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21st July 2009

Irish Sea Shipping

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Published in Organisations
21st July 2009

Irish Ships and Shipping

The aim of the Irish Ships and Shipping site is to record ships and shipping of Irish interest with photos, details and stories from all interested parties. Of particular interest would be any photos or stories of Irish Shipping Ltd., its ships, and the men who worked them

Published in Organisations
The Northwest Charter Skippers Organisation was inaugurated in January 2002, and was formed to enhance and develop Charter Boat Services through the interchange of Information, between our membership and through the promotion of a fleet of fully licensed, Insured, and well equipped Modern Sea Angling Vessels adopting best practice and providing a high quality service in Sea Angling and general tourism charters to the Northwest Coast of Ireland, our Slogan being Service with Safety.
 
When you choose a member of the association you can be assured that the operator is fully licensed and insured and will have the experience and qualifications to provide the Service you require at prices you can afford.
 
The association does not provide a booking service, we provide links to angling sites and information pages submitted by our members. The information listed is produced by the individual members of the organisation and the owners of the relevant web sites. Top class fishing aboard quality charter boats in North West Ireland.

Enjoy the very best in Sea Angling Charters.

North West Charter Skippers Association  

Published in Organisations

achill_bel_powerboat_club_2009.jpg Our Powerboat club, which is based on Achill Island, Co. Mayo, was established in June 2008.

In May of that year a group of boating enthusiasts from the Achill and Belmullet areas came together to take part in a local fun boating weekend on Achill, which was organised by a local enthusiast.

From the success of this event and the huge interest shown and also considering the increasing amount of boating activity around the island, it was clear that Achill would be a prime location for the establishment of a Powerboat Club.

After liaising with and receiving a substantial amount of advice and help from Denis Dillon (National Powerboat Officer) for the ISA, our club ‘Achill-Belmullet Powerboat Club’ was born!

Our aim is to provide powerboat users in the west and others in the vicinity with the following facilities:
To come together and enjoy their mutual interest through participating in organised fun-filled events and outings.
To share their knowledge and experience with others.
To extend their expertise in boating through taking part in various training days that are organised within our club.
To plan and develop a Clubhouse with mooring and marina facilities as to cater for all types of leisure craft.
To plan for the future of boating for the West Coast of Ireland.

(Details courtesy of Achill-Belmullet Powerboat Club) 

Achill-Belmullet Powerboat Club

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Published in Clubs

Glenans Irish Sailing Club is a non-profit sailing school affiliated to, but now independent of the larger French Les Glénans sailing school. They offer courses in cruisers, catamarans, dinghies and windsurfing. The sailing bases are on Collanmore Island in Clew Bay, and at a converted railway station in Baltimore, Co. Cork.

As a non-profit organisation, Glenans members have a great commitment to sailing. Properly known as Glenans Irish Sailing Club (GISC), it was founded in 1969 when the first base in Baltimore was opened. The club operates largely using volunteer instructors, backed by a small professional staff on the bases and in the Baltimore office.

The club provides instructor courses approved by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA). Sailing courses are available from May to October, with some weekend courses outside the main period. Course participants automatically become members of the club.

GISC Office – The Station House, Baltimore, Co. Cork. Tel: +353 (0) 28 20630. fax: +353 (0) 28 20312, email: [email protected]

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Published in Clubs
17th July 2009

West Cork Sailing Centre

West Cork Sailing & Powerboat Centre – 1998 to 2009

In 1998 we discovered an old breezeblock shed next to Adrigole pier and slipway. We thought the location of a building by the edge of a sheltered harbour, surrounded in hills and mountains was perfect for a sailing school.

So, West Cork Sailing Centre was set up and our first 8 dinghies bought.  We operated for two years from the old shed, with no running water. Customers enjoyed the atmosphere, quality of equipment and expert tuition, and recommended us to their friends and family to provide us with more bookings.

In 2000 we got planning permission for our new centre and construction started in December of 2000. Paddy Bat and his team of builders worked hard to complete the building for June of 2001.

The luxury of hot showers, toilets and underfloor heating was wonderful.

The new building has lecture room, offices and cafe area, so The Boat House Cafe was opened for passing customers to enjoy a cappuchino while watching the boats sail by. In 2002 we received our Wine Licence.

2004 was a very busy summer and one of our children was very ill, so we closed the cafe to passing trade at the end of the summer and the comfortable dining area is now for our sailors only. We provide a buffet lunch with lovely home made soup to our sailors every day.

In 2004, the fleet increased to 40 boats and a team of ten instructors working in the summer. The cafe is now known as the Bistro and is now only open to our customers or parties.  This gives our customers their own relaxing lounge room to catch up on the days events at lunch time and at the end of the day.

The local area has taken a great interest in the development of sailing and to try and increase the availability of boats to the area we have linked up with Bere Island Sailing Club with three 20ft Sun 2000's from Jeaneau, which are in our fleet.  We also take care of Beara Community Schools fleet of six Toppers.

2005 and our dream boat joins the fleet – A Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 37 Legende. She is just perfect for comfortable sail training. So, we now offer the ISA Cruising Scheme training courses – Yachtmaster, Day Skipper and Competent Crew. The centre also became RYA approved to provide dinghy, keelboat, powerboat and cruising RYA certificates to our UK customers.

In September 2006 the Commercial Yachtmaster Intensive training course was launched and the centre is now busy throughout each winter training complete beginners to become Yachtmasters on a six-month course.

It is now 2008 and we have a total fleet of 50 boats, kayaks, dinghies, keelboats, powerboats and yacht.

The future is bright, as we plan to build the West Cork Adventure Centre with high ropes, low ropes, indoor climbing, archery, underground mazes, orienteering, climbing and much more. All inconjunction with the development of accommodation designed specifically for the outdoor enthusiast. So watch this space as this new dream develops.

We are open to new projects and ways of developing sailing within the area, so if you have any ideas please get in touch.

We hope to see you on the water with us soon.

Gail and Niall Mac Allister

THE NEW BUILDING HAS:
DINING ROOM- with Balcony overlooking harbour and Hungry Hill
HOT SHOWERS - peel your wet suit off in a hot shower!
HEATED CHANGING ROOMS - luxury
HEATED CLASSROOMS - with French doors out to pier
HEATED DRYING ROOM - dry wet suits

Open Hours: September to June – 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and July to August – 10am to 5pm, every day

West Cork Sailing Centre, The Boat House, Adrigole, Beara, Co Cork. Tel: + 353 (0)27 60132, Email: [email protected] 

Published in Clubs
17th July 2009

Strangford Sailing Club

Strangford Sailing Club, Strangford, Co. Down, N. Ireland. Tel: (028) 4488 1404

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Published in Clubs

Strangford Lough Yacht Club is situated in Whiterock Bay in Killinchy, between Comber and Killyleagh. It is in an area of outstanding beauty and on the finest sailing waters in Ireland.

SLYC hosts a variety of dinghies and keelboats which race competitvely during the sailing season. These include Rivers, Glens, Clippers, Flying Fifteens, Sonatas, Cruisers and a large dinghy fleet.

Strangford Lough Yacht Club boasts a large number of facilities for our members and visitors.

The club house has a bar and restaurant facilities, along with many other facilities for the boat owners. Situated in Whiterock, the Club commands unbeatable views across Strangford Lough. The Club provides a very active social, educational and sailing programme that maximises the facilities of the club.

Strangford Lough Yacht Club, Whiterock, Killinchy BT23 6PY, N. Ireland. Tel: 02897 541883, fax: 02897 541883, email: [email protected]

Have we got your club details? Click here to get involved

 

Published in Clubs
17th July 2009

Royal Ulster Yacht Club

Royal Ulster Yacht Club is located in Bangor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland on the south shore of Belfast Lough.

The Club was established in 1866 as the Ulster Yacht Club, on the impetus of Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava. In 1869 it received a Royal warrant. The land for the clubhouse was purchased in 1897 and built by architect Vincent Craig (brother of James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon).

The 'boating grocer', Sir Thomas Lipton, being blackballed from the Royal Yacht Squadron, launched his America's Cup bid from the RUYC in 1898. Lipton continued to sail from the Royal Ulster until 1929; his legacy being the Lipton Room.

Today the Club's patron is Her Majesty The Queen (a position Her Majesty has held since 1953) and the Commodore is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

RUYC was visited by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in 1961, with Prince Philip competing in the Regatta. Prince Philip returned to the Club in 2006.

The club is one of the clubs on the lough that form part of the Belfast Lough Yachting Conference.

(Details courtesy of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club) 

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Published in Clubs
17th July 2009

Quoile Yacht Club

The Quoile Yacht Club was founded in Downpatrick at the Quoile Quay, on the then tidal Quoile River, in 1958. When, in 1962, the Ministry of Agriculture built a barrier at Castle Island, to alleviate the regular damaging flooding to which Downpatrick was subjected in times of high tide and heavy rain, they agreed to relocate the club to the seaward side of the barrier. The site was excavated and levelled, and a slipway provided. Thus the Club was reborn on its present site, with sheltered deepwater moorings, space for caravans, clubhouse and parking. After 40 years of investment and improvement the Quoile can boast the best facilities on Strangford Lough.

Quoile Yacht Club, 21 Castle Island Road, Downpatrick, Co. Down BT30 7LD, N. Ireland. Tel: 028 4461 2266, Club Secretary email: [email protected]

(Details courtesy of Quoile Yacht Club) 

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Published in Clubs
Page 9 of 15

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - FAQS

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are geographically defined maritime areas where human activities are managed to protect important natural or cultural resources. In addition to conserving marine species and habitats, MPAs can support maritime economic activity and reduce the effects of climate change and ocean acidification.

MPAs can be found across a range of marine habitats, from the open ocean to coastal areas, intertidal zones, bays and estuaries. Marine protected areas are defined areas where human activities are managed to protect important natural or cultural resources.

The world's first MPA is said to have been the Fort Jefferson National Monument in Florida, North America, which covered 18,850 hectares of sea and 35 hectares of coastal land. This location was designated in 1935, but the main drive for MPAs came much later. The current global movement can be traced to the first World Congress on National Parks in 1962, and initiation in 1976 of a process to deliver exclusive rights to sovereign states over waters up to 200 nautical miles out then began to provide new focus

The Rio ‘Earth Summit’ on climate change in 1992 saw a global MPA area target of 10% by the 2010 deadline. When this was not met, an “Aichi target 11” was set requiring 10% coverage by 2020. There has been repeated efforts since then to tighten up MPA requirements.

Marae Moana is a multiple-use marine protected area created on July 13th 2017 by the government of the Cook islands in the south Pacific, north- east of New Zealand. The area extends across over 1.9 million square kilometres. However, In September 2019, Jacqueline Evans, a prominent marine biologist and Goldman environmental award winner who was openly critical of the government's plans for seabed mining, was replaced as director of the park by the Cook Islands prime minister’s office. The move attracted local media criticism, as Evans was responsible for developing the Marae Moana policy and the Marae Moana Act, She had worked on raising funding for the park, expanding policy and regulations and developing a plan that designates permitted areas for industrial activities.

Criteria for identifying and selecting MPAs depends on the overall objective or direction of the programme identified by the coastal state. For example, if the objective is to safeguard ecological habitats, the criteria will emphasise habitat diversity and the unique nature of the particular area.

Permanence of MPAs can vary internationally. Some are established under legislative action or under a different regulatory mechanism to exist permanently into the future. Others are intended to last only a few months or years.

Yes, Ireland has MPA cover in about 2.13 per cent of our waters. Although much of Ireland’s marine environment is regarded as in “generally good condition”, according to an expert group report for Government published in January 2021, it says that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are of “wide concern due to increasing pressures such as overexploitation, habitat loss, pollution, and climate change”.

The Government has set a target of 30 per cent MPA coverage by 2030, and moves are already being made in that direction. However, environmentalists are dubious, pointing out that a previous target of ten per cent by 2020 was not met.

Conservation and sustainable management of the marine environment has been mandated by a number of international agreements and legal obligations, as an expert group report to government has pointed out. There are specific requirements for area-based protection in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the OSPAR Convention, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Yes, the Marine Strategy Framework directive (2008/56/EC) required member states to put measures in place to achieve or maintain good environmental status in their waters by 2020. Under the directive a coherent and representative network of MPAs had to be created by 2016.

Ireland was about halfway up the EU table in designating protected areas under existing habitats and bird directives in a comparison published by the European Commission in 2009. However, the Fair Seas campaign, an environmental coalition formed in 2022, points out that Ireland is “lagging behind “ even our closest neighbours, such as Scotland which has 37 per cent. The Fair Seas campaign wants at least 10 per cent of Irish waters to be designated as “fully protected” by 2025, and “at least” 30 per cent by 2030.

Nearly a quarter of Britain’s territorial waters are covered by MPAs, set up to protect vital ecosystems and species. However, a conservation NGO, Oceana, said that analysis of fishing vessel tracking data published in The Guardian in October 2020 found that more than 97% of British MPAs created to safeguard ocean habitats, are being dredged and bottom trawled. 

There’s the rub. Currently, there is no definition of an MPA in Irish law, and environment protections under the Wildlife Acts only apply to the foreshore.

Current protection in marine areas beyond 12 nautical miles is limited to measures taken under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives or the OSPAR Convention. This means that habitats and species that are not listed in the EU Directives, but which may be locally, nationally or internationally important, cannot currently be afforded the necessary protection

Yes. In late March 2022, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said that the Government had begun developing “stand-alone legislation” to enable identification, designation and management of MPAs to meet Ireland’s national and international commitments.

Yes. Environmental groups are not happy, as they have pointed out that legislation on marine planning took precedence over legislation on MPAs, due to the push to develop offshore renewable energy.

No, but some activities may be banned or restricted. Extraction is the main activity affected as in oil and gas activities; mining; dumping; and bottom trawling

The Government’s expert group report noted that MPA designations are likely to have the greatest influence on the “capture fisheries, marine tourism and aquaculture sectors”. It said research suggests that the net impacts on fisheries could ultimately be either positive or negative and will depend on the type of fishery involved and a wide array of other factors.

The same report noted that marine tourism and recreation sector can substantially benefit from MPA designation. However, it said that the “magnitude of the benefits” will depend to a large extent on the location of the MPA sites within the network and the management measures put in place.

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