The 2026 Queensland Sailing Awards Night was an amazing celebration of excellence, held on Friday, 11th September at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. The event honoured Queensland’s most dedicated sailors, coaches, volunteers, and clubs, with representatives from across the state gathering to recognise a year of remarkable achievements both on and off the water.

Hosted at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron by Australian Sailing Queensland, the evening featured opening remarks from General Manager Annie Watson and Regional Advisory Committee Chair Kerry Noyes, who spoke passionately about the values of perseverance, community, and sportsmanship that underpin the sport.

Among the most anticipated awards of the evening were Female Sailor of the Year, the Innovation Award, and the highly respected Volunteer Awards.

Mara Stransky took home Female Sailor of the Year. Ahighly accomplished Olympic sailor,

Mara cemented her position as one of Australia's leading ILCA 6 sailors with an outstanding 2025–26 campaign, highlighted by a breakthrough silver medal at the 2025 ILCA European Championships, the best placing by an Australian female at a “peak” event. Mara backed up this performance with a series of strong results throughout the season, including an eighth-place finish at the prestigious Princesa Sofía Regatta, a fourth-place finish at the Australian ILCA Nationals as the second-ranked Australian, and a top six result at Sail Melbourne.

The Southport Yacht Club demonstrated exceptional innovation and leadership through its Summer on the Lake community participation program developed to remove barriers to sailing and create a clear pathway into lifelong involvement in the sport. The event combines free on-water experiences, food & entertainment, education, club engagement and structured progression opportunities into one accessible community event.

The importance of volunteers in the sailing community was highlighted this year by an amazing 9 esteemed volunteers from across Queensland as finalists for the prestigious Volunteer of the Year. Their service to the sport is significant, and inspiring for future generations in sailing. This year the winner was Gerard Del Favero, who is driven by passion and love for the sport. As well as a dedicated volunteer and active member of the Tinaroo Sailing Club Committee, where he contributes to the club’s governance and ongoing development, Gerard volunteered as Australian Team Manager for the O’pen Skiff World Championships in Nishinomiya, Japan where he provided support and coordinated logistics throughout the event and the campaign culminated in Australia winning the Under 17 World Championship.

Australian Sailing Queensland extends sincere thanks to the presenters of the evening's awards: Kerry Noyes, Christine Bridge, Ben Callard, Paul Armstrong, Joel Turner and Liz Savage, whose presence added prestige and inspiration to the evening.

2026 Queensland Sailing Award Winners

• Innovation Award: Summer on the Lake – Southport Yacht Club
• Official of the Year: Carole Gifford – Keppel Bay Sailing Club
• Coach of the Year: Rafael Trujillo – Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
• Team of the Year: Caelan Byrt & Robert Deards – Keppel Bay Sailing Club
• Youth Sailor of the Year: Rory Meehan – Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
• Female Sailor of the Year: Stacey Jackson – Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
• Male Sailor of the Year: Brendan Casey – Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
• Volunteer of the Year: Gerard Del Favero – Tinaroo Sailing Club
• SheSails Award: Sophie Baynton – Keppel Bay Sailing Club
• Instructor of the Year: Samantha Hogerheyde – Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club
• Sports Promotion Award: Stuart Watson – Australian Finn Association
• Sports Professional Award: – Kayla Boothby – Southport Yacht Club
• Innovation Award: Summer on the Lake-Southport Yacht Club
• Club of the Year (Category B): Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club
• Club of the Year (Category A): Whitsunday Sailing Club
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Adrian Finglas, James Cox & James Close

All state winners are now nominated for the Australian Sailing National Awards and the QSport Awards. Finalists for these honours will be announced soon, and Queensland’s sailing community wishes its nominees the very best of luck.

To explore past winners and learn more about the history of the Queensland Sailing Awards, visit the Queensland Honour Board.