Irish Cruiser Racing Association season overall

Darkwood on day 1 of Volvo Cork Week 2022 © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Cork Week

It was a great season for sailing offshore around Ireland this past summer. Virtually all races had good winds, except the few large light air patches in the Round Ireland Race.

109 boats competed for overall season honours for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association "Boat of the Year" honours. In the end, several J/Teams dominated the overall standings in three different divisions, plus the top honour for ICRA Overall Boat of the Year was won by a J/99! Here is how it broke down by division.

IRC 0 Division

The J/121 DARKWOOD, owned by Michael O'Donnell, a regular and successful RORC competitor, performed well in the ICRA season results, coming 3rd in IRC 0 Class. Plus, they were 5th in the IRC Overall standings. Their performance was a memorable one for them, winning the IRC 0 class in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race and taking second place in the IRC Nationals in IRC 0.

The J/99 Snapshot, owned by Mike and Richard Evans, was crowned Overall Boat of the Year by the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) - photo © J/Boats Australia

IRC 1 Division

The J/99 SNAPSHOT, owned by Mike and Richard Evans, was crowned Overall Boat of the Year by the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA), for a combination of the major inshore and offshore events in 2022! SNAPSHOT had a great season overall, she finished 1st in her Class in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race, she finished 1st in her Class during CD Environmental Calves Week, 1st in the Beshoff Motors Howth YC Autumn League, and 2nd in her Class during the Howth YC WAVE Regatta.

Speaking just after being awarded the ICRA 2022 "Boat Of The Year", co-owner Mike Evans said: "My brother Richard and I had the pleasure of working on our J/99 project with Shane Hughes from North Sails Ireland from the outset. Shane and the North Sails team helped us configure the yacht to perform in a wide variety of conditions, and we wanted the option to be able to compete offshore with the Round Ireland in mind. We have found good performance with our sail inventory upwind and downwind but also noticed the sail's longevity and durability, having survived a bashing off the southwest coast in murderous conditions this year. There is also ongoing design refinement and optimization, which is necessary to remain competitive, which is interesting and exciting."

Finishing in the runner-up position in IRC 1 was Pat & Ronan Kelly's J/109 STORM. Their effort was truly a family affair. Their record was equally as impressive as the J/99 SNAPSHOT. The STORM team compiled an enviable tally of 1st in the Bangor Town Regatta, 3rd in the Howth YC Autumn League series, and 2nd in the IRC Nationals at Howth YC.

IRC 2 Division

Finally, Stephen Quinn's J/97 LAMBAY RULES team from Howth YC was the overall winner of the IRC 2 Division.