Stacey Jackson and Matt Wearn OAM OLY have been named Female and Male Sailor of the Year, respectively, at the 2026 Australian Sailing Awards in Sydney tonight, with Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club making history as the first club to win back-to-back Club of the Year – Category A awards.

It was a landmark year for women’s sailing globally, with two finalists making history this past year. Jackson took out the Female Sailor of the Year award ahead of Jiang Lin, who became the first woman to skipper an overall winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, and 2025 Australian Female Sailor of the Year Zoe Thomson OLY.

Jackson made sailing history as part of the first all-female crew to complete a non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe in pursuit of the Jules Verne Trophy. The crew completed the race in 57 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes, making Jackson the fastest Australian to sail non-stop around the world.

Stacey Jackson CREDIT David Hossack

Reflecting on an extraordinary year and her first Female Sailor of the Year award, the Queenslander said:

“It’s a huge achievement for me to finally win the award. I’ve been a finalist before, but to get the recognition for my offshore sailing, in particular competing in the Jules Verne Trophy, I’m hugely proud of it. I’m also so happy to have the discipline of offshore sailing promoted on a national level.”

Western Australian Matt Wearn OAM OLY claimed Australian Male Sailor of the Year honours for a fourth time, following an outstanding return to ILCA sailing. Wearn enjoyed a dominant season, winning three Sailing Grand Slam events and securing his seventh Australian National Championship title.

“It’s been great getting back into the ILCA,” said Wearn. “Having eighteen months away from it after Paris gave me the perspective I needed to come back into the Olympic world.”

Wearn also noted that this year’s award was unique compared to his previous victories in the category.

“I think the success of this year probably makes it a little bit more special. 2024 was great with that performance at the Games, but it was four major regatta wins this year which is something I hadn’t done before.”

Matt Wearn OAM OLY CREDIT David Hossack

Wearn’s coach, Rafa Trujillo OLY, was named Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year, recognised for guiding the double Olympic champion through an outstanding comeback to ILCA competition.

Kairos Racing was named Team of the Year after making history at the Congressional Cup, where the team’s skipper became the youngest to win the prestigious match-racing event.

Western Australian Genevieve Wickham claimed her second Para Sailor of the Year award, recognising another outstanding contribution to para sailing and strong international results.

Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club also made history, becoming the first club to win back-to-back Club of the Year – Category A awards. Commodore Mark Tremain noted that the sustained success was a real team effort.

“It’s a testament to all our members and staff and the time they put in, along with the endless hours of volunteer work, that goes towards making the club what it is. Through focusing on the love of the sport and fostering sailing at the grassroots level we have built a great culture at the club.”

Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club CREDIT David Hossack

Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club was named Club of the Year – Category B, following an impressive 30 per cent increase in membership.

The SheSails Award also saw a back-to-back winner, with the South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta recognised for continuing to build momentum in women’s participation and racing.

Tasmanian Emma Hooper was named Volunteer of the Year in recognition of her outstanding commitment to sailing at Sandy Bay Sailing Club, as well as her contributions to the Cadet Class at both national and international levels. Like the thousands of other volunteers at sailing clubs around Australia, Hooper gives her time to ensure others can experience the joy the sport can bring.

“I get involved with grassroots sailing because I’ve had a fantastic experience growing up as a young sailor and I want to pass on that love of sailing to the next generation. Sandy Bay is a club overwhelmingly made up of volunteers, so I feel like this trophy might have my name on it, but it really belongs to all the other volunteers.”

Australian Sailing extends its sincere congratulations to all 2026 Australian Sailing Awards recipients and thanks all finalists for their significant contributions to the sport and the broader Australian sailing community.

2026 Australian Sailing Award Winners

• Female Sailor of the Year - Stacey Jackson (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, QLD)
• Male Sailor of the Year - Matt Wearn OAM OLY (Royal Perth Yacht Club/Fremantle Sailing Club/Australian Sailing Team, WA)
• Team of the Year - Kairos Racing (Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, NSW/ACT)
• Para Sailor of the Year - Genevieve Wickham (Royal Perth Yacht Club, WA)
• Noakes Group Male Youth Sailor of the Year - Rory Meehan (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron/Australian Sailing Squad, QLD)
• Noakes Group Female Youth Sailor of the Year - Mia Austin and Zara Marks (Woollahra Sailing Club, NSW/ACT)
• Coach of the Year - Rafael Trujillo OLY (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron/Australian Sailing Team, QLD)
• Club of the Year - Category A - Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA)
• Club of the Year - Category B - Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club (SA)
• Innovation Award - Southport Yacht Club – Summer on the Lake (Southport Yacht Club, QLD)
• Instructor of the Year – Ian Fox (Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, VIC)
• Official of the Year - Malcolm Hughes (Adelaide Sailing Club, SA)
• SheSails Award - South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, SA)
• Sport Professional Award - Greg Rowlings (Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, TAS)
• Sport Promotion Award - Sail Port Stephens (Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, NSW/ACT)
• Volunteer of the Year - Emma Hooper (Sandy Bay Sailing Club, TAS)