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Displaying items by tag: County Antrim

16th July 2009

County Antrim Yacht Club

History

25 October 1902 – Formation of Club at John Wylie’s residence. Present – Robert Todd, William Craig, Robert Auld Snr, Robert Auld Jnr, John Wylie (1st Captain), H.E. Wylie and A. Wylie. Decision taken to form Whitehead Sailing Club. Decided to call a public meeting on Thursday 30th October to draw up rules and appoint Office Bearers – Members to be enrolled.

30 October 1902 – Meeting held in Victoria Café. Object of the Club – To encourage and promote amateur sailing. Half model of the Waverley on display (now mounted on the current fireplace). No entrance fee, but fees due from 1/1/1903 – 10 shillings
John Wylie - Captain (designed the Waverley); Robert G Todd – Second Officer (presented the Todd Cup). Decision taken to use the amended RNIYC rules

21 November 1902 – First General Meeting to discuss and sanction rules. Burgee to be Red with a White W (copy currently on display in the General Room)

April 1903 – First Sailing Committee formed. Starting House situated to the West of the Cable House (cable ran from Whitehead to Portpatrick – removed in 1951)

16 May 1903 – First Club House opened. Waverleys to sail at 7pm on Wednesdays and 3.30pm on Saturdays

June 1903 – Concerts to be held in July and August to raise funds for the Club
First Regatta held 22 August 1903

August 1903 – Auld Challenge Cup sailed for at Whitehead Annual Regatta by Whitehead One Design Class – Boat winning cup twice to become the owner

July 1904 – First Ladies Race for the Duff Challenge Cup presented by James Duff of Blackhead

August 1904 – New class – Insect Class were considered. Annual General Meeting held at Victoria Café due to extra room required. Spring and Autumn AGM’s held

June 1906 – Hailcock Rock – proposal to drill a hole 12 inches deep x  2 1⁄2 inches in diameter to erect a post – this was left to the Property Committee and the cost was not to exceed 10 shillings

July 1906 – Morrow Cup presented for the Insect Class and if won twice to be kept by the boat owner

September 1906 – Proposal for first Club Dance to be held in winter 1906. Dances were held over the years at either Royal Hotel, The Royal George Hotel or The Rhinka

October 1906 – Proposal for Club House to be extended.

18 May 1907 – First Opening Day

5 August 1908 – Proposal to investigate scheme for new Club House

28 August 1908 – Special Meeting to formally go ahead with new Club House

November 1908 – Midland Railway Company agreed to give £50 towards groundwork for new Club House

22 December 1908 – The Club’s first Trustees were officially appointed

21 January 1909 – Architects for new Club House to Gregory & Hall (original drawing on wall beside General Room door). Builders were the Dowther Brothers

6 March 1909 – Cost of building Club House - £415 – Dowther Brothers agreed to give £15 for the old Club House (photograph on General Room wall). Opening Day to be 5 June 1909. Proposal to change name of the Club to County Antrim Yacht Club due to large number of people who were members who also lived in Belfast.

15 March 1909 – Proposal to change the burgee to blue pennant with a yellow Irish/Celtic cross

April 1909 – Fireplaces to cost £13 – Billiard Room (iron) and General Room (wood)

May 1909 – Billiard Table purchased for £75 (including fittings). Cost to furnish the Club House - £65.00

June 1909 – ByeLaws – Club open from 9.am – 11.15 pm except Sunday 12pm–9pm.
A Member shall not introduce the same visitor more than twice in any one year
Ladies only allowed in Club House until 7pm. Billiard Table – tickets had to be purchased from the steward – no-one to get on the table. No card playing on a Sunday

3 June 1909 – Boatman employed for 18 shillings per week. Steward employed for 15 shillings per week with an extra 2 shillings & sixpence for Sundays

9 June 1909 – Paymaster General could not see his way to putting in a letter box as requested by the General Committee. Club fete – different amusements. Mr Bolton – Waxworks and Shadographs; Mr A. Wylie  – Hat-trimming and Box making;  Mr John Hay – ‘Aunt Sally’; Mr Gamble –  Ariel flight;  Mr McCausland – Hobby Horses. Antrim Artillery Band hired for three days for £15.00. Club tents supplied by Tedfords

1918 – R.J. McKeown MP Vice Commodore presented the Billiards Cup (this is currently played for each Christmas and is the longest running trophy in the Club). First won by H. Magill
 
1925 – McCalmont Trophy presented by Col. R.C.A. McCalmont DSO who succeeded his father as Commodore (1913-1924)

1926 – Todd Cup presented for Waverley Class by Robert G Todd who was to be Commodore 1925 – 1938. Yachtmen’s Cup presented by Sailing Members for Mid Week Points Races. Landmen’s Cup presented by Non-Sailing Members for Saturday Points Races (At this time the Ulster G P for motor bikes could not be held at the same time as the Whitehead Regatta)

June 1928 – Decided to hold a dance on Regatta Day in the evening and that an orchestra to be engaged for this purpose
 
February 1930 – The sleepers at the top of the slipway were having to be constantly replaced
 
April 1934 – Fees – Senior Members £1-11-6; Lady Members £0-5-0

June 1936 – Mr James Glover (Captain) indicated his intention to present a perpetual Rose Bowl for the Ladies Race – to be known as Empire Furnishing Company Rose Bowl

June 1937 – Boatman’s wages increased to £2 per week

1944 – Sailing Committee requisites £5.00 purchase of material and gear required for launching of yachts. One bottle of whiskey only to be issued from the bar for consumption nightly

March 1945 – Caretaker/Steward appointed at 30 shillings per week. £350 to pay for slip – Wm. Logan & Sons Ltd

August 1945 – No Member of the Club is to receive more than 1 glass of whiskey between 9pm–10pm, after 10pm the whiskey to be given out until it is finished. Permission given to purchase 1 dozen whiskey glasses

November 1945 – No visitors entitled to play in the card games

12 April 1946 – James Magee proposed as a new Member

May 1946 – Sea Hawks admitted to the Club as a Class

June 1946 – Advert for the Club Punt in Belfast Telegraph – under £20.00
 
November 1946 – Purchase of 4 bats and 1 dozen balls for new diversion for the Ladies  -  Table Tennis

April 1949 – Public phone discussed, but deemed to be unwanted at this time

29 May 1950 – Special Meeting held due to loss of ‘Fair Maid’ and crew. Sailing and social activities cancelled for 1 week.

1952 – John Wylie – founder Member died

July 1952 – Admiralty Chart of Belfast Lough displayed. Snooker Table recovered, re-cushioned and new pockets £64-19-6; 6d per person per 1⁄2 hour

October 1952 – Hugh Kennedy purchased plans of GP 14 Class

July 1953 – Prompt closing of the bar at 11.30pm was emphasized while all singing and noise was to be stopped at midnight

April 1954 – Upper part of slip completed in concrete - £130

1955 – Calwell Cup presented for GP 14 Class

1956 – Auld Cup presented for Juniors

1959 – Beach Road premises acquired, £300 to extend slip – shelved

1960 – Plans to fix balcony at a cost of £2346.00

October 1961 – Gates acquired for Beach Road - £15; Fencing acquired for Beach Road - £15

April 1963 – Royalty of 2 guineas to CAYC for plans of the Waverley

15 August 1963 – Sara Annett joined the Club

September 1963 – Wooden steps at side of Club House replaced by concrete at a cost of £150.00

October 1963 – First Junior Committee to be formed

November 1963 – Table Tennis Table made for £5-12-6

December 1963 – 1914-18 War Memorial Plaque moved to left hand side of fireplace; 1939-45 War Memorial Plaque (new) moved to right hand side of the fireplace. Presented by Mr John McKendry. Wood carving presented by Mr John Henshaw

February 1964 – McCalmont Trophy was deemed to be irreplaceable. No valuation could be given and decision taken to keep it in the Bank all year round except for Captain’s Night. (The trophy has now been valued at approx. £25,000)

April 1964 – Rails on slip to cost £39

May 1964 – Waterproof cover for the snooker table cost £9-10-0

September 1964 – Framing of architects’ original drawing completed

May 1965 – Installation of pay phone

March 1966 – First Aid kit purchased

February 1970 – Moveable bar purchased for £90.00 (still used every Regatta Day as an outside bar facility)

January 1972 – Request made for Double Diamond draught beer at bar was made although there was some opposition from the Guinness drinkers

April 1972 – Klaxon horn presented to Club by Mr Gerry Easton (still used for Points Racing)

August 1972 – First inflatable Rescue Boat purchased; New slip completed

September 1972 – Workman Trophy presented to the Club by J R Workman from RNIYC for the Lake Class which were now being sailed at CAYC

May 1973 – Electric winch finally in position

June 1973 – George Thomas joined the Club

September 1973 – Cable Hut sold to the Club for £500

May 1974 – Purchase of 4 Olympic Marks £21.92 each with the moorings extra

June 1974 – Proposal that a Commodore’s Board be put in place pending verification of valid information. (This was subsequently completed in January 1991)

January 1975 – Increase in membership subscription to £7.50 for Ordinary Members

August 1975  – Proposal for snooker team to join the Larne & District Snooker League

June 1976 – Proposal for building changing rooms passed.

October 1976 – Proposal to purchase Dory for £1340 + Vat @ 12 1⁄2 % less 12 1⁄2% discount including engine

November 1976 – First Gaming Machine installed

June 1978 – Glass washer purchased for the bar

October 1978 – Harry McKee joined the Club

February 1980 – Neville Hack Trophy presented to the Club by Mrs Hack

August 1980 – Laser Rose Bowl presented to Irish Laser Association (Ulster Branch)

July 1982 – Consideration for extension of bar area

March 1983 – Purchase of new Rescue Boat - £900 to fix old one. Cost of Sea Rider £1500

May 1984 – Harry McKee to arrange for extension of bar store

July 1984 – D J Elwood joined the Club

September 1985 – New cash register - £550 less allowance for old register of £50.00

January 1987 – Letter received from D J Elwood re. Break in to the Club. Lost all his tapes – Committee decided that he should be totally reimbursed.

August 1988 – Successful European Scorpion Championships held at the Club

October 1988 – General Room finally refurbished

January 1989 – Voluntary bar staff took control of bar for a period of 1 year to improve financial position of the Club

April 1989 – Six ‘Optimists’ were purchased via a Sports Council grant. These small craft have been a tremendous success in encouraging young sailors in the Club to ‘have a go’. The Optimist Class are single handers ideal for juniors in the 5-15 year old bracket though in reality most move into the Mirror or Topper Classes by the age of 12/13.

August 1990 – John Lewis and Roger Kernaghan sailing Roobarb won the Irish Scorpion Championships after an intensive two year campaign. A major accolade for the Club.

1991 – Club receives Royal Patronage: HRH Duke of York

May 1991 – The Flying Fifteen Class began to develop when Sheela Lewis purchased Charley Brown. This was subsequently followed by Jim Rankin in ‘Blue Moon and Shane Haveron in Bonnie. Laser class consists of at least 20 boats.

June 1991 – A very successful Ulster Laser Championship attracted 70 boats and this was sponsored by Northern Bank. Brian Erskine, North East Regional Manager at the time and former Club member, presented the prizes and recollected some memorable times at the Club re-establishing many old friendships.

July 1993 – The Club hosted the Ulster Laser Championships which had an entry of 94 boats. This stands as a record for any provincial championship ever held for the Laser Class in Ireland.

August 1993 – The Flying 15 fleet had increased to six and was continuing to attract new interest. The RYA courses continue to be successful with growing numbers of Juniors.

June 1994 – The Topper Class began to develop with five boats actively racing and attending regattas. Junior members have included Chris Moore, Sarah Moore, Graeme McKenzie, Deborah-Ann Perry and Patrick Smyth. The juniors are seen as the life blood of the Club in the years ahead.

July 1995 – The Commodore, Mr Harry Carse and three guests are invited to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.

June 1996 – Fourteen Flying 15s were registered at the Club. The sight of many masts in the bay and a huge turnout during points racing on Monday and Wednesday nights was very encouraging. Peter Waugh, Des McKendry, Tim Taylor, and Stephen Canning in addition to those mentioned above have had extremely close racing in this very competitive class. In order to keep costs under control and provide fair sailing only old boats under sail number 2660 are allowed to compete.

July 1996 – A number of the juniors entered the Irish Topper Championships with a reasonable degree of success.

August 1996 – Many of the senior members with young families are clearly determined to provide boats for their children to encompass the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) training courses which have been held at the Club during the last 4/5 years. This commitment will ensure the survival of CAYC. The Club is now a recognised training centre under the RYA scheme.

February 2000 – Keith Black ends his two years as Commodore, one of the longest standing members to have sat on Committee. (One short break off Committee and he is still doing it... Bar Convener 2000 and in 2001 Sailing Secretary). Sheela Lewis is voted onto Committee as First ‘Madam’ Commodore

April 2000 – ‘New Slip’ has major renovation work carried out, £12,000. Club members are levied and many offer an additional donation. Also £1,000 donation received from a "Business contact" No loan was required.

July and August 2001 – Record number of RYA courses run at the Club. Another successful Raft Race, £1000 donated to the RNLI

March 2002 – Snooker Team win 3rd Division Larne & District League

August 2002 – Centenary Regatta, well attended approx 70 yachts. A beautiful morning of sailing, followed by a fog bound afternoon with racing abandoned. Fortunately there were results from the first round of all classes participating.

October 2002 – Centenary Formal Dinner Dance. Quality Hotel, Carrickfergus : 25th October 2002 the  Club is 100 years old to the Day!

Country Antrim Yacht Club, Whitehead, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland. Established 1902. Patron: HRH Duke of York

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Published in Clubs

Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

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