Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI’s volunteer crew launched both lifeboats this weekend to assist seven people in two separate incidents

Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was launched this afternoon (Sunday 21 March) following a request from the Irish coast guard at 4.10 pm, to assist five people on board a motorboat that had reported engine failure and was adrift close to the shore in Killiney Bay

The lifeboat was launched under Coxswain Adam O’Sullivan with five crew members on board and made its way to the scene on arrival at 4:35 pm the crew could see the vessel was drifting towards Killiney Beach, and quickly assessing the situation the crew decided to take the vessel in tow, they then proceeded to bring the vessel back to Dun Laoghaire Marina.

Also yesterday (Saturday 20 March) the station's inshore lifeboat was launched at 2:34pm under Helm Alan Keville and two crew to an incident just south of Sorento Point in Dalkey where two people on board a rigid inflatable boat had reported to the Irish Coast Guard that they also had suffered engine issues onboard, the lifeboat’s volunteer crew took the vessel in tow and returned it to Dun Laoghaire Marina.

Dun Laoghaire RNLI's All-Weather Lifeboat assisting a small speedboat in Killiney Bay

All onboard the stricken vessels were wearing lifejackets with no medical attention required.

The Weather conditions at the time of both incidents were described as good with a light wind and good visibility.

Speaking following the call out, Adam O’Sullivan, Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat Coxswain today said: ‘The people on board the vessel took the correct steps by calling for help once they knew they were having issues onboard it is also always great to see everyone wearing their lifejackets. I would like to take this opportunity to remind everybody to make sure that their vessels are checked and in working order before taking to the water. At this time of year, these checks are of great importance with vessel engines and safety equipment having not being used over the winter months.’

A British registered Spanish owned fishing trawler was towed to harbour in Dún Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay yesterday after drifting for days in the Irish Sea because of engine failure.

There are 15 crew members, some are Spanish, but most are Indonesian, according to news reports.

An official from the International Transport Federation, a union that represents maritime workers, called to the ship this morning, but was unable to make contact with the crew, according to RTE News.

Magan D was first reported to be in trouble last Wednesday when it was 27 nautical miles off the Welsh coast and experiencing engine trouble because water had mixed with oil and it could not start the engine.

Holyhead Coast Guard was attempting to contact the owner.

By Friday, the owners had organised a tow, but although they had hoped to have the trawler brought to their base in Pasajes in Spain, that was not possible so an Irish tug, Trojan, brought it to Dún Laoghaire.

News reports say that because Magan D is British registered it has reportedly been 'detained' by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency' which means it must be inspected and declared safe before it can leave Dún Laoghaire.

RTE News has more here

Plans for a National Watersports Campus for Dun Laoghaire Harbour is part of the scope of an extensive economic survey being conducted in the Dublin Bay town.

As Times.ie reports today, consultation on the future development Dun Laoghaire’s town and harbour may represent the “last real opportunity for public input”, Cllr Juliet O’Connell (Lab) says.

Three online surveys conducted by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council which have a deadline of Sunday (Feb 28) aim to gauge opinion on developments, including the national watersports campus.

Last year, the Government awarded €400,000 to the local authority to conduct a feasibility study on the watersports campus, which would be a marine version of the national sports campus in Abbotstown, Dublin.

Under Project 2040, the State’s national development plan, the Government set aside €100 million for sports infrastructure.

The National Sports Policy, published in 2018, established the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) to provide exchequer support for sports facility projects.

Dun Laoghaire’s Carlisle pier has been proposed as a location and would involve a high-performance watersports coaching centre and a venue for national and international events.

It would also involve an education centre for schools, community groups and clubs, and a public slipway for recreational craft users who are not members of the harbour sailing clubs.

Currently, Dun Laoghaire has one public slipway in the Coal harbour which is not accessible at all stages of the tide.

If approved for planning, the campus would complement the Dun Laoghaire baths which are currently being refurbished by the local authority.

Loss of revenue since the cancellation of regular Irish Sea ferry sailings between Dun Laoghaire and Holyhead, a long with increased interest in watersports during the Covid-19 pandemic are factors influencing the local authority’s move.

The campus plan is being spearheaded by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the Irish Sailing Association and has been endorsed by a number of Irish watersport national governing bodies, along with clubs and activity providers.

Details of the timeline for stage one of the project are due to be presented by sailing representative Paddy Boyd at an online public meeting at 7 pm tonight hosted on Facebook Live by Cllr O’Connell.

More on Times.ie here

The three surveys are available here

Recent developments suggest that the future of Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay is at a critical phase where decisions over the next few months will have impactful long-term implications.

The next move for the great granite piers will either set it on a course to being one of Europe’s top boating harbours or leave it to stagnate under the new ownership of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Currently, three online surveys formulated by harbour consultants and whose results will form the development plan for the harbour are seeking public input on its future development. 

To recap the key developments:

1. October 2018 - Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company dissolved and the harbour transferred in its entirety to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
2.  April 2019 - LSSIF Application submitted
3. August 2019 – DLRCC seeks Consultancy services for an Economic Plan for Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
4. December 2019 – Indecon appointed as Consultants
5. December 2019 - Quarterdeck applies to modify PP previously granted to Workshack Ltd by way of extension of lease term and addition of food court at ground floor level in Ferry Terminal
6. January 2020 National Watersports Campus Project granted provisional approval
7. February 2020 – Quarterdeck application approved by DLR
8. February 2020 - PP Approval appealed
9. December 2020 – Indecon commences consultation
10. December 2020 - An Bord Pleanala approves Quarterdeck application
11. December 2020 – National Watersports Campus project granted final approval
12. January 2021 - DLR commences public consultation

In regard to the public consultation, DLRCC state – “the aim of the studies is to set out a clear and coherent vision and roadmap to assist and guide the ongoing optimal development and strategic planning of both Dún Laoghaire Harbour and Dún Laoghaire Town given the synergies and interdependencies between both.” This is in keeping with the specific local objectives identified in the County Development plan:

• 156 In accordance with National Policy, the Council shall, within the relevant planning frameworks, formulate and implement, where appropriate and applicable, a plan for the future development of Dún Laoghaire Harbour and its curtilage.
• 157 To support and encourage the development of a National Watersports Centre to facilitate training and participation in a varied range of water sports and activities to provide a focus for national and international watersport events. Site appraisal and analysis of the Harbour environs to identify the optimum location(s) for such a centre to be expedited as an integral part of the forthcoming Dún Laoghaire and Environs Local Area Plan (LAP)

It is concerning to note that these objectives were part of the 2016-2022 plan and are repeated virtually word for word in the Draft County Development Plan 2022 2028. (currently open for consultation)

In summary, the current position is that there are two projects which have outstripped the timeline – the National Watersports Campus and the Quarterdeck development in the old ferry terminal. And while it is great to see the recognition of the long-term future of Dun Laoghaire as a recreational asset, we are faced with piecemeal development without an overall plan. It is vital now that DLRCC expedite the specific local objective of formulating and implementing a plan that covers Dun Laoghaire Harbour and its curtilage.

Ironically, under the previous harbour regime, there was no shortage of proposals and ideas and a masterplan was produced, driven by Harbour Company Management. The question is can DLRCC replicate the urgency and initiative that previously existed?

The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Water Safety Team has produced a video on checking and maintaining a lifejacket lead by the RNLI's Laura Jackson (see vid below) ahead of the 2021 boating season.

Choosing the right lifejacket or buoyancy aid for your activity can be difficult. With many different options to choose from and technical language that can be confusing, you might end up using something unsuitable, or worse, not using one at all.

In Ireland, the law requires that an appropriate lifejacket or buoyancy aid must be carried for everyone onboard all vessels. If the craft is under 7m, personal flotation devices must be worn at all times on an open vessel or on deck on a vessel with accommodation.

Anyone under the age of 16 must wear a personal flotation device at all times on an open boat or on deck if the vessel has accommodation, irrespective of the size of the vessel.

A personal flotation device (PFD) is something you wear that will keep you afloat should you enter the water. There are a number of different types, but the most common are buoyancy aids and, in particular, lifejackets.

The Save our Seafront group in Dun Laoghaire have been monitoring recent developments regarding the future of the harbour, and today issued the following statement and invitation:

"The Council has hired consultants to produce plans for the future of Dún Laoghaire Harbour and the town of Dún Laoghaire. We have discussed this before at meetings of Save Our Seafront, and many of us are sceptical that these consultants are either necessary or if they are the best people to make plans for our Harbour and our town.

We have campaigned for many many years for our Harbour to be run by the Council rather than the undemocratic and unaccountable Harbour Company. Now we have a fantastic opportunity to develop the harbour as a working harbour, a public amenity and to celebrate its unique historical and cultural heritage. The expertise and talent to decide all of this lies in our local community and amongst all the stakeholders.

The council is now looking for input from all of us on what we would like to see. There are questionnaires on the DLR website here where you can input your thoughts.

Save Our Seafront is hosting a public meeting on zoom next Tuesday 23rd February at 7 pm to discuss the priorities that should be at the core of any future development of our Harbour.

Click here to register for the meeting here

With the continued interest in Laser dinghy sailing among adults, the Dún Laoghaire harbour Laser fleet has announced the launch of an adult pathway that supports adults from beginner level right up to elite racing.

The Laser with all its variants has long been considered one of the most versatile single-handed dinghies for both adults and juniors. The boat was originally designed with what is now known as the Standard rig as a “car-topper” with the intention that it would be easy to transport on the roof-rack of a car. Today in Dún Laoghaire, adults continue to sail the Standard rig, plus the smaller Radial and 4.7 rigs, depending on the individual sailor’s weight and ability. “The Laser can be a challenging boat to sail and what’s remarkable is that many of these adults never sailed before or if they did, never sailed a Laser,” says local Laser sailor Rachel Crowley.

Crowley was nominated in the Volunteer of the Year category in this year’s Irish Sailing Awards for her work with the affectionately named Dún Laoghaire Adult Kindergarten for Lasers. A member of the Royal St. George Yacht Club, she only started sailing cruisers as an adult, never having sailed before. She crewed for a few years in Cruisers 3 in Dublin Bay Sailing Club and recalls how one “evangelical Laser sailor” encouraged her to try Laser sailing after racing one evening.

Due to the popularity of the Kindergarten, the coaching squad has divided the group into two levels. Absolute beginners can join the Basic Skills sessions while the more confident beginners join in with the Start Racing sessions Photo: Rachel Crowley

Rachel approached the Sailing Manager in her club who provided her with access to a club boat and found a coach who was willing to take her out the first time. “Ronan [Adams] was really helpful in making it easy for me to try the boat as I was a bit nervous. When I came in after that first day, he said to me that there were a lot of other adults expressing interest in trying out the Laser.” says Crowley. And thus the Kindergarten started to take shape.

That was September 2018, just after the Laser Masters World Championships came to Dún Laoghaire. Today there are 49 adults in the Kindergarten group with more waiting to join once Government restrictions allow. The group is organised out of the RSGYC club, but sailors participate from right across the Dún Laoghaire clubs and from the Coal Harbour. Due to the popularity of the Kindergarten, the coaching squad has divided the group into two levels. Absolute beginners can join the Basic Skills sessions while the more confident beginners join in with the Start Racing sessions.

Crowley outlines how a typical coaching session in the group starts with an onshore briefing at the club followed by some on-the-water warm-up exercises. “These are followed by specific skills instruction and practice. The session usually finishes some fun activities and a debrief onshore again.” Richard O’Rahilly who leads the coaching team describes how coaching adults can be different to coaching juniors. “Adults are usually looking for more specific skills training. They’re less competitive than juniors typically and ask for lots of feedback on how they can improve. We spend as much time as possible on the water as adults are looking for hands-on experience” says O’Rahilly.

Mick Shelley who joined the Kindergarten group in 2019 highlights how the support received from more experienced Laser sailors has impressed him greatly. “I hadn’t sailed a Laser before, and the support and encouragement I received from people up the fleet was great. There were days when I was nervous about heading out in heavier conditions and some tips or advice that someone would give me on the forecourt gave me the confidence to push myself a little more.” says Shelley. He went on to say “getting out on the water after many years out of the sport has given me a new lease of life”

Crowley agrees that the support from the experienced sailors has been “phenomenal”. “We have experienced Laser sailors who not only support us ashore, but have helped us organising fun racing for our group and even finding second-hand boats to buy.” Crowley also acknowledges the continued support provided by the local clubs, encouraging adults to try Laser sailing specifically and also facilitating access to boats, coaches and safety ribs.

Crowley intends to tap into the willingness of the more experienced sailors at this year’s Irish Laser Association Masters National Championship event which is slated to be hosted by RSGYC on the weekend of June 12/13. “We’re launching a buddy system at the Masters Nationals where a more experienced sailor will be paired off with a beginner sailor and support them over the two days of the event. It will be simple things like offering advice and encouragement before racing and checking in at the end of the day to see how they got on.”

Laser training at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Rachel Crowley

The Dún Laoghaire adult pathway doesn’t stop with the Kindergarten. While many sailors are happy to remain within the Kindergarten group for the fun and camaraderie, the coaches encourage those who are ready to get involved with the Masters Race Training sessions that take place right throughout the year. These sessions are focused on adult sailors who aspire to compete at the top end of the fleet nationally. Here the coaches, who are all top Laser sailors, focus on fine-tuning race strategy and boat handling skills.

In addition, a number of elite racing clinics are held each year with top Irish and international coaches drawn in. Irish and Olympic athletes such as Finn Lynch and Aisling Keller have run weekend-long clinics over the past couple of years. The fleet also has connections with the high-performance Laser training centres in Malta and Viana, Portugal. In 2020, the fleet intends to send a delegation to the Europa Cup regatta taking place in Malta in November.

The message from the Dún Laoghaire Laser fleet is that no matter what level you are at, there’s a support framework in place from local sailors, coaches and clubs to help you access and enjoy this boat. Anyone looking to find out more about sailing Lasers in Dún Laoghaire is encouraged to contact the class directly via email: [email protected]

When we ran the brief report yesterday about the proposed 13-storey "strategic development" apartment block plumb in the middle of a reasonably harmonious medium-rise part of Dun Laoghaire's harbour-front, there were those who thought April 1st had come early, and twice over too, for good measure.

It is so out of keeping with the buildings immediately around it that it has to be a joke.

And on top of that, nobody knowingly builds a 13-storey structure, such that in some more southern countries a certain reasonable superstition ensures that if a building is so high as to accommodate a thirteenth floor, it doesn't actually exist – you go up straight from the 12th to the 14th.

Then too, we must remember that as the normally pragmatic men and women of the motor trade saw the 13 car registration looming on the horizon as 2013 approached, they saw to it that the government was apprised of the marketing benefits of dividing the year in two for registration purposes, and so our new cars went straight for being 12 to being 131, thus there's no such thing as an unlucky 13-registered car on Irish roads.

On top of that, this is Dun Laoghaire, the global home of One Design Racing. Yet although there have been hundreds of numbered One Designs sailing out of Dun Laoghaire since Ben Middleton and his friends in the Water Wags started the whole business in 1887, not one – repeat, NOT ONE – of the many classes has sent out a boat carrying the sail number 13.

Water Wag ODs racing in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Not one of the hundreds of Dublin Bay One Designs has ever carried the sail number 13. Photo: Con Murphy

So when somebody proposes building a 13 storey apartment block, we can only assume it's all for the birds, they're flying a kite, and they'll blindside the negotiations (which are already made murky by referring the "strategic planning" trope) by graciously bringing it down to the 12 storeys they originally intended.

That said, occasionally a 13th floor will slip in by accident when too much building is happening at once. We are irresistibly reminded of the story of a Parisian housewife entertaining her lover in her apartment, and the concierge phoned up to warn her that her husband had unexpectedly returned.

"Pierre" says she to the boyfriend, "Pierre, you must get out of the window immediately, and hide on the ledge outside"

"But Nicole" says he, "We are on the thirteenth floor."

"Pierre" she hisses, "this is no time for superstition….."

Former Optimist dinghy champion Peter Fagan is coaching the 'Dun Laoghaire Optimist Group' (DOGs) for May's Irish trials hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club and here Fagan outlines how he aims to prepare the sailors for the demands of competing at the Dublin Bay Trials

The Dun Laoghaire Optimist Group is a training collaboration between the waterfront clubs in Dun Laoghaire providing a high-performance programme for sailors with the annual Optimist Trials being the core goal. The programme has five experienced coaches, Clare Gorman, Nicola Ferguson, Sarah Fogarty, Tom Higgins and myself. We currently have 27 sailors in the programme split into four groups ranging from 10-15 years old. Unfortunately, due to the increase in Covid-19 restrictions, the programme has been put on hold until further ease in restrictions.

Having been given the opportunity to be the head coach for the 'DOGs', I was eager to pass on the knowledge that I gained from competitive sailing both in the Optimist and Laser class to the next generation of sailors. Now that the Royal St George Yacht Club, my home club and where I previously won the Optimist Trials back in 2014, has been announced as the host for the 2021 Trials, I am definitely very excited! I have no doubt that the Royal St. George will put on a fantastic event for the sailors. Dun Laoghaire always offers a true test of a sailor's skills, with conditions ranging from shifty westerly winds with choppy waves or an easterly with consistent breeze and swell.

Dun Laoghaire Optimist Group in training before lockdown Photo: Peter Fagan

The Optimist Trials is the most unique event of the calendar due to two main factors.

Firstly, the event traditionally has 13 scheduled races over the course of 5 days with only two discards in the series. This setup rewards the sailor who sails consistently and has a 'never give up' attitude. This year, however, there is a change to the event's usual setup where the number of days racing has been reduced to three, running over the course of the May bank-holiday weekend.

Secondly, sailors aren't just competing for silverware but a chance to qualify for a team to represent Ireland on an international stage such as the Optimist World and European Championships. This gives the event that added bit of pressure and a sailor that can stay composed over the event will have a great advantage to the rest of the fleet.

The Dun Laoghaire Optimist programme aims to prepare the sailor for the demands of competing at Trials. The programme is broken into multiple training blocks ranging from boat handling skills to practising racing situations. We recently had a talk from Finn Lynch who shared his experience with the sailors of what constitutes a successful mindset during a competition. Most importantly, having fun is fundamental to the programme where we've had paddle races and Christmas celebrations.

Operating under Covid-19 restrictions was challenging and forced us to adapt the programme by switching a lot of learning to online. We began to use Google Classroom for posting recaps and videos from training sessions, Google Forms to survey the sailor's performance at each session and lastly, Zoom calls for debriefs online at the end of each days sailing.

The programme wouldn't have been able to run successfully without the help of the programme organisers, parent volunteers, coach Pieter Van Den Bossche and the guidance of Ronan Adams, sailing manager at the Royal St George Yacht Club. I am certainly looking forward to coaching over the season ahead where fingers crossed competition will be re-introduced after a year of its near absence.

Unfortunately, due to the increase in Covid-19 restrictions, the DOGs programme has been put on hold until further ease in restrictions. Photo: Paddy Madigan

Dun Laoghaire Harbour's RNLI lifeboat crew came to the rescue of a dog that slipped off the Dun Laoghaire Marina Pier and onto the rocks below this morning.

The volunteer crew of three launched swiftly at 11:35am and made their way to the scene arriving in minutes.

The crew quickly assessed the situation finding Archie the dog on rocks near the water’s edge. The lifeboat crew made their way towards him and on to the rocks and helped lift him back up onto the pier above. Archie was in good health and happy to see his owners after his ordeal as our picture shows below.

Weather conditions at the time were described as calm with good visibility.

Speaking following the call out, Liam Mullan Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat press officer said: ‘Our crew today were very happy to reunite Archie with his owners and that he wasn’t injured from his fall. Archies owners did the right thing by calling the Irish Coast Guard and asking for help. It was much safer for our crew to approach rocks on a day like today by sea when compared to the risks associated with slips and falls from a person trying to make their way down to the water’s edge to help’.