#SAILING CLUB OF THE YEAR – Following January's announcement of the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire as the Mitsubishi Motors / Irish Independent Sailing Club of the Year the awards presentation took place at a packed National Yacht Club clubhouse in Dun Laoghaire last night.

It is the fifth time the National Yacht Club has won the coveted ship's wheel since it was first awarded in 1979 and the club was commended on both its hosting of major events and cultivation of sailing at all levels.

As well as Annalise Murphy's forthcoming debut at the London Olympics the club is also looking forward to a packed somewhere where among other events it co-hosts the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds in July.

Among the large gathering last night for the celebratons was club member Jack Roy who has been appointed a Race Officer for the Olympic Regatta, former club commoodre Peter Ryan of ISORA, the Royal St. George Commodore and Dragon Edinburgh Cup winner Martin Byrne, Royal Irish Commdore Paddy McSwiney, Press photographers Eric Luke and Michael Chester, Ronan Beirne of Leinster Boats, local Mitsubishi dealer Joe Harvey and a host of sailors from across Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs. Photos below by Gareth Craig.

Commodore Paul Barrington with Séan Donnelly and Tadgh Donnelly, two of the club's promising youth sailors who will be representing Ireland in the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds which will be co-hosted by the club in July.

Brian McLysaght, Kenneth Price and Joe Buckley

Eric Luke, Martin McCarthy and Michael Chester

Gavin Flood of Mitsubishi Motors. More photos below.

#BERTHS – Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company plans to double pleasure craft moorings at the Coal Harbour area of the east coast port by providing up to 150 public berths on floating pontoons.

The company sought expressions of interest earlier this month from a variety of parties including local clubs and businesses to develop and manage the project located in the inner harbour area near the fishing fleet berths at Trader's Wharf.

If the new pontoon facility goes ahead it will replace the existing 30 swinging and fore and aft moorings in the Coal harbour and a further 40 in the shallows on the inner West Pier.

Dun Laoghaire harbour on the south shore of Dublin Bay is Ireland's biggest boating centre. As well as four leading Irish yacht clubs the harbour houses the country's largest marina facility with an 850–berth capacity. The marina has berthage vacancies for the current season.

The facility plan comes under page 72 of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Master plan that was published last year and aims to turn the harbour into an 'exciting marine leisure destination of international calibre'. An artist's impression of the new harbour is here.

The new pontoon is aimed at smaller boats and motor boats. It is also designed to make space for other craft when the numbers of moorings on the East bight area in the main harbour are reduced over time according to the Masterplan.

Other parts of the plan including attracting cruise–liner traffic into the harbour and a new sea water baths on the East Pier are already being implemented.

Consulting engineers have produced a preliminary layout (see above) providing a mix of berth sizes from 4.5 metre up to 7 metre berths.

#DBSC – Light air dinghy skills were a pre-requisite to success on Dublin Bay tonight where the biggest waves were those from the wake of a passing lifeboat. Neil Colin was top in the Fireball class (read Cormac Bradley's observations below). Pierre Long's Dart was at the top of the IDRA 14 fleet. Full Dublin Bay Sailing Club results for 8 May are below:

FIREBALL - 1. Elevation (N.Colin/M.Casey), 2. Blind Squirrel (Frank Miller), 3. Winder (E.Butler/O.Laverty)

IDRA 14 FOOT - 1. Dart (Pierre Long), 2. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 3. Squalls (Stephen Harrison)

PY CLASS - 1. Gary O'Hare (Laser), 2. C Arrowsmith (Laser), 3. Hugh Sheehy (OK Dinghy)

And the first shall be last ........and the last......shall be first!

Tuesday night DBSC racing is always a time challenge – to get away from the office in time to get down to the Club, get changed and rigged and then to sail out to the start area. Invariably the challenge is worth it, if only to get the chance to get out on the water writes Cormac Bradley.

Tonight, the challenge was magnified when the wind that XC Weather had forecast for this evening didn't materialize. A suggestion of 7kts gusting to 10kts going from NE to N simply didn't happen – the wind was very light and was more easterly that anything else. Competitors and race management alike (Flying Fifteens) had challenges galore.

With an ebbing tide would it pay to go out to sea – DEFINITELY NOT! Would the slight breeze stay long enough to get a race in – ONLY JUST – thanks to a shortened course and even then some of us were too far behind to stay within the time limit for finishers.

Six Fireballs started within a reasonable time period of the start signal and one Fireball was very late. Of those who were in the start area at the start signal, Neil Colin & Margaret Casey were easily the last to arrive. Everyone else was already there, Frank & Grattan, pin-end on port, Glen & Dave, Mary & Brenda, Owen & Conor, and Louis & Cormac, the last combination having arrived in the start area in good time relative to their scheduled start.

A slow departure from the start line prompted the idea of going out to sea for this last combination. After all, the tide was going out and there was nothing to specifically suggest that there was less wind there than anywhere else on the course. A fatal mistake that saw the remainder of the fleet sail off over the horizon, never to be seen again!

Neil and Margaret sailed quietly into 2nd place behind Frank & Grattan, followed, I think by Owen/Conor, Brenda/Mary and Dave/Glen. The 2nd beat of the windward/leeward course saw the fleet head to shore to various degrees and Neil & Margaret sailed serenely into a huge lead. The masters of light airs had struck again.

Thereafter, the pecking order was – I think – Frank & Grattan, Brenda & Mary and Owen & Conor. Louis & Cormac? So far behind they were timed out!

And the first shall be last and the last shall be first!

#DBSC – In the cruisers one class there was a return to form for the Bay's Championship winning X-yacht design when 10-knot shifty winds from the north–east led to plenty of place changes across 19 classes in Saturday's Dublin Bay Sailing Club race. Colin Byrne's X-34 Xtravagance, the most successful yacht in the 2011 season, won in both IRC and ECHO handicaps. Last week's winner Gringo, a modified A35, skippered by DBSC commodore Tony Fox, was second and John Hall's J109 Something Else third in IRC.

In the one design classes Derek Mitchell's Ruff Nuff beat Diane ll (Andrew Claffey) in the Ruffian class with Ruff N Ready (Ann Kirwan et al) in third.

Full results for the Dublin Bay Sailing Club Results for 5 MAY 2012 are below:

BENETEAU 31.7 Echo- 1. Legally Blonde (C.Drohan/P.Egan), 2. Levante (B.Leyden/M.Leahy), 3. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson)

BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Thirty Something (Gerry Jones et al), 2. Levante (B.Leyden/M.Leahy), 3. Prospect (Chris Johnston)

CRUISERS 0 - 1. Loose Change (P Redden & M Mitton), 2. Wow (George Sisk), 3. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell)

CRUISERS 0 Echo - 1. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell), 2. Wow (George Sisk), 3. Lively Lady (Derek Martin)

CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne), 2. Something Else (J.Hall et al), 3. Gringo (Tony Fox)

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne), 2. Gringo (Tony Fox), 3. Something Else (J.Hall et al)

CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson), 2. Graduate (D O'Keeffe), 3. Jawesome 11 (M Dyke & B Darcy)

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson), 2. Jawesome 11 (M Dyke & B Darcy), 3. Peridot (Jim McCann et al)

CRUISERS 3 Echo - 1. Pamafe (Michael Costello), 2. Supernova (Shannon, Lawless, McCormack), 3. Cri-Cri (P Colton)

CRUISERS 3 - 1. Supernova (Shannon, Lawless, McCormack), 2. Quest (Jonathan Skerritt), 3. Pamafe (Michael Costello)

DRAGON - 1. Phantom (D.Williams), 2. Susele (Michael Halpenny), 3. Diva (R.Johnson/R.Goodbody)

FIREBALL Race 1- 1. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 2. No Name (McGuire & Chambers)

FIREBALL Race 2- 1. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 2. No Name (McGuire & Chambers), 3. GBH (M & P Keegan)

FLYING FIFTEEN Race 1- 1. Rollercoaster (Tom Murphy), 2. Fflogger (Alan Dooley), 3. As Good As It Gets (Ross Doyle)

GLEN - 1. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 2. Glencree (J.Bligh/H.Roche), 3. Glencorel (B.Waldock/K.Malcolm)

IDRA 14 FOOT Race 1- 1. Dart (Pierre Long), 2. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 3. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne)

IDRA 14 FOOT Race 2- 1. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 2. Dart (Pierre Long), 3. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne)

MERMAID - 1. Kim (D Cassidy)

PY CLASS Race 1- 1. E & R Ryan (RS400), 2. Hugh Sheehy (OK Dinghy), 3. Richard Tate (Laser)

PY CLASS Race 2- 1. Hugh Sheehy (OK Dinghy), 2. E & R Ryan (RS400), 3. Richard Tate (Laser)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Ruff Nuff (D & C Mitchell), 2. Diane ll (Andrew Claffey), 3. Ruff N Ready (Ann Kirwan et al)

SHIPMAN - 1. Curraglas (John Masterson), 2. Invader (Gerard Glynn), 3. Bluefin (B.Finucane et al)

SIGMA 33 - 1. Leeuwin (H&C Leonard & B Kerr), 2. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 3. Moonshine (R.Moloney/D.O'Flynn)

SQUIB - 1. Kookaburra (P & M Dee), 2. Nimble (Brian O'Hare), 3. Anemos (Pete & Ann Evans)

SQUIB - 1. Kookaburra (P & M Dee), 2. Periguin (N Colcough)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo- 1. Zephyr (R Cahill-O'Brien), 2. Windshift (R O'Flynn et al), 3. Arwen (Philip O'Dwyer)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Arwen (Philip O'Dwyer), 2. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al), 3. Persistence (C. Broadhead et al)

#DBSC – Maybe it was the photographs of the fishing trawler pulling out of Howth in the north easterly gale that led Dublin Bay skippers to believe tonight's first race of the DBSC season might be scrubbed or perhaps April is still too early in the sailing season for a full mid-week turnout?  Whatever the reason some early bird entries capitalised on the exciting 18-knot NNW breeze and lumpy seas for the first Thursday night race. One of those was Commodore Tony Fox, skipper of class one yacht Gringo (pictured above), who won on both IRC and ECho handicap. On IRC Gringo beat DBSC champion Colin Byrne's X-34 Xtravagance. Third in class one IRC was John Maybury's Joker II.

In the one design classes Justin Burke's Alert packaging won the SB3s beating class captain Doug Smith's Sacrebleu. Niall Coleman sailing Flyer was the winner of the Flying fifteen class.

The full results for the DUBLIN PORT Dublin Bay Sailing Club Results for 26 APRIL 2012 are below:

BENETEAU 31.7 Echo- 1. Avalon (R.Conan/J.Fox), 2. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson), 3. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey)

BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 2. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson), 3. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey)

CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Gringo (Tony Fox), 2. Joker 11 (John Maybury), 3. Something Else (J.Hall et al)

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Gringo (Tony Fox), 2. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne), 3. Joker 11 (John Maybury)

CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Free Spirit (John O'Reilly), 2. Peridot (Jim McCann et al), 3. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson)

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Peridot (Jim McCann et al), 2. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson), 3. Free Spirit (John O'Reilly)

CRUISERS 3 - 1. Asterix (Counihan/Meredith/Bushell), 2. Quest (Jonathan Skerritt), 3. Gossip (D Meredith)

CRUISERS 3 Echo - 1. Hyflyer (J Barnard), 2. Cri-Cri (P Colton), 3. Asterix (Counihan/Meredith/Bushell)

CRUISERS 3B Echo - 1. Small Wonder (H Kelly), 2. Yikes (J Conway)

FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. Flyer (Niall Coleman), 2. Hi Fibre (Michael McCambridge), 3. Deranged (C.Doorly)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Diane ll (Andrew Claffey), 2. Ruff N Ready (Ann Kirwan et al), 3. Shannagh (S.Gill/P.MacDiarmada)

SB3s - 1. Alert Packaging (Justin Burke), 2. Sacrebleu (D Smith)

SHIPMAN - 1. Jo Slim (J.Clarke et al), 2. Curraglas (John Masterson), 3. Invader (Gerard Glynn)

SIGMA 33 - 1. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 2. Rupert (R & P Lovegrove), 3. Pippa lV (G.Kinsman/E.McMahon/M.O'Brien)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo - 1. Edenpark (Liam Farmer), 2. Calypso (Howard Knott)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Calypso (Howard Knott), 2. Edenpark (Liam Farmer)

#SB3 – How sailing classes cope with recession has been a talking point over the winter months in yacht clubs across Ireland. Little spare time and sailors under financial pressure means all classes are re-evaluating what they are offering. It means many classes are seeking to re-engineer fixtures and events in order to meet the changing circumstances. Most agree that a strong club racing bedrock is essetial for any class to be successful in the longer term – there are quite a few high profile casualities who chose the 'events only' route and avoiding more classes falling by the wayside is going to be tricky.

Riding on the tail end of the wave of initial success, the SB3 class, one of the biggest in the country, has been having just this debate and it has made some decisions about safeguarding own future on Dublin Bay.

Sunday event style racing has been a major part of the success of the class on the Bay and Ireland is one of the few places in the world where there is a successful club racing scene for SB3s.

Since its arrival in Ireland about five or six years ago, the SB3 class has enjoyed spectacular success with more than 60 boats in the country.

Looking to the future the class administrators in Dublin Bay led by new class captain Doug Smith; Justin Burke and Barry O'Neill had intensive dialogue with SB3 sailors starting last Autumn seeking their views on how to build on past success.

After much debate and further consultation it was decided to trial a new formula for the 2012 season with the following key findings and results with some relevant to all classes in these difficult times.

The success of the SB3 class is reflected by:

• An active Club racing scene in Dublin Bay with entries of 25 +. Typical turn outs on Thursdays in the high teens and Sundays in the low teens

• A competitive Events Circuit with entries for the four regional events typically in the 20s (more than most keel boats would muster for their Nationals) and entries for the National Championships and the likes of Dun Laoghaire Week usually 40 + boats.

• Ireland hosted the inaugural class World Championship in the N Y C when more than a hundred SBs showed up. Since then the World Championship formula of 100 + boats was repeated in Lake Garda and Torbay and plans are in place for the next World Championship in Hamilton Island , Australia in December

The success in Dublin Bay was largely attributed to three factors:

1 An exciting boat, offering competitive one design racing at an affordable price -- nothing like rolling downhill in an SB with the kite up in a Force 4+ ! With the asymmetric kite so easy to control, crew needs of only 3, and minimum maintenance costs, the boat is simply a joy to own and sail

2 A mould breaking racing formula of offering event standard DBSC windward /leeward racing (so important for an asymmetric race boat ) on a Sunday in a largely empty Dublin Bay

3 The traditional Thursday trip around the cans -- improved significantly last year when DBSC introduced Committee Boat starts /finishes

SB3s are the biggest one design class racing on Dublin Bay

The Debate

Looking to the future, the class administrators in Dublin Bay led by new class captain Doug Smith; Justin Burke and Barry O'Neill had intensive dialogue with SB sailors starting last autumn seeking their views on how to build on past success . A number of themes emerged -- including:

• All thought the boat a joy to sail

• Some focused on Dublin Bay SC club racing -- while others preferred to focus more on the Events circuit

• This led to some debate reflecting the facts that :

• The Club Racing focused boats had some concerns about the commitment involved in campaigning properly in DBSC as in effect this tied up crews most /all weekends between April and end September = 5 months – a BIG ask these days !

• While the Events focused boats fretted they could never be really competitive in a DBSC Series when missing as many as four or five Sundays each season

All SB sailors agreed the Sunday DBSC racing was a winner. There was simply huge enthusiasm for a 2 p.m. sharp start + two competitive W/ L races and all finished by about 4 – 30. But how could the needs of the "Eventers" vs. the "Club Racers" are accommodated?

Towards a Solution

After much debate and further consultation with SB sailors -- it was decided to trial a new formula for season 2012 -- specifically :

• Take a fairly radical step and reduce the number of DBSC Sundays from around 20 Sundays to 10. Each DBSC Sunday in 2012 will start at 12 – 30 a.m. (rather than 2 p.m.) and have three W/ L races rather than two. This means that over the season the Club racers will do nearly as many DBSC races as in 2011 -- but more focused and time efficient.

• Ensure DBSC Sundays did not clash with Regional event week –ends

• Split the 10 Sundays into 5 Series of two Sundays – roughly two Sundays per month.

• As part of the re-engineering, the SB Class addressed the issue of Line Duty. While it is recognised that DBSC Line duty is vitally important, in effect this means one boat had to drop out each Sunday . The SB class drove a pairing arrangement with dinghy/PY classes so SB sailors do their duty on Saturdays and dinghy /PY crew help with SB sailing on Sundays – Nett result is better class turn outs all round.

The Result

The new format was widely accepted in that it means that:

• DBSC club racing focused boats would continue to have brilliant racing -- but more focused on 10 Sundays rather than around 20 with 3 races rather than 2 -- so some weekends off to do other things without losing points.

• Events focused boats can now do BOTH events and DBSC club racing without being penalised

• SBers wishing to race every weekend as in the past can do so by combining the Club + Regatta + Events circuits

A positive outcome of the re- engineering of the class offering is the arrival of a couple of new SBs to Dublin Bay + some garage stored SBs are now scheduled to be back on the race track and indeed Roger Bannon has been lured out of SB retirement as he went and bought a new SB. The new format DBSC SB formula kicks off this weekend and the National YC host the first Regional event (The Eastern Championships) on May 12th/13th.

With competitive second hand boats changing hands for between €8,000 and €10,000 the class says there will never be better chance to join in the fun!

Contacts

Class Captain Doug Smith ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at the RIYC ; Barry O'Neill ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at the R.St.G.YC. or Justin Burke ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )) at the National YC. They are willing to arrange a trial sail for interested parties.

#PORTS & SHIPPING – One of the world's largest and most advanced ultra deepwater installation and cable laying construction vessels, the AMC Connector arrived into Dublin Bay this morning, having picked-up a pilot offshore of the Baily Lighthouse, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Norwegian flagged 19,000 tonnes vessel which was only launched last year is capable of operating in waters beyond 3,000m. She is fitted with Dynamic Positioning (DP3) technology, which allows the vessel to maintain a precise and constant position using satellite technology while operating in harsh weather conditions.

AMC Connector is able to install power cables and umbilicals using its two heave-compensated offshore cranes and a VLS system with pay-load capacity of 9,000 tonnes. There are two carousel turntables for the cables, one capable of handling 6,000mt above deck and the second of 3,000mt capacity is sited below deck. There are two remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and a single centred moonpool in addition to two sliding to the port side.

The 156m ship has accommodation for up to 140 personnel plus a hospital. In front of the bridge and directly above the bow is a heli-deck which is designed for Sikorsky S-92 type helicopters. This is the same type of helicopter that was recently introduced as the new SAR helicopter for the Irish Coast Guard (ICG).

The red-hulled vessel is part of a modern fleet operated by the EMAS AMC, which is an Olso based offshore contractor offering subsea construction, installation, maintenance, repair and decommissioning services. They specialise in complex projects in any environment throughout the world.

The Start and finish dates of the DBSC 2012 season

First DBSC Races 2012

Tuesday: 24th April

Thursday 26th April

Saturday 21st April

Last DBSC Races 2012

Tuesday: 28th August

Thursday: 30th August

Saturday 29th Sept.

#DUBLIN BAY SAILING CLUB – There are a number of key changes to the 2012 Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) racing programme this year that reflect the times we live in but recession isn't going to hold back this club. After all DBSC has survived two World Wars, the War of Independence, the Civll War and the Great Depression to boot!

Ten to 15-knot north westerly winds are expected for tomorrow's first race. 360 boats will be competing in 19 classes with over 3,000 sailors for the first gun at 2pm. Dublin Port Company is on board again as Club sponsor for the season.

There has been a merger of cruiser classes three and four and classes zero and one will start together this season. And in a further contraction of cruiser class activity the country's biggest yacht club has decided not to run its annual cruiser challenge for 2012 at least.

And in a further departure from the norm the club has introduced a coastal race this July, something it has not done for many years.

These changes might indicate a drop off in interest but on the contrary the club's honorary secretary Donal O'Sullivan reports no drop in numbers for the first race of the 2012 DBSC season tomorrow.

Instead the changes this season are much needed tweaks to a durable race programme that has 90 perpetual trophies as well as 509 pieces of glassware up for grabs for what is the club's 119th season.

Handicap Classes

Nineteen classes will be racing tomorrow representing a mix of cruiser, one design and dinghy fleets.

Colin Byrne, the winner of one of the top awards in 2011 becomes the class captain of Cruisers 1, now an 18 boat fleet that counts among its numbers at least one new arrival this season. Ruth, a J109 yacht from the National Yacht Club will be skippered by Liam Shanahan and it is one of five 109s racing in DBSC class one.

Byrne who skippers the X-34 Xtravagance won the Waterhouse Shield and also sailed to overall IRC handicap racing victory on Saturdays and Thursdays in 2011. Byrne also took the overall Thursday Echo trophy (although the Royal Irish entry failed to make a clean sweep by two points in Saturday Echo).

Last year's Irish Cruiser Racer annual conference in Dun Laoghaire tried to tackle long festering issues such handicapping and perhaps there is nowhere more pertinent than in Dublin Bay Sailing Club where some class changes are long overdue.

For example, is it equitable for modern designs such as J109s or A35s to be racing with older Sigma 38s or X-332s? A realignment of handicap bands across all fleets could bring about better racing and, as ICRA Commodore Barry Rose conceded last November, such reform is long overdue.

Handicapping is something that ICRA should be empowered to tackle rather than tinker with. 'It's time to flush this out and get it sorted', Rose has promised.

In a DBSC context, with the country's largest handicap fleets there is little doubt that more handicap tweaks remains to be done but in a Cruisers III context at least the solution to the quandry for 2012 has been to split the 43-boat fleet in to alpha and beta divisions for the first time.

Last year's Bay champion Supernova is back in action tomorrow racing in the new class III alpha division

The view of the Committee is that it will produce better racing because Cruisers 3, to which Cruiser 4 were joined last year has a very wide handicap band.

It is a big task where yachts ranging in length from 23–foot to 29–foot are competing together and with handicap bands stretching from .760 to .820.

The beta division is made up of the old class IV boats and Beneteau 211s plus some others who have been to join.

Combined and separate results will be provided. This will be true also of Cruiser 0 and Cruisers 1, who will start together, both on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Ensign class

Last season the 350-boat club tackled the long standing problem of crew shortages. Together with Dun Laoghaire's waterfront yacht clubs, DBSC introduced an 'Ensign Class' to extend the possibility of bay racing to a greater number of people, many of whom are novices.

Up to 1,500 sailors race each Thursday and Saturday during the Summer but typically cruiser classes which represent the bulk of the fleets always run short of a crew. A typical 30 foot boat can require a crew pool of 15 or more.

People with no experience are now being taken afloat in a cosseted fashion by the club and introduced to the rudiments of sailing.

The idea has proved so successful the National Yacht Club now operates a waiting list for its club 1720 sports boats, the Ensign class of choice.

The hope is that racing skippers, who rarely want complete novices onboard but who are nevertheless short of crew will be encouraged to pick from those graduating from the Ensign class.

ISAF Youth Worlds

There was some concern earlier that the ISAF Youth Worlds, which will be held in Dublin Bay in July, would seriously impact on DBSC racing. The event will certainly have an effect on dinghies, which will have to vacate the club forecourts for the best part of a fortnight. Keelboats, not so much or hardly it all.

Many of the DBSC committee boat personnel will be tied up with the ISAF event but the club intends to start races from the Hut and they plan to run a coastal/ distance race in the Sth Burford direction, something we have not done for some years. The SB3s will be racing on away events at this time and will not be affected.

Though boat entry numbers have been down a bit since they peaked in 2009, all indications for this year are that DBSC's unique attractions – regular, consistently well-managed racing in a splendid sailing area within easy reach of members' home or workplace - will continue to exercise their perennial appeal. This is after all the 119th DBSC season!

The cover of the new yearbook features Supernova

Other DBSC posts

DBSC 2011 Prizewinners list

Dublin Bay Sailing Club News and Results

#CRUISE–LINERS – The arrival of the €350 million Grand Princess cruise ship marked the opening of the 2012 Cruise season on Dublin Bay early this morning (Wed) when the 290 metre long vessel arrived overnight from Scotland on her only trip to Dublin this Summer.

The ship docked in Dublin Port is alongside for one night only and carries almost 4,000 high spend passengers and over 1,000 crew members.

During the winter the ship underwent an overhaul including the removal of part of her superstructure to save weight as Afloat previously reported here.

This year 90 cruise liners, 100,000 passengers contributing €35- €50m to the Dublin economy in 2012 will arrive into Dublin Bay. See the full list of Cruise calls to Dublin here.

The ship is the latest in cruise luxury with over 710 staterooms, an on-board shopping mall, cinema, a range of restaurant facilities, casino, swimming pools and a nine hole golf putting course.

The cruise sector has become a hugely important part of the city's tourism product since Dublin Port Company first targeted this trade in the mid 1990s.

A Dublin Port Pilot vessel escorts the Grand Princess into Dublin Bay

The Port Company estimates that cruise liners have contributed over €350 million to the city in the last decade.

The Port Company first targeted this trade in the mid 1990s. It is estimated that cruise liners have contributed over €350 million to the city in the last decade alone so Dublin Port Company is pleased to have played its role in attracting this business for the city.

Dublin Port Company recently announced it will invest €110m over the next five years implementing projects under its Masterplan 2012-2040 for future development at Dublin Port. Among the major projects identified in the Masterplan is the construction of a new cruise facility adjacent to the east of the East Link Bridge to accommodate the growing number of passengers and cruise ships coming to Dublin each season, bringing high spending passengers and crew within easy reach of the Luas, city centre shops, eateries and attractions.

The Grand Princess passes Poolbeg light on her way up the river Liffey and into Dublin city

To progress the project, Dublin Port Company has formed Cruise Dublin, a joint initiative with Dublin City Council and Dublin Chamber of Commerce aimed at further developing the cruise tourism trade in Dublin. A study of the needs of the cruise industry and best practice elsewhere on how a suitable cruise terminal can be provided in Dublin is currently underway. The estimated cost of the development is €30 million. This study will be concluded later this month with a view to having a cruise terminal in place by 2015.

The 290 metre long cruise liner arrives at her berth dwarfing the Irish Ferries ship Ulysses

Mr. Eamonn O'Reilly, Chief Executive, Dublin Port Company said, "Dublin Port is already the largest gateway for cruise visitors to Ireland and with 1.7 million ferry passengers moving through the port, is behind only Dublin Airport and Cork Airport as a national tourism hub. We have a fantastic offering here with a growing reputation internationally as the go-to city for high end cruise calls. Our location at the heart of Dublin beside the city's shops, restaurants and bars, as well as proximity to the airport make Dublin Port a very attractive destination for major cruise liner operators. We're delighted to have secured 90 cruises for 2012 and with our new joint initiative, Cruise Dublin, committed to increasing this valuable trade for Dublin in the best way possible."

Meanwhile a new dock in the south of the bay has been installed at the Coal quay in Dun Laoghaire harbour ready for next week's first cruise ship arrival into Dun Laoghaire.

Read more about Cruise liners and cruise liner visits to Ireland