Sailing heritage

Spent most of the day by the Hamble River, that great mecca for sailing on the south coast, slap bang on the doorstep of the famous sailing waters of the Solent.
So it was appropriate that my working lunchtime meeting — which began mid morning and extended well into the afternoon — with the Yachting Journalists’ Association should be held at the water’s edge at the Royal Southern Yacht Club.
Curiously, the Royal Southern started out in life as the Royal Southampton Yacht Club more than 175 years ago, but a name change and the desire at the time to move the club’s base out of Southampton saw it ultimately settle on the Hamble river, right in the centre of the village.
Famous yachtsmen and women have graced this sailing village over the years, although today’s task for the representatives of Britain’s yachting journalists was to ponder on the famous and upcoming names in sailing of the present time. The Yachting Journalists’ Association, is the driving force behind two of sailings great accolades, the Yachtsman of the Year and Young Sailor of the Year awards, currently run by the YJA in association with sponsors boat.com, the online leisure marine company which holds the claim of  being the largest global search engine in the leisure marine business with more than 300,000 boats for sale from 143 countries.

Nominations for the award opened at the Southampton Boat Show in September, Nominations have closed, voting has taken place, and the winners will be revealed and awards presented at a gala awards luncheon ceremony at Trinity House, in London during the London Boat Show in January.