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Displaying items by tag: Shingle

#dublinport - The Connaught Telegraph writes the Revenue Commissioners have offered a ship to be sunk in Killala Bay on the Mayo/Sligo border as part of a plan to attract divers to the area.

The 60-metre MV Shingle won't cost a cent – Revenue have offered the confiscated boat for free.

Councillor Michael Loftus has been pushing for the project for some time now. Given its location, it would be a joint Sligo/Mayo venture.

He told a local tourism committee meeting that a motion is coming before Sligo County Council at their next meeting. He hopes also to have a motion before Mayo County Council when they next meet.

Arising from media coverage of a previous tourism meeting, the Revenue Commissioners (see related story) had gotten in touch with their offer of the free ship.

Councillor Loftus has met with Fáilte Ireland who have asked for updated figures on bed nights, etc., that would be generated by the project.

A feasibility study has already been carried out on the project.

Councillor Loftus cited other locations where sinkings have been a huge success in drawing visitors, for example in Malta, where 40 ships have been sunk around the coast.

Killala Bay is a 'most ideal location', he said.

To read much more click here into the background circumstances of the 669 tonnes vessel which the Revenue seized in 2014 that initially led to docking in Drogheda was followed by a transfer to Dublin Port where it has remained ever since.

Published in Dublin Port

Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race Information

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down to the east coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry.

The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

It never fails to offer a full range of weather, wind and tide to the intrepid entrants, ranging from a 32ft cruiser to a 79ft all-out racer.

Three divisions are available to enter: cruiser (boats equipped with furlers), racing (the bulk of the fleet) and also two-handed.

D2D Course change overruled

In 2019, the organisers considered changing the course to allow boats to select routes close to shore by removing the requirement to go outside Islands and Lighthouses en route, but following input from regular participants, the National Yacht Club decided to stick with the tried and tested course route in order to be fair to large and smaller boats and to keep race records intact.

RORC Points Calendar

The 2019 race was the first edition to form part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club “RORC” calendar for the season. This is in addition to the race continuing as part of the ISORA programme. 

D2D Course record time

Mick Cotter’s 78ft Whisper established the 1 day and 48 minutes course record for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in 2009 and that time stood until 2019 when Cotter returned to beat his own record but only just, the Dun Laoghaire helmsman crossing the line in Kerry to shave just 20 seconds off his 2009 time.