Since 1972, recipients of the Commodore Paul Bigelow Memorial Award are outstanding individuals, who have shown great sportsmanship and devoted great energy and time to Bellport Bay Yacht Club over a period of years. Officers and Trustees of the club determine the outstanding member whose significant devotion to BBYC maintains and promotes sailing and racing the club. The award originated on September 25, 1960, when on his 97th and final birthday, Paul Bigelow presented binoculars to the Officers of the Club for a “Sailor of the Year Award”, with the stipulation that it be awarded to an outstanding Bellport sailor who competed in a class of at least 6 boats and in at least 6 races. At a May 7, 1961 meeting, the Board of Trustees intended to continue it as an annual award and appointed a committee to design and have cast a bronze sculpted plaque as a memorial to Paul Bigelow in appreciation of his outstanding sportsmanship and devotion to sailing on Great South Bay for a period of more than 50 years. During his life, 1893-1961, Bigelow served as Commodore of the Club from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1933 to 1936. He raced Bee the P Class boat, Pauline an R Class boat, Kittery an AA Class boat, and Gadget and Aim, both Star Class boats. Haste Redall, Commodore at the time, chaired the committee and worked with members Theodore T. Everitt, Robert B. Lea, William Hanaway, and Dr. Merrill N. Foote to dedicate the plaque in 1961.
2018 Karen Maust
2011 Julio Morales
2008 Edmund G. Laviano
1996 Lawrence N. Deering
1996 John W. Everitt
1991 David D. McChesney
1987 Ralph B. Maust
1984 Alastair Anderson
1978 Nancy Tibbs Ljungqvist
1975 Marie Louise McChesney
1972 Lispenard Suydam
1970 Malcolm J. Fleming
1969 Joseph M. Hendrie
1968 Harvey McChesney, Jr.
1967 Peter Paige
1965 Robert B. Lea
1964 H. Hastings Redall
1962 Theodore T. Everitt
1961 Dr. Merrill Foote
1960 Charles R. Dominy