TP52 World Champion Terry Hutchinson and Laser Radial Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe today were named US SAILING’s 2008 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. A shortlist of nine male and five female sailors – determined from nominations submitted by members of US SAILING – was evaluated by a panel of sailing journalists who selected these two sailors for the noteworthy distinction. Members of the panel agreed that it had been “quite a year” for American sailors.

Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize the outstanding on-the-water competitive achievement of an individual man and woman in the calendar year just concluded. The winners will be honored and presented with specially engraved Rolex timepieces during a luncheon on February 27, 2009, at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan.

2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist Nick Scandone passed away Friday, after a long battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. An avid sailor since he was a child, Scandone reached his ultimate goal of a Paralympic gold medal this past summer in Qingdao, China with SKUD-18 teammate Maureen McKinnon-Tucker.

Scandone beat the odds of his disease by not only being strong enough to compete at the 2008 Paralympic Games, but by winning the gold medal a day early, with two races left to go. When Scandone and McKinnon-Tucker were awarded their gold medals, they received a thunderous round of applause of appreciation and admiration from their fellow international competitors.

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