Belcher, who scooped the Male Sailor of the Year award in 2013, has been nominated alongside compatriot Will Ryan after the pair dominated the men's 470 class this season, finishing on the podium at every major regatta they have competed at.

They claimed gold at the Open European Championships in Athens in July and followed that up by retaining their title at the World Sailing Championships in the Spanish port city of Santander last month which was a fifth world crown in-a-row for Belcher, who partnered Malcolm Page to Olympic gold at London 2012.

Joining the Aussie duo on the shortlist for the Male Sailor of the Year is compatriot Spithill alongside New Zealand pair Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, Great Britain's Giles Scott and Bill Hardesty of the United States.

Spithill led his team to one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history as his Oracle Team USA clawed back an 8-1 deficit to Emirates Team New Zealand to retain the America's Cup crown 9-8 in a dramatic last gasp winner-takes-all race in San Francisco Bay last September.

James Spithill celebrates retaining the America's Cup in San Francisco last September ©Getty Images



The victory, helped in no small part by the tactical nous of former World Sailor of the Year winner and four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie of Great Britain, was Spithill's second successive win after he became the youngest skipper in history to lead his team to victory in Valencia, Spain in 2010.

Burling and Tuke put together a run of 11 consecutive regatta victories in the 49er class, which included two World Championship titles in Marseille in 2013 and Santander last month, as well as a European crown in Helsinki.

Hardesty was tactician on-board Ninkasi at the 2013 Melges 20 World Championship in Florida, where he claimed the class' first world title before being at the helm on Line Honors as he guided the team to glory at the 2014 Etchells World Championships in New York.

Scott has been head and shoulders above the Finn fleet picking up seven consecutive regatta victories that saw him become world and European champion.

"It's very flattering to be named alongside some amazing sailors in the awards shortlist," said Scott, who claimed world gold in Santander following his European Championships victory in La Rochelle, France.

"It would be a huge honour for my name to appear on the trophy alongside some legends of our sport, but it'll be a tough call to choose between such different sailors who have all done amazing things within their own disciplines."

Briton Giles Scott dominated the Finn class this year, winning world and European titles ©Getty Images



Scott's compatriot Steph Bridge is one of four sailors shortlisted for the female award.

Bridge sealed her fourth world title by leading from start to finish at the Formula Kite Racing World Championships in Burc Beach, Turkey, winning six races.

At the eighth time of asking, Frenchwoman Charline Picon was finally crowned RS:X world champion after powering to victory in Santander with a staggering 40 points to spare on her nearest rival.

That followed European Championship success in Cesme, Turkey, in July.

Completing the nominees for the Female Sailor of the Year are Brazilian duo Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, who will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of New Zealand's Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie who picked up the award last year.

Charline Picon of France claimed her first world crown with victory in Santander last month ©Getty Images



Grael and Kunze ended a dominant season, which saw them secure victories at ISAF Sailing World Cups in Mallorca and Hyères, by winning a first world title in the 49erFX class in Santander.

The overall winners in both categories will be chosen following a vote by the 140 ISAF member nations.

The winners, who will be presented with the marble and silver globe trophy, crowned with five silver spinnakers representing the continents, and a Rolex timepiece, are due to be announced at an awards dinner on November 4 in the Spanish city of Palma de Mallorca - the host for this year's ISAF Annual Conference, which is scheduled for November 1 to 8.

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