Sailor of the Year: stop voting (34,150)! Here are who the finalists are and the first verdicts

Stop the vows! Sailing Newspaper’s Sailor of the Year 2024, the Prize that our newspaper has been awarding since 1991, has closed the online voting phase that decided the 5 finalists in each category. First of all, we have to say thank you, because the online poll recorded 34,150 votes confirming how impressive the GDV-branded Sailor of the Year has an impressive audience participation base.

The ball is now in the court of the Sailing Newspaper Jury, which will choose, from the 5 finalists indicated by the public, who will be the Sailor of the Year and which will be the winners in each category. To find out, you are all invited to Marina Cala de Medici on May 25, at 5:30 p.m., to the big Sailor of the Year party.

Sailor of the Year – Early Verdicts.

Let’s start with the already established verdicts: the winner of the Most Voted Category (which collected submissions that came directly from the public) is Giuseppe Veirana, who with 3,261 votes was the most voted. The 59-year-old influencer won the Musto oilskin reserved for the category winner. Credit to his community – he has the same number of followers as Luna Rossa! – which follows its work in popularizing sailing on social media, with engaging and inspirational videos for those who love the sea and the world of sailing.

We will also be awarding the Epic Prize on May 25 at Marina Cala de Medici., which is particularly close to our hearts this year because it will go to what can be considered one of the fathers of modern sailing: the wizard of plumbing and hydraulics Gianni Cariboni, who has revolutionized the world of sailboats with the systems developed by his company. Watch this video to believe:

The “Save the Med” Special Award will be given instead to the
Project M.A.R.E.
, an awareness campaign to monitor and protect the Mediterranean Sea carried out by the Caprera Sailing Center in collaboration with One Ocean Foundation. A project that is more than concrete, as the following video recounts:

Sailor of the Year – Let’s find out the finalists

And now we come to the most anticipated news, the finalists. For the Overall Sailor of the Year category, which awards this year’s overall prize: after a long head-to-head race, the winner of the Mini Transat Luca Rosetti was the most voted by the public, followed by sailor Francesca Clapcich, Nicholas Renna, Francesco Cappuzzo and the superhero of the oceans Ambrose Beccaria, reigning Sailor of the Year

In the Category Passion was a real photo finish, by a handful of votes the first in the audience ranking was the young sailor Elia Favaro (who crossed the Atlantic on a boat he restored, amidst a thousand problems, without ever giving up), followed by Marcello Meringolo (the coach of young optimists and sailing champions and the pair Vlacich-Deganuti (the inventors of “Grand Tour Sailing” who sailed around the world on microboats, from Titicaca to LochNess), then in order Nicolo Todoli and Gabriele Bruni.

First up in the Young Category was Ancona-based baby sailboard prodigy Medea Falcioni, who was ahead of Wingfoil champion Maddalena Spanu, the Demurtas-Santi pair, Francesca Maria Salerno and Leonardo Tomasini.

Among the Owner the head-to-head was won by Marco Trombetti, owner of the Swan 65 Translated9 that has just completed the round-the-world sailing trip and was ahead of another “globe-trotter” (with his Mylius 60 Fra’ Diavolo) Vincenzo Addessi, followed by the Rusticali-Rossi pair, Susie Holland, and Pino Lasalandra.

Instead, the audience in the Innovation category awarded Matteo Polli, the most successful designer of the past 10 years, followed by Fortunato Moratto, then Francesca Galiani, Fabio Bignolini and Guelfi-D’Angeli .

Ball to the GdV jury

The Sailing Newspaper Jury will decide whether to confirm the public’s choices or “overturn” them (à la Alessandro Borghese!) by electing a winner from one of the 5 finalists indicated by the popular poll. To find out how it will turn out, and who will be the winner of the Sailor of the Year 2024, we look forward to seeing you at Marina Cala de Medici on May 25 at 5:30 pm. This will be followed by the Vela Cup awards ceremony in the morning, featuring dozens of boats of all sizes. We are waiting for you, you are all invited!