RYA President the Princess Royal crowned Robert Queen from Livingstone Scotland the 2007 Yachtmaster of the Year at the Collins Stewart London Boat Show yesterday.
“I'm over the moon, it's unbelievable. I couldn't imagine winning this award in my wildest dreams. It was a complete surprise, which made it even more special for me.” Said Mr Queen.
“When I went on the course I knew nothing about the Yachtmaster of the Year Award, so it wasn't something I was striving for, I just wanted to get better qualified so I could pursue a career in the yachting world. I'm hoping this accolade will open a few doors for me!”
The RYA Yachtmaster of the Year trophy, donated by the Royal Institute of Navigation, is awarded to a student who has excelled in their practical Yachtmaster exam over the year.
The winner of the award must possess outstanding skills and knowledge as a skipper and will have demonstrated their expertise and experience during their exam. 2007's top exam candidates are nominated for the award by the RYA's international team of over 420 Yachtmaster examiners.
Mr Queen went on an eight-week intensive training course at Performance Yachting in Plymouth before he was nominated for the award by Yachtmaster examiner John Morris.
“Robert is an outstanding skipper, and I have examined one or two! I was particularly impressed with the way he was able to combine his natural skippering ability, managing his crew very confidently, with his excellent sailing skills. It's not often I have the pleasure of examining a candidate with such ability,” said Mr Morris.
Mr Queen learned to sail at Linlithgow's Outdoor Education Centre at the age of 14, and has since raced and cruised all over Scotland, competing in many of Scotland's top sailing events both on the east and west coasts.
The RYA Yachtmaster qualification is recognised and respected throughout the world and is the most widely used skipper's certificate. A commercial endorsement can be added to the Yachtmaster qualification enabling the holder to skipper a boat commercially.
Mr Queen was selected from almost 2500 Yachtmaster candidates who took their practical exams in 2007. As well as receiving the coveted trophy, Mr Queen was awarded £500 worth of clothing vouchers from award sponsor Gul.
