In 1998 Larsen was part of Bruno Peyron's crew on Explorer as they broke the Trans-Pacific and in 2002 joined Maiden II for a record breaking campaign. Cross-Channel, Round Britain and Ireland and the outright 24-hour-record, with Larsen as watch-leader, all fell.

Chasing records has consumed Larsen in his desire to go ever faster. With dreams of sailing the fastest boat on the planet the journey began in 2002.

Eleven years of designing, testing and perfecting a highly unique craft to not only beat the competition but also the restraints of physics in sailing came to a climax in November. 2012.

59.23 knots was followed by 59.37 knots before the 60 knot barrier was broken. On 24 November Larsen smashed the record for a final time with a 65.45 knot run; 10 knots faster than the previous record of 55.65 knots set by Kiteboarder Rob Douglas in 2010.
At the same time the Nautical Mile record was blitzed with a speed of 55.32 knots breaking Alain Thebault's Hydroptère record of 50.17 knots set in Hyères, France in November 2009.

Joining Larsen as a male nominee for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2013 are Mathew Belcher (AUS), Francois Gabart (FRA), Johnny Heineken (USA) and Ian Williams (GBR).

View Paul Larsen's ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Nominee Page.

View a photo gallery.

The Voting
The winners are selected by the ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), the national governing bodies for sailing around the world. The MNAs are now invited to vote for the male and female nominee they believe most deserves the Award.

The winners will be announced at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards presentation and dinner, taking place on Tuesday 12 November 2013. The venue for the event will be at the El Bander Hotel, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

Each winner will be presented with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Trophy and a distinctive Rolex timepiece.