Dún Laoghaire’s Coal Harbour has become an international training base ahead of this month’s ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship, with approximately 40 sailors and their coaches currently using the harbour facilities.
A similar number trained from the Coal Harbour in June, and the arrangements put in place for visiting teams are proving particularly useful as preparations intensify for the two World Championships being staged in Dún Laoghaire.
The National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club are the host clubs for the championships, but with both clubs already handling busy summer sailing programmes, the Coal Harbour has provided additional capacity for overseas teams arriving ahead of the official event periods.
The pre-event arrangements reserve part of the Coal Harbour for ILCA dinghy parking, with the adjacent public slipway providing launching facilities and nearby parking available for team vans and cars.
Room to rig – The Coal Harbour's extensive shoreside space is providing dinghy parking and launching access for visiting ILCA teams. Photo: Con Murphy
40 Sailors Back for August Training
Stacked up – ILCA dinghies and equipment ready for another training session from the Coal Harbour ahead of the World Championships. Photo: Con Murphy
Worlds organiser Con Murphy said approximately 40 sailors and coaches trained in Dún Laoghaire during June, with a similar number now back in the Coal Harbour.
The inner pier has been reserved for the visiting sailors, while the combination of the public slipway and nearby parking has allowed teams to operate independently of the two host clubs.
The official pre-event guide confirms that the National and Royal St George welcome visiting sailors to use their bars and catering facilities but cannot accommodate the ILCAs themselves before the respective official training periods because of the high level of other sailing activity.
“The teams' presence in the Coal Harbour together with all the other services over there in the current good weather has made the area a sail fest in its own right,” Murphy told Afloat.
That was evident on Sunday morning, with dinghy launching trolleys, coach RIBs and international team vehicles assembled around the Coal Harbour while the visiting sailors trained on Dublin Bay.
Ready to roll – A line of ILCA launching trolleys at the Coal Harbour slipway, which is being used by visiting teams for pre-event training. Photo: Con Murphy
German Team Organises Training Regatta
The preparations move up another level this weekend with a coaches' training regatta organised by the German team.
Around 20 of the world's leading ILCA sailors are expected to take part, providing an early taste of the competition that will follow when the championship fleets assemble.
Boot camp – Sailing kit dries on an ILCA trolley in Dún Laoghaire's Coal Harbour as international teams prepare for the World Championships. Photo: Con Murphy
The ILCA 7 Men's fleet begins its official pre-Worlds training from the National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club on Tuesday, August 18.
Several ILCA 6 women sailors will, however, continue operating from the Coal Harbour while the Men's Worlds are under way. Official training for the women's championship from the two host clubs begins on Monday, August 31.
160 New ILCAs Arriving from Thailand
The scale of the forthcoming championships will become still more visible later this week when 160 new Element 6 ILCAs, shipped from Thailand for the event, arrive in Dún Laoghaire.
Carlisle Pier is to provide ILCA parking during the Worlds but is not yet available to the championship operation, with a cruise ship using the harbour on Sunday.
Cruise call – A cruise ship alongside in Dún Laoghaire Harbour on Sunday as preparations continue for the arrival of 160 new Element 6 ILCAs shipped from Thailand for the World Championships. Photo: Con Murphy
The Coal Harbour arrangements have therefore provided an important temporary base while visiting international sailors arrive early to familiarise themselves with Dublin Bay.
The event guide also provides for coach RIB berthing at the National and Royal St George yacht clubs, with additional berthing available at Dún Laoghaire Marina. Trailer and equipment storage is being handled separately through POD Marine.
Public Harbour Facilities Put to Work
The arrangement is also an example of how Dún Laoghaire's wider harbour infrastructure can supplement the facilities of its waterfront sailing clubs during major international events.
The council has made an area of the Coal Harbour public car park available specifically for visiting ILCA dinghies, while the adjacent public slip accommodates both dinghies and slip-launched coach RIBs.
Coach class – A team coach RIB and ILCA dinghy ashore at the Coal Harbour as international squads establish their pre-Worlds training bases in Dún Laoghaire. Photo: Con Murphy
The training guide also highlights the interaction between the championship operation and Dún Laoghaire's commercial harbour activity. Its Dublin Bay training map shows the Men's Worlds race area north of Dún Laoghaire and a separate women's training area to the south during the men's championship.
British base – A British Sailing Team vehicle in the Coal Harbour, where international ILCA squads are training ahead of the Dún Laoghaire Worlds. Photo: Con Murphy
Competitors and coaches are specifically instructed to remain clear of commercial shipping using Dublin Port and cruise liner tenders operating between Dún Laoghaire Harbour and ships anchored in Dublin Bay.
With international teams already training, a fleet of new boats about to arrive and the first official championship training period beginning on August 18, the build-up to Dún Laoghaire's ILCA Worlds is now increasingly visible both afloat and ashore.
