There is a summons for the unsung sailing heroes of the South Hams.

Old Pulteney are proud to announce that their annual Maritime Heroes Competition has opened nominations for the sixth year. They are commencing a nationwide search for outstanding individuals within maritime communities who have made a remarkable contribution to their sport.

In such a dominant sailing area, a hero might be living among us in the South Hams. The awards are looking for individuals who are passionate and committed with great achievements who live among British maritime communities. The nominees can be entered into a variety of categories such as Club Service which looks for a member of a sailing club who has dedicatedly worked in the contribution of their club. A further category is for individuals who have demonstrated a remarkable level of maritime bravery and additionally there is an award for sailing achievement at a local, national or international level.

The finalists for each category will be judged by an impressive panel including Brian Thompson, Olly Hicks, Mark Jardine(Editor of YachtsandYachting.com) as well as a representative from Old Pulteney. The lucky winner will be presented with a £500 personal cash prize, a £1,000 donation for their sailing club(or a charity of their choice if they are not a member of a club) and a special bottle of Old Pulteney on January 31, 2018. However, this is not the only prize up for grabs. Twenty winners announced on December 3, will be chosen as semi-finalists who will be awarded with a bottle of Old Pulteney Twelve Year Old and a certificate. After which, four individuals will be announced next year on January 17, as the finalists who will receive a £500 personal cash prize, a bottle of Old Pulteney 17 Year Old and a commemorative trophy.

The iconic selection of judges includes Hicks who broke the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to row solo across an ocean and around the Atlantic from the USA to England in 124 days. Hicks expressed his excitement: “There are so many inspiring stories of individuals and clubs in the maritime community. This is a great opportunity to applaud and highlight some of those examples and I’m looking forward to seeing the entries.”

Accompanying Hicks on the Judging panel is Brian Thompson who made history as the first Briton to break the Round the World sailing record twice and has since broken a further 35 Official World Sailing Speed Record Council world records. He states that’ “There’s something very unique about the maritime world. You learn and experience so much at sea, and push yourself physically and mentally to new limits. I’ve always enjoyed sharing my experiences and I’m excited to see the inspiring stories from this year.”

Fellow judge Mark Jardine said: “I’m delighted to be involved in the Old Pulteney Maritime Heroes Awards as recognising service and achievements in sailing is so important. In particular I’m looking forward to reading the entries in the Club Service award. Sailing Clubs are the life-blood of our sport and the volunteers who contribute their time to making everything run smoothly are the people who ensure that sailing can be enjoyed by all. We are also incredibly lucky that our sailing heroes are so approachable and encourage the next generation of sailors at every opportunity.”

The organisers at Old Pulteney urge people from the South Hams to enter or nominate individuals who could be in contention. With such a successful and large sailing community here, they believe that this could be the ideal location to find a winner.

The deadline to get nominations in is Tuesday, October 3 which can either be emailed to [email protected] or sent by post to Old Pulteney Maritime Heroes Awards, c/o Tin Man, Ground Floor, 11-13 Hatton Wall, London, EC1N 8HX. The application must include a high resolution image of the nominated individual and a piece under 250 words as to why that person deserves the award.