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

The Sailing Club of the Year competition began in 1979.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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