Following the success of last year’s event here at Skandia Cowes Week the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA) hosted a grand dinner at The Prospect – the Sir Max Aitken Museum in celebration of 180 years of Cowes Week, last night.

Journalists from the major national newspapers, magazines and websites, radio and TV broadcasters, photographers rubbed shoulders with the good and the great within the sport, including several former Yachtsmen the Year winners who are chosen by the YJA each season. These included triple winner Ben Ainslie taking time off his Emirates Team New Zealand America’s Cup campaign, veteran match race sailor Harold Cudmore, and Olympic Gold medallists Iain McDonald Smith, Mike McIntyre and Iain Percy.

Other notable guests included round the world sailors Mike Golding, Brian Thompson and Dee Caffari, plus Offshore Challenge’s Mark Turner, and two-time Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year, Nick Thompson – one of Britain’s hottest prospects at the next Olympics in Beijing.

Bob Fisher, Chairman of the YJA, gave special thanks to Tim Sewell, the sponsorship director of Skandia, who together with Champagne Mumm, Raymarine and Peroni made the evening possible. “I well remember the special dinners that Max Aitken hosted in this same room during previous Cowes Weeks, and think if he was looking down on us tonight, he would approve of this one too!”