(Dublin, Ireland)- As predicted in Afloat's online reader poll, Pat
Kelly's J/109 STORM won the Irish Cruiser Racer Association's (ICRA)
"IRC Boat of the Year" award at the ICRA Conference in Dun Laoghaire at
the Royal Marine Hotel. Among other wins, the J/109 STORM (a simple,
easy-to-sail IRC cruiser-racer) counted five firsts in an impressive
victory in Class One IRC at this year's ICRA Nationals held in
Crosshaven.Amongst the contenders were another J/109, Glenn Cahill's JOIE DE VIVRE, along with a Mills 36, X36, Sunfast 32 and three Corby 25s. At the end of the day, the Kelly's sailed an impressive series of races all year long and proved, yet again, the extraordinary versatility of the J/109 as an excellent racer-cruiser for its owners. Over the course of the summer sailing season, the fleet was confronted with everything, from drifters and long rolling swells to near gales with massive chop and breaking waves that saw carnage strewn all over the Irish Sea. J/109s simply sailed through all that Mother Nature had to throw at them and did so with tremendous ease and great style. For more ICRA Boat of the Year sailing awards information
