TONIGHT'S prize giving for the biennial Cork Dry Gin Round Ireland Race at Jury's Hotel in Dublin has become far more than a honours ceremony for the winners of the 704 event. More than just a social get together, the 500 guests gather to celebrate the essence of offshore competition at a time when this branch of sailing otherwise appears to be suspended in the realms of the super elite.

The race that circumnavigates Ireland has seen its own success reflected in the broad base of entries from more and more clubs around the coast. Even though many crews will not be listed among the prize winners, as with so many ocean races, simply completing the course is the major achievement.

As always, weather and tides play a deciding role in the outcome of the event. But even though no records were broken this year, just one boat out of the 56 strong fleet had to pull out in previous years up to half the entries could have retired in the first 48 hours.

But for the second year running a small yacht has won the overall prize for first boat on corrected handicap time, much to the chagrin of several larger racing boats.

Michael Boyd's J35 Big Ears sailed a near faultless race, and, in spite of near windless conditions on the Irish Sea, arrived at the Wicklow finish within hours of her larger rivals.

Also on hoard and playing a key role was Jamie Boag who was a watch leader and co navigator. Patsy Burke was a helmsman and bowman; Brian Mehigan was bowman, doctor and cook; PJ Kennedy, David McHugh, Tim Greerwood and Michael Moloney made up the trimming team on board.

With Boyd's Big Ears also winning class two as well as the overall prize, runner up places were taken by Cormac Twomey's Sarah J, one of the top performing class zero yachts from Dublin Bay and a pre race favourite for overall handicap honours, along with third placed Sigma 400 and ISORA circuit regular Keep On Smiling, from Wales, who also won the Wicklow Trophy for IMS overall.

Beaumont Spirit collects the Tuskar Cup for class one overall on Channel Handicap, just ahead of the Gordon Maguire skippered Silk 2, owned by Jocelyn Waller from the UK. The second placed boat was first of the mid sized boats to reach the Wicklow finish behind maxi Bridgestone.

The best, and only all women crew in this event was the crew on Sasha led by Francis O'Shaughnessy competing in the largest class, the Sigma 38s. This boat drew on Dun Laoghaire yacht club for its crew while their craft was loaned to them by its joint owners, John Bourke, commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, and Richard Hooper, vice commodore of the Royal St George YC.

Ben Archer and his crack team on Securon IV from the UK won the McClement Trophy for best overall Sigma. Having established an early lead in the race, the visiting crew acted as pathfinder around the coast for the 14 Sigma 38s racing.

Alter Wicklow Sailing Club organisers introduced a separate start for this class in the 1994 event, the Sigma has been endorsed by many as the ideal, one design boat for the race and the entry for the class continues to grow.