MG Motor Ireland Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award

Q: What Club has won the Sailing Club of the Year Award the most?

The Royal Cork Yacht Club has won the award most, seven times in all in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2015 & 2020 The National YC has won six times, in 1981, 1985, 1993, 1996, 2012 & 2018 Howth Yacht Club has won five times, in 1982, 1986, 1995, 2009 & 2019

MG Motor Ireland Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award

Irish Cruising Club Honoured As MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2026”

4th April 2026 Sailing Club of the Year

The 1929-founded Irish Cruising Club may be a thriving yet homeless organisation. But with a devoted and active national and international membership with their own regional loyalties, there are many clubs in Ireland which would happily and appropriately provide the…

Irish Cruising Club is MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2026”

3rd January 2026 Sailing Club of the Year

The Centenary of the Irish Cruising Club will not occur until 2029, but during the past year and more, Commodore Alan Markey and his energetic and effective management team have been guiding and leading this “homeless” sailing organisation in an…

Royal Irish Yacht Club Commodore Tim Carpenter and Andrew Johnson, MD of MG Motor Ireland, with the

MG Motor "Sailing Club of Year 2025" Award Presented To Royal Irish Yacht Club

12th April 2025 Sailing Club of the Year

An evening of stellar participation in Dun Laoghaire this week saw the Royal Irish Yacht Club further brightened by the strong Spring sunshine as Commodore Tim Carpenter and his impressive management team accepted the MG Motor "Sailing Club of the…

Regatta time at the historic Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. Apres sailing like this will require a successful racing programme afloat before the festivities can begin

Royal Irish Yacht Club is MG Motor "Sailing Club of the Year 2025"

4th January 2025 Sailing Club of the Year

The Royal Irish Yacht Club's seemingly effortless ability to live comfortably with its long and remarkable history, while providing contemporary major national and international sailing events with the necessary modern facilities afloat and ashore during 2024, has been a key…

Heather Kennedy, daughter of Ruffian 23 designer Billy Brown of Portaferry, with National Yacht Club Commodore Peter Sherry at the presentation of the shared MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2024” award

MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2024 ” Award Jointly To National YC & Ruffian 23 Association In Celebration Of Family & Friendship In Sailing

2nd March 2024 W M Nixon

Friendship, family and sailing enjoyment expressed enthusiastically through quietly efficient organisations - that was the warm theme which dominated Thursday evening’s convivial gathering in the National Yacht Club on Dun Laoghaire waterfront. The successful hosting club and the Golden Jubilee-celebrating…

The MG Sailing Club of the Year Award 2024 - Michael Cutliffe, Heather Kennedy, Eoin O’hEochaidh, Ann Kirwan of the Ruffian 213 class with Brian Keane, Director MG Cars Peter Sherry, Commodore National Yacht Club, Andrew Johnson, National Sales Manager MG Cars, Eline De Vries, Digital Marketing Exec and Gerard Rice, MD MG Cars

Joint Award Presented to National Yacht Club and Ruffian Association at MG Sailing Club of the Year Ceremony

1st March 2024 National YC

The prestigious MG Sailing Club of the Year Ship's Wheel was awarded to both the National Yacht Club and the Ruffian Association at a presentation ceremony at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Thursday evening, February 29th. As Afloat's WM Nixon announced…

Summertime at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, with an International ILCA event under way and former Commodore Conor O'Regan's world-girdling Rival 38 Panima alongside

National Yacht Club and Ruffian Association Share MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2024” Award

6th January 2024 Sailing Club of the Year

It is not unprecedented for leading clubs and one of the key class organisations within their ambit to share the MG Motor Sailing Club of the Year Award. It began with an added convention (the informal contest has been based…

Howth Yacht Club Commodore Neil Murphy (centre) accepting the MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year” 2023 award on behalf of his 2000-plus members from Andrew Johnson (left, MG Motor National Sales Manager) and Brian Keane of Frank Keane Holdings, proprietors of MG Motor Ireland

Howth Yacht Club Honoured As MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2023”

12th August 2023 W M Nixon

Although the announcement that Howth Yacht Club had become the latest MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2023” was made at the beginning of the year following outstanding achievements at home and abroad by the club and its members…

Howth Yacht Club’s 2022-2024 Commodore Neil Murphy racing his co-owned Puppeteer 22 Yellow Peril in a brisk breeze off the Fingal coast. First sailed in 1978, the Puppeteer 22s are the numerically largest among Howth’s successful location-specific One Design classes, and in 2022 the winner of the Class Championship was Paul and Laura McMahon’s Shiggi-Shiggi

Howth Yacht Club Gets “Sailing Club Of The Year 2023” from MG Motor, “Car of the Year 2023”

7th January 2023 W M Nixon

The selection of Howth Yacht Club as Ireland’s latest MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year Award” represents a remarkable harmony of achievement between the competition winners and the sponsors, with Howth Yacht Club becoming “Sailing Club of the Year…

MG Motor Ireland Are New Sponsors Of “Sailing Club of the Year” Title

17th February 2022 Sailing Club of the Year

The Afloat.ie-administered “Sailing Club of the Year” award has been running continuously and successfully since 1979, yet in all its 43 years of honouring outstanding achievement across a wide range of criteria by Ireland’s diverse and nationally-spread yacht and sailing…

Shannon One Designs in close racing at Lough Ree Yacht Club. In 2022, the Shannon ODs are celebrating their Centenary, while the 1770-founded Lough Ree YC will be marking its pandemic-postponed Quarter Millennium+

Lough Ree Yacht Club & Shannon ODs Share MG Motors “Sailing Club of the Year” Award for 2022

1st January 2022 W M Nixon

Lough Ree Yacht Club and the Shannon One Design Association are sharing this year’s MG Motors Sailing Club of the Year Award. It’s the well-deserved honouring of a dynamic combination that provides a core contribution to the Athlone area’s reputation…

Two Commodores – Jonathan Nicholson (DBSC Commodore 2018-2020) and Ann Kirwan (DBSC Commodore 2020-2022) at this week's presentation of the Mitsubishi Motors

Dublin Bay Sailing Club Re-Affirms Commitment As Mitsubishi Motors "Sailing Club of the Year"

21st August 2021 W M Nixon

Dublin Bay Sailing Club is the current Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year, and yesterday (Friday), their Commodore Ann Kirwan took over custodianship of the well-travelled ship's wheel trophy. It dates back to 1979 in a unique and informal…

Dublin Bay - playground, workspace, living area and complex ecosystem. With Dublin Port to the left and Dun Laoghaire Harbour on right, the sporting challenges of best utilising Dublin Bay's uniquely balanced potential have been successfully met by Dublin Bay Sailing Club

Dublin Bay SC is Mitsubishi Motors 'Sailing Club of the Year' 2021

2nd January 2021 W M Nixon

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's recognition today as the Mitsubishi Motors "Sailing Club of the Year" 2021 on the strength of achieving a remarkably full programme in 2020 when Pandemic Regulations permitted is well merited. Yet it's only the second time…

Cork Harbour – “Where it All Began”. One of the finest natural harbours in the world, it provided a unique set of circumstances in 1720 to bring the world’s senior yacht club into existence, a pioneering organisation which has influenced the develpment of recreational sailing ever since. Crosshaven – home of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, is centre left

Royal Cork Yacht Club is Mitsubishi Motors 'Sailing Club of the Year 2020'

2nd January 2020 W M Nixon

The Royal Cork Yacht Club is the new Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year, both in honour of its Tricentenary in 2020, and in celebration of a busy and successful season in 2019. The hospitable club faces this unprecedented…

A unique club in a unique setting – when Howth Yacht Club moved into its new premises at mid-harbour early in 1987, it became that year’s Mitsubishi Motors “Sailing Club of the Year”.

Howth Yacht Club’s Mitsubishi Motors “Club of the Year” Award Honours a Very Special Organisation

4th May 2019 W M Nixon

Environmental awareness and sailing success to top international level were dynamically intertwined at this week’s official presentation of the Mitsubishi Motors “Sailing Club of the Year 2019” award to Howth Yacht Club writes W M Nixon The announcement that Howth…

Setting the scene: Mitsubishi’s popular environment-friendly Outlander PHEV on display at Howth Yacht Club last night with one of the vintage Howth 17s in company with an HYC J/80

Howth Yacht Club get Official Custodianship of Mitsubishi Motors “Sailing Club of the Year” 2019 Trophy

1st May 2019 Howth YC

Although it was announced back in January that Howth Yacht Club would be the 2019 holders of the Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year trophy for 2019 after an outstandingly successful programme throughout 2018, in time-honoured fashion it wasn’t…

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Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award

This unique and informal competition was inaugurated in 1979, with Mitsubishi Motors becoming main sponsors in 1986. The purpose of the award is to highlight and honour the voluntary effort which goes into creating and maintaining the unrivalled success of Ireland's yacht and sailing clubs.

In making their assessment, the adjudicators take many factors into consideration. In addition to the obvious one of sailing success at local, national and international level, considerable attention is also paid to the satisfaction which members in every branch of sailing and boating feel with the way their club is run, and how effectively it meets their specific needs, while also encouraging sailing development and training.

The successful staging of events, whether local, national or international, is also a factor in making the assessment, and the adjudicators place particular emphasis on the level of effective voluntary input which the membership is ready and willing to give in support of their club's activities.

The importance of a dynamic and fruitful interaction with the local community is emphasised, and also with the relevant governmental and sporting bodies, both at local and national level. The adjudicators expect to find a genuine sense of continuity in club life and administration. Thus although the award is held in a specific year in celebration of achievements in the previous year, it is intended that it should reflect an ongoing story of success and well-planned programmes for future implementation.

Over the years, the adjudication system has been continually refined in order to be able to make realistic comparisons between clubs of varying types and size. With the competition's expansion to include class associations and specialist national watersports bodies, the "Club of the Year" competition continues to keep pace with developing trends, while at the same time reflecting the fact that Ireland's leading sailing clubs are themselves national and global pace-setters

Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award FAQs

What is the purpose of the Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award?

The purpose of the award is to highlight and honour the voluntary effort which goes into creating and maintaining the unrivalled success of Ireland's yacht and sailing clubs.

What is the Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award Trophy?

A ship's wheel engraved with the names of all the past winners.

When did the Sailing Club of the Year Award begin?

The Sailing Club of the Year competition began in 1979.

Who came up with the concept of a club of the year?

PR consultant Sean O’Shea (a member of Clontarf Y & BC) had the idea of a trophy which would somehow honour the ordinary sailing club members, volunteers and sailing participants, who may not have personally won prizes, to feel a sense of identity and reward and special pride in their club. Initially some sort of direct inter-club contest was envisaged, but sailing journalist W M Nixon suggested that a way could be found for the comparative evaluation of the achievements and quality of clubs despite their significant differences in size and style.

What does the Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award recognise?

The award recognises local, national & international sailing success by the winning club's members in both racing and cruising, the completion of a varied and useful sailing and social programme at the club, the fulfilling by the club of its significant and socially-aware role in the community, and the evidence of a genuine feeling among all members that the club meets their individual needs afloat and ashore.

Who were the first winners of the Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award?

The first club of the Year winner in 1979 was Wicklow Sailing Club.

What Club has won the Sailing Club of the Year Award the most?

Royal Cork Yacht Club has won the award most, seven times in all in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2015 & 2020.

The National YC has won six times, in 1981, 1985, 1993, 1996, 2012 & 2018.

Howth Yacht Club has won five times, in 1982, 1986, 1995, 2009 & 2019

What are the criteria to be shortlisted for the Sailing Club of the Year Award?

Ireland is loosely divided into regions with the obviously high-achieving clubs from each area recommended through an informal nationwide panel of local sailors going into a long-list, which is then whittled down to a short-list of between three and eight clubs.

Who are the Club of the Year judges?

The final short-list is evaluated by an anonymous team based on experienced sailors, sailing journalists and sponsors’ representatives

Who are the previous winners of the Sailing Club of the Year Award?

From 1979 to 2020 the Sailing Club of the Year Award winners are:

1979 Wicklow SC
1980 Malahide YC
1981 National YC
1982 Howth YC
1983 Royal St George YC
1984 Dundalk SC
1985 National YC (Sponsorship by Mitsubishi Motors began in 1985-86)
1986 Howth YC
1987 Royal Cork YC
1988 Dublin University SC
1989 Irish Cruising. Club
1990 Glenans Irish SC
1991 Galway Bay SC
1992 Royal Cork YC
1993 National YC & Cumann Badoiri Naomh Bhreannain (Dingle) (after 1993, year indicated is one in which trophy is held)
1995 Howth Yacht Club
1996 National Yacht Club
1997 Royal Cork Yacht Club
1998 Kinsale Yacht Club
1999 Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club
2000 Royal Cork Yacht Club (in 2000, competition extended to include class associations and specialist organisations)
2001 Howth Sailing Club Seventeen Footer Association
2002 Galway Bay Sailing Club
2003 Coiste an Asgard
2004 Royal St George Yacht Club
2005 Lough Derg Yacht Club
2006 Royal Cork Yacht Club (Water Club of the Harbour of Cork)
2007 Dublin Bay Sailing Club
2008 Lough Ree YC & Shannon One Design Assoc.
2009 Howth Yacht Club
2010 Royal St George YC
2011 Irish Cruiser Racing Association
2012 National Yacht Club
2013 Royal St George YC
2014 Kinsale YC
2015 Royal Cork Yacht Club
2016 Royal Irish Yacht Club
2017 Wicklow Sailing Club
2018 National Yacht Club
2019 Howth Yacht Club
2020 Royal Cork Yacht Club