THE RACING
dream," she said. "Branching out to other boats and expanding myself as a sailor is one of my goals. I want to win another gold medal for the U.S., but I think it will take more than just Laser sailing." Tunnicliffe was a three-time All-American at Old Dominion and took home the Female College Sailor of the Year award in 2005. The 40-year-old Hutchinson brought his "A" game to everything he sailed in 2008, beginning the year with wins at Acura Key West Race Week and the Acura Miami Grand Prix as tactician aboard Jim Richardson's Farr 40 Barking Mad. But where Hutchinson really shined was across the pond, when the Quantum Racing TP 52 he skippered in the Audi MedCup just plain dominated the series stacked with America's Cup talent sailing for big-budget programs. Then, a month after the series ended, his team capped it off with a win at the TP 52 Global Championships in the Canary Islands. "This award is obviously an acknowledgment of a great year on the water," Hutchinson said. "But I would be incredibly remiss if I didn't acknowledge that it is a privilege to represent the bigger picture — the people I sail with and the teams on which I compete. I feel so strongly about the support they gave me; this wasn't just my achievement, it was the Barking Mad, Samba Pa T i and Quantum Racing teams' too. Every morning I get up and go to work doing Terry Hutchinson and Anna Tunnicliffe got the nod for US Sailing's something that I love. Being recognized is just icing Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. on the cake." Hutchinson was twice named the shot at another Olympic medal in WeyCollege Sailor of the Year while collecting mouth at the London games in 2012. If All-American honors four times at Old she's successful, it will essentially mark Dominion, and he scored his first big a return to her roots; she was actually professional win in 1992 at the Congresborn in England before moving to the sional Cup. He'll return there this March U.S. in her teens. to line up against the world's other top Winning the Olympic medal was a USOC
CARLO BORLENGHI/ROLEX
Rolex Awards Add a Rolex to the things that Anna Tunnicliffe and Terry Hutchinson have in common. The winners of US Sailing's 2008 Rolex Yachtswoman and Yachtsman of the year are both former College All-Americans and College Sailors of the Year, and both did their college sailing at Old Dominion University. And last year, they both sailed really well at some bigtime regattas. "I'm very, very excited," said Tunnicliffe, who was the selection panel's unanimous first-ballot selection for the award. "It's a fantastic end to a great year." For Tunnicliffe, the award capped a year where the 26-year-old won the only U.S. Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics — her first — in the Laser Radial, plus the Delta Lloyd Regatta and Sail Melbourne. She also counted runner-up finishes in the Radial at the Semaine Olympique Francaise and the Snipe Women's World Championship. And she's not resting on her laurels, having already begun ramping up for a
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• February, 2009
JACQUES VAPILLON/DPPI/SODEB'O
It might be February, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty going on around the world of competitive sailing. First off, we take a look at the 2008 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards. Then it's a tip of the hat to Thomas Coville; he didn't break Francis Joyon's record, but he came damn close, and never let up. Next up we get an update on some racing closer to home for another installment of Midwinters Notebook. What's Boxing Day if not a convenient tag for the day the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race start falls on? Then, although it wasn't over before these pages were wrested from our hands, we check in with the progress of the two Bay Area boats at Acura Key West Race Week where one was putting on quite the show. Finally, there's a few handy Race Notes to finish things off.
match racers. After being shortlisted for the Rolex three times prior, Hutchinson — an Annapolis native — won it in what's been a remarkable year for Americans sailing abroad. His toughest competition? 2006 Rolex winner Nick Scandone, who before he passed away January 2, completely dominated the SKUD 18 class to win a gold medal at the Beijing Paralympics in the waning months of his protracted battle with ALS. "How could you not be moved by Nick's story when you compare what any of the nominees did this year to the struggle that Nick had in order to achieve the same kind of accomplish-
