WORLD windsurfing youth champion Emma Wilson has won the prestigious young sailor of the year award.

The Christchurch teenager headed an impressive shortlist that included under-16 Topper sailing world champion and national Honda RYA youth RIB champion Kamila Czartolomna.

Windsurfer Wilson, who is still only 15-years-old, picked up her award at a gala ceremony held at Trinity House in London on Tuesday.

Wilson’s string of world and European windsurfing title wins last year convinced Yachting Journalists’ Association members that she was a worthy winner.

She won both the under-17 and under-19 world championship titles in Clear-water, USA, last October, to add to her European under-17 win earlier in the year.

“It feels amazing to have won,” said Wilson. “I didn’t think I was going to win the Youth World Windsurfing Championship but everything seemed to come together for me in October.

“It’s really nice to be following in the footsteps of the previous winners and who knows, hopefully I’ll get to go to the Olympics in 2020.”

  •  Seventy-five-year-old Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was named British Yachtsman of the Year.

His achievements last year culminated in an astonishing third-in-class finish in the renowned Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race.

As well as the two main awards, there was also a special lifetime achievement award for Iain Percy, OBE, in recognition of his contribution to the enormously successful Bart’s Bash charity initiative to raise funds for the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation.