Morris M52 and M29 Nominated for 2010 Boat of the Year

The new sailboat models were examined by special nominating panels, consisting of each magazine’s editors and select members of the judging panels.

Sailing World nominated 15 performance-oriented models for its awards: Beneteau First 40, Corsair Dash 750, CW Hood 32, Eko 6.50, J Boats J/95, J Boats J/97, K650, The Landing School – 30, M65, Morris M29, Sensei 9M, Summit 35, Rustler 24, Topaz Race X and Weta 4.4m.

Cruising World nominated 20 boats, split into five categories:
Weekender: Corsair Dash 750; J/95; Morris M29; Sensei 9M
Premium Cruiser, 50 feet and over: Morris M52; Tayana Annapolis 64; Passport Vista 615; Oyster 655; Jeanneau 57

Cuyler Morris put the both boats through her paces for the teams of judges from both magazines last Tuesday following the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD. The Cruising World judges will focus on the boats lay out for coastal and offshore cruising and voyaging, while judges on the Sailing World panel will concentrate on boats designed and built with racing in mind.

Morris Yachts has won the Boat of the Year Award four time. In 2007 for the M42; the Morris 42 took home the award in 2006; the Morris 38 won in 1998 and the Morris 46 won in 1994. Boats must be available for testing in Annapolis following the US Sailboat Shows in the same model year they are launched. This criteria has eliminated the other models from qualifying.

The 2010 BOTY winners will be announced in the January issue of Cruising World and the January/February issue of Sailing World – both set to hit newsstands in mid-December. The 2010 awards mark the 26th anniversary of the BOTY awards for Sailing World and the 17th for Cruising World.

(source: Morris Yachts)