#dublinbay – The recent, ongoing and intense exchanges in Afloat.ie about Dublin Bay sailing may well be driving readers from elsewhere crazy. But when you study the shape of the bay and particularly how much of an artificial presence Dun Laoghaire Harbour is in it, you begin to get an understanding of the uneasy but productive and creative relationship the town has with the sea.

And as it's something which isn't going to go away, why not make a virtue of it? So perhaps we can help you with a Christmas present suggestion for that hard-to-please sailor in your life? It will be something which will illustrate why their favourite stretch of water can mean so much to them. And it needn't be limited to Dublin Bay. This attractive gift can take in any charted bit of sailing water in the world, including the lakes

We're passing on this snippet of useful information now because making the appropriate present will take a little time - it will have to be custom built. But it needn't cost the earth and can mean a lot to the recipient, particularly if he or she is far from home.

You know those three-dimensional nautical charts you'll see as wall decorations in maritime pubs or sailing clubs throughout the land, and abroad too? They'll often be fitted with the local navigational lights, and for those of us with a tendency to impactive pilotage, it's fascinating to see just which underwater peak we managed to nudge (very useful word, "nudge") all those years ago while sailing merrily along.

Well, these attractive creations are crafted by a busy company called Latitude Kinsale. But they find that as Christmas approaches, everyone wants their 3D chart for a loved sailorly one like, well, like yesterday. So if you're baffled by the needs of that nautical relation, see what Latitude Kinsale down on the South Coast can do to help you out. But do cut them a little bit of slack in terms of time for the Christmas rush. View them here.

 

 

The three dimensional overview of one of the world's busiest bits of water for both commerce and recreation, as seen by Latitude Kinsale.