RYA Yachtmaster of the Year 2026 Announced - Tom Stierle

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has named Tom Stierle as the recipient of the RYA Yachtmaster of the Year 2025 award, announced during a ceremony at the Southampton International Boat Show on Friday, 18 September. The 56-year-old surgeon from Switzerland received the RYA Yachtmaster Trophy from British yachtsman Mike Golding OBE. Stierle was selected from thousands of sailors earning the RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence each year, based on nominations from the RYA’s Yachtmaster Examiners worldwide. Born in Stuttgart and now near Basel, he progressed through RYA courses across Scotland, Wales and the Solent, including advanced preparation during a three-month sabbatical working as a humanitarian surgeon aboard a hospital ship.