OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR

WINNER: PIP HARE

RUNNER UP: HANNAH MILLS

What a line-up. There was Damien Seguin, the Paralympic star who turned to offshore racing and finished the Vendée Globe within the leading group, despite his boat being 2008era. He was born without his left hand and his achievement was also a remarkable first for disability sailing.

Also in our shortlist was Giles Scott, the Finn sailor whose startline antics in Tokyo gave us all a heart attack, before he went on to win a second consecutive Olympic gold. Giles was also nominated for his role as tactician on INEOS Team UK, a cool-headed presence by Sir Ben Ainslie’s side in Auckland, just five months before the Olympics.

The shortlist included his TeamGB colleague Hannah Mills, whose silver and two golds have made her the most successful ever female Olympic sailor. Her wider status in sport was recognised as she was chosen to carry the TeamGB flag at the Tokyo opening ceremony. Hannah is also an environmental campaigner and she joined SailGP this summer.

We nominated Howard Pridding, the former head of British Marine who spent the last three years at the RYA, during which he negotiated Brexit wranglings for sailors and helped lobby the Government to ensure sailors were first out of lockdown. After a career serving the marine industry, Howard retired this year.

Of the thousands of votes in this category, however, most went to the fifth candidate on our shortlist – Vendée Globe sensation Pip Hare, whose story has captivated so many people. She and sponsor Medallia became the runaway media stars of the event, and meanwhile she sailed one of the race’s oldest boats to 19th place, a performance that earned her the admiration of the entire IMOCA fleet. Now the story continues, as Medallia continues to back her for the 2024 race in a boat that has made the Vendée Globe podium twice before.

Pip (right) attended the ceremony with members of her shore team, Isla Reynolds and Lou Adams, and said: “I’m honoured to receive this award especially as it’s voted for by the public. Thank you so much.”