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Displaying items by tag: Royal St. George Yacht Club

#rssailing – There was just a whisper of a building breeze as RS fleet launched from the George slip into a rather becalmed Dun Laoghaire harbour. Activity in the harbour built with the breeze during the afternoon with junior winter training for Lasers, Fevas and Oppies, sailing instructor courses, adult learners in Squibs and Picos, all close to the RS racing area. Full results downloadable below as a pdf document.

PRO's Barry O'Neill and Howth's Paul "PK" Kavanagh had stressed the sportsmanship nature of the Sprint event ethos where the start, sailing the shifts and mark rounding would prove so key in such a shifty breeze. As the wind shifted, marks were moved and the reaches tightened, the race course demanded new tactics with each gun. Superb race management allowed 12 races for all competitors with just enough time for a sip of water between the rolling starts. Valerie Kinnear and her team on the finish boat had their work cut out, with only inches and seconds separating the finishers of each fleet.

The start line was short, crowded and noisy with clear air hard to find. In the RS200s, local team Sean Craig and Heather King shot off in to the lead which was maintained throughout the afternoon with 10 out of 12 firsts. 2nd and third were valiantly battled out between 3 Greystones boats, Frank O'Rourke, Graeme Noonan and Sarah Byrne, all of whom had a mixed bag with no discards available, Sarah was squeezed out with Graeme just taking second and Frank third. 15 year olds Aaron Jones & Conor Cleary team managed to take a first from the more experienced helms, making their day and securing the Junior prize. Sarah & Ciara Byrne took first ladies.

In the 400s, Paul McLaughlin and Mick McKinley from Chusendall finally fulfilled their promise with a win over a strong fleet, with consistency combined with aggressive starting technique, which saw them rarely out of the top 4 in the no discard series. Emmet Ryan and bro James were runners up after finding their own personal dead spot of breeze in the final race. Gerry Cannon and Nicola Smyth showed great consistency all day to finish third.

All in all a very well-run event and a fitting climax to a very successful season for the RS classes. Thanks to all at RStGYC for laying on a great day's entertainment.

Published in RS Sailing

#squib – Racing in the shadow of gale warnings the Irish Squib title hung in the balance on Dublin Bay yesterday but after a a one hour postponement a full race programme was completed. The lead of both race and event changed three time before Aidan O'Connell and Ben O'Donoghue of the Royal St. George YC finally broke away to lift the trophy. Overall results are available to download below as a pdf document.

Published in Squib

#squib – With more protests scheduled last night and a gale warning issued for the Irish Sea today there is some doubt about the final race of the Irish Squib championships in Dun Laoghaire this morning. The host club's Aidan O'Connell and Ben O'Donoghue lead by a single point from Vincent Delany and Fergal Gaynor also of the Royal St. George. One point behind in third place in the 23-boat fleet is Kinsale duo Marcus and Megan Hutchinson. Full results after day two are downloadable below as a pdf document.

 

Published in Squib

#optimist – The International Optimist Dinghy Association yesterday awarded its 2014 European Championship to Dun Laoghaire. The championship was this year attended by 264 sailors from 45 countries.

The choice was made at the Optimist Worlds in the Dominican Republic in competition with the Polish venue of Kamien Pomorski and followed enthusiastic reports of the ISAF Youth World Championship which concluded last week.

The European Championship is one of the largest Optimist events on the annual calendar and the award was made to the Royal St George Yacht Club.

The IODA vote took place at the Optimist World Championships in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, where five of Ireland's top Optimist sailors are currently competing.

This year's European Championships were held in July in Lignano Sabbiadoro near Venice in Italy, and 265 sailors qualified from 46 nations to take part.

Published in Optimist

#isafyw12 – In the midst of all the excitement and hullabaloo of the ISAF Youth Worlds a large group of club members are giving up their time to ensure that competing boats are launched and recovered rapidly and without undue stress.

The Royal St George YC has offered all the volunteers an opportunity to get out on the water to view the racing. As part of this initiative, with the express wish that the event leaves as wide a legacy as possible, the forecourt team have set up a "rules coaching" initiative.

Every day the keenest young racing sailors go out on the water in a RIB with an experienced ISA National Judge/Umpire. The future champions are introduced to the particular way in which the judges view the racing. Whilst most sailors might admire how a 420 tacked, how the crew moved rapidly out to a full trapezing position... the judge would be pointing out that the boat, from the moment she passed head to wind until she was on a close-hauled course, was subject to rule 13 "Whilst Tacking" and, having tacked from port to starboard, she had acquired right of way and was obliged to give an approaching port tack boat room to keep clear...

This is also an opportunity for young sailors to learn something of the mechanics of running a serious regatta. Realising that marks are being laid as the competitors sail round the course, listening in on the race committee's discussion as they decide and implement a change of course, in reaction to a change in the wind direction... or shadowing the judges as they view the start line, checking for rule 42 infringements (the young sailors having first read the official ISAF interpretations of the rule regulating methods of propulsion) enriches their understanding of how the race officals work.

By the end of the Championship 45 of Ireland's keenest young sailors, not only from the Royal St George but also groups from Lough Derg and Galway Bay, will have benefited from this experience.

For further information on this initiative contact Gordon Davies 086150122

#REGATTA–The four Dun Laoghaire waterfront Yacht Clubs have released their sailing regatta dates for 2012. In spite of many other racing fixtures on the bay the waterfront regattas remain a traditional favourite starting with the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club event on Saturday, June 9th.

Dun Laoghaire Yacht Club Regatta Calendar

Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Regatta 9th June

National Yacht Club Regatta 23rd June

Royal Irish Yacht Club Regatta 30th June

Royal St. George Yacht Club Regatta 7th July

Published in Dublin Bay
The trials to select the Irish sailing teams for the ISAF Team Racing Worlds were sailed in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday 2nd of April. Organised by the Irish Team Racing Association, using the facilities of the Royal St George Yacht Club, the trials were the last act of the selection procedure. Five senior teams having put themselves forward for selection, were invited to participate, together with three youth teams. The format for both trials was that each team sailed the others twice, with a possible further round after elimination of low scoring teams.

After the first round the home team, the "George Gladiators" were demonstrably the leading senior team. They won all their races, and in all but one race finished in first and second place. The "Supertroopers", mainly University of Limerick graduates, were second with 5 wins and UCD1 4 wins. These 3 teams proceded to the second round, sailing each other once. In order to qualify UCD1 needed to beat both other teams. Unfortunately, they lost their first race to the "Gladiators". The "Gladiators" then relaxed, loosing their only race of the day to the Supertroopers, who then beat UCD1.

In the Youth event, Schull1 won 3 races, Schull2 2 races. This was enough to ensure selection.

As a result of these trials the Irish Team Racing Association will be recommending the following teams to represent Ireland (subject to meeting all eligibility requirements) at the ISAF World Team Racing Championships, to be sailed in Schull,West Cork in August:

Ireland 1

Marty O'Leary, Brian Fenlon, Sam Hunt, Jodie-Jane Tingle, Andrew Fowler, Rachel Guy

Ireland 2

Darragh O'Connor, Hannah Herlihy, Kevin Stollard, Rachel O'Brien, George Kingston, Tom Martin

Ireland Youth 1

Connor Miller, Ellen O' Regan, Oisin O'Driscoll, Katie Moynihan, Jay Jay Stacy, Kaspar Snashall

Ireland Youth 2

Fionn Lyden, Tomas O'Sullivan, Darragjh McCormack, Mark Hasset, Pearse O'Flynn, Gleb Romantchik

Published in Team Racing

One of Ireland's oldest sailing institutions, the Royal Alfred Yacht ClubYacht Club, will hold its 153rd AGM on Dun Laoghaire's waterfront at the Royal St. George Yacht Club on Friday 15th April 2011 at 700pm.

For generations the RAYC has been an umbrella organisation, linking yacht racers from the rival harbours of Dun Laoghaire and Howth. It provides an attractive programme of regattas, complementing more local and national events.

The agenda for the meeting is:

1. Apologies
2. In memory of past members
3. Minutes of previous AGM
4. Report from the Commodore
5. Election of Flag Officers
6. Election of Committee Members
7. Finance Report
8. Election of Honorary Auditor
9. Any other business

Published in Royal Alfred YC

Several waterfront buildings in Dun Laoghaire Harbour will be made open to the public on Sunday 10 October as part of 'Open House' Dublin Week (7th-10th October). With over 150 tours and workshops, the free event is Ireland's biggest architecture festival, allowing citizens to explore the architecture of their city. Buildings of all types and periods will open up in an event programme which is organised into areas.

In Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown the following buildings below are all open on Sunday 10 October. NOTE: There are other buildings throughout the borough also open to the public for free admission, for information on contact details see bottom of this page.

Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), Harbour Road. Tours provide a fascinating insight into the headquarters and work of the Commissioners of Irish Lights. Sunday 10 October (12–5pm). Last tour at 4.30pm. Regular tours. First-come basis. Disabled access.

Harbour Lodge (HQ of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company), Crofton Road. Built in the neo-classical style, the Georgian house represents the first serious piece of architecture in the town. Sunday 10 October (12–5pm). Last tour at 4.30pm. Regular tours. First-come basis. Disabled access.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Hall, Marine Road. The council's premises have evolved to comprise the original Town Hall, the adjoining 19th century post office and a late 20th century extension. Sunday 10 October (12-5pm) Last tour at 4.30pm. Regular tours. First-come basis. Disabled access.
(Tour includes the recent Old Town Hall refurbishment by DLRCC Architects Department).

Royal St George Yacht Club, Harbour Road. Founded in 1838, the historic building has been extended with a very contemporary addition. Clad in distinctive copper, this extension is connected to the original club by a glass-covered atrium. Sunday 10 October (12–5pm). Last tour at 4.30pm. Regular tours. First-come basis. Disabled access.

National Yacht Club, Harbour Road. A magnificant Class A listed building which has a design hybrid between a French château and an 18th-century country garden pavilion. Sunday 10 October (2–5pm). Last tour at 4.30pm. Regular tours. First-come basis. Disabled access.

Like most of the tours and events in Open House Dublin, there is no pre-booking required. Entry is FREE and on a first-come basis. For more information about what to expect from your tour or event. Contact: Open House Info Desk Tel: (01) 6165220 and check 'How It Works' by logging onto www.architecturefoundation.ie/openhouse/

Published in Boating Fixtures

More than 70 Squibs will converge on Dun Laoghaire this weekend for the start of its  SF Marinas sponsored UK national championships. 

 

The championships, which are held in Ireland every five years, will see some of the top competitors in this class including Dick Batt, a sailmaker and chief measurer for the Beijing and London Olympics and Irishman Owen Delaney, former Irish Helmsman Champion of Champions. 

There is also keen interest from a wide range of clubs including the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club and Kinsale Yacht Club at the other end of the Island. 

Squibs are two-man keelboats measuring seven metres long. They are favoured both as an exciting racing boat, because of their strength and safe design, and as a teaching boat. The Squib Class fleet is one of the largest one-design fleets in Britain and Ireland, with over 810 boats. 

The Royal St George Yacht Club says it is delighted to have been selected by the Squib Class to host the 2010 Championship which is a great opportunity to show what Dublin Bay can offer, including its beauty, the varied sailing waters, and the vagaries of the tides.

“We believe Dun Laoghaire, both on and off the water, is a wonderful venue to make Squibs 2010 a memorable event.”

The sponsors of this year’s championship  are marine services company, SF MARINA IRELAND, which last month installed new, all concrete, breakwater pontoons at the Royal Saint George Yacht Club, a great addition to the clubs facilities.

SF MARINA IRELAND builds marinas and installs floating pontoons and breakwaters all over the island of Ireland as well as the UK.  The directors are Rod and Julie Calder-Potts who trade under the name, Milford Marina Systems, based in Cuffesgrange, Co Kilkenny.

Recently, the company designed and fitted concrete pontoons weighing 1,000 tonnes on the River Liffey to service the Waterbuses Spirit of Docklands and Liffey Voyage. The project consisted of a mega yacht visitors berthing facility on the Custom House Quay and three waterbus landing stages - one at The Point, one south-east of The Ha’Penny Bridge and one at the mouth of George’s Dock on Custom House Quay.

SF MARINA IRELAND is the sole Irish agent for Swedish company SF MARINA specializing in the supply and installation of floating concrete breakwaters that can stand up to the rigorous maritime conditions.

 

Rod Calder Potts said the company is very proud to be associated with the historic Royal Saint George Yacht Club and with the Squibs National Championships.

 

He said the installation of the new pontoons last month was the company’s third major installation in Dun Laoghaire Harbour and the eighth in the Dublin Bay area. “We enjoy the challenge of dealing with the difficult Irish tides, winds and waves. It is a pleasure and a privilege dealing with the wonderful sailing clubs around Dublin Bay.” he said.

 

Published in Racing
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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.

©Afloat 2020