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Displaying items by tag: Tinabinna pier

Waterford’s local authority has removed a long-abandoned trawler that had become a magnet for fly-tipping and vermin at a scenic pier, as the Irish Examiner reports.

The fishing vessel was once part of a fleet of ‘50-footers’ promoted by Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Irish Sea Fisheries Association up to the 1970s in an effort to revitalise Ireland’s fishing fleet and boost employment in coastal communities.

However, the trawler was left to rot at Tinabinna pier over 20 years ago and with efforts to trace its owner unsuccessful, Waterford City & County Council commissioned its demolition and removal.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

Published in Fishing

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.