Foiling Week Awards 2017 winners and foilers at Giraglia 2018

The Foiling Awards ceremony was held in the prestigious setting of the Yacht Club Italiano: The candidates had been nominated and voted in an online poll by the fans who follow the social channels of Foiling Week.

Slam presented the Foiling Sailor Award: predisposition towards the future is part of Slam's genetic heritage. It pushes towards innovation and technologies that allow sailors better performance.

The BMW Group has always encouraged innovation. This forward-looking philosophy has enabled and defined many important milestones in the company’s history. For this reason, the Innovation Awards does suit perfectly BMW that presented the Foiling Innovation Award.

Persico Marine and the Project Award are also a natural combination: Persico Marine builds custom racing yachts for the world’s most renowned racing teams and private owners. Persico is highly regarded as a skilled, full-service supplier, always ready to share its technological know-how with its clients.

Foiling Sailor Award presented by SLAM

For best foiling sport achievement of the year

Winner

Peter Burling, America’s Cup winner and second place at Moth Worlds (43% of votes)

other candidates

Paul Goodison, Multiple Moth Worlds winner

François Gabart, New Solo 24hr record

Liv Mackay, Red Bull Foiling Generation winner

Jerome Clerc, GC32 Racing Tour winner

Foiling innovation Award presented by BMW

For foiling design solutions specifically applied to flight control / design / construction of parts but excluding hull construction. It does include vessels not powered by wind

Winner

ACC Automatic Cant Control foil system by AST (54% of votes)

other candidates

G4 Automated Foil Control System by DNA Performance Sailing

Early Take-Off mechanism for IFLY15 by Catamaran Europe Central

Foiling Project Award presented by Persico Marine

Projects still in design phase but not yet in production

Winner

Foiler 39 by Studio ST Yacht (49% of votes)

other candidates

Foiling Proa by Rob Denney

MW680F Monohull Foiler by Marquinez & Wilson

Infinity 56 by Farr Yacht Design

VS40 Inshore Foiler Proposal by D3 Applied Technology

Foiling Production Boat Award

For foiling craft already in production and being sailed

Winner

Figaro 3 by Bénéteau (36% of votes)

other candidates

SuperFoiler by SuperFoiler Grand Prix

TF10 by DNA Performance Sailing

Essentiel by Phantom International

H20 by Bruce Beca

Foiling Green Award

For foiling ideas, inventions, design, initiative that will have a beneficial impact on environment

Winner

SeaBubble, Foiling River-Taxi (52% of votes)

other candidate

SEAir, Foiling RIB

Quotes from the winners:

Peter Burling, Foiling Sailor Award 2017, says in his video message:

“Hi Luca and everyone at the Foiling Week and the foiling community, it is obviously an immense honour to be given this award.
Thanks for all the voters out there, it has been an incredible year pushing the boundaries with the America's Cup with the whole team over there, pushing the boats super hard.
Definitely the improvements we made throughout that cycle were pretty amazing and then to be able to jump on a Moth and have a good bit of fun with so many other people doing the same thing and enjoying foiling around in Lake Garda, was pretty cool as well. Congrats to Goody again for taking that one out.
Well, definitely I think the future looks pretty exciting for foiling, a pretty cool concept for the next cup boat, hopefully other teams will get behind it, I am sure it will be pretty fast and we keep pushing the edge of technology and the edge of the sport. Something that is going to be really cool.
Thanks again for all the votes and have a great evening ”

Thilo Keller, Foiling Innovation Award 2017, on received the prize:

“We believe that the simple and robust solutions are the ones the foiling world is looking for. Winning the Foiling Week Innovation Award does confirm our assumption, that we need to open up foiling to everyone and supply a technique which is easy to use and safe, even for beginners”

Davide Tagliapietra, Foiling Project Award 2017:

“We are very honored to be recognized with this prize. Humbled and thankful that so many voters have recognized the effort. The other nominees presented excellent work and really good ideas. To have the foiler voted to victory among such competition is even more remarkable.
Thank you to them and also to Foiling Week for the opportunity. Davide and Doug”

During the ceremony a presentation on the history of foiling was followed by a round table on the AC75, the new class that will be raced at the 36th Americas Cup.

The audience attending contributed with questions and opinions during the round table. An evening of shared views and novel ideas in pure Foiling Week style.

The president of the Yacht Club Club, Nicolò Reggio, proposed a partnership in the organization of a foiling event during the week of coastal races at the Giraglia Race, a proposal immediately welcomed enthusiastically by Foiling Week team.

The Foiling Week 2018 program starts in a month in Sydney Australia with the first Foiling Week of the year.