Sydney exploits make O'Rourke sailor of the year

Sailing ColumnA class win in the Sydney Hobart race was rewarded at home yesterday when Limerick's Ger O'Rourke lifted the Sailor of the Year trophy at the Boat Show at the RDS, Dublin.

O'Rourke won his class in a strong wind at the January 2006 Sydney-Hobart race in an innovative new boat with a canting keel that proved fast straight out of the box.

A dozen separate awards were presented at yesterday's who's-who gathering of Irish sailing people, celebrating remarkable achievements on home and international waters.

Awards were made to sailors shortlisted from those who had already earned monthly prizes in the national boating magazine, Afloat.

O'Rourke and his Western Yacht club team from the Shannon estuary went on to produce further impressive results as 2006 progressed, picking up overall wins in August's Round Britain and Ireland race and also victory in September's Cowes to Cascais sprint.

A separate international award went to Steve Mulkerrins and Tom Joyce for their adventure in a specially-built 47-foot Galway hooker, the Naomh Bairbre, sailing from Chicago to Connemara.

Also at the show Dún Laoghaire's plans to become the Cowes of the Irish Sea got a shot in the arm this week with entries for July's Volvo-sponsored regatta not only coming from the four coasts of Ireland but also from Lancashire, the north Wales coastline and also from eight different countries.

The increase in entries from across the water was confirmed by event chairman Brian Craig who will officially launch the four-day event at the Allianz Boat Show at the RDS tonight.

Craig has also been successful in attracting grand prix racers to the bay, with the early entry of the TP 52 Panthera Benny Kelly from England's Royal Corinthian YC.

The Ecover Half Ton Classics Cup that races as part of Dún Laoghaire week has also been boosted by 16 entries to date with five months to go.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man would have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay and this, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and the reason entries from as far afield as Yorkshire's Whitby YC to the Isle of Wight have already been taken.

Until now only May's Scottish series at Tarbert could claim to have such a reach.

Already entries for the week, which runs from July 12th to 15th, are likely to top the 500 mark.

Organisers admit this is only half the number that attend Cowes but the fact there are 2,500 marina berths alone in north Wales gives an indication of the size of the ambitious plan.

Of course not all of the estimated Lancashire and the north Wales coastline boats are racing yachts but that does not appear to stop the interest in Dún Laoghaire.

Already a motorboat cruise in the company of 20 boats is bound for the Victorian port just to take in some of the festivities planned at the harbour's four waterfront yacht clubs.