Sailing: Tuke and Burling take top honour

Peter Burling (left) and Northland's Blair Tuke have been awarded the most prestigious award in sailing, the ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year award. Photo / Jesus Renedo

Northland sailor Blair Tuke is on top of the sailing world.

Alongside his New Zealand 49er teammate Peter Burling, Tuke has been announced as this year's ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

The highest award any sailor can receive on the world stage, Tuke and Burling now stand alongside New Zealanders Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (New Zealand's first ever winners in the female category), Sir Russell Coutts (who won ISAF Male Sailor of the Year in 1995 and 2003), Mike Sanderson (2006) and Sir Peter Blake (1994).

"We are really proud to receive this award," said an elated Tuke.

"Some great sailors and legendary Kiwis have won in the past so to be in that sort of company is pretty humbling."

Burling, 24, and Tuke, 26, have dominated the Olympic 49er class over the past 12 months with a record string of consecutive victories.

Their most recent gold medal was at the South American Championships earlier this week in Argentina.

In August, Burling and Tuke won gold at the Rio Test Event - significantly this victory was on the Olympic Games course and they remain the crew to beat with less than a year to the Rio Olympics.

Also named as finalists for world sailing's top honour in 2014, Burling and Tuke were pipped for the title last year by Australian Jimmy Spithill for his America's Cup achievements.

"It is a really big honour for us to win this award. We don't sail and race to win these awards, but it is really nice to get these accolades for all the hard work we put in. We are really proud to have won," Tuke added.

"All the nominees have achieved some awesome things this year in our sport, especially Ian Walker for winning the Volvo Ocean Race. We've been working hard all year and the results have come our way, not only in the 49er, but also in the other boats we sail. So we are looking ahead, keeping the hammer down towards the Olympics and then to bringing the [America's] Cup back to New Zealand."