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Displaying items by tag: Tralee

With expanded staff and premises, plus a brand new website and online offerings, the Tralee boatbuilders and dealers emerge from the storm of the recession ship-shape for the future

Wow, what a brutal storm. Even stronger for those further west!

Spinnaker up, absolutely flying along at well above hull design speed. Pushing hard, clinging on to the surfing waves, getting the most out of every surge. Everyone and everything working to the maximum limit, anticipating the next wave, the next sail change or even dropping that spinnaker, consider play safe or continue flat out. And then bang: that rogue wave, that slight misjudgment and it was crashing down around us.

In many ways, we realised very early on what was happening, but we could never have anticipated the extent of that crash. Who else did? Fortunately, we recovered quickly, assessed the situation as calmly as possible and planned the next steps. With a great crew on board, we managed to limber home, battened down the hatches, licked our wounds and came back fighting fit, ready to take on whatever was thrown at us.

That describes the economy in Ireland after September 2008 and what happened to most businesses, especially in the marine trade. We at O’Sullivans Marine were no different.

But we steadied the course, fixed what wasn’t perfect, trained up the crew, brought in new skill sets and were ship-shape once again.

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Busy reception are at OSmarine.ie

History of O’Sullivans Marine

We have been around for over 50 years, and boy has that time gone by in a flash.

It all began in 1963 when Jerry O’Sullivan started the business and we built our first boat – which was in timber, believe it or not. Within two years we had already progressed to building our first fibreglass boat. And since then the business has moved several times, always getting bigger and more ambitious.

The staff grew, too. Jerry’s son Brian joined in 1978, coming home after college with the intention of staying around for a year or two. More than three decades later, he’s still an integral part of the team.

In 1980, we built a new factory on the outskirts of Tralee where we manufactured boats, but we still ran a shop in Tralee town centre. We subsequently moved everything marine in to that purpose-built development in 1990, with over 12,500 square feet of boat-building space, a service bay, offices and the marine shop.

Why Tralee? True, it’s not the centre of Ireland’s marine trade. The simple answer is that it’s a great place to live, but that’s not all. Coming from two large families in Kerry, both Jerry and his wife Noreen had strong connections all around them and, indeed, had several other business interests on the go at the time in Tralee. To relocate to a stronger market location might have made good business sense, but with a large family of their own, the thought was never really entertained. 

In any case, Kerry has its own strong maritime traditions. Being a founder member of Tralee Bay Sailing Club in the late 1950s, Jerry had saltwater running through his veins, and to go into the marine business just seemed a natural progression.

By the time the 1990s were over, the aforementioned development outside Tralee proved too small once again. So out came the diggers to expand over the next seven years with up to 30,000 square feet of covered space with another 20,000 of outdoor storage space, along with a private car park, and still allowing room for further expansion. We completed that round of developments by May 2007 – probably not great timing in retrospect.  

We have seen recessions before and probably will again, but we believe that the worst is over with this one, and we’re climbing back up the graph. We also believe that now is the time to prepare for the next phase and be ready for that filling tide. Reports confirm daily that Ireland is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe yet again, if not the fastest.

All the signs are positive, so we must be ready to catch the breeze as it picks up and avail of whatever opportunities come our way.

The USP of OSM

Our unique selling point here at O’Sullivans Marine is our very extensive selection of boats that we build here in Tralee, ranging in size from 2.5 to 8 metres. 

Many of the ‘old reliables’ are still being built; they’re truly ageless. Take the 19’ Mayfly, for example, or the 18’ Sheelin. Several decades on, these boats are still in strong demand. And the major advantage these models have over other lake boats is the fact that they are all fibreglass with practically no timber above the waterline, so maintenance is minimal.

If a sea boat is more to your liking, we have quite a selection in stock and ready to order, both brand new and second-hand (and many available at special prices). All are fully certified and all pass with flying colours the requirements of the Recreational Craft Directive, the EU statutory regulation determining safety and build standards. Being CE certified, you can also rest assured all our craft are high-quality builds, safe and seaworthy. 

All of this from a renowned boat-building yard that had 70 Cork 1720 sports yachts on the start line at Cork Week in 2000, some of which are still racing competitively throughout Ireland and abroad to this day. The same can be said for most of the leading boats in the National 18 class a few years later.

Now we are producing another racing craft: the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation’s own one–design coastal rowing yawl. This is a four-man (plus a coxswain) specialist coastal rower, proving extremely popular throughout the coast of Ireland. We build these to a high standard and to a strict weight tolerance and design.

Our steadfast crew

osmarine 2OSM staff; Maurice O’Sullivan, Jo Quirke, Brian O’Sullivan and Thomas Gibney

We have reinforced our already excellent crew this year and are looking at some further reinforcements for 2016.

Thomas Gibney has been added to take charge of the technical IT side along with social media and other marketing roles. He joins our seasoned campaigner Maurice O’Sullivan, who has been integral to the team for over 30 years along with Jo Quirke, who has been and is at the front line for almost two decades now.

Brian O’Sullivan is our ever-present skipper at the helm and the main driving force behind the whole campaign. Born into the business, Brian has cut his teeth in the marine industry and still runs a tight and competitive ship. 

This team is the backbone of the business, and with Sean, Bernard, Ian, John and David coming into the team with their complementary skill sets, this makes for a pretty formidable outfit in any situation.

Our loyal suppliers

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Overview of some of OSM boats including some Linder Aluminium boats and OSM's Irish made 18’ Sheelin

At O’Sullivans Marine, we are fortunate to be able to count on several big names in the marine industry who have supported us over many years with the supply of excellent products.

We have long-established relationships with many leading brands in the business, such as Linder Aluminium Boats from Sweden; Gemini Ribs and inflatables from South Africa; Poseidon Boats from Greece; Tohatsu Outboards from Japan (one of our longest contracts, in fact – we’ve been selling Tohatsu in Ireland since 1975); Brenderup Trailers from Denmark; Garmin and Raymarine from UK and USA; Sole, Yanmar and Volvo inboard diesel engines; Ultraflex steerings; International Paints and Precision Paints from the UK; Whale from Northern Ireland.

And that’s to name but a few of our vast selection of quality and reliable brands – a selection that’s grown since our expansion into the online marketplace.

osmarine website

New website homepage – www.osmarine.ie

Going online

Our most significant development as of late here at O’Sullivans Marine is our new website and online shop at OSMarine.ie – expanding our already significant online marine presence by growing our chandlery and spare parts section, covering the proverbial needle to the anchor.

This has been and still is a massive undertaking, with an inventory of several thousand products, and more being added on a weekly basis. But it’s very much worth it, as for one, it renders our location on the Wild Atlantic Way practically insignificant.

That’s also thanks to our network of delivery companies shipping out overnight to most parts of the country, and within two days to the UK and Europe. We’ve only just begun and have already sold to as far afield as Belgium, Spain, Finland and even Greenland.

These are again exciting times. We believe our prices to be very competitive and our goal is to remain competitive by giving you the best value on the market today.

Facebook competition

The O'Sullivans Marine page on Facebook is a real winner – simply log on to OSMarine.ie to connect with our Facebook page, click 'Like' and you'll be entered in a draw for some brilliant prizes!

Special boat/trailer offer

O'Sullivans Marine currently has a special offer on the 18' Sheelin all-fibreglass, fully CE-certified lake boat, equipped with a Tohatsu 6hp four-stroke engine and with oars and stainless steel pins as standard. The deal includes a Brenderup galvanised trailer, with both boat and trailer covered by five-year warranties. And all for the special price of only Ä5,885 inc VAT. It's first come, first served on this very limited offer!

Our future goals

So much has happened throughout the history of our business, with wind shifts all over the place. And as any good sailor will know, if you don’t keep on top of the shifts, you will find yourself left behind, even on the start line. 

Over the past 12 months, we have changed tack yet again, and decided the other side of the course was better going forward. That meant heavy investment in our IT side, with new systems and new crew to get us fully race-ready with our ‘secret weapon’ – our aforementioned new website and online shop. 

But we bring another dimension to the marine industry in Ireland and to all customers, both returning and potential, by stressing value for money with excellent service and back-up. 

Our experienced and well-trained staff know the industry, know the products and go the extra yard to satisfy the requirements of every customer. We cover all aspects of owning a boat, including engines and trailers, not to mention safety equipment, servicing, maintenance and, of course, repairs. 

And yes, we still build our own range of boats, truly ‘made in Tralee’.

As with any new developments, there are plenty of challenges, some foreseen and some totally unpredictable. But isn’t that what makes life really interesting?

Published in Marine Trade

#Rescue - Emergency workers with Irish heritage from all over the world are being invited to celebrate Heroes Week in Tralee this June.

As part of The Gathering 2013 initiative, the chiefs of Co Kerry's emergency services will welcome first responders with Irish heritage - or an affinity for Ireland - for a week-long reunion among colleagues in Ireland.

That means any members of the police, fire service, coastguard, ambulance service, the Red Cross and the RNLI the world over!

Visitors will be declared 'guests of honour' in Tralee for the week, and among the various events planned between 12-17 June, they will have a chance to trace their Irish roots, and sightsee around one of Ireland's most picturesque spots.

And what's more, the not-for-profit event aims to raise funds for vital local rescue and lifesaving services.

As reported on Irish Central, Mayor of Kerry Terry O'Brien said: “We salute the men and women who go to work each day with only one purpose in mind – to protect and save lives. Many of them have Irish roots and we want to invite them home.

"Kerry has a strong tradition of volunteerism and a collective pride-of-place that will see us roll-out the red carpet to welcome our Heroes home to the Kingdom County. I hope you can join us and we assure you of a memorable visit with us and a warm Irish welcome.”

Full details of the event, including booking information, are available on the Heroes Week website HERE.

Published in Rescue

#cruiserracing – The town of Fenit in County Kerry is getting ready to host a combination of national and regional sailors when it stages both the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) National Cruiser Championship & Corinthian Cup along with the WIORA Regional West Coast Championships & White Sails event this June.

As it is a combination of two events, the Regional West Coast Championships commences on Wednesday, June 12th and finishes on Friday, June 14th with the ICRA National Cruiser Championships commencing on Thursday, June 13th and finishing on Saturday, June 15th, for two days out of the four there will be dual scoring for both events.

The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA), together with the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) and host club Tralee Bay Sailing Club (TBSC) have been very busy over the winter months organising the ICRA National Cruiser Championships / Corinthian Cup and WIORA's Regional West Coast Championships / White Sails which will take place from the 12th – 15th June 2013.

With the ICRA National Cruiser Championships been a NON DISCARD event for the first time in its history a lot of competitors have also entered the regional event (WIORA) to get their boats up to speed the day before the Nationals commences. WIORA have opted to keep with their traditional stance on Discards - one discard will apply, if six or more races are sailed and in their White Sails division one discard will apply, if five or more races are sailed.

On the water Alan Crosbie, David Lovegrove, Peter Moore and teams will be ensuring the course will be of the highest quality and varied to satisfy the competitors with Mike Butterfield officiating as chairperson in the protest room and Denis Kiely & Peadar Murphy looking after the prompt posting of the results.

Tralee Bay Sailing Club boasts views of Tralee bay, with spectacular race courses easily followed from various spectator spots along the shore line. The organising committee under Brian O'Sullivan are finalising an exciting and varied racing programme over the four days, along with an excellent social programme of shore side activities including a crew tug of war sponsored by Walsh Brothers Shoes of Tralee. With ten weeks to go to first gun and over fifty confirmed entries to date, it will be a very special event both on and off the water. For non-sailors joining the event, they will be interested to know that there is a lot to see and do locally, and the organisers are running a fashion show in aid of the RNLI on Friday afternoon in the club.

Tralee Bay Sailing Club has partnered with the Brandon Hotel (Please call reservations on (066) 7123333 and Quote ICRA) to bring a very special accommodation deal for the duration of the event and reservations are open until 19th April. Also, locally there are houses available to rent - for more information please go to www.traleebaysailingclub.com. The committee advises to book accommodation early, as availability of houses is not limitless!

Entries for the National Cruiser Championships, West Coast Championships, and ICRA Corinthian Cup & WIORA White Sails can now be made on line at www.traleebaysailingclub.com. Entry fee for combined events is €225 – single event €175. To encourage early entries a discounted entry fee for combined events of €175 – single event €125 applies until the 27th April 2013. Entry closes 04th June 2013.

 

Published in ICRA
Tagged under
#SAILING SCHOOL – Tralee Bay Sailing School was one of the 15 winners, out of over 600 applicants, in the Island of Ireland 'Coca-Cola 125 Years Thank You Fund' awards.

Tralee Bay Sailing School has been awarded €5,000 euro to develop its Tralee Bay Access Sailing programme for people with physical and sensory disabilities in Kerry. The award will go towards a mobile hoist to enable people with disabilities to get in and out of a range of water based craft along with some equipment to upgrade the fleet of boats and equipment used to teach people with disabilities how to sail, kayak or use a power boat.

There were a couple of stages to this competition. Firstly the 600 entries were narrowed down to a shortlist of 45. This 45 then went to the public vote during the month of September. During that period the judging panel also came together to vote. Following the outcome of both the judges and the public vote the winning 15 groups were decided on.

The award ceremony took place in the Royal College of Physicians and was attended by Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government, Mr Fergus O'Dowd TD.

The judging panel was made up of a variety of community leaders who were selected because of their proven track-record in making positive contributions to society. As well as Coca-Cola members included Dame Mary Peters, Past Olympian, Sarah O'Connor, Executive Director at The Federation of Irish Sports , Michael Ewing, CEO, Irish Environmental Network, Eoghan Murphy, Fine Gael TD , Deirdre Garvey , CEO, The Wheel and James Laverty, NICVA.

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Pictured at the presentation of the Coca Cola 125 Thank You Fund Award from left to right are: Jenny Heaphy, Coca Cola Ireland, Jacqui Browne, Tralee Bay Sailing School, Minister Fergus O'Dowd and Deirdre Garvey, CEO of The Wheel.

Published in News Update

Peadar O'Loughlin's Sigma 33 Reconnaissance was the overall winner of Tralee Bay Sailing Club's race from Fenit to Dingle this October but only after a great comeback in the last two miles of this County Kerry race.

The first boat in was Galileo, with Reconnaissance hot in his tail and Jaguar not far behind either, with Rooster coming in shortly afterwards. Abandon Office, Powder Monkey and Ridire Ban (previous class winner in Dun Laoghaire - Dingle race) retired. On corrected time, first place in IRC went to the Sigma 33
-Reconnaissance, having made a great comeback to steal it from Jaguar in the last two miles.

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Lifting the O'Connell Cup, the last feature race of the Tralee Bay Sailing Club season. The Cup was Sponsored by Finbar O'Connell Jewellers, Tralee and was won by Reconnaissance, a Sigma 33, owned by Peadar O'Loughlin and crewed by Brian O'Sullivan, Frances Clifford, Fergus Kelliher, Kieran Kelliher, John O'Mahony and Eoin Nolan.

This was the last feature race in the 2011 Tralee Bay Sailing Club calendar. The October series continues 'til the end of the month, and an End of Season Party will be held on the last weekend of the month, after racing that day.

Published in Racing

Kerry Boat-builder O'Sullivan's Marine (OSM) is bucking the trend in the depressed marine industry. The Tralee firm have a busy order book  and report strong demand for its traditional lake boat marque but it also has interest in more exotic boats too for the emerging nature tourism market.

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Tried and tested, the new Safari boats are ready for Lee Valley

The first of the orders processed in Tralee is the supply of four Pioner Multi boats with Motor Guide 24v Electric Outboards for the local Lee Valley Development, a new eight hectare (20 acre) eco-tourism development comprising a Nature Park. The four boats will be used for safari-style boat rides.

'We carried out water trials yesterday, all is in order and the fully fitted out boats are being delivered this week', says managing director Brian O'Sullivan.

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OSM's Brian O'Sullivan with one of the new Pioner boats

OSM, a member of the Irish Marine Federation, is also supplying two lake boats to Creeslough Angling Association in Donegal. Six Irish built boats have also been ordered by Dunfanaghy Angling Association in Donegal. Five more lake boats are also going to Waterville, Co. Kerry. All orders are for November delivery! Recession? What recession?

OSM have a selection of used craft on the boats for sale website. See them here

Published in Marine Trade

While it might be an exaggeration to say that all of the 21 crew members of Rambler 100 owe their lives to the Irish Search and Rescue service, there are certainly five people whose future prospects were greatly improved by the operation off the Fastnet Rock on August 15th. A lot of media focus has been on Coxswain Kieran Cotter and the crew of Baltimore Lifeboat as well as lifeboat mechanic Jerry Smith, whose dive boat, on charter to the media team of one of the competitors, was on hand to search and recover the five drifting crew. There is no question that this focus is appropriate. RNLI crews all over the UK and Ireland deserve the attention, not only because of their extraordinary voluntary dedication to the cause, but also because such publicity helps swell the coffers of the charity. The service could not operate without the generosity of the donors and incidents such as these help fill the blue boat-shaped boxes held by even more RNLI volunteers.

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Saved: Ireland's Rescue Services Answered the Call of the capsized Supermaxi Rambler 100 off the Fastnet Rock. Photo: Team Phaedo


The dramatic stories and pictures dominating the media show the front line of a quite wonderful resource that is Search and Rescue in Ireland today. Baltimore Lifeboat was at the coal face of an intricate network of operations, triggered by the crew's EPIRBs. Irish Coast Guard radio officers in Valentia responded almost immediately tasking the rescue resources, working the phones and computers to confirm that this was not an accidentally triggered EPIRB, contacting RORC HQ, determining search patterns and relaying the information to the scene. It was the backroom contacts between RORC and the Coast Guard in endeavouring to contact Rambler 100 using satellite phones that confirmed the possibility of a catastrophic incident involving the Supermaxi. The subsequent tasking of the Shannon and Waterford based Sikorsky helicopters led to the medevac of crew member Wendy Touton and timely treatment of her hypothermic condition, initially by the on-board paramedics and later at Tralee General hospital. And Coast Guard involvement didn't end with the successful rescue – the shoreside operation to provide food and shelter in Baltimore was coordinated by Coast Guard personnel and the salvage operation of the hull of Rambler 100 was overseen by the Irish Coast Guard.

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Rambler crew are recovered from the water after a SAR operation by the Irish Coastguard Photo: Team Phaedo. More photos here.


That Ireland has probably one of the best Search and Rescue services in the world goes back to the campaign initiated in 1988 by Joan McGinley, following the death, within sight of land of Donegal fisherman John Oglesby, whose leg was severed in a trawl winch. Eamon Doherty, the late former Garda Commissioner chaired the review group established in response to the campaign and his report led to the establishment of the Irish Marine Emergency Service, subsequently the Irish Coast Guard. Under the guidance of Director Capt Liam Kirwan, the new service moved quickly to become not only the central co-ordinating body for Search and Rescue, but developed its own resources, notably the helicopters, previously tasked in from Irish Air Corps and UK SAR.
Another element that will feature in the Rambler 100 incident is the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB), set up from recommendations arising from a review of the handling of investigations into marine casualties.

It might be thought that the incident is now closed, but there are many unanswered questions and the investigation will be looking at these and making recommendations that should improve safety in this sector. These questions will include EPIRB performance, liferaft deployment and grab bag usage, but perhaps the key issue yet to be determined is why the response from fellow competitors didn't appear to happen. Even if Channel 16 wasn't being actively monitored, and if not why not, shouldn't the Mayday set off by the Coast Guard have set off the DSC alerts on the radios of Rambler 100's fellow competitors? Had the incident occurred several hours later or earlier when Rambler 100 could have been up to 100 miles from the nearest land, when conditions worsened, we could be looking at much more serious consequences.

It is heartening to think that, in this small country of ours in troubled times, not only do we have a shining star in our search, rescue, recovery and restore system, involving professionals and volunteers cooperating for the greater good, we also have a system that determines the nature of incidents so that we can all learn from the experience.
And let us not forget those people and services, such as the Gardai, Navy, Army and the community of Baltimore who are outside the media spotlight who contributed to this happy ending.

Afloat's Latest Coastguard News

Afloat's Latest RNLI Lifeboat News

Afloat's Latest MCIB News

 

 

Published in Water Rat

27 knots was never going to stop Sophie Browne and  the brave sailors of the Irish Optimist class at Tralee Bay Sailing Club, Fenit, Co.Kerry. The fleet was in town for the Optimist Munster Championships and the local girl proved unstoppable in the six race series. Brian Carlin took the photos in two albums on the Afloat gallery HERE. and HERE.

 

Published in Optimist
Tagged under

Former Olympic sailor, Laser, Flying Fifteen and Squib champ Peter Kennedy from Strangford Lough produced an overall win in the weekend's SB3 Southern Championships at Tralee Bay Sailing Club. Only 16 boats travelled to Europe's most westerly port for the six race series. Kennedy, the 2009 class champion, ended on 11 points counting only one result out of the top three. He was three points clear of Milvus Milvus (R. Howe) and Howth's Ben Duncan in third on 15 points.

After an unfortunate collision at the end of race three between Kennedy and Royal St. George helm Sean Craig, Kennedy was left with an un-raceable boat until, sportingly, Craig offered his as a replacement. Craig and his crew then sat out what has been described as a 'champagne sailing day' and watched his boat and Kennedy race to victory from the club house.

SB3 Southern Championships at Tralee Bay Sailing Club

IRL3500

Ridgefence.com

P. Kennedy

11

1

4

2

1

3

1

6

IRL3338

Milvus Milvus

R. Howe

14

2

2

5

2

1

9

4

IRL3287

Sharkbait

B. Duncan

15

3

17

8

1

3

2

1

IRL3537

Boomsticks

B. Reilly

16

4

3

3

3

17

4

3

IRL3045

Bullet

T. D'Arcy

21

5

1

7

5

7

6

2

IRL3324

Sibelus

K. Dorgan

21

6

7

4

9

2

3

5

IRL3281

Le Bateau de Bang Bang

O'Leary/Roche/Andrews

37

7

5

10

10

17

5

7

IRL3484

Seriously Bonkers 3

Cuppage/Lee

43

8

12

17

7

5

10

9

IRL3062

-

R. Downing

43

9

17

6

6

6

17

8

IRL3570

Yeti

S. Craig

45

10

6

1

17

4

17

17

IRL3164

Sacre Bleu

D. Smith

49

11

9

13

15

9

7

11

IRL3433

Mr. Bump

D. Taylor

49

12

11

9

8

11

11

10

IRL3323

Alert Packaging

J. Burke

52

13

8

12

12

8

12

14

IRL3257

Kick'er off

Cook/Dicker

52

14

10

11

13

10

8

13

IRL3273

Belfast Kitchen Company

T. Molloy

68

15

17

15

11

17

13

12

IRL3532

Bungle B

F. Loughrey

70

16

13

14

14

12

17

17

Published in SB20
Tagged under

Royal Cork Yacht Club sailors have lifted two national titles at the 2011 Mitsubishi National Youth Sailing Championships this afternoon in a series cut short today by gale force winds on Dublin Bay. SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S PRIZEGIVING PHOTOS.

Local knowledge offered no advantage as Dun Laoghaire co-hosts the Royal St. George YC, the National Yacht Club and the Royal Irish YC won none of the five national titles inspite of strong turnouts fielded by each of the waterfront clubs.

With winds gusting up to 25-30 knots and easterly winds causing a big swell, sailing for the final day of the ISA Mitsubishi National Championships was cancelled leaving the 300 sailors ashore. However all classes had completed sufficient races to complete the series.

The event was an important test event for Dun Laoghaire organisers of the Youth Worlds which will be held in the same venue from 12 -21 July 2012.

In a show of strength from the regions the three other titles went to other east coast clubs at Howth, Ballyholme and Courtown.

Immediately after the prizegiving, (photos below) Olympic Team Manager James O'Callaghan named the Irish team for the 2011 ISAF Youth World Championships in Croatia in July based on the weekend results. Listen to the podcast with the team manager, talking about the stand out performances of the weekend,  the current strength of youth sailing in Ireland and the prospect of a top finish in Croatia.

Royal Cork YC achieved two national titles with Laser 4.7 event favourite Seafra Guilfoyle winning the title having previously dominated the Optimist fleet in previous years.

Brother and sister team Patrick & Chloe Crosbie also from Royal Cork won the 420 National title and Patrick was awarded the Training Grant for the most promising sailor at the event.

This event was the national trials for the Optimist class which was won by Tralee Bay sailor Sophie Browne who will travel to New Zealand in December to compete in the Optimist World Championships.

Irish optimist sailors are performing well internationally at the moment finishing fourth and fifth at the Braassemermeer Easter regatta. Other events during 2011 where there will be Irish representation include the European Championships in Portugal and the National Championships in Germany and the UK.

Top three results below. Click the links for full results class by class.

Laser Radial - full results here
National Champion: Philip Doran (Courtown Sailing Club)
2nd  Robbie Gilmore (Strangford Lough YC)
3rd Eoin Keller (Lough Derg YC)
1st Girl Sophie Murphy Quoile Yacht Club

Laser 4.7 - full results here
National Champion: Seafra Guilfoyle (Royal Cork YC)
2nd Darragh O'Sullivan (Kinsale YC)
3rd Finn Lynch (NYC/Blessington SC)
1st Girl: Sian Kneafsey (National YC)

420 - full results here
National Champions:  Patrick Crosbie & Chloe Crosbie (Royal Cork YC)
2nd Aodh Kennedy & Daniel Browne (Kinsale YC & Tralee Bay SC)
3rd Emma Geary & Niamh Connolly (Royal Cork YC & Baltimore SC)

Feva - full results here

National Champions: D Johnston & L Flynn Byrne (Howth YC)

2nd C Totterdell & S Craig (National YC/Royal St. George YC)

3rd  C Mollard & J Harris (Howth YC)

Topper - full results here
National Champion:  T Brow (Ballyholme YC)
2nd Laura Gilmore (Strangford Lough YC)
3rd  Andrew Penney (East Antrim BC)

Optimist (Championship fleet)
1st Ben Walsh (Skerries SC)
2nd Ross Quirke (National YC)
3rd Colin O'Sullivan (Malahide YC)

Optimist National Trials
Sophie Browne (Tralee Bay SC) won the trials and took the option of travelling to New Zealand in December 2011 to represent Ireland at the Optimist World Championships.

The following sailors were selected by the trial process to represent Ireland at the European Championship which will be held in Portugal in July 2011: Sean Donnelly, HYC, Peter McCann RCYC, Harry Whitaker RCYC, Eoin Lyden RCYC, Jil McGinley RCYC  Cliodhna Ni Shuilleabhain KYC and Megan Parker SSC

The team selected to travel to the German National Championships include Robert Dickson HYC , Daire Cournane KYC, Sean Waddilove Skerries SC,  Richard Hogan HYC, Adam Hyland RSGYC, Ronan Cournane KYC, Sean Gambier Ross KYC and Fergus Flood HYC, Aoife Hopkins and Alacoque Daly Tralee Bay SC.

In addition 10 sailors were chosen for the Irish under 12 squad who will compete in the Optimist UK National Championships.

All our youth sailing news aggregated here

Prizegiving photos by Gareth Craig below. For daily on the water action: Day one photos here. Day two photos here. Day three photos here.

Published in Youth Sailing
Page 1 of 2

About the Irish Navy

The Navy maintains a constant presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout Ireland’s enormous and rich maritime jurisdiction, upholding Ireland’s sovereign rights. The Naval Service is tasked with a variety of roles including defending territorial seas, deterring intrusive or aggressive acts, conducting maritime surveillance, maintaining an armed naval presence, ensuring right of passage, protecting marine assets, countering port blockades; people or arms smuggling, illegal drugs interdiction, and providing the primary diving team in the State.

The Service supports Army operations in the littoral and by sealift, has undertaken supply and reconnaissance missions to overseas peace support operations and participates in foreign visits all over the world in support of Irish Trade and Diplomacy.  The eight ships of the Naval Service are flexible and adaptable State assets. Although relatively small when compared to their international counterparts and the environment within which they operate, their patrol outputs have outperformed international norms.

The Irish Naval Service Fleet

The Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency. The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps.

The fleet comprises one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with state of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

LÉ EITHNE P31

LE Eithne was built in Verlome Dockyard in Cork and was commissioned into service in 1984. She patrols the Irish EEZ and over the years she has completed numerous foreign deployments.

Type Helicopter Patrol Vessel
Length 80.0m
Beam 12m
Draught 4.3m
Main Engines 2 X Ruston 12RKC Diesels6, 800 HP2 Shafts
Speed 18 knots
Range 7000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 55 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 7 December 1984

LÉ ORLA P41

L.É. Orla was formerly the HMS SWIFT a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in 1993 when she conducted the biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at the time, with her interception and boarding at sea of the 65ft ketch, Brime.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ CIARA P42

L.É. Ciara was formerly the HMS SWALLOW a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in Nov 1999 when she conducted the second biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at that time, with her interception and boarding at sea of MV POSIDONIA of the south-west coast of Ireland.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ ROISIN P51

L.É. Roisin (the first of the Roisín class of vessel) was built in Appledore Shipyards in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She was built to a design that optimises her patrol performance in Irish waters (which are some of the roughest in the world), all year round. For that reason a greater length overall (78.8m) was chosen, giving her a long sleek appearance and allowing the opportunity to improve the conditions on board for her crew.

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ NIAMH P52

L.É. Niamh (the second of the Róisín class) was built in Appledore Shipyard in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She is an improved version of her sister ship, L.É.Roisin

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ SAMUEL BECKETT P61

LÉ Samuel Beckett is an Offshore Patrol Vessel built and fitted out to the highest international standards in terms of safety, equipment fit, technological innovation and crew comfort. She is also designed to cope with the rigours of the North-East Atlantic.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ JAMES JOYCE P62

LÉ James Joyce is an Offshore Patrol Vessel and represents an updated and lengthened version of the original RÓISÍN Class OPVs which were also designed and built to the Irish Navy specifications by Babcock Marine Appledore and she is truly a state of the art ship. She was commissioned into the naval fleet in September 2015. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to end of September 2016, rescuing 2491 persons and recovering the bodies of 21 deceased

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS P63

L.É. William Butler Yeats was commissioned into the naval fleet in October 2016. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to October 2017, rescuing 704 persons and recovering the bodies of three deceased.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ GEORGE BERNARD SHAW P64

LÉ George Bernard Shaw (pennant number P64) is the fourth and final ship of the P60 class vessels built for the Naval Service in Babcock Marine Appledore, Devon. The ship was accepted into State service in October 2018, and, following a military fit-out, commenced Maritime Defence and Security Operations at sea.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

Ship information courtesy of the Defence Forces

Irish Navy FAQs

The Naval Service is the Irish State's principal seagoing agency with "a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements". It is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles.

The Naval Service is based in Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour, with headquarters in the Defence Forces headquarters in Dublin.

The Naval Service provides the maritime component of the Irish State's defence capabilities and is the State's principal seagoing agency. It "protects Ireland's interests at and from the sea, including lines of communication, fisheries and offshore resources" within the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps as part of the Irish defence forces.

The Naval Service was established in 1946, replacing the Marine and Coastwatching Service set up in 1939. It had replaced the Coastal and Marine Service, the State's first marine service after independence, which was disbanded after a year. Its only ship was the Muirchú, formerly the British armed steam yacht Helga, which had been used by the Royal Navy to shell Dublin during the 1916 Rising. In 1938, Britain handed over the three "treaty" ports of Cork harbour, Bere haven and Lough Swilly.

The Naval Service has nine ships - one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with State of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

The ships' names are prefaced with the title of Irish ship or "long Éireannach" (LE). The older ships bear Irish female names - LÉ Eithne, LÉ Orla, LÉ Ciara, LÉ Roisín, and LÉ Niamh. The newer ships, named after male Irish literary figures, are LÉ Samuel Beckett, LÉ James Joyce, LÉ William Butler Yeats and LÉ George Bernard Shaw.

Yes. The 76mm Oto Melara medium calibre naval armament is the most powerful weapon in the Naval Services arsenal. The 76mm is "capable of engaging naval targets at a range of up to 17km with a high level of precision, ensuring that the Naval Service can maintain a range advantage over all close-range naval armaments and man-portable weapon systems", according to the Defence Forces.

The Fleet Operational Readiness Standards and Training (FORST) unit is responsible for the coordination of the fleet needs. Ships are maintained at the Mechanical Engineering and Naval Dockyard Unit at Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour.

The helicopters are designated as airborne from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours, and 45 minutes at night. The aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, on inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains and cover the 32 counties. They can also assist in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and can transport offshore firefighters and ambulance teams. The Irish Coast Guard volunteers units are expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time of departing from the station house in ten minutes from notification during daylight and 20 minutes at night. They are also expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by day and 75 minutes at night, subject to geographical limitations.

The Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service (FOCNS) is Commodore Michael Malone. The head of the Defence Forces is a former Naval Service flag officer, now Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett – appointed in 2015 and the first Naval Service flag officer to hold this senior position. The Flag Officer oversees Naval Operations Command, which is tasked with the conduct of all operations afloat and ashore by the Naval Service including the operations of Naval Service ships. The Naval Operations Command is split into different sections, including Operations HQ and Intelligence and Fishery Section.

The Intelligence and Fishery Section is responsible for Naval Intelligence, the Specialist Navigation centre, the Fishery Protection supervisory and information centre, and the Naval Computer Centre. The Naval Intelligence Cell is responsible for the collection, collation and dissemination of naval intelligence. The Navigation Cell is the naval centre for navigational expertise.

The Fishery Monitoring Centre provides for fishery data collection, collation, analysis and dissemination to the Naval Service and client agencies, including the State's Sea Fisheries Protection Agency. The centre also supervises fishery efforts in the Irish EEZ and provides data for the enhanced effectiveness of fishery protection operations, as part of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The Naval Computer Centre provides information technology (IT) support service to the Naval Service ashore and afloat.

This headquarters includes specific responsibility for the Executive/Operations Branch duties. The Naval Service Operations Room is a coordination centre for all NS current Operations. The Naval Service Reserve Staff Officer is responsible for the supervision, regulation and training of the reserve. The Diving section is responsible for all aspects of Naval diving and the provision of a diving service to the Naval Service and client agencies. The Ops Security Section is responsible for the coordination of base security and the coordination of all shore-based security parties operating away from the Naval base. The Naval Base Comcen is responsible for the running of a communications service. Boat transport is under the control of Harbour Master Naval Base, who is responsible for the supervision of berthage at the Naval Base and the provision of a boat service, including the civilian manned ferry service from Haulbowline.

Naval Service ships have undertaken trade and supply missions abroad, and personnel have served as peacekeepers with the United Nations. In 2015, Naval Service ships were sent on rotation to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean as part of a bi-lateral arrangement with Italy, known as Operation Pontus. Naval Service and Army medical staff rescued some 18,000 migrants, either pulling people from the sea or taking them off small boats, which were often close to capsizing having been towed into open water and abandoned by smugglers. Irish ships then became deployed as part of EU operations in the Mediterranean, but this ended in March 2019 amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the EU.

Essentially, you have to be Irish, young (less than 32), in good physical and mental health and with normal vision. You must be above 5'2″, and your weight should be in keeping with your age.

Yes, women have been recruited since 1995. One of the first two female cadets, Roberta O'Brien from the Glen of Aherlow in Co Tipperary, became its first female commander in September 2020. Sub Lieutenant Tahlia Britton from Donegal also became the first female diver in the navy's history in the summer of 2020.

A naval cadet enlists for a cadetship to become an officer in the Defence Forces. After successfully completing training at the Naval Service College, a cadet is commissioned into the officer ranks of the Naval Service as a Ensign or Sub Lieutenant.

A cadet trains for approximately two years duration divided into different stages. The first year is spent in military training at the Naval Base in Haulbowline, Cork. The second-year follows a course set by the National Maritime College of Ireland course. At the end of the second year and on completion of exams, and a sea term, the cadets will be qualified for the award of a commission in the Permanent Defence Force as Ensign.

The Defence Forces say it is looking for people who have "the ability to plan, prioritise and organise", to "carefully analyse problems, in order to generate appropriate solutions, who have "clear, concise and effective communication skills", and the ability to "motivate others and work with a team". More information is on the 2020 Qualifications Information Leaflet.

When you are 18 years of age or over and under 26 years of age on the date mentioned in the notice for the current competition, the officer cadet competition is held annually and is the only way for potential candidates to join the Defence Forces to become a Naval Service officer. Candidates undergo psychometric and fitness testing, an interview and a medical exam.
The NMCI was built beside the Naval Service base at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, and was the first third-level college in Ireland to be built under the Government's Public-Private Partnership scheme. The public partners are the Naval Service and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the private partner is Focus Education.
A Naval Service recruit enlists for general service in the "Other Ranks" of the Defence Forces. After successfully completing the initial recruit training course, a recruit passes out as an Ordinary Seaman and will then go onto their branch training course before becoming qualified as an Able Body sailor in the Naval Service.
No formal education qualifications are required to join the Defence Forces as a recruit. You need to satisfy the interview board and the recruiting officer that you possess a sufficient standard of education for service in the Defence Forces.
Recruit training is 18 weeks in duration and is designed to "develop a physically fit, disciplined and motivated person using basic military and naval skills" to "prepare them for further training in the service. Recruits are instilled with the Naval Service ethos and the values of "courage, respect, integrity and loyalty".
On the progression up through the various ranks, an Able Rate will have to complete a number of career courses to provide them with training to develop their skills in a number of areas, such as leadership and management, administration and naval/military skills. The first of these courses is the Naval Service Potential NCO course, followed by the Naval Service Standard NCO course and the Naval Service senior NCO course. This course qualifies successful candidates of Petty officer (or Senior Petty Officer) rank to fill the rank of Chief Petty Officer upwards. The successful candidate may also complete and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, Management and Naval Studies in partnership with Cork Institute of Technology.
Pay has long been an issue for just the Naval Service, at just over 1,000 personnel. Cadets and recruits are required to join the single public service pension scheme, which is a defined benefit scheme, based on career-average earnings. For current rates of pay, see the Department of Defence website.