INTRODUCING YOUR 2023 NOMINEES ...
The people without whom our sport simply would not exist! Have a read of this years incredible nominees ...
Margaret Hynes, Cullaun Sailing Club
Margaret has worked diligently over many years to further develop her club and the youth within it. She has always aided in the development of young sailors and enabled pathways forward for further development.
Maurice Collins, Royal Cork Yacht Club
Maurice was Rear Admiral Dinghies at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 2023 and the driving force behind an extremely successful Topper World Championships in 2023. Maurice has held a variety of roles at the Royal Cork over the years including Topper Class Captain and was Chairperson of the Irish Sailing Youth Nationals event in 2021. Maurice also made great strides to grow the various dinghy classes last year and oversaw an increase in junior sailor participation.
Kathryn Kingston, Bantry Bay Sailing Club
Kathryn Kingston has made a significant impact on the work of Bantry Bay Sailing Club enabling those new to the community to integrate through participation in sailing programmes and racing. The club is steadily growing year on year and her work with the wider community has also enabled the club to become part of a longer term project to develop new water sports facilities in Bantry Harbour.
Fintan Cairns, Dun Laoghaire Harbour
Fintan is an unsung hero of sailing in Dun Laoghaire. He has been sailing all his life and currently owns the first Mark Mills built 36 footer, Raptor, previously Aztec. Fintan always has young up and coming sailors crewing on Raptor. Aside form his own racing, Fintan is responsible for the long-standing Turkey Shoot and Spring Series winter racing in Dublin Bay. These no-nonsense, sensibly timed events attract the widest variety of keelboats, from J109s – 1720s and every cruising boat imaginable in between. Fintan has been running this for over ten years and without his input there would be no racing in Dublin Bay during the winter for keelboats.
Aisling Gillen, Sligo Yacht Club
Aisling Gillen has been sailing Mirrors and GP14’s in Sligo Yacht Club for longer than she cares to remember. Having served as both secretary and commodore, she met her greatest challenge as the event organiser for the Mirror Worlds 2023. With crews from Ireland, UK, Tasmania, Australia and South Africa, Aisling’s hard work and enthusiasm paid off and laid a solid foundation for a Mirror resurgence.
Kevin Doyle, Royal St George Yacht Club
While competing in an ILCA dinghy in 2022, Kevin suffered a spinal injury that reshaped his connection to the sport. Ten months later, he found himself charting new waters at his club, the Royal St. George Yacht Club, steering his 2.4mR boat 'Miss Lizzy' with a renewed spirit and purpose. Unable to resume his previous professional work due to his injury, Kevin turned his attention to a unique aspect of sailing that blends skill, creativity, and community: the intricate art of splicing control lines for fellow sailors.
The transition from a wheelchair to the 2.4mR “Miss Lizzy” brought a new learning curve in terms of boat handling and control. Kevin set about rigging his 2.4mR for use tailored to his own disability. With the volume of lines and knots in the 2.4mR, Kevin began learning how to splice lines to improve the performance inside the cockpit.
Word soon got around about the quality and attention to detail of the splicing, and what started as a necessity for Kevin has blossomed into a valuable service for fellow sailors. Kevin has continuously expressed his gratitude to the local sailing community who rallied around him after his injury, and he sees this as a way he can pay back the kindness he was shown.