Three sailors from Nova Scotia among recipients of Sail Canada’s Annual Awards
by Sail Canada 25 Oct 15:48 PDT
Three sailors from Nova Scotia among recipients of Sail Canada’s Annual Awards © Sail Canada
Sail Canada announced today that Sullivan Nakatsu from Hammonds Plains, N.S., and Lilly Rainham from Halifax have been honored with Sail Canada’s 2023 Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award, while Ryan Anderson, also hailing from Halifax, has received the Sail Canada Marvin McDill Memorial Award.
Nakatsu, Rainham, and Anderson are the second, third, and fourth Nova Scotians to earn a Sail Canada 2023 Annual Award. Earlier this year, Chris Watters was recognized as Sail Canada’s Coach of the Year.
These awardees will be celebrated at Sail Nova Scotia’s “Evening of Excellence and Fundraising 2024” event on November 15 at the Atlantica Hotel Halifax. Further details and tickets are accessible at www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-of-excellence-and-fundraising-2024-tickets-1032151772737?aff=oddtdtcreator.
The Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award honors sailors aged 18 and under who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in national and international youth competitions, helped elevate the profile of Canadian competitive sailing, set a positive example for younger competitors through their conduct, and exhibited leadership and sportsmanship.
Nominations were assessed based on accomplishments from January 1 to December 31, 2023.
During this period, Sullivan Nakatsu secured first place overall at the Sail Canada 2023 Youth Championships in ILCA 6, as well as at Sail East 2023. At the 2023 Youth World Championships in Brazil, he finished in 12th place overall in ILCA 6, representing the top Canadian performance in this annual competition since at least 2009. He also achieved the best Canadian performance at the 2023 ILCA Youth World Championships in Poland, finishing 51st and becoming the top North American sailor, being the only one to qualify for the Gold Fleet.
“I am privileged to receive the Bill Burk Award for the 2023 Season,” Sullivan Nakatsu expressed. “I’m thrilled with how the season unfolded, and I want to extend my gratitude to all the athletes, coaches, and parents who traveled to St. Margaret’s Bay to train and elevate sailing in Canada. Special thanks to the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron and my team, who have become like family and have continuously improved together under Coach Chris Watters’ dedicated guidance. I am truly honored to receive this award with their support.”
Lilly Rainham was also recognized as a co-winner of the Sail Canada 2023 Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award.
Learning to sail only in 2020, Rainham emerged as the second place youth female sailor, ranking 18th overall among both male and non-youth sailors in ILCA 6 at Sail Canada’s 2023 Youth Championships. At Sail East 2023, she was the top female sailor and finished second overall including male competitors. At the 2023 Youth ILCA 6 Championships, she positioned as the top female Canadian with a 39th ranking. At the 2023 World ILCA 6 U21 Championships, she again led Canadians by finishing 44th.
“I am deeply honored and thankful to receive the Bill Burk Memorial Award,” Lilly Rainham stated. “I appreciate Sail Canada for this acknowledgment and offer my thanks to Sail Nova Scotia, the CSIA support team, the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, Wind Athletes Canada, and my family for their continual support from the start. I sincerely thank Coach Chris Watters for recognizing my potential, along with my teammates, training partners, Kyle Martin, and our coaching team for motivating me to reach that potential. This season exceeded my expectations, but it’s merely the beginning as I pursue my goals with the same dedication and passion that earned this award.”
For more information on the Bill Burk Memorial Youth Elite Award, visit www.sailing.ca/bill-burk-memorial-youth-elite-award-past-winners.
Ryan Anderson: recipient of Sail Canada’s 2023 Marvin McDill Memorial Award
Ryan Anderson has been honored with Sail Canada’s 2023 Marvin McDill Memorial Award.
The Marvin McDill Award is awarded to an athlete or crew who has achieved outstanding results at their first Open World Championships while representing the Canadian Sailing Team. The determination of best performance is based on the percentage of boats finishing behind the athlete or crew during their inaugural participation in an Open World Championship.
In 2023, Ryan Anderson finished in 66th place out of 138 competitors in ILCA 7 at the World Sailing Championships in The Hague, NED. He also secured a 5th place finish at the ILCA North American Championship, which was part of the 2023 US Open Sailing Series.
“I’m grateful for the acknowledgment of my efforts at the 2023 World Sailing Championships, and it’s an honor to win this award,” Ryan Anderson commented.
For more details about the Marvin McDill Memorial Award, please visit www.sailing.ca/marvin-mcdill-memorial-award-past-winners.
