![Three race wins sets John Maybury's J109 Joker II up for a successful defence of her Class One title on Dublin Bay tomorrow. Onboard Joker II is Crosshaven 2004 Olympian Killian Collins. Victory tomorrow would give the RIYC skipper four wins in a row of the ICRA title](/media/k2/items/cache/42ad3ff3c68b59eb78898eb2a6a7a7ec_L.jpg)
![Royal Irish Yacht Club's Nigel Biggs has a four point lead of Division Two of the ICRA National Championships in Checkmate XVIII](/media/k2/items/cache/10ad7d0b947d63d3e1216e470cd37372_L.jpg)
Biggs's Checkmate XVIII Leads as Half-Tonners in Total Control of ICRA's Division Two
8th June 2019 ICRA![Anthony O'Leary's modified 1720 (left) gets a great start in yesterday afternoon's second race for class two yachts in the ICRA National Championships](/media/k2/items/cache/9e76200f5f5a8519bebe32ece67e5090_L.jpg)
![Mast damage - Colin Byrne's XP33 is out of this weekend's ICRA National Championships on Dublin Bay](/media/k2/items/cache/44808de12737b6597e278dd13de9d201_L.jpg)
![Brian Jones's Jelly Baby from Royal Cork Yacht Club](/media/k2/items/cache/21b11c8c0a0aba91db1298cdba68e073_L.jpg)
![The late Tom Power - Irish offshore sailing stalwart](/media/k2/items/cache/586aef1363b4907f3665aa770da77861_L.jpg)
![The Frank Keane BMW ICRA Nationals on Dublin Bay this weekend will produce a 100-boat fleet](/media/k2/items/cache/66ef391f147b83ff0cd9bdc60f9c98a0_L.jpg)
![The J97 Windjammer will compete in Division 2 of the ICRA National Championships. See full class splits below.](/media/k2/items/cache/af0ddc7c3f132b7dd5398e8aaf475d9b_L.jpg)
![Scottish Series fleets were generally small in the IRC classes, except the RC35 class](/media/k2/items/cache/ef6826e68746724d45f64dfcf6b79e14_L.jpg)
![Howth Yacht Club Half Tonner 'Harmony' (Jonny Swan) returns to her home port for Lambay Race action on Saturday having already been a class winner at this week's Scottish Series on the Clyde](/media/k2/items/cache/4b744347dc8fa83ec8bde50b394af0a9_L.jpg)
![Commodore David O'Sullivan (left) with the victorious EOS crew](/media/k2/items/cache/16c04ab53db0560d565f8d6e19c7c224_L.jpg)
![Andrew Craig (second from right) and his victorious Scottish Series crew celebrate on the Clyde](/media/k2/items/cache/406e54b9cdae61e83ce8ecc84e02fabe_L.jpg)
Andrew Craig's J109 'Chimaera' Wins Overall at the Scottish Series as Irish Boats Win All IRC Classes
28th May 2019 Racing![Class Zero competitor El Gran Señor](/media/k2/items/cache/f688468d2fd5d3a408fb14574af99a76_L.jpg)
![J109s will be part of the Frank Keane BMW ICRA National Championship fleet on Dublin Bay next month](/media/k2/items/cache/23724c24d11a386ecc778e4b9a2b66f8_L.jpg)
![Pat Kelly's Storm was runner-up in the RC35 class at Kip Regatta](/media/k2/items/cache/066e3463a45229543013bde044918189_L.jpg)
![The new Howth Yacht Club J109 'Outrajeous' campaign will contest class one of June's ICRA National Championships on Dublin Bay](/media/k2/items/cache/4b4d1b3a11882e5302becfa3495d1fbd_L.jpg)
The creation of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) began in a very low key way in the autumn of 2002 with an exploratory meeting between Denis Kiely, Jim Donegan and Fintan Cairns in the Granville Hotel in Waterford, and the first conference was held in February 2003 in Kilkenny.
While numbers of cruiser-racers were large, their specific locations were widespread, but there was simply no denying the numerical strength and majority power of the Cork-Dublin axis. To get what was then a very novel concept up and running, this strength of numbers had to be acknowledged, and the first National Championship in 2003 reflected this, as it was staged in Howth.
ICRA was run by a dedicated group of volunteers each of whom brought their special talents to the organisation. Jim Donegan, the elder statesman, was so much more interested in the wellbeing of the new organisation than in personal advancement that he insisted on Fintan Cairns being the first Commodore, while the distinguished Cork sailor was more than content to be Vice Commodore.
Initially, the highlight of the ICRA season was the National Championship, which is essentially self-limiting, as it is restricted to boats which have or would be eligible for an IRC Rating. Boats not actually rated but eligible were catered for by ICRA’s ace number-cruncher Denis Kiely, who took Ireland’s long-established native rating system ECHO to new heights, thereby providing for extra entries which brought fleet numbers at most annual national championships to comfortably above the hundred mark, particularly at the height of the boom years.
YEAR | BOAT | SKIPPER | CLUB | BOAT MODEL |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Rockabill VI | Paul O'Higgins | Royal Irish Yacht Club | JPK1080 |
2017-2018 | Checkmate XV | Dave Cullen | Howth Yacht Club | Half Tonner |
2016 | Joker II | John Maybury | Royal Irish Yacht Club | J109 |
2015 | WOW | George Sisk | Royal Irish Yacht Club | Farr 42 |
2014 | Antix Catapult Quokka |
Anthony O'Leary Mark Glimcher Michael Boyd & Niall Dowling |
Ker 39 Ker 40+ Gand Soleil 43 |
|
2013 | Full Irish | David Kennefick | Royal Cork Yacht Club | Figaro 2 |
2012 | NUI Galway | Cathal Clarke & Matin Breen | NUI & Galway Bay Sailing Club | Reflex 38 |
2011 | Storm | Pat Kelly | Howth Yacht Club & Rush Sailing Club | J109 |
2010 | Antix Mariner's Cove Roxy 6 |
Anthony O'Leary Dave Dwyer Andrew Creigton |
Royal Cork Yacht Club | Ker 39 Mills 37 Corby 36 |
2009 | Kinetic | Richard Colwell & Tom Murphy | Howth Yacht Club | Corby 25 |
2008 | Mariner's Cove Rosie |
Dave Dwyer Roy Dickinson |
Royal Cork Yacht Club Howth Yacht Club |
Mills 37 Corby 36 |
2007 | Jump Juice | Conor Phelan | Royal Cork Yacht Club | Ker 37 |
2006 | Chieftain | Jer O'Rourke | RWYC | Cookson 50 |
2005 | Antix | Anthony O'Leary | Royal Cork Yacht Club | Corby 36 |
2004 | Voodoo Chile | Eamonn Crosbie |