FIFTH EDITION – BEST OF 2020 AND 2021

EVENT DETAILS

2022
April 28th to April 28th

Teatro Arcimboldi, Milano - ITALIA

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The fifth edition of the Foiling Awards was held in the wonderful surroundings of the hall of the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan, Italy. The evening, hosted by the expert Italian journalist Stefano Vegliani and British foiling sailor Hattie Rogers, was opened with a greeting by David Graham, CEO of World Sailing, who described the winners as ‘fantastic ambassadors for the sport of sailing.’

Returning after one year absence, the 12 awards took into consideration achievements between 2020 and 2021 and celebrated accomplishments ranging from Best Male and Female Sailor, best Team and Best Event, to awards dedicated to Commercial, Sustainability, Amateur and One-Off projects.

Graham remarked that fifty percent of the Olympic medals in Paris 2024 will be for foiling crafts and underlined how much the International Olympic Committee values speed and action, both of which characterise foiling, in their role to keep young people’s attention on sailing.

Speaking at the awards, World Sailing CEO, David Graham, said, “Our sport is our community. And the future of our sport depends on our community, its passion and its desire for change. From ensuring that our sport is accessible to a diverse audience – and is inclusive and welcoming to everyone – to finding new and radical solutions to the materials we use to have a positive impact on our environment.

“It is energising and exciting to have in one room the future of foiling. There are those who will develop and innovate the platforms, the sailors who will push the boundaries of athleticism and talent, to the designers and boat builders who are developing new and sustainable ways to build the boats. Thank you for being fantastic ambassadors for the sport of sailing.”

Many of the winners were able to collect their prize in person, showing that sailing is well and truly back on the road to full capacity. However, as sailing never really stops, a few notable exceptions sent video messages from their current training bases.

Tom Slingsby, voted Best Male Sailor, sent a video message; Emirates Team New Zealand’s Andy Malone also accepted the prize via video, as organisers of the 36th America’s Cup, which won Best Event.

Francois Gabart aboard the trimaran SVR Lazartigue, winner of the One-Off Boat category, connected via video call while training in the Bay of Biscay with his foiling marvel.

Arnaud Psarofaghis, skipper of Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team, collected the best team prize; he underlined that the preparation of the challenge for the 37th America’s Cup is proceeding swiftly and that the Swiss sailors will be ready.

Finally, great enthusiasm was shown for Finn Morris, the fifteen-year-old who built the “Minimoth” in his garden during lockdown when only 13 years old, which won him the award for Best Amateur Project.

Foiling Week was recently granted ‘Special Event’ status by World Sailing, joining high profile events such as the America’s Cup, The Ocean Race, SailGP, World Match Racing Tour, PWA World Tour, Star Sailors League and the GKA Kite World Tour.

FIFTH EDITION – 2020/2021

THE WINNERS

MALE SAILOR

TOM SLINGSBY
Winner of the 2021 Moth World Championship

FEMALE SAILOR

JOSIE GLIDDON
Winner of the 2021 Moth World Championship

FOILING PROJECT

FLYING NIKKA
Mark Mills

COMMERCIAL VESSEL

MOBY FLY
for their MobyFly foiling craft line

INNOVATION

LEVEL FOILS Level Hydrofoil
Gyro System: for the development of a gyroscopic self-stabilising flight system through the dynamic coupling between Vaw and Roll of a single Strut Hydrofoil.