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Displaying items by tag: East Coast Canoe Trail

#CANOEING - Top junior surf kayaker Andy McClelland was on hand this week for the official opening of Northern Ireland's East Coast Canoe Trail, as the Carrick Times reports.

The new route - running for 70 nautical miles from Strangford Village at the mouth of the Ards Peninsula to Waterfoot on the Co Antrim coast, and passing the renowned Glens of Antrim and Belfast Lough - completes a series of trails that follows the entire Northern Irish coastline.

McClelland, who was victorious in the Surf Kayak Junior World Championships in North Carolina last October, described the trails as "a real feather in our cap in terms of visiting kayakers as there are few other countries in the world which can rival the canoeing facilities we now have here in Northern Ireland.”

The launch of the East Coast Canoe Trail comes almost a year after the introduction of the Foyle Canoe Trail and the 'kayaker's dream' South East Canoe Trail, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

The route is completed by the North Coast Canoe Trail, highlighted on BBC TV last year, which takes in such remarkable sights as the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge.

Waterproof guides for both trails are available free from from local tourist information centres or online from CanoeNI.com. The website also features detailed online mapping and charts of the routes.

The Carrick Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Canoeing

Irish Sailing

The Irish Sailing Association, also known as Irish Sailing, is the national governing body for sailing, powerboating and windsurfing in Ireland.

Founded in 1945 as the Irish Dinghy Racing Association, it became the Irish Yachting Association in 1964 and the Irish Sailing Association in 1992.

Irish Sailing is a Member National Authority (MNA) of World Sailing and a member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland.

The Association is governed by a volunteer board, elected by the member clubs. Policy Groups provide the link with members and stakeholders while advising the Board on specialist areas. There is a professional administration and performance staff, based at the headquarters in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Core functions include the regulation of sailing education, administering racing and selection of Irish sailors for international competition. It is the body recognised by the Olympic Federation of Ireland for nominating Irish qualified sailors to be considered for selection to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games. Irish sailors have medalled twice at the Olympics – David Wilkins and Jamie Wikinson at the 1980 games, and Annalise Murphy at the 2016 games.

The Association, through its network of clubs and centres, offers curriculum-based training in the various sailing, windsurfing and powerboating disciplines. Irish Sailing qualifications are recognised by Irish and European Authorities. Most prominent of these are the Yachtmaster and the International Certificate of Competency.

It runs the annual All-Ireland Championships (formerly the Helmsman’s Championship) for senior and junior sailors.

The Association has been led by leading lights in the sailing and business communities. These include Douglas Heard, Clayton Love Junior, John Burke and Robert Dix.

Close to 100 sailors have represented Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Membership of Irish Sailing is either by direct application or through membership of an affiliated organisation. The annual membership fee ranges from €75 for families, down to €20 for Seniors and Juniors.