Displaying items by tag: Athy

15th October 2022

Athy Community Enterprise Company Seek Boat Tour Operator for River Barrow/Grand Canal

Athy Community Enterprise Company (CLG) is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from suitably qualified and experienced companies or individuals to operate its successful Athy Boat Tours

The boat tours operate on the River Barrow/Grand Canal from Athy town centre.

For information pack, please contact Brian O’Gorman email at [email protected] with ‘Athy Boat Tours’ in the subject line.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 12noon on Friday, 11th November 2022.

Published in Inland Waterways

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13th May 2021

Barrow Line Lock at Athy Closed for Emergency Repairs

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that Lock 26 on the Barrow Line of the Grand Canal, at Athy in Co Kildare, has been closed to navigation until further notice for essential maintenance and repairs.

Published in Inland Waterways

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7th March 2021

Body Recovered in Search for Missing Kayaker in Athy

Declan Reid went missing after capsizing while kayaking in Athy, Co Kildare on Sunday 28 February

RTÉ News and TheJournal.ie report that a body was recovered yesterday, Saturday 6 March, in the search for a kayaker missing on the River Barrow in Athy since last weekend.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Declan Reid (34) and his eight-year-old son entered the water when their kayak capsized near Ardreigh Lock last Sunday afternoon (28 February).

While the boy was rescued by a passer-by, Reid disappeared — which prompted a multi-agency search operation throughout the week.

Published in Kayaking

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2nd March 2021

Search Continues For Man Missing After Kayak Capsize on River Barrow

Declan Reid has been missing since Sunday

Emergency services resumed searching today (Tuesday 2 March) for a man who went missing after his kayak capsized on the River Barrow at the weekend.

According to RTÉ News, 34-year-old Declan Reid had been kayaking with his young son when the vessel overturned near Ardreigh Lock in Athy, Co Kildare on Sunday afternoon (28 February).

Independent.ie reports that Reid — who is set to be a father again in early summer — valiantly kept the eight-year-old boy afloat until he was rescued by a passer-by.

It’s also understood that Reid’s family live in the old lock-keeper’s cottage close to the scene.

Local Labour Party senator Mark Wall told TheJournal.ie: “Everyone in the town is very upset. Athy is and always has been a very close knit community … It has hit the town so hard.”

Published in Kayaking

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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.