James Mayo and Zoe Thomson were honoured as the Male and Female Sailor of the Year at the 2025 Australian Sailing Awards in Sydney. Mayo won for his impressive performances at major regattas across multiple classes, including leading Team Magpie to their second consecutive Etchells World Championship victory. He also secured victories in the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore while helming Master Lock Commanche and helped Rainbow to a commendable third at the J-Class World Championships.
Mayo shared that his proudest moment was finishing first at the Etchells Worlds, celebrating his teammate Graeme Taylor’s first world title after two narrow second-place finishes in the past.
Zoe Thomson had a remarkable season, culminating in her first international win at the Sailing Grand Slam regatta in Palma, Spain. Highlights of her season included a first place at Sail Melbourne, a 12th-place finish at the World Championships, and seventh at the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta, honing in on the 2028 Olympic waters. Thomson acknowledged that a new high-performance coach and lessons learned post-Olympics contributed significantly to her success.
The night also featured recognition for Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, awarded Club of the Year (Category A), with Rob Hubbard named Official of the Year, further highlighting the club’s outstanding contributions to Australian sailing.
In other notable mentions, Mayo’s Team Magpie acquired Team of the Year, while Rafael Trujillo received Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. Tasmania’s Chris Symonds reclaimed the Para Sailor of the Year Award, having previously won for five successive years from 2019 to 2023. Julia Hornsby was named Volunteer of the Year for her pivotal role in the success of the 2025 Hansa and Para World Championships at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. Hornsby remarked on the joy of volunteering and the wonderful community it fosters.
Australian Sailing congratulates all award recipients and extends gratitude to all finalists for their significant contributions to the sailing community in Australia.
2025 Australian Sailing Award Winners:
- Female Sailor of the Year – Zoe Thomson (Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and East Fremantle Yacht Club, WA)
- Male Sailor of the Year – James Mayo (Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, NSW/ACT)
- Team of the Year – Team Magpie (Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, NSW/ACT)
- Para Sailor of the Year – Chris Symonds (Wynyard Yacht Club, TAS)
- Youth Sailor of the Year – Rory Meehan (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, QLD)
- Coach of the Year – Rafael Trujillo (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and Australian Sailing Team, QLD)
- Club of the Year – Category A – Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA)
- Club of the Year – Category B – Saltwater Veterans Sailing Project (NSW/ACT)
- Innovation Award – Airlie Beach Race Week (Whitsunday Sailing Club, QLD)
- Instructor of the Year – Lucas James (Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, VIC)
- Official of the Year – Rob Hubbard (Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, WA)
- SheSails Award – South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, SA)
- Sport Professional Award – Jacqueline Ellis (Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, NSW/ACT)
- Sport Promotion Award – Making Waves Foundation (NSW/ACT)
- Volunteer of the Year – Julia Hornsby (Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, NSW/ACT)
Michael Martin
Head of Marketing and Communications, Australian Sailing
#AustralianSailing #SailingAwards #SailingCommunity #TeamMagpie #ZoeThomson #JamesMayo #RoyalFreshwaterBayYachtClub
Interested in what we’ve written about Australian Sailing lately ?
