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#CoastalNotes - Coastal defences in Wicklow suffered significant damage during last week’s Storm Angus, posing a renewed threat to the East Coast rail line, as The Irish Times reports.

The Irish Sea came within metres of the busy Dublin-Wexford line in parts between Newcastle and Wicklow town after erosion from high tides powered by Force 10 winds in the first winter storm of the 2016-17 season.

The same extreme conditions saw a Stena Line ferry stranded outside Fishguard, unable to dock in the Welsh port for more than 24 hours after sailing from Rosslare last Tuesday morning (22 November).

Damage is said to be most severe in Co Wicklow close to where extensive repairs were carried out this past January, with rock armour placed on the adjacent beach at the Murrough, a Natura 2000-designated wetland that’s the largest of its kind on the East Coast.

Further rock armour and steel piling is now being placed at Greystones going south to Kilcoole to protect that stretch of the line after the storm displaced a significant amount of sand, as Iarnród Éireann declared “emergency intervention was required immediately” to save the rail line from future incursion by the sea.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Coastal Notes

About Match Racing

A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.

In yacht racing, it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with their results being combined.

A match race consists of two identical boats racing against each other. With effective boat handling and clever use of wind and currents, a trailing boat can escape the grasp of the leader and pass. The leader uses blocking techniques to hold the other boat back. This one-on-one duel is a game of strategy and tactics.

About the World Match Racing Tour

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors