Wizard (USA) Honored by World Sailing as Hempel Team of the Year

by
©Paul Todd/OUTSIDEIMAGES.COM

October 29, 2019

On Tuesday night at the World Sailing Awards ceremony in Bermuda, American boat Wizard was named the Hempel Team of the Year.

World Sailing award and team descriptions:

The award celebrates teams of two or more sailors who personify the sporting values of integrity, ambition, resilience and resourcefulness.

David and Peter Askew’s team on Wizard enjoyed a highly successful 2019, dominating the offshore circuit. Skippered by Charlie Enright, the team featured offshore veterans such as Will Oxley, Richard Clarke and Mark Towill and won the 2019 RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy, scoring the best corrected time under IRC. Their near-faultless performance saw them complete the 600-mile non-stop race in 43 hours, 38 minutes and 44 seconds.

With success in the Caribbean under their belt, they headed to Europe in search of Rolex Fastnet Race honours. Sailing in the West to East Transat Race, the team fought SHK Scallyway for line honours, a boat some 30 feet longer than Wizard. Although they fell just seven hours short during the ten-day sail, Wizard’s speed was enough to claim a comprehensive IRC 1 victory.

Enright, Towill, Oxley and the team continued to sail immaculately and at the Rolex Fastnet Race they again fought larger boats to punch above their weight. The power of Rambler 88 eventually came through, but Wizard were once again crowned IRC overall winners, marking an unrivalled period of offshore success.

The star-studded list of nominees for the 2019 Hempel Team of the Year Award featured entries from Australia, Switzerland and the USA. Switzerland’s Alinghi, the Australian SailGP Team, Wild Oats XI of Australia and the American boat Wizard were all featured on the shortlist following their success over the last 12 months of high-performance international competition.

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