Grant Beck is the most successful New Zealand Olympic Coach, ever. He has been the coach and mentor behind the outstanding success of New Zealand windsurfing Olympians, and many other sailors on the world stage.

Not only is Grant Beck recognized tonight for his talent and dedication as a coach, he is recognized for his wide impact throughout the NZ Yachting Community. His experience and judgement is being harnessed as an Olympic Selector in several classes and his role at Adhesive Technologies proves his worth to the wider marine industry of NZ.

To this day, Grant Beck continues to make a major contribution to youth sailing in New Zealand with a variety of roles including coaching, advising and managing youth teams to compete internationally. In fact, he was spotted just a couple of weeks ago teaching some beginners to windsurf at Wakatere Beach on Auckland's North Shore.

This award won by Beck on 28 October 2011 is the premier award in New Zealand Sailing, for outstanding contribution to yachting, and is given to someone who has demonstrated absolute world class abilities over their career. Yachting New Zealand in association with Singapore Airlines is pleased to inscribe Grant Beck's name on the Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy as the 2011 Sailor of the Year.

Young Sailor of the Year 2011 in Association with Orbit Travel Auckland

Peter Burling

In the past year campaigning his 49er with crew Blair Tuke, Peter Burling has driven his way to success by only placing outside the top four once.

His 49er results boast an impressive record including a 1st at Sail Sydney, 1st at the NZ National Championships, 2nd at Sail Melbourne, 4th at Perth International, the list goes on. Burling also placed 4th at the 2011 Zhik Foiling Moth World Championships in Australia earlier this year.

His pinnacle event for 2011 was the Olympic Test Event in Weymouth (2012 Olympic Sailing venue), and there, he achieved bronze. Burling and Tuke were the youngest pairing in this regatta, and are the first team to represent NZL in the 49er at the Olympic level since Sydney 2000.

At only 20 years old, Peter Burling remains on the NZL Sailing Team and is on his second Olympic campaign, previously the youngest Olympic sailor to represent New Zealand in the 470 class at age 17, Beijing 2008.

Burling, along with the other members of the NZL Sailing Team look forward to December's 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth, where each team will hunt to qualify the country in their class for the 2012 London Olympic Games.