Cork County Coastal Rowing Championships were staged today by Rushbrooke Rowing Club with ideal conditions in Cuskinny Bay, Cork Harbour.

The event is a forerunner to the National Coastal Rowing Championships that will be held in Donegal  in less than a fortnight. 522 crews from 47 clubs totalling 2500 competitors are expected to attend. 

Hello and welcome aboard this week’s edition of your maritime programme Seascapes, shortly we’ll be talking to Eugene Garrihy of Dublin Bay Cruises out on the water aboard the St Bridget in Dublin Bay .......... Seamus Maguire will be linking up with us from our Sligo Studios where he has all the details on the All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships and the inaugural Donegal Bay Maritime Festival .......our intrepid duo of Laura Hannon and Sarah Murphy bring us a further selection of reports from the Shore Shots Film Festival held in Sligo in April..they were there for Seascapes so this week in Part Two we feature ace surf photographer Tim Nunn and former professional surfer Fergal Smith ........first this week to the KBC Laser Radial World Championships opening ceremony which took place last Sunday in Dun Laoghaire in brilliant sunshine hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club and the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company we were there and as the forty eight flags of the attending countries were held aloft in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council offices we spoke to David Kelly , Chairman of the event ......

Well from David Kelly and Eric Faust we spoke next to the Harbour Master Captain Simon Coate ....

At the event we also met Con Murphy; Louis Monk; Gareth Craig of Fotosail and many other friends of the programme, a few words from the Commodore of The Royal St George Yacht Club – Justin McKenna.....

You can read and see more about the KBC Laser Radial World Championships in Dun Laoghaire on the Seascapes webpage.....

Next to Dublin Bay and Dublin Bay Cruises who operate a fine vessel the St Bridget taking natives and visiting tourists across the bay to Dun Laoghaire and Howth we’ll hear about the BioSphere that is Dublin Bay on next weeks edition of Seascapes with and we’ll have a word with Catherine McCloskey of Failte Ireland on the “Breath of Fresh Air” initiative however on Monday of this week as the KBC Laser Radial World Championships were in full swing in the waters out off Dun Laoghaire we left the quayside at Sir John Rogersons Quay just down river from the Samuel Beckett Bridge and talked to Eugene Garrihy about the company and how it all began .....

As we motored out in the bay we met the Boskalis company's dredger the Freeway heading into the port ....we’ll have more here on Seascapes next week on Dublin Bay Cruises and the BioSphere with Dr Favel Naulty and hear from Caroline McCloskey of Failte Ireland about “A Breath of Fresh Air” , we can heartily recommend a voyage out on the water it’s a very comfortable and unique experience no matter what part of this island you are from ........and they don’t sail in adverse weather conditions .........you get a great sense of the scale of the port -the marine traffic the bay, the scenery and the wildlife ...

In our Seascapes competition this week you can win copies of “Shackleton’s South” as retold by John Mac Kenna in a “Real Reads” edition for youngsters with illustrations by Maurice Pierse if you can name the last vessel on which Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed in the Southern Ocean before his passing (hint the Cabin from the vessel is being restored in the West) ......answers on a postcard to Seascapes , RTE Radio 1, Fr Mathew Street , Cork or by email to [email protected]

Next to Donegal where the inaugural Donegal Bay Maritime Festival and the All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships are taking place , we can hear from Seamus Maguire who is in our Sligo Studios and has all the details........

One young man whom we featured on Seascapes some years ago is Westport native Fergal Smith a former professional surfer he talked to Laura Hannon for Seascapes at Shore Shots ......

Fergal Smith at Shore Shots Festival in Sligo talking to Laura Hannon , next to surf photographer , writer and film maker Tim Nunn.....

The voice of Tim Nunn at Shore Shots talking to Sarah Murphy....next week here on Seascapes Ron Coveney meets Freediving Ireland’s Feargus Callagy and he talks to Peter Conroy of Irish Tow Surf Rescue Club ..............
This week an exhibition of aerial photographs “ West Cork from the Air “ by Dennis Horgan was opened by Lord David Puttnam and the exhibition continues for the next few weeks in the Town Hall in Skibereen with stunning images of the Fastnet ; Roaringwater Bay and Crookhaven.....more on the seascapes webpage....

“Next week here on Seascapes more on Dublin Bay Cruises with Eugene Garrihy and the BioSphere with Dublin Bay BioSphere Discovery Tour Guide Dr Favel Naulty , and in a Seascapes exclusive we visit Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club and meet our sailing Olympians to coincide with the Brasil Olympic Games opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro we’ll hear from Finn Lynch ; Saskia Tidey ; Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern and Annalise Murphy and the Irish Olympic Sailing team leader James O’Callaghan plus we meet the Commodore of Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club Roger Smith and hear about their regatta which is happening on the 13th and 14th August .....................and in our final report from Shore Shots Ron Coveney talks to Freediver Feargus Callagy and Peter Conroy of the Irish Tow Surf Rescue Club...................all that and much more here on Seascapes , until next Friday night , tight lines and fair sailing.”

Marcus Connaughton

St. Michael's Rowing Club in Dun Laoghaire, will host round five of the East Coast, Coastal Rowing Championships on Sunday 3rd July, 2016. The regatta will take place from the Dublin Bay side of the West Pier. There are more than 100 teams competing from ten East Coast rowing clubs.

There will be 16 races of all age groups with the first race beginning at 9.00am. This year’s event will see hundreds of men women and children compete over a gruelling course in a bid to be crowned 2016 champions in their respective field.

Viewing is best from the beach at Salthill DART station and will be an excellent opportunity to view, support and enjoy this traditional form of coastal rowing.

Television personality Eddie Hobbs joined celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment by taking part in an on-street rowing demonstration in Dublin recently in support of the forthcoming Garda ‘Chris Crossing’ charity boat row across the Irish Sea.

The initiative is being undertaken to raise some €50,000 for the National Neurosurgical Centre at Beaumont Hospital.

Planned in memory of Garda Chris Byrne, who passed away in March 2016 as a result of a brain tumour, the event is being undertaken by 12 Gardaí from Dublin’s Store Street station. The 12-15 hours crossing from Dublin to Holyhead will take place in late May/early June, depending on weather conditions.

Irish Ferries will provide transport and other logistics support required to guarantee the success of the undertaking.

A wider appeal for subscriptions asks members of the public to text Beaumont to 50300 to make a €4 donation, or online at www.beaumontfundraising.ie

Strangford Lough will stage the coastal rowing Skiffie World Championships  2016 this July.

Canada, England, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Tasmania, USA, Wales will bring a truly international flavour to the six day rowing event featuring 22ft, traditionally styled, wooden St Ayles skiffs, rowed by teams of four people plus cox.

Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership, Scottish Coastal Rowing Association, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Ards and North Down Borough Council will welcome the coastal rowers to Strangford Lough from 24 -30 July 2016

All of the St Ayles’ skiffs have been built within their communities, thanks to a system that allows even non specialist boat builders to produce a high specification, traditionally styled wooden, racing boat.

Each boat has its own colours and names that are evocative of their home-places. The building of them brought people together from all walks of life and of all ages. They symbolise the bonds that have been forged between people within communities and now through competition the shared maritime heritage that binds coastal people the world over.

County Down has become a centre for coastal rowing with seven clubs already established long the coast, from Donaghadee to Dundrum, and others being set up. 

A team of 20 rowers have been circumnavigating the island of Ireland in a small, self-built skiff to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland (CFI). Their plan for today (Thursday) is row up the Co Down coast to Blackhead, and then on to Portavogie.

The rowers, of mixed ability and experience, set off from Bray, Co. Wicklow on May 30th with crews of two oarsmen/women at a time rowing in relays. The rowers have planned stops at 50 designated points along the coast, with support on hand from a shore-based crew as well as cover boats that will escort the boat on some of the more challenging legs.

The team is particularly thankful for the support of local people, and some rowers can join the crew along the way.

‘Row-A-Round Ireland’ is the brainchild of Bray-based maritime enthusiast Ger Crowley, who said the trip was a huge challenge for all involved.

“It’s an ambitious project, a journey of almost 1,000 nautical miles, and the main objective is to safely row an open 15ft timber skiff around the island,” Crowley said. “Each two-person crew will contribute 100 miles towards the overall voyage over a period of a week or so, rowing on average up to 20 miles per day, so it’s a big ask for all our volunteers.

“The other objective, of course, is to raise funds and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and all our rowers are giving their time and effort for free,” he says.

The Row-A-Round Ireland crew is drawn mainly from the immediate Crowley family and friends, under the watchful eye of team mascot and coxswain Joey the labrador. A true sea dog, Joey has a regular spot in the stern of the boat as it makes its way up and down the Bray coast on training rows. Although the journey will consist of 50 one-day legs, the changeable Irish weather means the crew has allowed 120 days to complete the challenge safely.

“Weather is going to be an issue alright, and there are some treacherous stretches of water to be navigated including Donegal Bay which comprises some 30 miles of the open Atlantic Ocean, Clew Bay, the Cliffs of Moher and from Loop Head across the mouth of the mighty Shannon,” says Ger Crowley, who built the boat.

The challenge also involves shore-based logistical support with a vehicle following the crew on land bringing change-over crews to intended landing areas, spares for repairs, food and also serving as a retrieval vehicle here beach landings are involved.

The team is also counting on local community support along the way, with many members of the maritime community including rowing, sailing and diving clubs around the country having pledged their support by offering food, accommodation as well as valuable advice and local knowledge.

Funds will be raised as the boat makes its way around Ireland, with all money going towards fighting Cystic Fibrosis, a fatal genetic disease that affects approximately 1 in 1600 births in Ireland, the country with the highest incidence of CF in the developed world.

#currach – The Ballina Quay Regatta fest is making a fantastic return to the quay from June 12th -14th and is set to reignite the nostalgia of years gone by with a spectacular line up featuring All Ireland Currach Racing, boat treasure hunts, fishing competitions, air displays, water skiing and much much more.
The event aims to be a fantastic addition to the already action packed summer calendar in Mayo North and is being presented by the Moy Estuary Boat club, supporting the Ballyglass Lifeboat RNLI service.

After 20 years, the regatta is finally making its grand return and will delight both visitors and locals with an array of magnificient events. Friday night will see a Pirate Treasure Hunt come to the quay, followed by the Rejoice Gospel Choir Concert and the Monarch of the Quay Disco; a perfect introduction to the weekend long entertainment.

The Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Point will host a super adventurous and enjoyable day on Saturday as the Quay will be awash with activity and craic. Stand Up Paddling Board and Kayak races will be taking place all day and there will also be a Fishing Competition in the lead up to the Ceili Mor which will have the entire crowd dancing and jigging as nightime approaches.

On Sunday 14th June, local resident, 92 years young Una Timoney, will cut the ribbon and Mr Chris Reynolds, Director Irish Coast Guard will also officiate at the opening ceremony. This will be followed by Children's Pirate Themed Fancy Dress Parade to the Quay. The Band 2 Brigade will headline on Sunday with an amazing live performace and the final day will also feature a craft fair and a stunning air stunt display, the perfect day out for all the family.

The excitement is surely building, as many of the residents bear fond memories of days gone by and previous regatta festivals in the Quay. Without a doubt, a strong sense of nostalgia surrounds the festival with much anticipation for the return of the regatta, bigger and better than ever before. 4 Team Mixed Relay Swim to Sheaf Throwing, Tug-o-War, and lots more fun and games, the programme of events for the weekend is certainly an impressive one. 

#coastalrowing – This week sees the launch of the fixture list for the East Coast Rowing regatta circuit. Crews of men, women, and children from Skerries in the north to Courtown in the south will compete for the individual regatta medals and trophies, for the championship league positions, and for the overall club shields. Download the East Coast Fixtures List for 2015 below as a jpeg file.

The season kicks off on 7th June at the Arklow Regatta, and continues for most Sundays at the 'home' courses of each club. The season finishes with the traditional August Bank Holiday 'Double Header' at Greystones on Saturday 1st, followed by the 138th annual Wicklow Regatta on Monday 3rd. All regattas feature races from Under 12s through to Senior Men and Senior Women, with 5-12 boats per race and around 13 races spread over the afternoon.

This fixture list arises off the back of Sunday's East Coast Rowing Council AGM, where exciting prospects for the season ahead were discussed. It is hoped to see a tentative return to regatta racing for the newly reborn East Wall Rowing Club, with other new entrants in the offing too. Arklow and Bray Rowing Clubs will celebrate their 25th and 80th anniversaries respectively, and there will be interesting changes to the race courses at both Arklow and the St. Michael's course at Dún Laoghaire. Congratulations were extended to Dalkey Rowing Club who have a new rowing skiff under construction.

Last year was a hugely busy and successful year on the East Coast, with some regattas pushing 100 crews. The two Ringsend clubs managed to share the overall spoils between them, with St. Patricks taking the Senior Shield, and Stella Maris taking both the Junior Shield and the Overall Shield.

#coastalrowing – The Coastal Rowing Clubs of Kerry played host to this year's All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships which took place on Lough Currane, Waterville, Co Kerry, at the weekend from Friday, 15th to Sunday 17th August 2014 writes Valerie O'Sullivan.

More than 2700 rowers competed, in the picturesque village of Waterville, which lies on the Iveragh Peninsula, 530 crews raced for medals and trophies in the most coveted of Rowing Championships. Crews from Donegal, Antrim, Belfast, Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Cork, and Kerry competed at the weekend.The type of boat used in the Coastal Rowing Championships is called a 'One Design' - fibre glass boat, fixed seat, a crew of four and cox.

Though the sun was shining, the breezes were stiff, just like the competition, the course was flawless, designed by Nick Norris, Schull, Co Cork, a great friend of Waterville Rowing Club, overseeing all the course was Kerry Coastal Chairman, Pat Cuffe and volunteer Andrew Wharton, who were seen, cutting branches, fixing engines, making tea, cleaning up the rubbish! Waterville Rowing Club's Noel Clifford and team were on hand for every element of the rowing weekend.

 Speaking after the event, PRO Mary B Teahan, commented "What we witnessed in Waterville was a wonderful weekend of rowing, the atmosphere was amazing, the fun and comradarie incredible. Medals were hard to come by, every crew gave it there all. We've been working on the event for a year, and all the hard work definitely paid off, Waterville was the perfect location, every community in South and Mid Kerry were completely behind the event. The Organisation was enormous, and thankfully it ran very smoothly"

All Ireland coastal rowing racing at Waterville. Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan. Scroll down for a gallery of photos

As Afloat reported previously, taking the honours for the Senior Men's Race was Killorglin Rowing Club, the crew took an early lead and just couldn't be taken, Cork Rivals Courtmacsherry and Kilmacsimon RC finishing 2nd and 3rd in what is always the biggest race of the day.

Not to be outdone the Senior Ladies was won by Killorglin Rowing Club, 2nd another great Kerry Club, Sneem RC and in 3rd place was Arklow RC.

Results of the All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships 2014

Senior Men's Race: Winners: Killorglin Rowing Club A
2nd Courtmacsherry Rowing Club
3rd Kilmacsimon Rowing Club

Junior Men's Race: Winners: Ring Rowing Club
2nd Passage West Rowing Club
3rd Kilmacsimon Rowing Club

Intermediate Men's Race Winners: Cahirciveen Rowing Club
2nd Whitegate Rowing Club
3rd Portmagee Rowing Club

Senior Ladies Race Winners: Killorglin Rowing Club
2nd Sneem Rowing Club
3rd Arklow Rowing Club

Junior Ladies Race Winners: Galley Flash Rowing Club
2nd Arklow Rowing Club
3rd Courtmacsherry Rowing Club

Intermediate Ladies Race Winners: Passage West Rowing Club
2nd Whitegate Rowing Club
3rd East Ferry Rowing Club

Mixed Veteran Crew Winners: Portmagee Rowing Club
2nd Myross Rowing Club
3rd Templenoe B Rowing Club

Under 14 Girls Crew Winners : Whitegate Rowing Club A
2nd Ring Rowing Club
joint 2nd Templenoe Rowng Club

Under 16's Boys Winners: Killorglin Rowing Club
2nd Kilmacsimon Rowing Club
3rd Sive Rowing Club

Under 18 Ladies Winners; Sneem Rowing Club
2nd Fossa Rowing Club
3rd Valentia Rowing Club

Pre-Vet Men Winners: Killorglin B Rowing Club
2nd Courtmacsherry Rowing Club
3rd Whitegate Rowing Club

U 12's Winners: Galley Flash Rowing Club
2nd Passage West Rowing Club
3rd Myross Rowing Club

U18's Winners: Passage West Rowing Club
2nd Killorglin Rowing Club
3rd Galley Flash Rowing Club

U18's Ladies Winners: Sneem Rowing Club
2nd Fossa Rowing Club
3rd Valentia Rowing Club

U16 Girls Winners: Kilmacsimon Rowing Club
2nd Myross Rowing Club
3rd Caherdaniel Rowing Club

U16's Winners: Killorglin Rowing Club
2nd Kilmacsimon Rowing Club
3rd Sive Rowing Club

Under 14 Winners: Cairndhu Rowing Club
2nd Courtmacsherry Rowing Club
3rd Killorglin Rowing Club

Under 21 Ladies Winners: Killorglin Rowing Club
2nd Ring Rowing Club
3rd Fossa Rowing Club

Under 21 Winners: Whitegate Rowing Club
2nd Templenoe Rowing Club
3rd Galley Flash Rowing Club

U12 Girls Winners: Portmagee Rowing Club
2nd Passage West Rowing Club
3rd Sive Rowing Club

Master Ladies Winners: Kilmacsimon Rowing Club
Masters Men Winners: Templenoe Rowing Club
Veteran Men Winners: Portmagee Rowing Club
Veteran Ladies Winners: Whitegate Rowing Club
Senior Mixed Winners: Killorglin Rowing Club
Pre Veteran Mixed Winners: Callinafercy Rowing Club
Pre Veteran Ladies Winners: Arklow Rowing Club
Pre Veteran Men WInners: Killorglin B Rowing Club
Mixed Veterans Winners: Portmagee Rowing Club

FISA Singles Ladies Winner Melanie Hunt Kilmacsimon
FISA Single Mens Winner Cormac Kelly Arklow

Seine Boat Winners: Valentia Island (A) Dermot Walsh

Open Classic Ladies Winners: Myross Rowing Club
Open Classic Men Winners: Myross Rowing Club

Cork Yawl Ladies Winners: Whitegate Rowing Club
Cork Yawl Men Winners: Whitegate Rowing Club

Heritage Race Ladies Winners: Sneem Rowing Club
Heritage Race Men Winners: St Patrick's (A) 

All photos by Valerie O'Sullivan

#COASTAL ROWING: The All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships will take place on Lough Currane, Waterville, Co Kerry, this weekend. About 2,700 rowers will descent on the picturesque village of Waterville, which lies on the Iveragh Peninsula, with 530 crews competing for a medal and a trophy. The action starts today (Friday) at 4pm.

The Kerry Coastal Rowing Association hosts the event. There are over 20 coastal rowing clubs, involved in organising the extensive programme of rowing and entertainment. There are a 25 categories of rowing, from the Under 12s to Master/Veteran.

Mary B Teahan, the PRO of the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation, said: “This regatta is the biggest regatta in the country and promises to be full of passion, pride and fantastic competition, where the best in the country will come to take on the might of each other. It’s a celebration of rowing. Crews from Donegal, Antrim, Belfast, Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Cork, and Kerry, will battle it out on the water and be assured of best of Kerry craic during the event. It’s also a showcase of what this part of the Iveragh Peninsula has to offer, in terms of tourism and promotion of the Wild Atlantic Way ... it ticks all the boxes.”

The event begins with a blessing of the boats, today at 4pm … Then the real rowing action begins.

Teahan said: “The opening ceremony promises to be a taste of Kerry. a lot of effort and time been put in to prepare for this prestigious event with the coastal rowing clubs, fund raising throughout the winter. The board has driven the preparations forward with the local rowing clubs and GAA in Waterville all helping out for the weekend. There is nightly entertainment in the green in the village with an array of bands and music and our nominated charity kindly stewarding.”

The event charity is Recovery Haven cancer services.

Forty heats will be rowed on Saturday. The finals take place on Sunday. The organisers say the atmosphere will be like Croke Park on All-Ireland final day: club colours worn with pride, club support out in force, the intense rivalry, the referee’s decision, the photo finish, the factions, club picnics, and maybe the old splash of rain!

The type of boat used in the Coastal Rowing Championships is called a ‘One Design’ – a fibre glass boat, fixed seat, a crew of four and cox. Another fine showcase to watch out for is The Seine boat crews of Mid and South Kerry where a 12-man crew, with a cox, races 18 kilometres.