Successful year to be celebrated by awards ceremony

SAILING: Ireland's top sailing achievements from 2005 will be celebrated on Tuesday when the Cork Dry Gin Sailor of the Year will be crowned.

Nineteen of Ireland's most talented sailors are in the running for the annual prize which recognises a remarkable season on home and foreign waters.

A panel of sailing journalists and administrators will select the winner of the Cork Dry Gin trophy for last year's sailor of distinction from a shortlist of nominees. The competition has been running for 10 years.

The first Sailor of the Year was dinghy sailor Mark Lyttle, the Athens Olympic race winner in 1996, and the 2004 winner was Round Ireland race winner Eamon Crosbie.

Tuesday's ceremony follows individual performances that have already earned monthly awards during 2005 in Afloat, Ireland's watersports magazine. The ceremony takes place at the Morrison Hotel in Dublin at 12.30pm.

In other news, spring sees the launch of two new Dublin boat shows, one in March the other in April, and both are an indication of the buoyancy of the marine leisure market here.

The first off is a new three-day venture by Dublin Bay sailor Seán Lemass of SDL Exhibitions who is running a Leisure Boat Show in Citywest from March 16th to 19th.

The second will also be a three-day effort and it is an "On The Water" boat show sponsored by Lombard and organised by the Irish Marine Federation and it is to be held from April 28th to May 1st.

Organisers say the north Co Dublin event will be the biggest display of boats ever held in this country with 200 craft to be exhibited at Malahide Marina.

The buoyancy in the boat sales market, however, is not reflected in the marina berth market and the industry faces meltdown unless more berths can be found.

Dun Laoghaire Marina, the country's biggest facility with 500 berths, has a waiting list of 120 boats, according to marina manager Hal Bleakley. An expected extension of 200 boats has been held up because of a planning objection.

Abroad, and set for March 7th to 12th during Miami Race Week, the inaugural TP52 Global Championship will welcome a fleet representing England, Ireland, Hong Kong and the USA.

Eamon Conneely is racing on his TP52 Patches from Galway. Patches, with Britain's Ian Walker skippering, is competing as part of the nine-boat fleet having resolved keel troubles from last year's Malta middle sea fixture. The racing series consists of short windward/leeward and longer offshore races that will take the fleet to the Bahamas and back.

Sailor of the Year Award:

The shortlist

Finian Maynard (Dun Laoghaire), Máire Breathnach (Dungarvan, Co Waterford), Peter Killen (Malahide), Rachel MacManus (Dalkey), Tim Costello (Dun Laoghaire), Noel Butler (Galway), Jean Philippe Chomette (France, international award), Anthony O'Leary (Crosshaven, Co Cork), Eamon Conneelly (Co Galway), Colm Barrington (Dun Laoghaire), Eric Lisson (Novahull, Co Cork), Ross Kearney (Belfast), Adam McCullough (Belfast), David Crosbie (Co Dublin), Mick Liddy (Co Dublin), Jarlath Cunnane (Westport, Co Mayo), Paddy Barry (Monkstown, Co Dublin), Michel Kleinjans (Belgium), Brian Craig (Dun Laoghaire).