RYCT appoints Nick Hutton as Sailing Operations Manager

by Peter Campbell on 16 May 2014 Nick Hutton IRO, the highest qualified sailing race officer in Tasmania, has been appointed Sailing Operations Manager at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

A National Race Officer since 2006 and an International Race Officer since November 2009, Nick not only brings to the position a vast background in conducting numerous world, national and state championships but also senior professional experience in business administration and commercial marketing.

The championships he has conducted cover a broad spectrum of sailing, especially in junior and youth classes, including being race officer, principal race officer or technical director at the Australian Youth Championships from 2007 to 2013.

Other major events Nick has conducted include championships for the 420, 470, B14, Formula windsurfing, International Cadets and SB20 classes.

Nick began sailing at Montrose Bay Yacht Club in the 1960s in Sabots and Cadets, followed by racing International Cadets and Rainbows at Sandy Bay Sailing Club in the 1970s, then at Lauderdale Yacht Club. He has also sailed Sharpies, NS14s and Lasers. He and his wife Sally currently own the Beneteau Oceanis 423 Little Bear.

Nick has had a long and notable record in voluntary sailing administration, especially at Sandy Bay Sailing Club where he and Sally are Life Members, Nick having been Commodore from 1996-1999 and again from 2000 to 2002.

At Sandy Bay he has been heavily involved in the International Cadets, including being Australian Class President from 2002-2006 and later elected an Australian association Life Member.

Nick’s sailing administration voluntary work has extended beyond the club and class level to state, national and the international roles, being a Director of Yachting Australia from 2006 to 2012, during which time he was Chair of YA’s National Youth Committee and Chair of YA’s National Team Racing Committee.

From 2009 to 2012 he was the Oceania Group representative to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) from 2009 to 2012 for the Youth Sailing World Championships and the World Team Racing Championships.

He has been a member of the Tasmanian Sailing Academy steering committee since 2008, a member of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania Sailing Committee since 2008.

In recognition of his vast contribution to sailing in Tasmania, Nick Hutton was inducted into the Tasmanian Yachting Hall of Fame 2013.