Displaying items by tag: Aids to navigation

4th March 2024

Call for Feedback on Current Aids to Navigation Around Ireland and Great Britain

The General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA) have announced a review of the Aids to Navigation (AtoN) provision around the coasts of Ireland and Great Britain.

Trinity House will publish the results of the review in 2025, the outcomes of which will inform the GLAs’ work plans for the following five-year period.

The GLA provide a comprehensive and sustainable network of AtoN for General Navigation and are responsible for the Superintendence and Management of Local AtoN provided by Local Lighthouse Authorities.

The GLA has said that they consider user input to be an essential part of this review. Users of AtoN are encouraged to contribute to the review by commenting on:

The usefulness and usability of existing AtoN provided by the GLAs.
Any proposed requirement for the provision of new AtoN.
The mix of AtoN provided including lighthouses, buoys, beacons, Racons and AIS AtoN.
The benefit to users of providing additional data from AtoN such as meteorological data.
The effectiveness of systems used to promulgate information relating to AtoN.
Any other AtoN related issues.

You can find the full details of how to respond to the Aids to Navigation Review on the Trinity House website. The closing date for responses is Friday 31 May.

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1st July 2021

Today is World Marine Aids to Navigation Day

IALA hosts the World Marine Aids to Navigation Day (WATON) which for this year will also be celebrated virtually, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) is a non-profit, international technical association established in 1957.

Among the role of IALA is to gather together Marine Aids to Navigation authorities, manufacturers, consultants, and, scientific and training institutes from all parts of the world and offers them the opportunity to exchange and compare their experiences and achievements.

In Ireland the event is recognised by the Commissioners of Irish Lights based in Dun Laoghaire Harbour where also today at their headquarters, the Taoiseach launched the National Marine Planning Framework and Maritime Area Planning Bill.

Irish Lights is responsible for waters north and south and is among three General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA's) also involved in Aids to Navigation (AtoN) around the coast of Britain.

The other GLA's in which Irish Lights works in close co-operation and mutual support is Trinity House (England & Wales) and the Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland and Isle of Man).

Everyone is invited to take part this WATON by sharing photos of AtoN's on Social Media so to raise awareness world-wide.

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12th January 2011

Marine Notice: Lough Key, Erris Bay, Aids to Navigation

Lough Key, Erris Bay, Aids to Inland Waterways Navigation

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters of vessels that the area of Erris Bay i.e. South of the line from the entrance to Boyle Harbour to Trinity Island to the west point of Drummans Island is closed to navigation.

Works to replace navigations markers is being undertaken and a marine notice will be issued on completion which is expected to be near the end of February 2011.

Waterways Ireland regrets any inconvenience that this may cause its customers

Charles Lawn
Lt Cdr (rtd)
Inspector of Navigation
12 Jan 2011
Tel: 00 353 (0)90 6494232

Published in Inland Waterways

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1st December 2010

UK to Cease Funding Irish Lights

Britain is to stop paying towards the cost of funding the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) according to a report in Lloyds List. In an agreement reached between London and Dublin, a formal announcement on the timetable for removing the subsidy is expected shortly.

The Irish Government has agreed to pay for its own lighthouses, buoys and other marine aids to navigation. The UK subsidy is likely to be eliminated during the current parliament if all goes according to plan. That is the pledge made by Mr Penning, UK Minister of Shipping on several occasions in recent months. The phase-out will start in the next financial year.

The total cost of providing these services comes to around £75m ($116.5m) a year, of which Irish Lights accounts for €32m. The UK subsidy to Ireland is between £10m and £12m, with the Irish government contributing some £6m and the balance coming from fees.

All three general lighthouse authorities (GLA) are working on ways to cut costs and improve efficiencies, with a joint strategic board set up to consider how they can work together more effectively.

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The Half Ton Class was created by the Offshore Racing Council for boats within the racing band not exceeding 22'-0". The ORC decided that the rule should "....permit the development of seaworthy offshore racing yachts...The Council will endeavour to protect the majority of the existing IOR fleet from rapid obsolescence caused by ....developments which produce increased performance without corresponding changes in ratings..."

When first introduced the IOR rule was perfectly adequate for rating boats in existence at that time. However yacht designers naturally examined the rule to seize upon any advantage they could find, the most noticeable of which has been a reduction in displacement and a return to fractional rigs.

After 1993, when the IOR Mk.III rule reached it termination due to lack of people building new boats, the rule was replaced by the CHS (Channel) Handicap system which in turn developed into the IRC system now used.

The IRC handicap system operates by a secret formula which tries to develop boats which are 'Cruising type' of relatively heavy boats with good internal accommodation. It tends to penalise boats with excessive stability or excessive sail area.

Competitions

The most significant events for the Half Ton Class has been the annual Half Ton Cup which was sailed under the IOR rules until 1993. More recently this has been replaced with the Half Ton Classics Cup. The venue of the event moved from continent to continent with over-representation on French or British ports. In later years the event is held biennially. Initially, it was proposed to hold events in Ireland, Britain and France by rotation. However, it was the Belgians who took the ball and ran with it. The Class is now managed from Belgium.