RSYS Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year

by Peter Campbell on 28 May 2008
The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron has honoured two club members who will be part of the Australian sailing team at the Beijing Olympic Games, last night naming Nathan Outteridge and Karyn Gojnich as the RSYS Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year.

Nathan was awarded the Idris Cup, Karyn the Joanne Trophy, both being for excellence in local, national and international sailing competition.

Commodore Bill Wood announced the awards at the 2007-2008 Sailing Season Prizegiving at the Kirribilli clubhouse, although neither Nathan nor Karyn were able to be present.

Both are competing in regattas in Europe in the lead-up to the Olympic sailing regatta that will be held at Qingdao, China, from 16-21 August, Nathan as the helmsman in the 49er skiff, Karyn as mainsheet trimmer in the Yngling keelboat.

A third Squadron member competing at the Olympics will be Iain Murray, skipper of the Star class two-man keelboat.

The highlight of the past year for Nathan Outteridge and his crew, Ben Austin, has been winning the 49er World Championship in Melbourne in January and then being selected for the 2008 Olympic Games.

While the 49er has been his main focus, Nathan has done some sailing on Martin and Lisa Hill’s Farr 40 Estate Master and is looking forward to doing more after the Olympics.

In a message read to last night’s Prizegiving, Nathan said he was honoured to receive the Squadron award that in the past has been won by 'some real legends of sailing.'

'I would like to thank the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron for the support it has given me, both in my junior sailing years and into youth match racing, where I represented the club with success at Cowes in the UK with Mark Dorling and others, and now in my quest for Olympic Gold,' Nathan said.

Nathan added that he was often asked, as he competed at high profile events around the world in the 49er 'why do you sail for the RSYS when they don’t race 49ers?'

'My answer is that I like to support people who have supported me; I am proud to be a member of this club and very appreciative of the help it has given me,' Nathan added in his message.

Called by some ‘the Sailing Mum’, Karyn Kojnich will be competing in the Olympic Games for the third time, with a great support team in her husband John and their two children, Amy (14) and Zoe (12).

Karyn is a classic example of a Sydney girl growing up in sailing and attaining the heights of international and Olympic competition. Always, a mainsheet trimmer, she started sailing at the age of 8 with the Lane Cove Sailing Club, her first event being the Sabot two-up club championship.

Her first Olympic Games was in 1988 when she and Nicky Bethwaite, also a Squadron member, sailed in the women’s 470 class at the Seoul Games in South Korea, the first time in Olympic sailing history that there was a specific class for women sailors. They finished a most credible sixth.

In 2000 Karyn teamed up again with her ‘old sailing mate’ Nicky Bethwaite to win selection for the women’s keelboat class (the Yngling) at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. A 13th in the Ynglings was 'OK', but it made Karyn determined to do better at Qingdao.

Karyn and Nicky, with Angela Farrell at the bow, worked hard to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, placing fourth in the 2005 Yngling Worlds in Austria and then eighth in the 2007 Worlds at Cascai to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.

Unfortunately, Nicky had to withdraw from the team following a mountain bike accident late last year and Krystal Weir took over the helming position. The new team of Krystal (helm), Karyn (mainsheet) and Angela (bow) won the 2007 Yngling Australian Championship conducted by the RSYS and early this year placed second in the 2008 Yngling World Championship at Miami, Florida.