The Irish Cruiser Racing Association is the Mitsubishi Motors/Irish Independent Sailing Club of the Year for 2011, with the members recording remarkable achievements both locally and internationally.The award was celebrated in style last night in Dun Laoghaire. Scroll down for photos.
Commodore Barry Rose received the Ship's Wheel trophy tonight from Frank A. Keane, Chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Ireland, at a reception in the Royal St. George Yacht Club, which itself played a significant part in what was a remarkable year for the ICRA.
In the more than three decades of the Sailing Club of the Year award, no organisation as young as seven years-old has ever won the title. Yet, this nimble and hands-on organisation, formed in 2003 to represent and promote the Cruiser Racing sector in Ireland, managed to eclipse the more than Irish 120 clubs eligible for the award.
William Nixon of Afloat and the Irish Independent (second from left) and Frank Keane of Mitubishi Motors (centre) present ICRA's Denis Kiely (left), Commodore Barry Rose and Fintan Cairns (right) with the Ships wheel trophy last night. Photo: Gareth Craig. Scroll down for more photos.
As an organisation run by sailor for sailors, 2010 saw the energetic membership of the ICRA achieve great success. In May, with the Royal St George Yacht Club Committee under ISA Volunteer of the year Brian Craig, they hosted a magnificent ICRA National Championships with a record entry of nearly 130 boats.
Following this, an ICRA selected and supported Irish Sailing team achieved victory at the highest level in the Solent, winning the Commodores Cup for the first time for Ireland. Having participated in this event for thirty years, this was a historic and proud achievement for Irish Sailing and the Irish Cruiser Racing Association.
If that wasn't enough, the ICRA continued to work tirelessly in co-ordinating the race handicapping systems in both IRC and Echo, while also organizing the annual conference.
The Irish Cruiser Racing Association is the 32nd recipient of the award, which was devised to honour and encourage the efforts of sailing clubs and associations nationwide.
