IT was a long weekend of award presentations for the extended Ennis family as, three days before Sarah was announced as winner of The Irish Field senior event rider of the year title, her brother-in-law, Conor Fogerty, was named as sailor of the year by Afloat magazine.

Conor, who is married to Suzanne Ennis, won the award for his performance in the single-handed east-west transatlantic race last summer when he sailed from Plymouth in Devon to Newport, Rhode Island. Four boats were lost when the fleet was hit by an unexpected hurricane but Fogerty, and two other helmsmen, avoided the worst of the weather having decided to head north after passing Ireland while the main group went south.