January |
Winner: | IAIN PERCY (GBR) |
 | The team behind
Bart’s Bash, led by Iain
Percy, aimed to raise
around £20,000 with
their new event in
honour of a wonderful friend... as we
went to press the running total stood
at £276,610 with 26,879 the latest
tally of sailors having taken part in
the event in the many nations all
around the globe. To reach out so far
demanded extraordinary work and
co-ordination – and the Artemis
Racing CEO was not found wanting

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February |
Winner: | CHARLES CAUDRELIER (FRA) |
 | The performance of the
Chinese Volvo entry
Dongfeng in harrying
Leg 1 winner Abu Dhabi
Racing all the way into Cape Town
was impressive on any number of
levels. However what we are tipping
our hats to is the brilliantly positive
way in which Caudrelier took on the
task of moulding a multinational team
of patchy experience, shaping them
into such a formidable squad. And are
the best times yet to come?

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March |
Winner: | ALEX PELLA (ESP) |
 | Pella’s dominance of
the Class40 division in
the Route du Rhum was
a performance that has
been threatening for
some time… Pella is the outstanding
Spanish shorthander of the current
generation and for the 2014 Rhum he
was paired up with designer Marcelo
Botín’s clearly exceptional latest
Class40 Tales 2. After a faltering start
with rudder, sail and electronic issues,
Pella soon romped to the front – and
thereafter was never really challenged

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April |
Winner: | DAVE HOLLOM (GBR) |
 | Yes, we’re certainly a
little biased when it
comes to giving one of
our regular writers a bit
of a puff but... as the record books
show, some 67 International 14s lined
up for the 2015 worlds in Geelong of
which the stunning total of one boat
(sic) was drawn by our multiple model
yachting and gliding champion. And
that one boat, in the hands of Glenn
Truswell and Sam Pascoe, wrapped
up a tough series with a day to spare

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May |
Winner: | IAN WILLIAMS (GBR) |
 | What more does the
UK’s (and world’s) best
match racer have to
do to attract the
attention of the elite sailing teams?
By winning a 5th world title Williams
becomes the most successful match
racer of all time. Like Russell Coutts
(engineer), Williams is also a qualified
professional man (lawyer). Brains and
discipline definitely help. Hopefully a
further US$186,000 in prize money
will ease any feelings of injustice...

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June |
Winner: | KAROL JABLONSKI (POL) |
 | The former Star sailor,
successful match
racing helmsman and
one-time helmsman
in ACC boats for the Spanish
America’s Cup challenger Iberdrola,
most recently won his ninth DN
iceboating world title. Jablonski has
been racing iceboats almost as long
as he has been on the water and with
his ninth world championship victory
becomes the most successful DN one
design skipper of all time. Adaptable

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July |
Winner: | PETER JOHNSTONE (USA) |
 | Without wishing to be
crude, commissioning
a pretty comfortable
40ft cruiser-racer that
is designed to foil took some cojones.
But that self-belief was not misplaced
and the first Gunboat G4 is out there
and flying high. Anyone who had
become too used to the pace of the
non-foiling Gunboat range will have
been rudely reminded of what a step
forward those original designs also
represented. More bravery needed.

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August |
Winner: | BRAD READ (USA) |
 | Another success in this
Volvo race was the
event’s first visit to
Newport RI. Just as the
AC45s demonstrated a
couple of years ago, chase electronic
media all you want but for impact
nothing comes close to thousands of
bums on seats; and with a deep sailing
history Newport’s knowledgeable
crowd was always the one to deliver.
Brad Read was the key driver of this
brilliant visit by the race, from initial
bid to final delivery. Very nice job, sir

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September |
Winner: | IAN WALKER (GBR) |
 | All that this two-time
Olympic medallist ever
asked for to burnish his
round-the-world
credentials was a boat
that was ‘no slower’ than his rivals.
That was certainly not the case the last
time around and his previous – race
debut – experience was even worse.
This time however Walker got the level
playing field he wanted and promptly
delivered on his own expectations.
At times Dongfeng threatened, but
Walker the tactician kept control

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October |
Winner: | CHARLIE ENRIGHT (USA) |
 | In the end Enright’s
young and relatively
inexperienced Volvo
team won two In Port
races and then took the prestigious
final offshore leg into Gothenburg.
Before the race few expected much of
this enthusiastic but largely unknown
campaign and yet in the final analysis
Alvimedica finished tied with the
hugely experienced Spanish Mapfre
entry and only one point adrift
of mid-race superstars Dongfeng

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November |
Winner: | ERGIN IMRE (TUR) |
 | Ergin and his family
have been supporting
big boat racing for as
long as we remember.
Always preferring to
crew their boats with a mix of amateur
and professional sailors, the family’s
tireless efforts were at last properly
rewarded with a bronze medal at the
2015 TP52 worlds onboard the latest
Provezza. The emotionally charged
result was vigorously welcomed by
their rivals – unanimous in applauding
a determined and enthusiastic crew

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December |
Winner: | GERY TRENTESAUX (FRA) |
 | A sterling reminder of
just how good the
French have always
been at offshore racing
and of what strong supporters they
have always been of RORC’s offshore
programme in particular; examples of
French crews crossing the Channel for
race starts and sailing home after the
finish are legion. Trentesaux has
dominated the RORC programme this
year and a well-earned Fastnet race
win was appropriate icing for the cake

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Christmas |
Winner: | LARRY HUNTINGDON (USA) |
 | Supporters of sailing
don’t come much
more enthusiastic than
this great American
Corinthian. Now aged 80, the 2015
Transatlantic marked the former New
York YC Commodore’s seventh such
race, finishing this year as winner of
Class 3 on his trusty Ker-designed
50-footer Snow Lion. As usual, having
raced to Europe Huntington made the
most of his ‘trip’ by competing in the
Rolex Fastnet and other major events

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