NZ yachties of the year announced

Two watch captains on the Swedish yacht Ericsson 4 which won the Volvo round-the-world race earlier this year have been named jointly as New Zealand sailors of the year.

Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne were announced winners at the 2009 Yachting New Zealand Excellence Awards last night.

The pair, two of the world's most experienced and successful ocean racers, joined another New Zealander Mark Christensen as the only sailors to have won the famous round-the-world race three times.

The latest race was the 10th in the series which began as the Whitbread race in 1973.

Jackson and Bannatyne sailed on New Zealand Endeavour in the 1993-94 race winning the maxi class.

In the 2001-02 race, Bannatyne, collected his second win as a member of the Illbruck crew, and Jackson collected his second win as watch captain on ABN AMRO One in the 2004/05 race.

"There are very few yachtsmen who have stood the test of time as this pair have done," said Yachting New Zealand chief executive Des Brennan.

Nearly 60 sailors and sailing teams were honoured at the Yachting Excellence Awards, held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

- NZPA