SWBOTYAnnounce368
Sailing World has announced the nominees for the biggest annual honors in sailboat building, the Boat of the Year awards. The highly anticipated list was unveiled today at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md.The nominees will find out who won in the January/February issue of Sailing World, available on newsstands in mid-December. This year marks the 24th anniversary of the awards.Sailing World is considering 15 boats for its awards: X-41 One Design, Harbor 25, Grand Soleil 40, Club Swan 42, Bahia (Laser), Vago (Laser), Laser SB3, Morris 45, Sabre Spirit, Farr 11s, Alerion Express 33, CrossCurrent 33, J/122, Nacra Formula 18.”All of us involved with Sailing World’s Boat of the Year event are looking forward to this year’s edition,” says Sailing World’s BOTY director, Tony Bessinger. “We’ve got 15 great entries, including the Laser SB3, a sportboat that’s been doing very well in Europe; the X-41 One Design, a larger version of our Overall Winner last year, the X-35 One Design; and the Farr 11s, an extreme sportboat that has a canting keel, twin rudders and twin forward canards. We’re also welcoming a new BOTY judge, Barrett Holby, owner and founder of Holby Marine, a boatbuilding company in Bristol, R.I.”Any model introduced to the North American market between the 2006 and 2007 Annapolis Boat Shows was eligible, and builders were allowed to enter boats in the contests of both magazines. Judges examined the latest boats at the Newport Boat Show and during the opening days of the Annapolis show. They consider design, construction, seaworthiness, performance, purpose of the boat, fitness for the use intended and cost.Two independent judging panels will evaluate and test boats for the respective magazines, with extensive dockside inspections during the boat show and sea trials in the days immediately following. Judges on the Sailing World panel will concentrate on boats designed and built with racing in mind. Sailing World Boat of the Year NomineesX-41 Harbor 25 Grand Soleil 40 Club Swan 42 Bahia (Laser)Vago (Laser) Laser SB3 Morris 45 Sabre Spirit Farr 11s Alerion Express 33 CrossCurrent 33 J/122Nacra Formula 18Stealth
