Annapolis, Md. – Cruising World and Sailing World magazines announced today at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., their nominees for the 2011 Boat of the Year awards. The BOTY awards recognize and honor the best new sailboat models introduced to the North American market.
The new sailboat models were examined by special nominating panels, consisting of each magazine’s editors and select members of the judging panels.
“The Boat of the Year nominees we have this year reflect a pivotal shift in the industry, in that we have raceboats and daysailers that were designed with the intention to lure people back to sailing,” says Sailing World’s editor, Dave Reed. “The builders really thought about what would excite both racing sailors and new sailors. The variety of boats our judges will test next week is more diverse than I’ve ever seen.”
Sailing World nominated 16 performance-oriented models for its awards: Aquidneck Custom Composites 11-Meter Trimaran; Alerion Sport 33; Beneteau First 30; Class 2M; Dragonfly 28; Gunboat 66; Hobie Mirage Tandem Island; J/111; Landing School 20; Nacra F20; Raider 2; RS 100; Tangara 28; Scandinavian 20; X-Treme 25; and Topaz Taz Race.
Cruising World nominated 20 boats, split into six categories: