Sailor of the Year award for Sydney hopefuls

Sydney 2000 hopefuls for the 470 class Tom Fitzpatrick and David McHugh were awarded the overall Cork Dry Gin/Afloat Sailor of the Year award at a ceremony in Dublin earlier this week.

The line-up of monthly winners from the past year included a cross-section of the sport as well as the Irish transatlantic rowing team of Arklow's Eamon and Peter Kavangh.

Fitzpatrick and McHugh are one of the most enduring teams in Irish sailing and the award recognised their winning three national helmsman championship titles.

Their citation specified that their triple win of the Irish Sailing Association's annual decider was made across a variety of classes - Laser 2 and Squib dinghies while their latest victory last year was in the 1720 Sportsboat.

Their ability is further proven by the range of locations for these wins - Blessington Lake, Howth and Cork Harbour.

Indeed, taking the overall prize was at the expense of another supremo of Irish sailing who has excelled at a variety of levels and who was also a firm favourite for the trophy. Mark Mansfield was the August winner for winning the inaugural 1720 European Championship last summer.

Mansfield is also a past winner of the Church & General Helmsman Championship but given his reign in the 1720 class and the fact that last year's 'Champion of Champions' event was sailed on his home waters, there was added impetus for him to produce a victory. In spite of Mansfield's best efforts, both on and off the water, Fitzpatrick and McHugh stormed back from a poor opening day to find form and secure their third title.

Olympian's were to the fore in the monthly awards with David Burrows, Mansfield's former Star class crew from the Atlanta '96 games, the September winner for his performance in the single-handed Finn class. He became the top youth shortly after commencing his quest for selection to the Irish squad in that class for Sydney 2000.

Laser sailor Jon Lasenby received the April award for qualifying Ireland in that class at the Dubai World Sailing Championships almost a year ago and he has since progressed to his current 18th place in the overall world rankings.

Kinsale Yacht Club's Damian Foxall was honoured in May for achieving the best result by nonFrench national in the single-handed Figaro Race. The 29-yearold Kerryman's steady progress places him on course with a good chance at an overall win in the testing offshore event.

The joint July recipients appeared to have placed their differences behind them following the most controversial ever Round Ireland Race last June when race winner Colm Barrington was in dispute with event organiser Fergus O'Conchobhair in the protest room. Safety radio checks was at the heart of the matter but was eventually resolved in Barrington's favour and he recorded a triple victory for line and handicap honours plus a new course record.

Various club sailors were also honoured during the year. Howth YC's Norman Wilkinson was able to continue sailing right up to his death in the autumn and his contribution to the sport through the Howth 17 footers as well as leading three generations of sailors, including an Olympic silver medallist among many achievements was remembered in October.

Kinsale's John Godkin received the June award for his string of successes on his one-tonner VSOP. Another Howth sailor that took the December award for his epic cruise to the icy wastes of Franz Josef Land also recently received a prestigious award from the Cruising Club of America. John Gore-Grimes and his crew faced polar bears and were trapped in ice for days in the latest of his high latitude expeditions.

Of Ireland's many administrators, Ken Ryan has represented the country at events from local championships to the America's Cup as a jurist. Recently elected a vice-president of the ISAF, Sailing's world governing body, Ryan is also on the advisory group for the Sydney 2000 Regatta. He shared the November award with Fitzpatrick and McHugh.