Tonight at 6.30 pm, Afloat along with Irish Sailing in an 'online ceremony' will be revealing the 2019 winner of the Sailor of the Year award. Selected from a shortlist of sailors who have already earned monthly awards, the Irish Sailing/Afloat Irish Sailor of the Year Award will be profiled on Afloat. 

The annual battle for Sailor of the Year is drawn from an impressive list which includes young sailors like Harry Durcan, James Dwyer Matthews and siblings Eve and Jamie McMahon who have shown impressive form throughout 2019; offshore champion Paul O’Higgins who has won the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race two years in a row; Cork’s Anthony O’Leary representing Ireland in keelboats internationally; school and university captains Lucy McCutcheon, Mark Hassett and Jack Fahy showing the young talent in team racing; windsurfer Oisin van Gelderen who continues to break speed records, alongside those who have dedicated their lives to sailing – like Pierce Purcell of Galway who was a founder of Galway Bay Sailing Club, Gary MacMahon who lead a 20-year project to repatriate and restore the wooden ketch “Ilen” now used for community-based education and sailing projects, and Cormac MacDonncha who organised the Galway-Lorient Cruise in Company.

For a full review of the 2019 Sailors of the Month read W M Nixon here.

Update at 6.30pm: Congratulations to Paul O’Higgins, Irish Sailor of the Year.  Click to read a profile of the winner by W M Nixon here.

Saturday 21 March is the date for Irish Sailing’s 2020 National Conference, AGM and Irish Sailing Awards at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.

This year the governing body is bringing all aspects of sailing here under one roof, with a choice of three conferences taking place simultaneously throughout the day.

Firstly, the Race Management and Support Conference will cover the promotion of racing, policies and race management training. It is open to anyone involved in events, not just race officials.

Meanwhile, the Training Conference has sessions that include preparing for the sailing season, developing instructors, improving standards and making the most of the Irish Sailing Passport. This conference is open to all training management, volunteers and instructors.

And all club management and volunteers are invited to the Club Symposium, for the sharing of ideas to promote sailing and with sessions on sustainability, inclusion and diversity, grant applications, bursaries, and new programmes from Irish Sailing.

Following the conferences, Irish Sailing’s AGM will take place at the Martello Suite, which in turn will be followed by a reception and the Irish Sailing Awards — decided from Afloat.ie’s Sailors of the Month in 2019 — in the Carlisle Suite.

Booking for each conference and for the Irish Sailing Awards is now available online, and special rates have been arranged at local hotels for those who wish to make a night of it.

The Irish sailing and boating season seems to get longer and more complex with every passing year, yet the vast majority of us would like it all to happen on days of floating summery perfection, with the ideal weight of breeze for the boat type we prefer. But those days of idyllic waterborne sport are sought within the tightening timeframe of modern life which – in 2019 – led to the “Seven Week Scrunch” between late May and mid-July, during which half a dozen major events of wide interest were staged, with some of them barely done and dusted before the next one was shaping up.

Somehow we all survived it, and with boat numbers showing healthy levels in most regattas and other majors, the national enthusiasm for sailing has largely been maintained, despite it being a summer of decidedly volatile weather.

But the weather in Ireland is only part of the story, as our sailors are competing abroad all over the globe in increasing numbers. Thus in making their monthly assessments, the adjudicators in the Sailors of the Month awards have to balance between Corinthian sailors who live more in the moment, and the long-term full-timers who aspire to the Olympics and other major challenges on the professional circuit.

In such complex circumstances, the still-extant traditional structure of Irish sailing is a blessing, as the big summertime successes at home by amateur sailors can be immediately acknowledged and celebrated, while a major professional breakthrough of lasting significance can be highlighted at a time when things are quieter on the domestic front. For although going afloat is seasonal for many, interest in sailing news - and preferably good news for Irish sailors at that – is very much a year-round affair.

And each year develops a unique character. 2019 had a vigorous life of its own, but it was also sailed in the knowledge that the buildup to the 2020 Olympics in Japan is increasing in intensity, while at home, 2020 will bring the Tricentenary of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the 40th Anniversary staging of the biennial Round Ireland Race, and many other major events including two world championships.

We may look forward to 2020. But for now, we focus on the sailors who have emerged as the crème de la crème from the diversity of 2019, and the Sailor of the Year will be presented at a ceremony in Dun Laoghaire on March 21st 2020.

A new year of sailing gets underway in January with a new inter-schools trophy, the Shanahan Cup, donated by 2015 Sailor of the Year Liam Shanahan. He seen here fourth from right with the winning Gonzaga College Team at the hosting Irish National Sailing Club, part of the INSS in Dun Laoghaire

JANUARY

Jack Fahy

With his captaining of the successful Gonzaga College team in the inaugural Shanahan Cup raced at the Irish National Sailing School on January 16th, noted junior sailor Jack Fahy became the Afloat.ie “Sailor of the Month” for January 2019. Competing against eight other top school teams, the Gonzaga squad including Andrew Conan, Henry Higgins, Finn Cleary, Tom Higgins and Con Murphy put in a convincing performance under the race direction of team racing guru Vincent Delany to become the first winners of a cup donated by the 2015 “ Sailor of the Year” Liam Shanahan. 

JANUARY

Pierce Purcell (Services to Sailing)

When Pierce Purcell of Galway officially retired from the marine business on the 31st January, it didn’t end his association with boats, the sea and sailing. Almost his entire life has been devoted to helping others get afloat, and with “retirement”, sailing plans have been already mapped out, and there is no doubt that he will be continuing to extend a helping hand to fellow enthusiasts for many years yet.

In 1970 he was a founder (and later Commodore) of Galway Bay Sailing Club. He also established Galway Sailing Centre in 1973 as a training establishment, he ran a boat sales and marine equipment centre where everything was sold with the most useful advice and encouragement, he was awarded the Irish Sailing Association “Volunteer of the Year” accolade in 2009, in 2011 he became a Vice Commodore of the Cruising Association of Ireland, and from 2012 to 2016 he served on the Board of Directors of Irish Sailing.

Pierce Purcell has been central to the development of Galway Bay sailing for more than fifty yearsDonal Walsh of Dungarvan successfully dealt with some decidedly rugged weather during his accomplished award-winning cruise to seven countries in northwest Europe.

FEBRUARY

Donal Walsh (Cruising)

Cruising and its organisations move at their own serene speed, and when Donal Walsh of Dungarvan received Irish Cruising’s supreme trophy - the Faulkner Cup - in February, it was recognition by his peers of an outstanding achievement made in the summer of 2018. Sailing the Ovni 385 Lady Belle and crewed throughout by Clare Morrissey, with others on board from time to time, Donal Walsh made a seamanlike odyssey of 80 days and 3,450 miles to seven countries in northwest Europe.

FEBRUARY

Rob & Peter O'Leary

The Crosshaven brothers were celebrated for their Bronze Medals at the talent-studded Star Junior Worlds in Florida in the first week of February. The unique attraction of the International Star draws in a substantial fleet of world-class sailors from many disciplines, and the fluctuations in placings can be unnerving. However, with a strong finish the brothers not only kept themselves in the frame, but they moved into the medals to collect the Bronze while they were at it.

Racing an International Star at world level is a unique challenge, but Royal Cork’s Rob and Peter O’Leary are very much up for it

MARCH

Harry Durcan

It was Cork crews all the way in the intensely-fought final in the two-day Student Keelboat Nationals in the J/80s at Howth in the last weekend of March. But in the end victory was taken by Cork Institute of Technology helmed in style by Harry Durcan. That said, the final margin over University College Cork may only have been one point, yet CIT were not only Irish keelboat champions 2019, but they then became the Irish team in the US Open College Invitationals in California, and took the Bronze in a very high-powered series. Next up for the same team is the European Student Championship in France in March 2020.

The Cork Institute of Technology team helmed by Harry Durcan at the US Intervarsity Invitationals 2019 in California, when they took the Bronze Medal

James Dwyer Matthews in command in brisk conditions at Howth, on his way to his second major victory of the year in August, when he added the Irish Open Optimist title to his win in the British Spring Opens in March

MARCH

James Dwyer Matthews (Junior)

Fifteen-year-old James Dwyer Matthews, who registers as both Kinsale and Crosshaven, was to reach his 2019 peak in August when he won the Irish Open Optimist Nationals at Howth from a fleet of 185 boats from eleven nations. But he had already put down a formidable award-winning marker in March by carrying off the overall win in the British Spring Opens with its fleet of 155 in Lymington to inspire a formidable 28-strong Irish campaign, making him a clear winner of the Afloat.ie Sailor of the Month Junior Title. The August success in Ireland was the icing on the cake.

The UCD team (captain Lucy McCutcheon third right) in celebratory mood at Lough Key in Marc

MARCH

Lucy McCutcheon (Team Racing)

Lucy McCutcheon, Commodore and Team Sailing Captain of University College Dublin SC, became the Afloat.ie “Sailor of the Month (Team Racing) for March after her squad’s victory in very close racing in the Irish Universities Team Championship staged at Lough Key off the Upper Shannon March 9th & 10th.

The organisers for 2019 at this unusual but very attractive venue were Dublin University SC. But in a nail-biting final with UCD, they were bested by their longtime rivals, and while it was very much a team success, we follow established precedent in awarding the SoM accolade to the UCD Captain, her team being Jack Higgins, Patrick Cahill, Daniel Raymond, Alanna Lyttle and Katie Cassidy. 

White-water sailing….April winner Jamie McMahon in action. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

APRIL

Jamie McMahon (Junior)

Jamie McMahon (Howth YC), put in a convincing performance at the Irish Youth Sailing Championships at Royal Cork YC in the final weekend of April to emerge as Laser Radial overall champion, seeing off some determined challenges from a fleet of 27 from all over the country in a championship contested in decidedly unsettled weather patterns to make him one of two Junior Sailors of the Month from the same family for April.

APRIL

Eve McMahon (Junior)

Eve McMahon was to achieve her personal best for 2019 in July by winning the Gold in the Under 17 Division in the Laser Youth Worlds in Canada. But she was already among the title holders from the Irish Junior Championship at Crosshaven in April, when the then 15-year-old was very much in improvement mode as the series progressed, notching three fourth places to finish at fifth overall. This made her winner of the girls’ division by five clear points, and thus well entitled to bring the McMahons a second Junior Sailor of the Month accolade for April.

Eve McMahon’s emergence as top girl sailor in the Laser Radials at the Irish Youth Nationals in April was only the beginning – in July she went on to take U17 Gold at the Laser Youth Worlds in Canada

Solo campaigner Finn Lynch has muscled up with numerous contests and training worldwide

APRIL

Finn Lynch (Olympic)

Dedicated Olympic solo sailor Finn Lynch (National YC) was “Sailor of the Month” for April on the strength of his closely-focused campaign towards qualifying for the 2020 Olympics. In three major international regattas during the first part of the year he always concluded with an overall placing within the top ten, and in the most recent event at Genoa he was overall leader at one stage, and a slight turn of fortune would have seen him in the medals. His solid performance has moved him up to 15th in the world rankings.

Birthday boy. Andrew Craig with the trophy for the overall winner of the Scottish Series. When he was declared Sailor of the Month for May on June 1st, it turned out this was his birthday.

MAY

Andrew Craig

Andrew Craig of Dun Laoghaire’s very clearcut overall win with his J/109 Chimaera in the Scottish Series, incorporating the Scottish IRC Championship 2019, was a superb demonstration of boat and logistics management, personnel selection, and good old-fashioned sailing skills at the sometimes very flukey venue off Tarbert on Loch Fyne.

It can take a crew of nine with complementary abilities to race a J/109 flat out. Yet the varied group brought together to race Chimaera were warm in their praise of Craig’s talent in assembling a team who were personally compatible, with matching skill sets to make Chimaera a successful and happy ship.

That winning feeling…..Paul O’Higgins aboard his JPK 1080 Rockabill VI in Dingle in June after successfully defending the title in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race. Photo: Dominick Walsh/D2D

JUNE

Paul O’Higgins (Offshore)

Defending the title with the same boat in the biennial 270-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race is a real challenge at a time when the cruiser-racer fleet is expanding with some very hot new designs. But Paul O’Higgins (Royal Irish YC), with his well-tested JPK 1080 Rockabill VI, was up for it by becoming the first skipper to win two in a row in a race which demonstrated the need to be able to maintain top performance right to the end. He then augmented his 2019 honours by winning his class at the ICRA Nationals in June, Calves Week in August and clinching the ISORA title in September.

The Shanahan family’s J/109 Ruth at the start of the Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race, skippered by 19-year-old Tom Shanahan. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

JUNE

Tom Shanahan (Junior)

The Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race is now such a significant event that inevitably it attracts the involvement of professional and semi-professional talent. But so many boats sail determinedly within the Corinthian ideal that in effect they created an extra Division within the race. No boat better typified this than the National YC of Dun Laoghaire’s Shanahan family with their J/109 Ruth, where they deferred to one of the youngest on board - 19-year-old Tom Shanahan - as skipper. He called the shots very well indeed, with Ruth taking over the lead in the J/109s at the Fastnet, and handling the tricky beat from there to the finish so well that they placed a close fourth overall in the total fleet, and clear Corinthian winners.

JUNE

Caroline Gore-Grimes (National Championships)

In some of the more compact cruiser-racers, the owner-skipper’s preferred role is as crew boss, and this is the approach of HYC Honorary Sailing Secretary Caroline Gore-Grimes on her family’s well-tested X 302 DUX. It’s an arrangement which worked a treat at the Frank Keane ICRA Nats from June 7th to 9th at the Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire. IRC Division 3 mustered a fleet of 23 boats, including many with impressive racing records. But DUX - having started cannily with a couple of useful thirds - then logged a scoreline of 1,1,1,1,2 to give her IRC 3 by a very clear margin, and make her ICRA Overall Champion as well.

DUX, skippered by Caroline Gore-Grimes to become overall champion in the Frank Keane ICRA Nationals 2019. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’BrienFrank Whelan at the helm of his Grand Soleil 44 Eleuthera preparing for foredeck action. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

JUNE

Frank Whelan (Inshore)

The Greystones-based Grand Soleil 44 Eleuthera (Frank Whelan) is a byword for enthusiasm, both for the dedication of her amateur crew in preparing the boat for the season, and in the way her owner/skipper and his top lieutenants lead them to success. This reached a new height at the end of June in the Sovereign’s Cup Regatta at Kinsale where Eleuthera achieved a clean sweep of five wins in Class 0 to emerge as the popular winner of the overall trophy, the Sovereign’s Cup itself.

JULY

David Gorman & Chris Doorly

Very few sailors can ever have experienced anything comparable to the elation of discovering that their racing pride-and-joy has been declared “Boat of the Week” from within the 498-boat fleet at Ireland’s biggest regatta. But this is what happened to David Gorman and Chris Doorly of the National Yacht Club when their clear overall victory in the large Flying Fifteen Class was declared the event’s peak of achievement at the marathon prize-giving at the conclusion of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2019, making them unrivalled for the accolade of Afloat.ie “Sailors of the Month” for July.

Powering along – Chris Doorly and Dave Gorman revelling in Flying Fifteen racing Photo: Afloat.ie

“Freshwater ocean….” The J24s in their 2019 Nationals on the broad expanse of Lower Lough Erne

AUGUST

Cillian Dickson (Keelboats)

When the J/24 Headcase snatched the overall win in the final races of the J/24 Nationals 2019 on Lough Erne, inevitably it was a team effort with the boat carrying the usual complement of five. But as we have to narrow it down, the title goes to helmsman Cillian Dickson of Lough Ree and Howth. Yet it has to be said that he drives for a formidable and truly all-Ireland squad. Four of Headcase’s crew own her together – they are Cillian Dickson (LRYC & HYC), Sam O’Byrne, (HYC), and Louis Mulloy and Marcus Ryan, both of Mayo SC, while the fifth hand is invariably Ryan Glynn of Ballyholme YC on Belfast Lough.

AUGUST

Shane McCarthy & Damien Bracken (Dinghies)

The 2019 Irish GP 14 Nationals at Skerries in breezy August weather defied its title by having a truly international turnout, but then it was seen as a dress rehearsal for next year’s GP 14 Worlds at the same venue. The competition was ferocious, with the lineup reading like a Who’s Who of top GP 14 sailors. However, former Irish champion Shane McCarthy of Greystones Sailing Club teamed up with his old crewmate Damien Bracken, and they pulled the overall win out of the fire of red-hot racing to make them worthy winners of our dinghy title for August 2019.

Experienced duo – Damien Bracken (left) and Shane McCarthy, Irish GP 14 Champions 2019
Chris & Olin Bateman powering along to victory in the National Junior Championship in Schull at the end of September. Photo INPHO/Bryan Keane

SEPTEMBER

Chris & Olin Bateman (Junior)

Chris Bateman of Cork has been cutting a swathe through the dinghy sailing scene in Ireland at both junior and open level in a number of classes for some time now, and as he turned 18 on September 23rd, his 2019 national title in the RS 200s provided a final opportunity to put his stamp on the All-Ireland Junior Championship. But as it was to be raced in the relatively small TR 3.6s in Schull, his size meant that - to be competitive – he had to find a pint-sized crew, and the hand of destiny fell on his youngest brother, 9-year-old Olin. The pair of them raced a truly masterful championship. But it’s not easy being the little guy crewing for the hyper-talented big guy, so we reckon that September’s Junior Sailor of the Month award should be shared between Chris and Olin.

The restored 1926 56ft ketch Ilen – her traditional square sail to Conor O’Brien’s own design proved its worth on the voyage home to Ireland from Greenland. Photo: Gary Mac Mahon
Ilen Project Director Gary Mac Mahon aboard the restored ship in Nuuk in Greenland. Photo: Chelsea Canavan

SEPTEMBER

Gary MacMahon & Paddy Barry (Voyaging)

The long story of the re-birth of the 1926-built 56ft Conor O’Brien trading ketch Ilen of Limerick was acquiring an almost wraith-like aspect until in 2019 – the restoration job completed – she undertook the very tangible 5000 miles Salmons Wake voyage to Greenland for inter-cultural exchange, research into salmon migration, and data-acquisition on climate change. Project Director Gary Mac Mahon – whose unflinching faith has kept this extraordinary concept moving ahead – was skipper for the outward passage from Ireland, whiled seasoned voyager Paddy Barry – who was aboard throughout the time away from Ireland – brought Ilen home safely across the restless North Atlantic in September in unsettled early Autumn conditions.

Paddy Barry, a man of the mountains and the sea and high latitude voyaging

SEPTEMBER

Anthony O’Leary (Racing)

RCYC’s Anthony O’Leary’s Bronze Medal in the 20-team New York YC International Invitational at Newport, RI in September was an astonishing achievement when we remember that many of the other top-level Corinthian crews had been practising in the new Mark Mills-designed Melges IC 37s throughout the summer. Yet O’Leary and his Crosshaven squad stepped aboard as strangers to the boat with only a few days to go to the start of a very intense series. However, his legendary speed abilities with the Cork 1720 Sportsboats under asymmetrics proved to be a great strength, and by the time the series concluded he was steadily climbing the ranks with high-level performance across the board, with the Royal Cork YC’s third overall snatched from the final race a testament to skipper and crew alike.

Anthony O’Leary credits his many years of successful 1720 racing for his expertise in quickly learning the ways of the new Mark Mills-designed IC 37

OCTOBER

Michael O’Connor

Michael O’Connor of Royal St George YC emerged as the 73rd All-Ireland Champion Helm after a ding-dong two-day final raced in Flying Fifteens from the National Yacht Club on October 5th & 6th. No stranger to success, O’Connor was the Corinthian Champion in the SB20 Worlds in Cowes in 2017, and this year he secured his place in the all-Ireland with victory in the SB20 Nationals at the RIYC.

Michael O’Connor (right) 73rd winner of the Annual All-Ireland Helmsmans Championship, with his shipmate Davy Taylor (left) celebrating his second all-Ireland win as a crewman. Photo: Irish Sailing/David Branigan

David Taylor (Special Award)

Every keen helmsperson needs a Davy Taylor as his or her right-hand man when the chips are down. In 2013, he was there to help fellow SB20 sailor Ben Duncan win the All-Ireland in J/80s, and then in 2019 he was the efficient and essential crewing presence to get Michael O’Connor over the line as the 73rd All Ireland Champion in Flying Fifteens. He gets the October Special Award by popular acclaim, and in honouring Davy we honour crews everywhere.

OCTOBER

Rocco Wright (Junior)

Optimist ace Rocco Wright of Howth found it was tough at the top when the 185-strong 11-nation fleet gathered at his home port for the Irish Open Nationals in August. After he’d won the first race, he was a marked man, and had to be content with fourth overall by the finish. But back in July, he’d taken 10th overall in the Worlds in Antigua (the best ever by an Irish helm) and then in October he notched 2nd overall in the North Americans, giving him Ireland’s top international Optimist performance in 2019.

Rocco Wright in the Optimist North Americans 2019, in which he placed second.

Click here for November and December 2019 award winners. 

The Afloat.ie and Irish Sailing Sailor of the Month Awards and the Irish Sailor of the Year Award will be presented in March 2020

#SailorOfTheYear - Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove have been named Afloat Irish Sailors of the Year for 2018 in recognition of their gold medal victory in the 49er U23 Junior World Championships, amid another landmark 12 months for inspiring performances in Irish sailing.

September’s Olympic Sailors of the Month were presented with their prize by Minister of State Mary Mitchell-O’Connor at the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards gala in Dublin’s RDS Concert Hall this evening (Friday 8 February).

Robert Dickson (21) of Howth and Seán Waddilove (20) of Skerries rose to the challenge in Marseille last August and September as they battled a strong international field — and a Mistral at full strength — to score their first world gold, and their first major win.

Howth YC Commodore Joe McPeake (centre) at the reception to welcome home the new gold medallists Robert Dickson (left) and Sean Waddilove | Photo: Ian Dickson

It was down to the wire at the climax of the final race on Saturday 1 September as the Dublin duo led a chasing pack in the fleet of 52 boats.

However, their placing was no surprise to anyone following the former 420 pair’s performance during their week on the Cote D’Azur, with seven results out of their first nine races in the top five — and all that after starting out on only two days of training, with Robert levelled by a bout of food poisoning.

Going into the final day as leaders no doubt piled on the pressure, which must have doubled when gear failure in their 10th race saw them slip down the finish order.

But according to Robert, the pair played it cool. “We were still leading the regatta by three points which we didn’t know at the time,” he told Afloat.ie. “We never think about points. We need a clear mind to carry out our jobs on the water.”

What a job it was, too — and a testament to their skill and steely nerve that after that humbling stumble, they recovered to win the final and claim Ireland’s first ever major victory of their age group in the skiff class.

It was also vindication of more than year of extraordinarily hard work put in by both young men, after injury felled Seán in early 2017 and almost scuppered their campaign for the 2020 Olympics.

Far from it, the signs now look exceedingly bright for a stellar performance in Tokyo next year.

According to the International 49er Class — whose president Marcus Spillane must be delighted at his home nation’s achievements — the academy set-up in Ireland has been key to this country’s boost in competitiveness in the skiff. 

Despite the departure of Saskia Tidey to Team GB slowing down Irish 49erFX ambitions, on the men’s side the squad has grown since the split of Rio challengers Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern, the former forging a new partnership with Seafra Guilfoyle for Tokyo 2020 (McGovern retired last year and is now high performance manager with RYA NI). 

And indeed, Robert and Seán are an integral part of this growth.

Volvo Irish Sailors of the Year are Robert Dixon and Sean Waddilove.@AfloatMagazine#volvoirishsailingawards @howthyachtclub@SkerriesSailing @SDC1940 pic.twitter.com/roswCED8Yv

— Irish Sailing (@Irish_Sailing) February 8, 2019

Recounting for Afloat.ie his and Seán’s path to the title, Robert explains that for both it began well before any world-class ambitions. 

Each got into sailing as a child at club level, Robert sailing an Optimist alongside family in Lough Ree while Sean got his start via a taster course in Skerries. 

As their talent shone through and competitions became a matter of course, the two would meet and become friends on the national circuit, forming a bond as their success soon took them abroad. 

And after joining Irish Sailing’s Olympic Pathway in the Oppy class, it made perfect sense that they would team up to progress to the 420 class — in which they started training in their Transition Year — and then two years later to the 49er, often regarded as the ‘Formula 1’ of dinghy racing.

“Training with the 49er Development Squad and having a 100% committed coach makes training much more effective,” says Robert. “You can train solo but it’s not as effective as having a group of boats around you, pushing each other on and off the water to strive to be the best. This medal was certainly a team effort!”

That team, past and present, includes former 49er Development Team coach Tytus Konarzewski, Thomas Chaix, Ross Killian, ex-Olympic duo Ger Owens and Scott Flanigan, Graeme Grant, Philippe Boudgourd, John and David White, and sports physio Mark McCabe at SportsMed Ireland.

And that’s not to mention Robert and Sean’s families and fellow sailors, supportive clubs and sporting bodies — and their colleges that allow them to work classes and assignments around their full-on training schedule.

To confirm a suggestion proffered by the 49er class, the investment made in creating Olympic contenders like Laser Radial silver medallist (and 2016 Sailor of the Year) Annalise Murphy has indeed — in the success of Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove — been leveraged in bringing the next generation of youth and junior talent into the top levels of their age categories.

WM Nixon will have a profile of the 2018’s Afloat Sailors of the Year as well as the many worthy nominees in his Sailing on Saturday column, available later tonight right here on Afloat.ie.

Guests taking their seats at the 2018 Volvo Irish Sailing Awards | Photo: David O’Brien

Robert and Seán topped another incredible field of nominees for 2018, among them faces recognised from 2017’s shortlist and years previous, as well as a fellow Olympic contender.

Liam Glynn was a Sailor of the Month in July for his bronze at the U21 Laser Worlds, while Peter and Rob O’Leary were stars in the Star class. Wins at home and abroad put Justin Lucas on our radar, as was Irish Topper number one Hugh O’Connor, and Firefly duo Atlee Kohn and Jonathan O’Shaugnnessy. Brendan Lyden captained UCC1 to victory at the University Sailing Association Team Championship.

Last year’s Sailor of the Year Conor Fogerty made the list again for his runaway victory in Class 3 at the RORC Caribbean 600 mere days after collecting his Afloat gong.

Tom Dolan topped the rookies in his first Figaro Minitransat, while Barry Byrne skippered the Irish Defence Forces to the top of the corinthian ranks (and second overall) in the Volvo Round Ireland Race, besides a successful defence of the Beaufort Cup at Cork Week.

Niall Dowling took line honours in the Round Ireland, while later in the year Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop topped the ISORA standings.

The inspirational Enda O’Coineen was no April fool as he completed his delayed circumnavigation for his own personal Vendée Globe milestone.

Pat Kelly and company got off to a flying start on their J/109 Storm, while windsurfer Oisin van Gelderen set new Irish speed records in Luderitz.

Classic boating was ably represented by Ilen restorer Gary MacMahon, Dave Cullen’s Wave Regatta champion Checkmate XV and Mermaid fan Darragh McCormick, while Darryl Hughes found a fruitful partnership with his vintage ketch Maybird.

Peter Kennedy fought hard to claim his All-Ireland title, Molly Breathnach cruised her way to a spot on the list, Fintan Cairns showed true leadership vision with the DBSC Turkey Shoot, and Donal O’Sullivan bowed out from his role at the same club after decades of unparalleled contributions.

Former sailmaker Ross Kearney is now sailing for the love of it, while Mark Lyttleproved he’s still winning calibre with his Grand Masters title in September.

And Gregor McGuckin got a nod in September for his selfless actions during the Golden Jubilee Golden Globe Race, racing to the aid of the injured Abilash Tomy with his own storm-worn yacht under jury rig.

In the night’s other prizes, Irish Sailing president Jack Roy presented the Senior Instructor Award to Southern Region winner Ellen O’Regan of Schull and the Fastnet Marine & Outdoor Education Centre for her exceptional instructor management abilities and skills.

Ellen ORegan of #schullsailing #fastmarineoutdooreducation wins Senior Instructor of the year for 2018. #volvoirishsailingawards pic.twitter.com/v3nJAMZ0uE

— Irish Sailing (@Irish_Sailing) February 8, 2019

Bray Sailing Club took one of the night’s two new categories as the Inclusion Award was presented by Gina Griffin to senior instructor Jack Hannon for his work on the Watersports Inclusion Games. The club was also named Training Centre of the Year for 2018 (presented by Cllr Ossian Smyth).

Winner of the Volvo Irish Sailing Inclusion award is Jack Hannon of Bray Sailing Club for his work with Watersports Inclusion Games #volvoirishsailingawards pic.twitter.com/uk0OcMrFrs

— Irish Sailing (@Irish_Sailing) February 8, 2019

Howth Yacht Club and the Royal Cork Yacht Club shared the inaugural Sustainability Award, presented by Irish Sailing’s new sustainability ambassador Damian Foxall.

Volvo Irish Sailiing Sustainability Award 2018 goes to @royalcork and @howthyachtclub pic.twitter.com/blasqnLkv5

— Irish Sailing (@Irish_Sailing) February 8, 2019

And Youth Sailor of the Year, presented by Irish Sports Council chief executive John Treacy, is the National Yacht Club’s Nell Staunton, one of the standouts of Ireland’s Laser Radial youth squad and eighth-place finisher in last summer’s Youth Sailing Worlds in Texas. 

Nell Staunton wins the Volvo Irish Sailing Youth Sailor for 2018.
# volvorishsailingawards pic.twitter.com/nrDiLtuolQ

— Irish Sailing (@Irish_Sailing) February 8, 2019

Hosted once more by master of ceremonies Fiona Bolger, the night as always welcomed guests from Irish club and high performance sailing — youth and veteran, professional and corinthian.

Among the 500 people in attendance at the RDS Main Hall were Volvo Car Ireland MD David Thomas and PR and events executive Emma O’Carroll; from RYA NI, chair Jackie Patton (also of the Atlantic Youth Trust) and chief executive Richard Honeyford; and UK Sailmakers’ Barry Hayes.

Representing the Olympic Federation of Ireland were CEO Peter Sherrard, secretary Sarah O’Shea and Colm Barrington, first vice president and former chairman of Irish Sailing’s Olympic Steering Group. 

From the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport were assistant secretary Deirdre O’Keeffe and Peter Horgan, principal officer of sports policy and the National Sports Campus, while Fianna Fáil spokesperson for sport Robert Troy also joined the evening.

From Dun Laoghaire’s waterfront were harbourmaster Simon Coate; National Yacht Club Commodore Ronan Beirne with Vice Commodore Martin McCarthy and club archivist Frank Burgess; Royal Irish YC Commodore Joseph Costello; Royal St George Vice Commodore Peter Bowring; and DMYC Commodore Frank Guilfoyle

Representing the rest of Co Dublin were Dublin Bay Sailing Club’s new honorary secretary Chris Moore; Howth YC’s Vice Commodore Emmet Dalton with the club’s Rear Commodores Paddy J Judge and Ian Malcolm, race officer Richella Carroll and communications officer Brian Turvey; and Malahide YC Commodore Matt Ryan and Rear Commodore Ciaran O’Reilly.

Also in attendance were Bray Sailing Club’s outgoing Commodore Darina Porter, incumbent Boris Fennema, treasurer Torren Gale, and Jack Hannon; Skerries Sailing Club Commodore Kathryn Collins with Vice Commodore Liam O’Callaghan; and Dublin Port Company assistant harbour master Tristan Walsh.

Cork’s flag was flown by Kinsale Yacht Club Commodore David O’Sullivan and Vice Commodore Michael Walsh, along with Baltimore Sailing Club Commodore Niall O’Neill, and Royal Cork’s Admiral Pat Farnan, general manager Gavin Deane and sustainability chair Aoife Deane.

RTÉ broadcaster Fergal Keane; Volvo Ocean Race photographer Brian Carlin; Sailing Into Wellness founder Colin Healy, World Sailing delegates Con Murphy and Paddy Boyd; Nobby Reilly, formerly of ICRA; and former ICRA Commodore Simon McGibney were also in attendance.

Guests were also given a special up-close look at some of the boat models sailed by Ireland’s next generation of high achievers in sailing at home and abroad.

Boats on display at the rear of the RDS hall during the 2018 Volvo Irish Sailing Awards | Photo: David O’Brien

Ian O’Meara of Viking Marine and Pierce Purcell Jr and Nicky Bendon of CH Marine represented the dinghy scene presenting Lasers and a Topper respectively, while Kenny Rumball of the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School brought along a training Optimist and RS Quest — and Gerry Salmon, Joss Walsh and Martin Salmon of yacht broker MGM Boats showed a scale model of the new Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 that wowed the Paris Boat Show in December.

Hosted by Irish Sailing with Afloat magazine, the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards aim to highlight the breadth of sailing across the country.

Afloat’s Sailor of the Year awards have been running since 1996, recognising over 500 Irish sailors in that time. The awards “were originally formulated to bring a bigger profile to sailing achievements that do not get their fair share of the media coverage,” says editor David O’Brien. “Now these achievements are reaching a wider audience than ever before.”

Afloat.ie neared 1.3 million visitors in 2018 — an audience the publication is eager to share with Ireland’s sailing community.

“Afloat.ie wants to work with every club and every class in the country,” says O’Brien. “Please get in touch.”

Update Saturday 9 February: This article was corrected to show that Bray Sailing Club won Training Centre of the Year and not Lough Swilly Yacht club as previously indicated.

The wait is nearly over to find out who will be named Afloat Irish Sailor of the Year for 2018 at the star-studded Volvo Irish Sailing Awards in Dublin’s RDS this Friday 8 February.

Once again the country’s finest sailors will be recognised for their achievements across a host of categories including youth sailing, training, inclusion and sustainability.

However, the award most pertinent to Afloat.ie readers will be the one they’ve had a hand in selecting from a year of remarkable feats at home and abroad via our online poll of the boating public and maritime community.

Winkie Nixon rounds up the worthy nominees from Afloat.ie Sailors of the Month between January and October, while the final list added five more picks from November and December: speed sailor Oisin Van Gelderen; offshore pair Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop; Donal O’Sullivan, who recently retired as DBSC Honorary Secretary; Dun Laoghaire’s Fintan Cairns; and classic boat sailor Darryl Hughes.

Sailing’s best and brightest won’t be the only VIPs in attendance, as Minister of State Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Sport Ireland chief John Treacy and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Cathaoirleach Ossian Smyth will be on hand to present awards on the night.

In addition, luminaries from Irish club and high performance sailing, national champions, class captains, club commodores, previous Sailors of the Year, and world and Olympic veterans and hopefuls alike will be among the more than 400 guests gathered at the RDS this Friday night for the annual celebration of excellence in Irish sailing, hosted by returning master of ceremonies Fiona Bolger.

Guests will also have an opportunity to get a special up-close look at some of the very boat models sailed by this year’s award nominees.

The dinghy scene will be represented by chandleries CH Marine and Viking Marine displaying the Laser Radial, Topper and Optimist, while the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School’s RS200 will also be in the hall — and yacht broker MGM Boats will have a scale model of the new Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 that wowed the Paris Boat Show in December.

In all it’s shaping up to be another fantastic night toasting the very best sailing in Ireland has to offer — and if you can’t be there in person on the night, be sure to stay tuned to Afloat.ie this Friday evening for the announcement of 2018’s Sailor of the Year.

Join Irish Sailing for an evening of celebration at the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards, taking place on Friday 8 February at the RDS, Dublin when the country’s finest sailors are recognised for their achievements.

There are also awards for Training Centre, Senior Instructor, Inclusion, Sustainability and Youth Sailor.

Sailor of the Year

Taken from the Afloat.ie Sailors of the Month list which you can find here. You can also cast a vote for your sailor of the year in an online poll on the right-hand column.

Irish Sailing Youth Sailor of the Year - Shortlist

This award is given to a young sailor under the age of 18 who has achieved an excellent performance representing Ireland internationally.

• Nell Staunton
• Tom Higgins 
• Rian Geraghty-McDonnell

Irish Sailing Training Centre of the Year - Shortlist

Given in recognition of outstanding services to training.

• Western Region winner: Lough Swilly Yacht Club
• Southern Region winner: Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre
• Eastern Region winner: Bray Sailing Club

Irish Sailing Senior Instructor of the Year - Shortlist

The Volvo Irish Sailing Senior Instructor of the Year is given in recognition of exceptional instructor management abilities and skills

• Western Region winner: Andrew Moran, Mayo Sailing Club
• Southern Region winner: Ellen O’Regan, Fastnet Marine & Outdoor Education Centre
• Eastern Region winner: Alex Pocock, Blessington Sailing Club

There are limited tickets available – to register please email [email protected] and you can check out our website page for updates, photos and videos here

Tonight at the RDS in Dublin, over 400 people will gather for the Afloat.ie Volvo Irish Sailing Awards to celebrate some maginificent achievements from 2017. As previewed this morning in the Irish Times, offshore sailing achievements look set to be a highlight of the evening where a dozen offshore feats include a top ten Fastnet Race result, a RORC series points winner plus a Transatlantic Race win.

Hosted once more by master of ceremonies Fiona Bolger, the night as always welcomes guests from Irish club and high performance sailing, including Irish Sailings youth and Olympic squads, national champions at all levels, class captains, club commodores, previous Sailors of the Year, and world and Olympic sailors.

See the full list of Afloat.ie's 'Class of 2017' in Winkie Nixon's review of the Sailors of the Month here.

There's a last chance to register for the Afloat.ie and Volvo Irish Sailing Awards, taking place at 6.30pm at the RDS Concert Hall, Dublin, this Friday 9 February that will see the presentation of the Afloat.ie Sailor of the Year Award. 

This year at the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards we’re celebrating heroism and rescue on the high seas, the young talent storming their way up the ranks, the training centres and instructors setting the standards in teaching, the plethora of people who compete around Ireland and further afield, and the volunteers who make it all happen. 

We’re also flying over Santiago Alegre from Spain and Simon Hoffman from Australia. These two young men saved the life of Johnny Durcan, one of the Irish Sailing High Performance sailors last summer in California, and we’ll be talking to them to hear what happened. We’ll also be talking to Jay Stacy, who saved the life of one of his crew when a rogue wave hit their boat off the coast of Wexford. 

As well as recognising these heroes and some other very special guests, we’ll have awards for the best youth sailor (under 18), the best training centre, senior instructor, and end with our Afloat.ie Sailor of the Year.

Please register for your free tickets at [email protected]

Nearly one week to go before the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards, and the judges have been weighing up the nominations for the very last time. You still have time to register for tickets for the Awards, taking place in the RDS Dublin on the evening of Friday 9 February. And you can win a trip to the final of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 into the bargain too! 

This year as well as the overall Afloat.ie award the night also celebrates heroism and rescue on the high seas, the young talent storming their way up the ranks, the training centres and instructors setting the standards in teaching, the plethora of people who compete around Ireland and further afield, and the volunteers who make it all happen. Irish Sailing is flying over Santiago Alegre from Spain and Simon Hoffman from Australia. These two young men saved the life of Johnny Durcan, one of Irish Sailing's High Performance sailors this summer in California, and we’ll be talking to them to hear what happened.

Please register for your free tickets at [email protected]

Win a trip to the Final of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18!

To celebrate Volvo Car Ireland’s sponsorship of Irish Sailing and the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards, Volvo are offering you the chance to win a trip for two to witness the final of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-2018.

The Final will take place in Scheveningen Harbour, The Hague, Netherlands in June 2018. The prize includes two nights accommodation in a four star hotel for two people, dinner on both nights and a tour of the Volvo Ocean Race village.

To enter simply click on the link below and sign up for a test drive at your local Volvo Dealer between now and the 8th of February. The winner will be announced on the 9th of February at the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards here.

Voting is now closed in the Afloat.ie Sailor of the Year award, and the adjudicators are working towards a final decision which will be announced as the climax of the Volvo Sailing Awards ceremony in the RDS in Dublin on Friday, February 9th.

The voting has attracted strong worldwide interest, and participation by thousands. But as in previous years, the number of votes cast is just one of several factors assisting the adjudicators in reaching a decision which they feel most truly reflects the greatest achievement and contribution to our sport by an Irish sailor in 2017.

As expected, following the dominance of 2016 by the Olympics and Annalise Murphy’s Silver Medal, 2017 has been an entirely different type of sailing year. There have been many notable achievements across the widest possible diversity of our sport. While the adjudicators would like to honour them all, in the end the supreme award will have just one recipient. It is no easy task deciding who it will be.

Are you coming to the Awards? Register here to reserve your place: [email protected]