WORLD'S FAVOURITE YACHTING BAR
"Each year, the crew at Wight Vodka run one of the most important contests the world over (in our humble opinion). We ask our yachting fraternity to vote for their favourite bar, and we’re thrilled with the submissions that immortalize the best haunts and hideaways. A few submissions that still give us good laughs are:
‘This place is known as the drinking bar with a yachting problem,’ and ‘You never know if you’re going to see someone in a wedding dress or a swim suit,’ followed by ‘Oh…it's where I met both my husbands.’"
2021 WINNER
The King & Queen, Hamble, United Kingdom
From Janet Bradley, the owner: "OMG!!!! I didn’t know the competition had finished …It’s such amazing news after such a tough time! We were still closed last week due to Covid. I’ll throw an impromptu staff party at 6 this evening and take some photos; they will be so pleased …I’ll call them in for a meeting!"
Runners Up:
The Crab Shell in Connecticut & The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
2020 WINNER
The Soggy Dollar, British Virgin Islands
"Warm breezes, sunny days, beautiful Caribbean water and a Soggy Dollar Painkiller in my hand melts every care away in an instant. This is the absolute home of fun."
Runners Up:
Anywhere that was open and 'Covid-Safe' throughout the pandemic
2019 WINNER
Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, Bermuda
"The camaraderie, the competitions and the cocktails at the Royal Hamilton are second to none. If you ever find yourself in the middle of the Atlantic and in need of a Wight Vodka Tonic, this is the place!"
Runners Up:
Foxy's Tamarind Bar on Jost Van Dyke & The King & Queen in Hamble, United Kingdom
2018 WINNER
Cloggy's, at the Antigua Yacht Club (where else but Antigua, of course)
"Other than the awesome hospitality of Ton & Vanessa, Cloggy’s is best known for their signature drink: The Cloggy’s Delight: Wight Vodka, elderflower liqueur, prosecco, fresh mint, raspberries a dash of soda water. After the third cocktail your stories will get more animated!"
Runners Up:
The Candy Store in Newport, RI, & The Willy T in the BVI
2017 WINNER(S)
Pensacola Yacht Club, Florida, USA and the
St. Thomas Yacht Club, St. Thomas, USVI
"Due to the hurricane storms that severely impacted the Caribbean, 2017 was the first year to offer two awards to better recognize the tremendous outposts that serve sailors in the island regions."
Runners Up:
Foxy’s in the BVI & Clarke Cooke House, Newport, RI
2016 WINNER
The Pewaukee Yacht Club, Wisconsin, USA
"Located in the heart of Wisconsin’s lake country, in the land of Snow and Iceboating, with the DNA of Harken and Melges (and Scuttlebutt), this proud Midwest territory now has the 2016 Favorite Yachting Bar to embrace."
Runners Up: Rochester Yacht Club, New York, USA, & the Windward Mark at the Bitter End Yacht Club, BVI
2015 WINNER(S)
The Pier View, Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom &
Pwllheli Sailing Club, Wales
"You can step into the bar with all your gear and Wellies on, your Leatherman still on your belt and feel absolutely normal."
Runners Up:
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club & the Little Ship Club in London
2014 WINNER
The King & Queen, Hamble, United Kingdom
“Enjoyed my first Wight Vodka martini here. And my second…and my third. The next day someone gave the sage advice ‘One martini, two martini, three martini, FLOOR!’."
Runners Up:
The Pier View, Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom & the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
2013 WINNER
One Bar, Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Spain
"Es mi bar! TODO, en especial Claudia! The very best Gin & Tonics and Wight Vodka Martinis served by Claudia, the Queen of all the Atlantic Crossers!"
Runners Up:
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club & The Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis, Maryland, USA
2012 WINNER
Sint Maarten Yacht Club, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Dutch Caribbean
"There's nothing like sitting at the bar and watching the world go by. The cocktails are superb. The conversation gets livelier and livelier as the evening wears on. And the party doesn't start until at least 4am!"
Runners Up:
NAVI Bar, Glucksburg, Germany & One Bar, Playa Blanca
2011 WINNER
IYAC, Newport, Rhode Island, USA
"For those who have had the pleasure of spinning a few tales here, this place is known as the drinking bar with a yachting problem."
Runners Up:
Bitter End Yacht Club, British Virgin Islands, & the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, Pattaya, Thailand
2010 WINNER
The Soggy Dollar, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
"No better place on earth. And indeed the birthplace of the Painkiller cocktail, the Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke, BVI derives its name from the yachtsmen & women who swim ashore to imbibe in food, drink and conversation, paying with wet dollar bills pulled from their pockets."
Runners Up:
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club & The Dog Watch in Connecticut, USA
2009 WINNER
Peter Café Sport, Faial, The Azores
“To a sailor, the ‘best sailor’s bar’ is quite obvious – she has no peer in the Atlantic, or, it can be argued, any place else on earth. It has history and tradition, it is not easy to get to, and once within its walls there is a rare camaraderie that permeates this hallowed berth."
Runners Up:
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club & IYAC in Newport, Rhode Island, USA