Yachting: Burling named world's best

Bay of Plenty Times

10 Nov, 2015 07:58 PM4 mins to read

WORLD'S BEST: Peter Burling, right, from Tauranga and Blair Tuke won the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award for 2015. Photo/File

Tauranga's Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are on top of the sailing world after being announced ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year for 2015 at a dinner ceremony in Sanya, China overnight, after a remarkable year of sailing 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 said.

"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 Cup back to New Zealand."

The only other New Zealanders to win the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year are Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie in 2013 (New Zealand's first ever winners in the Female category), Sir Russell Coutts who has won ISAF Male Sailor of the Year twice, in 1995 and 2003, Mike Sanderson in 2006 and Sir Peter Blake in 1994.

Burling, 24, and Tuke, 26, have totally dominated the Olympic 49er class over the past 12 months, and indeed the past three years, with an unprecedented string of consecutive victories.

Their most recent gold medal was at the 2015 South American Championships just this week in Argentina. In August Burling and Tuke won gold at 2015 Aquece Rio Regatta (2015 Rio Test Event) - significantly this victory was on the Olympic Games race track and they remain the crew to beat with less than a year to go until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

During the Awards period, both sailors have also been promoted into key roles with New Zealand's America's Cup Challenger Emirates Team New Zealand. With Burling and Tuke on board, (Burling at the helm) Emirates Team New Zealand has secured podium finishes at this year's America's Cup World Series regattas in Portsmouth (2nd), Bermuda (1st) and Gothenburg (2nd) to lead the series.

At the 2015 Moth World Championships Burling took victory, and Tuke was sixth overall (and best placed rookie) in a large and talented fleet of sailors including Olympic medalists from a range of classes, plus three of the four helmsmen from the last America's Cup and many previous Moth World Champions.

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.

This year the New Zealanders were up against Frenchman Loick Peyron (offshore multihull racer) and three Brits including Giles Scott (Finn campaigner and member of Ben Ainslie Racing Team), Ian Walker (Skipper of Abu Dhabi, Volvo Ocean Race winner) and Ian Williams (Match Racing).

Burling and Tuke were unable to attend the announcement at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year dinner presentation held in Sanya, China as they are in Argentina for the final build up to the 2015 49er World Championships.

They won the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Trophy and a distinctive Rolex timepiece each.

Burling and Tuke's track record since September 2014

1st - 2015 South American Championships

1st - 2015 Rio Olympic Test Event

1st - 2015 49er Rio International Sailing Week

1st - 2015 49er European Championships

1st - 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth

1st - 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres

1st - 2015 Princesa Sofia Regatta (Palma)

1st - 2015 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland

1st - 2015 New Zealand 49er National Championships

1st - 2014 49er Intergalactics - Rio