At the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, the world’s sailing elite gathered this week to celebrate excellence at the 2025 World Sailing Awards — and it was offshore sailors who stole the spotlight.
France’s Charlie Dalin and Switzerland’s Justine Mettraux were named the 2025 Rolex World Sailors of the Year, both recognised for their extraordinary performances in the latest edition of the Vendée Globe.
Photo Credit: Lloyd Images/World Sailing
You will recall Dalin from our coverage of the Vendée Globe last year, skipper of Macif Santé Prévoyance. He claimed the men’s award after smashing the solo round-the-world race record with a time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds — more than nine days faster than the previous benchmark.
Mettraux, also from the Vendée Globe, was sailing Teamwork-Team SNEF, and became the fastest woman ever to complete the non-stop circumnavigation, finishing eighth overall in 76 days, 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Their wins were decided by a combination of 17,480 public votes and the verdict of an international expert panel, underscoring both popular admiration and peer respect for their achievements.
Young talent and global impact
The next generation also shone brightly. The Kuehne + Nagel Young World Sailor of the Year awards went to Nikolaos Pappas of Greece and Marta Cardona Alcántara of Spain.
Pappas, just 13 years old, stunned the world by winning the Optimist World Championship in Slovenia against 213 competitors, while Cardona made her mark by taking both the 470 Mixed European and World titles — just weeks after teaming up with Olympic medallist Jordi Xammar.
Beyond performance, the ceremony spotlighted the sport’s growing environmental and technological frontiers. The 11th Hour Racing Impact Award went to the LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES Project, a collaboration led by Natural England and the Royal Yachting Association to restore and protect seagrass meadows across southern England. The initiative restored eight hectares of seagrass, installed eco-moorings, and reached more than 29,000 people through education and outreach.
Meanwhile, the inaugural World Sailing Technology Award was presented to Vakaros for its RaceSense system — a precision timing and tracking solution now used across over 250 events and 6,000 sailors worldwide.
Kiwis honoured, leaders recognised
Emirates Team New Zealand added to its growing list of accolades, being named World Sailing Team of the Year following its third consecutive America’s Cup victory in Barcelona.
Other honours included the Beppe Croce Trophy for Bernard Bonneau, who has shaped the Racing Rules of Sailing for decades, and the President’s Development Award for Jevan Tan, a Singaporean leader advancing inclusive and sustainable sailing programmes across Asia.
Now in its 31st year and supported by Rolex, the World Sailing Awards continue to celebrate those pushing the sport forward — from solo circumnavigators to young dreamers charting their first course across open water.
Emirates Team New Zealand recognised as 2025 World Sailing Team of the Year
