Blackwater Sailing Club's Charlie Dixon has been crowned Young Sailor of the Year!

Charlie, from Maldon, won the prestigious Yachting Journalists' Association title on 25 February 2023 and was presented with an enormous trophy at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show at Farnborough International Exhibition Centre.

He won the award a day after he turned 18 and only weeks after he was named Windsurfer of the Year by the UK Windsurfing Association.

Charlie had a fantastic 2022, finishing the year Youth National IQFoil Champion, iQFoil Youth European Champion, iQFoil International Games Gold Medallist, iQFoil World Champion and World Sailing Official Youth World Champion.

Charlie (second from right) with the trophy. Photo: RYA

Blackwater Sailing Club was also named East Region Finalist in the Club of the Year 2023, an award from the RYA and Sailing Today with Yachts and Yachting Magazine to recognise and celebrate the hard work that goes into making the UK's 1,000 clubs successful. 

Nigel Butler, Club Commodore from 2020 to 2022, collecting the Club of the Year East Region Finalist award. Photo: RYA

Charlie said of the Club: “The Blackwater is a great place for windsurfing and a place I love to call home. It provides flat water no matter the wind strength and a massive area for flying around. It can be sailed in any wind direction and it never disappoints.

“I am lucky enough to be able to windsurf all over the world for events and training but I still love to come home and love to come back to the river - on its best day nothing compares to it!”

Charlie now has his sights set on the Paris Olympics 2024 and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and is training regularly with the British Sailing Team in Weymouth.

Photo: Sailing Energy

If you would like to support Charlie’s Olympic campaign you can donate on his Crowdfunding page