Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

But today’s cruisers are generally larger; indeed the average size increase over the past 20 years is such that finding a berth in our longer-established marinas is a bit like to trying to find a city-centre parking space for a modern 4x4. Such vehicles may be past their sell-by date, but the general trend afloat towards larger boats is well represented in the ICC awards, as the Strangford Cup for an alternative best cruise goes to the 2001-built Frers-designed Hallberg-Rassy 42 Beowulf from Dun Laoghaire (Anne Woulfe-Flanagan and Bernard Corbally) which made a well-planned pattern of cruises in the eastern Mediterranean. Brendan Bradley receives the Round Ireland Cup for a detailed circuit in Afar, a Moody 47 also built 2001.

However, western owner Seamus Salmon from Clew Bay completed a notably enjoyable Atlantic circuit with his 1985 First 375 Saoirse, one of those attractive Jean Berret-designed marques which Beneteau were building 20 years ago, and the Mayo YC skipper receives the Atlantic Trophy for a log which conveys a sense of variety and enjoyment – not always the case with cruising stories.

Cork skipper Pat Lyons went east on the Dufour 38.5 Stardancer and was awarded the Fortnight Cup for a cruise to southwest Wales, the north coast of Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly.

Maeve and Adrian Bell from Strangford Lough visited much of the west of Scotland with Eala Ban, their new Swedish-built Arcona 400 (Wybrants Cup award) while Andy McCarter of Lough Swilly’s cruise with his Starlight 35 Gwili 3 – marking his third and ‘final’ retirement – was from Donegal westward of Ireland to southern Portugal (Fingal Cup).

Veteran sailor Wallace Clark (he’s a gallant 80) took his attractive Colvic 32 ketch Agivey from Ballycastle to the Hebrides, and most deservedly was awarded the Wild Goose Cup, which he – a Commodore way back in 1960-63 – presented to the ICC in 1995. Agivey is a practical sort of boat for senior cruising folk, but you don’t need to have registered Clark’s vintage to appreciate her. Years ago, we used to run a brokerage column in Afloat, but as we only included boats we liked, it was counter-productive. Typical was a Simon 32, the Colvic 32 completed by George Kingston at Kilmacsimon Boatyard. The name didn’t quite set hearts alight – Kinsale 32 would surely have rung the bell – but she was a lovely motor-sailer anyway, and we said so. The end result was the owner withdrew her from sale, as he realised he could find nothing else as good, and Clark’s pleasant cruising with Agivey reinforces this view.

The ICC logs have been adjudicated in crisp style by Jennifer Guinness, and the winning ones, together with many others, have been put into the usual massive ICC Annual by Chris Stillman, who somehow also finds time for the day job as a Professor of Archaeology, of which he writes in an agreeably accessible style.