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Dublin Bay Boating News and Information

Displaying items by tag: hire boat

British Marine and the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities (AINA) have jointly launched the much-anticipated consultation on the proposed changes to the existing Code for the Design, Construction and Operation of Hire Boats, better known as the Hire Boat Code.

The proposal of changes to the Code considers the many advances in boat design, regulation and operation which have occurred since the first Code was published back in 2008, ensuring the licensing framework is fit for the future.

This includes changes to the responsibilities for hire boat operators, hirers and hire boat licensing authorities of sailing boats over 6m LOA and powered boats of all lengths, as well as amendments to key technical standards. Importantly for some hire boat operators, this may incur significant one-off cost implications.

In addition, whilst the existing Code is voluntary, the revised Hire Boat Code is intended to be adopted as mandatory where the licensing authorities have the power to do so.

The Hire Boat Code is jointly developed by British Marine and the AINA, on behalf of industry and the navigation authorities, to help ensure the continued safe operation of hire boats on the inland waterways. It provides the framework for safe business operations, clarification of operators, navigation authorities and users responsibilities. It also helps businesses through consistent application of licensing requirements through the many varied inland navigation authority waterways in the UK.

The consultation on the proposed changes to the Code is the first opportunity for members and the wider industry to review and asses how the changes will affect their businesses moving forward.

British Marine and the AINA are calling for all impacted operators of hire craft, licensing authorities and hirers within its membership, as well as any others interested in ensuring adequate levels of hirer safety, to participate in this momentous consultation.

Officially launched on 16 December 2019, the consultation will remain open for the next 12 weeks, closing on 9 March 2020. Following this, British Marine and the AINA will work together to produce a summary of views expressed in the consultation and the responses to them within the subsequent 12 weeks of this.

Lesley Robinson, British Marine CEO, commented: “Safety onboard craft is of paramount importance to British Marine and our members and the second edition of the Hire Boat Code will be a decisive step forward for supporting hirer’s safety on our waterways.

“The proposal of changes to the Code is the accumulation of eight years of tireless work between us and the AINA and the engagement of all interested parties in this consultation, from hire boat operators and licensing authorities to hirers, is crucial to ensure the revised Code meets their various interests.”

For further information on the proposal and to take part in the consultation, visit: aina.org.uk/hireboatcodeconsultation.

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An inland waterways hire cruiser that struck Killaloe bridge in Co. Clare at the weekend was beached by the local volunteer Coast Guard Unit. Six people and a dog were evacuated from the hire boat.

The Cruiser was holed and was taking on water.

Killaloe Coast Guard Mobile unit was tasked to Derg Marina with salvage pumps while the Coast Guard Rescue Boat also responded according to a Coast Guard blog report here.

It was decided that in order to save the vessel from sinking that the Coast Guard would run the cruiser aground in the shallow water at nearby Ballyvalley.

Published in Inland Waterways

Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay on the east coast of Ireland stretches over seven kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine.

The biggest boating centre is at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Bay's south shore that is home to over 1,500 pleasure craft, four waterfront yacht clubs and Ireland's largest marina.

The bay is rather shallow with many sandbanks and rocky outcrops, and was notorious in the past for shipwrecks, especially when the wind was from the east. Until modern times, many ships and their passengers were lost along the treacherous coastline from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, less than a kilometre from shore.

The Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea and is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sandbanks lie, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

Dublin Bay FAQs

There are approximately ten beaches and bathing spots around Dublin Bay: Dollymount Strand; Forty Foot Bathing Place; Half Moon bathing spot; Merrion Strand; Bull Wall; Sandycove Beach; Sandymount Strand; Seapoint; Shelley Banks; Sutton, Burrow Beach

There are slipways on the north side of Dublin Bay at Clontarf, Sutton and on the southside at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and in Dalkey at Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours.

Dublin Bay is administered by a number of Government Departments, three local authorities and several statutory agencies. Dublin Port Company is in charge of navigation on the Bay.

Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the southside of the Bay has an East and West Pier, each one kilometre long; this is one of the largest human-made harbours in the world. There also piers or walls at the entrance to the River Liffey at Dublin city known as the Great North and South Walls. Other harbours on the Bay include Bulloch Harbour and Coliemore Harbours both at Dalkey.

There are two marinas on Dublin Bay. Ireland's largest marina with over 800 berths is on the southern shore at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The other is at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey close to Dublin City.

Car and passenger Ferries operate from Dublin Port to the UK, Isle of Man and France. A passenger ferry operates from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Howth as well as providing tourist voyages around the bay.

Dublin Bay has two Islands. Bull Island at Clontarf and Dalkey Island on the southern shore of the Bay.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city and into the Bay. Its tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

Dollymount, Burrow and Seapoint beaches

Approximately 1,500 boats from small dinghies to motorboats to ocean-going yachts. The vast majority, over 1,000, are moored at Dun Laoghaire Harbour which is Ireland's boating capital.

In 1981, UNESCO recognised the importance of Dublin Bay by designating North Bull Island as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development, UNESCO’s concept of a Biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but also the areas around them and the communities that live and work within these areas. There have since been additional international and national designations, covering much of Dublin Bay, to ensure the protection of its water quality and biodiversity. To fulfil these broader management aims for the ecosystem, the Biosphere was expanded in 2015. The Biosphere now covers Dublin Bay, reflecting its significant environmental, economic, cultural and tourism importance, and extends to over 300km² to include the bay, the shore and nearby residential areas.

On the Southside at Dun Laoghaire, there is the National Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as Dublin Bay Sailing Club. In the city centre, there is Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club. On the Northside of Dublin, there is Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club and Sutton Dinghy Club. While not on Dublin Bay, Howth Yacht Club is the major north Dublin Sailing centre.

© Afloat 2020