Earlier this week, final votes were cast for the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year, with winners to be announced on February 6 at the US Sailing Leadership Forum’s awards night in San Diego. As a voting member of the media panel for decades, I can honestly say that this year’s shortlist was tremendous, highlighting the excellence of American sailors today on men’s and women’s side. Yes, they’re all winners, but only one gets the timepiece and a permanent place on a long list of greats.
For the finalists, we were presented on the women’s side with round-the-world solo celebrity Cole Brauer, one-design powerhouse and world champion crew Monica Morgan, and IC37 class dominator and adult team racing ace Hannah Swett, the 2003 Rolex Yachtswowman of the Year. On multiple calls, there was good and robust debate about these three, and more than once we are reminded that, in Brauer’s second-place finish in the Global Solo Challenge Race, the Long Island-bred sailor put herself in the history books as the first woman to race solo around the world. And in doing so, she amassed and engaged an incredible social media following.
Brauer did not win the race on her Class 40 First Light, but she most definitely won the hearts and minds of followers who were captivated by her fearless spirit and resilience in race that started with 16 boats and only saw seven finish. Brauer definitely put offshore sailing in the spotlight and may very well may have outshone Volvo Ocean Race winner and 2023 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Charlie Enright with network news and mainstream media appearances. When’s the last time a sailor was featured among the celebrities and influencers of People magazine? Not in my lifetime.
I have no doubt that Brauer will win the Rolex, but I cast my vote for Monica Morgan.
Hear me out. The guidelines provided to the voting panelists lists the following considerations in order of importance: 1. Results within a calendar year only; 2. Caliber of events on a nominee’s resume; 3. Fleet depth; 4. Weight of competition; 5. The nominee’s position on boat; 6. Crew members 7. Sportsmanship; 8. Amateur v Pro.
The later three considerations are new-ish to the guidelines and consideralbly subjective, particularly the sportsmanship element, and therefore are weighted less than the first three, which were forever the primary considerations. Those are my defining parameters: results, caliber, depth. Winning is key and winning an international regatta is essential. What Brauer accomplished is incredible, but she did not win and the fleet was caliber was not strong. Even the organizer says the Global Solo Challenge 2023 “was not an elite professional sailors’ event.”
Morgan, who is well known on the US one-design racing scene, especially among the top teams that rely on her professionalism on the bow and the myriad of skills that she brings to every team; her dedication to boat preparation, her strength, and the sailing work/life balance the maintains as a mother. She’s a go-to crew for elite Etchells and Lightning programs, and won her world championship title with Travis Odenbach in the J/24, as well the J/24 Nationals and North Americans. Every finish on her resume, which seems incomplete, regardless of the class and team, was all top-five. She’s a world champion, a distinction not shared by the other finalists.
Selection is not based on likes, followers or media impact. It’s results, and Morgan has them in spades.
As for the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, an Olympic medal trumps all, and for Hans Henken and Ian Barrows, their bronze in the extremely difficult 49er class in Marseille, France, required a monumental effort on their part. In any other year, the two world championship titles of Jeremy Wilmot (J/70 and Melges 24) would have a been a layup. And there’s even the two world titles to consider for nominee Travis Odenbach (J/24 and J/22), but Henken and Barrows got my vote, and I doubt Wilmot or Odenbach would argue otherwise.
Congratulations to all the nominees, from the short-listers to finalists. American sailing has some good things going right now, so we can only expect more to come.
