2023 Rolex Yachtsman/Yachtswoman of the Year Awards

Right on schedule, it’s that time again. Yesterday, US Sailing announced the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Award winners.

Charlie Enright (Barrington, RI) and West Coast sailor Christina Wolfe (Orcas Island, WA) were awarded the 2023 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Award and were celebrated along with fellow 2023 award finalists Betsy Alison, Erika Reineke, Steve Hunt, and Allan Terhune Jr.

The winners were presented with the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Award trophy along with specially engraved Rolex Yacht-Master timepieces. These honorees join an elite group of notable national sailors.

As skipper, Charlie Enright led the 11th Hour Racing Team to become the first American-flagged team to ever win The Ocean Race, in 2023. In his third shot at the elusive Ocean Race Trophy, the win had been over 10 years in the making for his team, and over six years in the making for 11th Hour Racing.

Of the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Award, Charlie Enright said, “It’s iconic. It makes me think of all the people who have come before all of us. I’ve done a lot of sailing with some of the other finalists who were nominated, and I’ve certainly learned a lot from all of them. This is an individual award in theory, but it takes a village no matter what you’re doing, and I can’t say enough about all the teammates that we had in this endeavor.”

Christina Wolfe is an accomplished offshore sailor, having put thousands of offshore miles under her belt. Pacific Northwest sailor Christina is best known for her doublehanded sailing, often with her husband Justin Wolfe as crew, aboard their J/111 Raku and J/70 Mossy. They now have a Jeanneau Sunfast 3300, Red Ruby. In 2023, Christina achieved First Overall ORC, Second Overall IRC, and Doublehanded Line Honors in the Rolex Middle Sea Race, first female skipper overall in the Rolex Fastnet Race, and first in IRC 2 at the De Guingand Bowl, all achieved doublehanded.

“Never in a million years did I expect to be standing on this stage, let alone in the room with all of you,” Christina said. “This is an incredible honor for me to be up here on this stage. I don’t sail for a living, but when I do sail, it’s the most alive that I feel, and I know many of you feel that as well. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do this, to see these iconic races, and to meet inspiring people.”

Three men and three women were chosen as finalists for US Sailing’s 2023 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards in January 2024. The annual rundown of the year’s “best in the US” represents a wide range of accomplished sailors from various disciplines and at different stages of their respective careers. All nominees are highly distinguished and talented, and the nomination panel was especially impressed by their growth and depth of achievements.

Yachtsman and Yachtswoman finalists earned their spots on this exclusive list by dominating their respective classes and showing true variety in their sailing accomplishments. All six of these sailors represent their own unique pathways in the sport, have demonstrated on-the-water excellence at international and national events, and have brought global recognition to sailing while representing the United States.

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