maintaining the program yacht, and mentoring disengaged youth through the Wright of Passage boat-building program.

Garry Snell – Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron

·Since joining Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron in 2024, Garry has completed 28 race day duties in a single season, volunteered across major championships, and rapidly upskilled through race management training, while also strengthening ties with the Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad and mentoring fellow volunteers.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

To be announced on the night

SHESAILS AWARD

Camilla Graves – Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club

·Camilla qualified as an Australian Sailing Coach to volunteer-run 10 Couta Crew courses this season, drove a rise in female participation, led six She Sails on-water sessions for 20+ women, and helped train crews for the 180-sailor Lady Skippers Day — earning unanimous club recognition with the Margie Marks Award.

Davey's Bay Yacht Club - GirlSail

·Now in its 21st year, Davey's Bay Yacht Club's GirlSail Regatta brings together 8-10 schools and around 30 mostly female volunteers to introduce hundreds of young women to sailing and build a lasting pathway into the sport.

Ocean Racing Club of Victoria – KISS ALIVE

·ORCV's KISS ALIVE program has trained 150 women over four years through its 14-week keelboat sailing course, and now extends its reach through a broader network connecting and promoting female keelboat sailing across Victoria.

SPORT PROMOTION AWARD

Cowes Yacht Club – Around French Island Catamaran Challenge

·Cowes Yacht Club's 30th edition of the Around French Island Catamaran Challenge, now a National-status event, brought 45 competitors from across Australia and 50+ volunteers together — the result of a 5-person committee's roughly 1000 hours of planning and a strong focus on promoting female and junior skippers.

Ocean Racing Club of Victoria

·Recently recognised for recording the fastest Facebook growth of any Australian Sailing organisation and ranked fifth nationally for fan engagement (Shunt Media, July 2026), ORCV has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting sailing by combining major event delivery, innovative marketing, participation programs and media engagement to significantly increase the visibility and accessibility of offshore sailing.

Victorian International Optimist Dinghy Association

·VIODA has made an outstanding contribution to promoting sailing by delivering a year-round communications and participation strategy that has significantly increased the visibility, accessibility and appeal of junior sailing across Victoria.

SPORT PROFESSIONAL AWARD

James Sly - Sandringham Yacht Club

·James has been the driving force behind SYC's Boating Department, leading the transformation of the OTB Sailing Program's growth and quality, guiding the J/70 youth development pathway, and earning the trust and respect of colleagues, sailors and volunteers through his tireless, humble leadership.

Melissa Warren – Mornington Yacht Club

·Melissa is Mornington Yacht Club's first-ever Sailing Manager she leads the sailing school end to end, managing a Head Coach, Sail Training Manager and Community Manager, plus a wider team of instructors, and works alongside a voluntary Training and Development committee.

Richard Matterson – Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron

·As General Manager at RMYS since 2023, Richard has led the club through major change managing the club renovation, lifting membership and catering revenue, hosting the Australian Women's Keelboat Regatta, and championing community initiatives and earning wide respect for his hands-on engagement.

INNOVATION PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron – BYS Marina Repair Tools

·Facing structural wear unique to its unconventional wave-wall design, BYS developed a suite of custom-engineered subsurface repair tools including the Claw, a Subsurface Drilling Machine, an underwater Right Angle Drill and a hydraulic Rod Pulling Machine to maintain its 300-berth marina and avoid costly capital replacement.

Rod Fuller – Hobsons Bay Yacht Club

·Rod pioneered one of the first climate change adaptation initiatives for Australian community sailing clubs, developing a Climate Change Risk Assessment Framework at HBYC and organising a collaborative training workshop that brought Port Phillip keelboat clubs together to assess and prepare for long-term climate risk.

Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron - French Sailing Holiday Program

·Recognising French-speaking instructors on staff, the club has launched a French-language school holiday sailing program that lets kids practice the language while learning to sail, with plans to expand the concept to other languages.

INCLUSION PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

Sailing Lifts Your Spirits

·Operating out of RBYC, Sailing Lifts Your Spirits offers free, ongoing sailing experiences to healthcare workers and first responders, 75% of them women providing mental health benefits and a pathway into lasting club participation.

Making Waves Foundation - Wright of Passage Program

·The Wright of Passage program gives disengaged youth hands-on trade and life skills through building and sailing their own Rainbow-class dinghy, helping participants return to education, start apprenticeships, or become active club sailors.

DISCOVER SAILING CENTRE OF THE YEAR

Altona Yacht Club

·In 2025–26, AYC built a strong participation pipeline converting 20 Tackers sailors into 18 junior fleet places, training 19 people in powerboat handling, and developing new intermediate racing squads while also strengthening volunteer, instructor and community partnership pathways across the club.

Davey's Bay Yacht Club

·In 2025–26, DBYC's Discover Sailing Centre drove strong progression from 94 Tackers registrations through to Green Fleet and club racing, converted seven new memberships across junior and adult pathways, and invested heavily in volunteer and instructor development, from powerboat handling to a "Tackers-to-instructor" succession pipeline.

The Boatshed

·The Boatshed achieves exceptional conversion, with 95% of Learn to Sail participants progressing to Better Sailing, driven by its accredited instructor training, clear staff progression pathway, and strong partnerships across Albert Park's sailing clubs.

CLUB OF THE YEAR (CATEGORY A)

Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron

·BYS delivered wide-reaching growth in 2025–26, running thousands of race starts and major regattas including hosting the Southern Hemisphere's largest RS Aero Championships while strengthening retention through mentoring, crew matching and active community promotion.

Ocean Racing Club of Victoria

·ORCV engaged almost 1,000 sailors across 135 yacht entries this period, growing female membership to 25% through its KISS mentoring program, delivering Australia's largest offshore education program, and significantly expanding its digital reach building an integrated pathway from newcomers to international events like the 2030 Melbourne Osaka Cup.

Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron

·The club drove growth through a clubhouse renovation and a French-language "French Connection" learn to sail program, alongside a packed events calendar including a bigger Australian Women's Keelboat Regatta, a 150th Anniversary celebration, and multiple community engagement days supported by targeted marketing and a member-get-member referral scheme.

CLUB OF THE YEAR (CATEGORY B)

Altona Yacht Club

·AYC drives growth and retention through structured pathways from Tackers to junior racing squads, a new "Better Sailing" program, and skills clinics, backed by a strong events calendar including the Impulse Nationals and first Zoom8 State Championships plus active social and community promotion through partnerships and media coverage.

Bendigo Yacht Club

·BYC grew membership by 32% in 2025–26, driven by its standout "Fridays by the Lake" community program that attracted 160 participants and seven new families, alongside growing regattas, a reintroduced newsletter, and its first paid social media advertising campaign.

Parkdale Yacht Club

·PYC's growth is built around an accessible windsurfing-led membership model, with flexible race formats and community events like the Sunday café, live music and the Parky Goes Pink fundraiser fostering the strong sense of belonging that keeps members engaged.

Congratulations to every nomination and finalist in the 2026 Victorian Sailing Awards. Together, they represent the extraordinary talent, commitment and community spirit that continues to drive sailing forward across Victoria. We look forward to celebrating with you at Sandringham Yacht Club on Friday 11 September.