Displaying items by tag: marker buoys

8th July 2016

Marker Buoys Installed In Kilkee Separate Swimmers From Fast Power Craft

Pictured with the marker buoys in Kilkee, Co. Clare (L-R) James Lucey (Irish Coastguard), Robert Tweedy (Kilkee Sub Aqua Club), Clare McGrath (Clare County Council), Seamus Downes (Kilkee-based Lifeguard), Martony Vaughan (Irish Coastguard)

Clare County Council, supported by An Garda Síochána, The Irish Coastguard and Irish Water Safety, has announced the installation of marker buoys delineating the speed limit for powered craft in the vicinity of Kilkee pier.

The buoys, which have been acquired from LCF Marine of Bere Island, are being installed on behalf of Clare County Council by The Irish Coastguard and Kilkee Sub Aqua Club.

The recently approved County Clare Beach Bye-Laws 2016 specify that operators of personal watercraft and fast power craft must observe a speed restriction of 6 knots from the water line to 300m seaward from all beaches and should not operate in the proximity of swimmers, except in the event of an emergency. Any vessel not observing the speed limit is liable to prosecution.

The installation of the marker buoys coincides with the commencement of full-time lifeguard cover during July and August at Kilkee and 8 other local Blue Flag Beaches, as well as at the Green Coast beaches of Bishops Quarter (Ballyvaughan) and Seafield (Quilty).

Clare McGrath, Clare Water Safety Development Officer is encouraging water users, particularly operators of power craft, to familiarise themselves with the newly introduced County Clare Beach Bye-Laws 2016.

“The Bye-Laws are aimed at ensuring that everyone who visits County Clare’s beaches can continue to enjoy themselves in an environment that protects their safety and the safety of those around them,” stated Ms. McGrath.

She continued, “To protect other water users, operators of boats and jet skis should obey speed limits when launching or retrieving their vessel. The Bye-Laws stipulate that users of personal watercraft or fast power craft should act in such a manner as not to cause annoyance to any person using a beach or swimming in the water or to disturb naturally occurring flora and fauna. Furthermore, people must wear correctly maintained and fitting lifejackets that are suitable for the activity and to ensure their craft is fit for purpose. Under no circumstances should alcohol be consumed prior to entering the water.”

The County Clare Beach Bye-Laws 2016 may be viewed at www.clarecoco.ie.

Full-time lifeguard cover is being provided daily during July and August from 11.00am to 7.00pm at Clare’s Blue Flag beaches in Spanish Point, Lahinch, Fanore, Whitestrand Doonbeg, Ballycuggeran, Mountshannon, Cappagh Pier, Kilkee and Whitestrand Miltown Malbay, as well as at Bishops Quarter (Ballyvaughan) and Seafield Quilty.

Published in Coastal Notes

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About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.

About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2

ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2

ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2