Sailing, Yacht Club and Regatta Award Ideas: Categories, Keeper Trophies and What to Engrave
Quick answer: A good regatta prize list rewards more than the winner. Keep the club's perpetual trophy for the main title, give each winner a keeper award they take home, and add categories for line honours, class winners, the most improved sailor, juniors, sportsmanship and the volunteers who run the racing. Engraved brass compasses and sundial compasses suit sailing awards because the compass is the sailor's instrument, and a short engraving (event, year, award, boat) makes each one a record of the day.
This guide is for race committees, yacht club awards secretaries and class associations planning a regatta or a season's prize giving. It covers how perpetual and keeper awards work together, a list of award categories with an engraving line for each, layouts for the engraving itself, and when to start ordering.
Perpetual trophy or keeper award: what is the difference?
A perpetual trophy belongs to the club or the event. The winner's name is added to it, and it stays on display at the club or goes back before the next edition. Clubs can attach conditions to it: the Southern California Yachting Association, for example, makes the recipient responsible for any damage to a perpetual trophy and its repair.
A keeper award is what the winner keeps for good. Because the perpetual piece leaves after a year, the keeper is the object the sailor actually lives with: on a desk, a shelf or a boat's chart table. It is also where you have the most freedom: you can give one to every category winner, not only the overall champion.
Which award categories should a regatta have?
Start with the results-based awards your sailing instructions already produce, then add recognition awards chosen by the race committee or the club. The Southern California Yachting Association, for instance, splits its perpetual awards into two groups, Service and Performance, which is a useful way to make sure people off the water are recognised too.
1. Overall winner (corrected time)
In handicap racing the overall result is decided on corrected time, which adjusts each boat's time for its rating. That is why the first boat home is not always the winner. The overall winner usually receives the perpetual trophy; give the skipper and crew a keeper as well.
Engraving line: [Event name] [year] · Overall Winner · [Boat name]
2. Line honours
Line honours go to the first boat to cross the finish line, the fastest elapsed time, regardless of handicap. It is a separate award from the overall win, so it can have its own keeper.
Engraving line: [Event name] [year] · Line Honours · [Boat name]
3. Class or fleet winners
One keeper per class (and, if you like, for second and third). With several fleets this is the largest group of awards, so a single design with a different engraving line per class keeps the set consistent.
Engraving line: [Event name] [year] · [Class] · 1st Place
4. Most improved sailor
Chosen across a season rather than a single regatta, for the sailor or crew whose results or skills moved furthest. It rewards effort, which matters in club fleets where the same boats win often.
Engraving line: [Club name] · Most Improved Sailor [season]
5. Junior or youth awards
Best junior helm, best youth crew or first race completed. A compass with the young sailor's name and the year marks a first season in a way a medal on a ribbon rarely does.
Engraving line: [Name] · Junior Champion · [Club name] [year]
6. Sportsmanship (Corinthian spirit)
For the sailor or crew who helped a competitor, retired after an honest mistake or simply raced in the right spirit. Choose it by committee vote rather than results, and say in a sentence at the prize giving why it was given.
Engraving line: [Event name] [year] · Sportsmanship Award
7. Volunteer or race officer of the year
Race officers, mark-boat crews, safety boat drivers and the people who run the bar and the results board make every regatta possible. A named keeper award is a lasting thank-you.
Engraving line: With thanks · [Name] · Volunteer of the Year [year]
8. Crew award
For the bowman, trimmer or crew member who never appears in the results list. Let the skippers nominate.
Engraving line: [Club name] · Crew of the Year [season]
9. Furthest travelled
For the boat or sailor who came the longest way to race, a natural fit for a compass. Add the home port to the engraving.
Engraving line: [Event name] [year] · Furthest Travelled · [Home port]
10. Anniversary or centenary edition
For a club anniversary or the 50th edition of a race, one engraved edition for every competitor or member turns the event into a keepsake in its own right.
Engraving line: [Club name] · [Number] Years · [Founding year]–[year]
How should the engraving be laid out?
A compass lid is small, so short lines read best. Three layouts that work for most sailing awards:
- Event first: club burgee or logo at the top, then the event and year, then the award and boat name. Best for a set where every keeper looks the same apart from the last line.
- Award first: the award title in larger letters (for example "Line Honours"), with the event and year below. Best when the award name is the point, such as sportsmanship or volunteer awards.
- Place first: the club's or race course's coordinates as the main line, with the event and year beneath. Best for anniversary editions and for clubs with a well-known home water.
Whatever the layout, keep the boat name exactly as registered, check every winner's name with the results sheet before you send it, and ask to see a proof before anything is engraved.
When should a club order regatta awards?
Work back from the prize giving. Decide the categories when you write the sailing instructions, collect the logo or burgee artwork early, and leave time for a proof, a sample and production before the event. Winners' names are only known after the results, so you have two options: engrave the event, year and award in advance and present the keeper with the winner's name added later, or keep the keepers name-free and put the winners' names on the perpetual trophy.
For a summer season, start in winter or early spring. For an end-of-season dinner, order before the season's last regattas, so the awards are ready on the night.
Working with OakiWay
We make custom engraved brass compasses, sundial compasses and keepsakes for clubs and organizations in any country: your burgee or logo, the event, a date or coordinates, and gift boxes or pouches. Custom engraving starts from 100 units on most products, samples are free, and production typically takes 2–4 weeks after sample approval. Our guide to how a custom brass order works covers the steps; you can request a quote on our wholesale and custom orders page or browse the brass catalog (PDF).
Sailing and regatta award FAQ
What is line honours in sailing?
The award for the first boat to cross the finish line, the fastest elapsed time. In handicap racing the overall winner is decided separately, on corrected time.
What is a keeper trophy?
A smaller award the winner keeps permanently, given alongside a perpetual trophy that stays with the club or event and carries every year's winners.
What can we give volunteers at a regatta?
A named keeper award for a volunteer or race officer of the year, or a small engraved keepsake for every member of the race team, with the event and year.
Can a brass compass award be used for navigation?
Treat it as a keepsake. On board, use the boat's own compass and instruments.
Updated November 2, 2026. Terms as published on our Wholesale and Museum & Heritage pages on November 2, 2026. Sources: Newport Bermuda Race, How to Follow the Results in the 2026 Newport Bermuda Race; Southern California Yachting Association, Perpetual Awards (both checked November 2, 2026).