Lyndall Patterson inducted into Australian Sailing Hall of Fame: + Stacey Jackson is 2026 Female Sailor of the Year
Lyndall Patterson Nee Coxon | 2026 Australian Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee: Announced at Australian Sailing National Awards, Held Friday October 30, 2026.
Five decades. Six world titles. One unstoppable competitor. Lyndall Patterson, a trailblazer in women’s sailing whose passion for racing has never faded. From her first Australian title at just 11 years old to winning the inaugural Women’s World Championship in 1977 and 1978, Lyndall has spent nearly five decades pushing boundaries and chasing the win. Her incredible journey has continued across generations, with world titles, podium finishes and a recent victory in the Great Grand Masters women’s division in Athens.
At every stage, Lyndall has shown that true champions never stop competing. Six world titles across five decades. A remarkable legacy on the water.
Whether competing overseas, interstate, or locally on Pittwater, Lyndall is a role model for club sailors, showing where the sport can take you and that it is a for-life sport of leisure.
Congratulations, Lyndall, on being inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame.
Dr Lyndall Patterson grew up on Sydney’s north shore and began sailing with her younger brother, Michael Coxon, an accomplished sailor and Sydney-to Hobart racer, at the Hunters Hill junior sailing club. At age 11, she won her first Australian title in a sabot dinghy at Gosford in 1966. In 1977, she won the inaugural World Women’s Sailing Championship.
Lyndall was Australian Yachtswoman of the Year in 2010-2011 and was also the winner of the 2010 Laser Grand Master Worlds sailed at Hayling Island, UK.
The wins have kept coming including at the 2026 ILCA 6 Masters World Championship in Athens, Greece, securing podium finishes against some of the world’s best masters sailors.
Hosted by the Nautical Club of Kalamaki from 30 May to 7 June, the championship attracted more than 400 competitors from around 40 nations, racing on the waters of the Saronic Gulf.
Congratulations Lyndall - everyone here is absolutely thrilled - with many 'well deserved!' comments coming in.
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's Lyndall Patterson was also a Finalist in the Female Sailor of the Year category, which went to another lady associated with the RPAYC this year - Stacey Jackson, a fairly regular part of sailing on all classes of yachts with Pittwater's own Katie Spithill.
Female Sailor of the Year: Stacey Jackson
Stacey Jackson and Matt Wearn OAM OLY were named Female and Male Sailor of the Year, respectively, at the 2026 Australian Sailing Awards in Sydney on Friday night, with Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club making history as the first club to win back-to-back Club of the Year – Category A awards.
It was a landmark year for women’s sailing globally, with two finalists making history this past year. Ms Jackson took out the Female Sailor of the Year award ahead of Jiang Lin, who became the first woman to skipper an overall winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, and 2025 Australian Female Sailor of the Year Zoe Thomson OLY.
Jackson made sailing history as part of the first all-female crew to complete a non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe in pursuit of the Jules Verne Trophy. The crew completed the race in 57 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes, making Jackson the fastest Australian to sail non-stop around the world.
Stacey Jackson. Photo Credit: David Hossack
Reflecting on an extraordinary year and her first Female Sailor of the Year award, the Queenslander said:
“It’s a huge achievement for me to finally win the award. I’ve been a finalist before, but to get the recognition for my offshore sailing, in particular competing in the Jules Verne Trophy, I’m hugely proud of it. I’m also so happy to have the discipline of offshore sailing promoted on a national level.”
Western Australian Matt Wearn OAM OLY claimed Australian Male Sailor of the Year honours for a fourth time, following an outstanding return to ILCA sailing. Wearn enjoyed a dominant season, winning three Sailing Grand Slam events and securing his seventh Australian National Championship title.
“It’s been great getting back into the ILCA,” said Wearn. “Having eighteen months away from it after Paris gave me the perspective I needed to come back into the Olympic world.”
Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club was named Club of the Year – Category B, following an impressive 30 per cent increase in membership.
The SheSails Award also saw a back-to-back winner, with the South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta recognised for continuing to build momentum in women’s participation and racing.
Tasmanian Emma Hooper was named Volunteer of the Year in recognition of her outstanding commitment to sailing at Sandy Bay Sailing Club, as well as her contributions to the Cadet Class at both national and international levels. Like the thousands of other volunteers at sailing clubs around Australia, Hooper gives her time to ensure others can experience the joy the sport can bring.
“I get involved with grassroots sailing because I’ve had a fantastic experience growing up as a young sailor and I want to pass on that love of sailing to the next generation. Sandy Bay is a club overwhelmingly made up of volunteers, so I feel like this trophy might have my name on it, but it really belongs to all the other volunteers.”
Australian Sailing extends its sincere congratulations to all 2026 Australian Sailing Awards recipients and thanks all finalists for their significant contributions to the sport and the broader Australian sailing community.
The Australian Sailing Hall of Fame (ASHoF) was established In 2017 to recognise the greats of the sport, those who have achieved at the highest level and contributed to make sailing what it is today. The Hall of Fame showcases the inductees, their achievements and impact.
The ASHoF acknowledges exceptional performance and contribution at the highest level, by an individual or a team, both past and present, and covers all disciplines of the sport, including those in supporting roles such as coaches and designers.
2026 Australian Sailing Award Winners:
- Female Sailor of the Year - Stacey Jackson (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, QLD)
- Male Sailor of the Year - Matt Wearn OAM OLY (Royal Perth Yacht Club/Fremantle Sailing Club/Australian Sailing Team, WA)
- Team of the Year - Kairos Racing (Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, NSW/ACT)
- Para Sailor of the Year - Genevieve Wickham (Royal Perth Yacht Club, WA)
- Noakes Group Male Youth Sailor of the Year - Rory Meehan (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron/Australian Sailing Squad, QLD)
- Noakes Group Female Youth Sailor of the Year - Mia Austin and Zara Marks (Woollahra Sailing Club, NSW/ACT)
- Coach of the Year - Rafael Trujillo OLY (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron/Australian Sailing Team, QLD)
- Club of the Year - Category A - Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA)
- Club of the Year - Category B - Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club (SA)
- Innovation Award - Southport Yacht Club – Summer on the Lake (Southport Yacht Club, QLD)
- Instructor of the Year – Ian Fox (Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, VIC)
- Official of the Year - Malcolm Hughes (Adelaide Sailing Club, SA)
- SheSails Award - South Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta (Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, SA)
- Sport Professional Award - Greg Rowlings (Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, TAS)
- Sport Promotion Award - Sail Port Stephens (Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, NSW/ACT)
- Volunteer of the Year - Emma Hooper (Sandy Bay Sailing Club, TAS)
There were a number of local Finalists for this awards who won their category in the NSW/ACT Awards announced September 19, including the outstanding boat-building program for younger sailors initiative out of BYRA.
For more, visit: NSW-ACT Sailing Awards 2026 Winners: BYRA's Boatbuilding Program Wins Innovation Award