SAIL Editor-in-Chief Lydia Mullan has been named as the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA) Young Journalist of the Year. Mullan, who has been with SAIL since 2018, has twice been named the year’s best adventure essayist by Boating Writers International. She was the race commentator for the 2025 Transpac and Marblehead-Halifax races, as well as a 2024 Magenta Project graduate.
Her winning article, A Eulogy for Alliance, was a first-person account of the wreck of the J/122 Alliance during the Newport-Bermuda Race after an impact with an unidentified object and the crew’s subsequent rescue by fellow race competitors. Alliance was over two hundred miles from shore at the time of the collision.
“The article was not only a candid account by Lydia of the events surrounding the loss of Alliance, but also the emotional and mental impact of the loss at sea,” says Katy Stickland, Chairperson of the YJA. The event and article subsequently led to greater discussion within the American racing community about safety at sea and emergency preparedness and response. Alliance was one of three yachts lost in connection with the 2024 Newport-Bermuda race.
“I’m thrilled to be named this year’s Young Journalist of the Year,” says Mullan. “Having taken the helm at SAIL Magazine just a few short months ago—after eight years working with and learning from three other editors in chief before me—it’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by peers in marine journalism with this award.”
The other shortlisted finalists included Annie Means, Loretta Rodriguez, Freya Terry, and Jazz Turner. Means spent the year focusing on environmentalism and equity on the water, starting her own newsletter Maritime Mosaics. Rodriguez uses visual storytelling to invite viewers into the reality of life on the water and her involvement with Scaramouche Sailing Trust. Terry runs a blog called She Sails which offers a unique and personal lens to discuss issues that Terry has faced as a female sailor. Turner became the first woman and first disabled person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the UK and Ireland this year, and she documented the voyage while also raising funds for the Sailability chapter that she founded.
At the awards ceremony, held on Monday at the Watermen’s Hall in London, the YJA also announced a new mentoring scheme aimed at supporting early career marine journalists. They are now accepting applications for prospective mentors or mentees.
Stickland says, “It’s important that we protect the authenticity and trust in yachting journalism and help provide a pathway for future generations to evolve. Members of the Yachting Journalists’ Association have a wealth of knowledge and experience covering all aspects of our industry. Mentoring is the perfect way to pass this on to those starting in their careers, to help ensure yachting journalism continues to grow and develop those who will lead it into the future.”
“My career has been built with the help of so many mentors, teachers, and coaches, without whom I would not be the writer (or person) I am today,” recalled Mullan. “I know just how impactful mentorship can be in the life of a young person, and I’m very grateful to the YJA for their efforts to invest in and celebrate the young journalists in our industry, both with this award and their new mentoring scheme.”
The award was sponsored by Future, the publisher of Practical Boat Owner, Yachting World, Yachting Monthly and Motor Boat and Yachting, and the sailing and outdoor clothing brand Henri-Lloyd.
For more information or to apply to be a mentor or mentee in the new program, visit the YJA website or email chairman Katy Stickland at chair@yja.world.
November 2026
