The Cruising Association of Ireland holds its first meet this year on May 7 at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. The hope is to follow on the success of last September's River Liffey Cruise where 40 boats participated, meeting for Dinner and drinks.

Dinner will be served at 8pm at a reduced cost of only €20 per person, Drinks in the bar, wine available @ €18 per bottle.

The is rally open to all cruising sailors, and there will be a brief presentation of the Strangford Lough cruise in late July.

The Cruising Association AGM will be held in a private room from 1900 – 1930 for CAI members interested in attending.

Latest Cruising news

One of the buisest RNLI lifeboat Stations in the country names its new D class Lifeboat 'Realt na Mara' next Saturday, April 30th.

The Dublin Bay based Dun Laoghaire lifeboat station was in action as recently as Sunday 17 April 2011 when RNLI lifeboat volunteers saved two men and two women after their speedboat hit rocks on Killiney Bay. More on that Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat rescue here.

The new lifeboat will be named at 12 noon at the lifeboat station on Dun Laoghaire's East Pier and there will be celebrations afterwards at the National Yacht Club.

The lifeboat is to be named by Mr and Mrs Pat & Kathy Kenny. RTE presenter Pat Kenny and his wife Kathy have been long-standing supporters of the Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboats.

The €35,000 inshore lifeboat has been largely funded through a contribution made locally. Stephen Wynne, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager will be accepting the lifeboat into the care of the lifeboat station during the ceremony says; “ The naming of our lifeboat is a very special occasion for the station. It is our way of thanking the public for their generous support and how the funds raised are used.

We are very proud to be the custodians of a brand new lifeboat and we will honour the trust and investment that has been placed in us. Our new vessel will carry our volunteer lifeboat crew out to sea to save lives and bring those in trouble safely home.”

The D class lifeboat is part of the RNLI’s inshore fleet. It measures five metres in length and can carry three crewmembers onboard. It is a fast, light weight inflatable that is small and highly manoeuvrable, making it ideal for rescue close to shore. It can also be righted by the lifeboat crew in the event of a capsize. All are welcome to attend the naming ceremony.

There will be a special service of dedication and blessing and the lifeboat will put to sea after the ceremony. Réalt na Mara will be on service along with the Dun Laoghaire All Weather lifeboat Trent class lifeboat Anna Livia. Last year Dun Laoghaire lifeboat launched fifty times and brought sixty people to safety.

Related Safety posts

RNLI Lifeboats in Ireland

Safety News

Rescue News from RNLI Lifeboats in Ireland

Coast Guard News from Ireland

Water Safety News from Ireland

Marine Casualty Investigation Board News

Marine Warnings

A Dubliner had a lucky escape after being stranded on mudflats between Baldoyle and Sutton Point, on Dublin Bay last week.
The man had sunk waist-deep in mud on a low tide and was unable to free himself. Dublin Fire Brigade was tasked to the scene along with the Howth Coast Guard unit. The Youtube clip of the entire incident is below.
Rescue helicopter 116, which was already on the ramp at Dublin Airport in preparation for a training exercise, was also tasked at 16.18pm according to a report on the the SAR Ireland blogspot.
After obtaining permission to cross the 'Live' runway at Dublin airport, R116 was on scene within minutes and quickly identified the man who was described as wearing 'dark clothing'. He was quickly winched to safety and returned to Dublin Airport at 16.36pm, where he availed of crew facilities to clean himself down and arrange transport home.

More on Dublin Bay here

 

Pale bellied Brent Geese, Oystercatchers and pure yellow sand. Island life on one of Dublin's islands is described in detail in the Irish Indepdendent newspaper this weekend and its hard to believe that marine wildlife adventures such as this can be had in the heart of a capital city. Christoper Somerville describes a Dublin Bay walk on North Bull Island complete with a lovely illustration. Worth a read here.

Four people were rescued by the Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat earlier today when their small powerboat hit rocks off Killiney Beach in south county Dublin. Nobody was injured in the incident that occurred shortly after 11am while the two men and two women were enjoying a pleasure outing.

The 22-foot open powerboat hit the submerged rocks two hours after low-tide and the collision caused damage to the engine. The crew contacted the Irish Coastguard who alerted the RNLI at Dun Laoghaire and the all-weather lifeboat (ALB) launched within ten minutes.

The casualty vessel dropped anchor close to the rocks to avoid being driven onto the beach by the fresh breeze and flood tide. On arrival, the ALB launched its daughter boat with two crew that passed a tow-line to the casualty that was then brought to Dun Laoghaire.

"Before taking a boat-trip, its important to check for local knowledge that will help avoid significant hazards," commented Stephen Wynne, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Dun Laoghaire. "The four people rescued were all wearing life-jackets and followed the correct procedure in calling for assistance."

When the ISAF World Youth Sailing Championships are hosted on Dublin Bay in 2012 the regatta should be representative of the best of Irish sailing, organisation and hospitality and ignite an immediate but lasting legacy for youth and the future of Olympic sailing in Ireland writes Andi Roberston.

It is nearly two years since the prestigious global annual championships were awarded to Ireland and the organisation of the event has now developed substantial momentum. Already a core group of around 50 volunteer officials are working on the delivery of the regatta which, with up to 450-500 sailors and coaches from as many as 60 different nations, in terms of size, logistics and delivery stands as one of ISAF's big three major multiclass events alongside the four yearly Olympic regatta, and the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

At the helm of the organisation is Brian Craig, a former flag officer of the Royal Saint George YC on Dublin Bay, who for ten years has been instrumental in attracting, developing and running major regattas on these expansive world class racing waters, including the huge success that has been Dun Laoghaire Week. In particular a recent success has been pooling the resources of the Bay's major clubs to attract and manage big events.

"I think we are really in pretty good shape. There is a big groundswell of enthusiasm and excitement and we are drawing on that to develop a really first class, memorable event." Craig comments.

An advisory group composed of renowned experts who have many years of experience of the event in particular is at the core of organisation just now, including Bill O'Hara, International Judge and Volvo Ocean race officer, Jim Saltonstall the British coach who has attended almost all of the ISAF/IYRU Youth World Championships and helped develop a galaxy of Youth Worlds and Olympic medallists, Ken Ryan – a former ISAF Vice President who has more than 25 years of experience with ISAF and major events and Paddy Boyd, formerly Irish Sailing CEO and now Director of Canadian sailing's national governing. body.

It was a visit to the Youth World Championships in 2008 which convinced Craig that after ten years of development of the Clubs and infrastructure on Dublin Bay, the time was right for them to step up and land a major world class event.

"Now we have plenty of support for the event. We have government backing, the three major clubs, the Royal St George, the National Yacht Club and the Royal Irish are all behind us, the waterfront organisations, the tourist boards and the town itself. The support is great." Craig explains.

A delegation were in Istanbul at the last ISAF Youth World Championships in 2010 and in Croatia this coming summer, as well as a team observing and learning, several members of the race teams will be hands-on on the race courses this getting first hand experience to ensure good continuity in to next year.

"We have a fantastic site. A massive 700-800 metres of frontage with the three clubs all within five minutes of each other. We will create a central sailing village feature which will have an immediate public access so that there will be maximum interaction with the public, but where the sailors can still preserve their essential privacy in competition mode. We intend to absolutely preserve the competitive integrity of the event, but to make sure it works for public access."

To create a regatta which emphasises the cosmopolitan, international flavour of the regatta, but which also fully ensure the competitors enjoy the full experience of Irish culture, race days will themed for the public around many of the key nations – so there will be a French, Australian, Spanish, Chinese days as well as the underlying Irish hospitality and craic.

And while it is inevitable that only a few Irish sailors will compete at the ISAF World Championships on their home waters, in the interim period a ISAF Youth World Championships Road Show will visit Irish Sailing Clubs to stimulate interest and awareness of the event.

"We are determined that hosting the ISAF Youth World Championships will produce a lasting legacy for Irish sailing, perhaps seeding the future for Irish Youth Worlds or even Olympic medals. And at the same time we are determined to deliver a memorable, top class event with a distinctly Irish flavour." Concludes Craig.

The 2012 ISAF Youth World Championships are scheduled for the period 12th -21st July 2012. Around 350 sailors and 100 coaches from about 60 nations are expected to attend, composing a fleet of 250 boats. The race programme will last ten days. Classes will be the Laser Radial Boys and Laser Radial Girls, 420 Boys and 420 Girls, RS:X Boys and RS:X Girls. 29er Open Skiff, and the Open Formula 16 Catamaran. Boats or boards are supplied by Laser, Nautivela, Neil Pryde, Ovington and Serena.

In recent years Dublin Bay has hosted the Topper World Championships, the Star European Championships, the 500 boat Dun Laoghaire Regatta, the Laser 4.7 Europeans, Dragon World Championships, the Etchells World Championships (Howth), the SB3 World Championships, the 470 European Championships, the Flying 15 World Championships and the 420 Junior World Championships.

In a break away from traditional 'hut' starts on the West Pier this season Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Thursday night sailing will feature two committee boats on duty. The new procedures are detailed in the 2011 Dublin Bay Sailing Club Annual published this week.

The DBSC summer season starts in two weeks time. The first Tuesday race is April 26th. The first Thursday race is on April 28th and the first Saturday race is April 30th. 

Thursday night racing brings some of the biggest turnouts of the season, some evening boasting up to 200 boats for the mid-week round the cans racing.

The club's own MacLir committee boat will be servicing the Blue Fleet in the northern section of the racing area of Dublin Bay. The Royal Irish Yacht Club's Spirit of the Irish vessel will service the Red Fleet in the south-east section.

Unless weather conditions dictate otherwise, there will be no racing at the Hut but the format of Tuesday and Saturday racing will remain unchanged from previous years.

Writing in the 2011 yearbook, DBSC commodore Tony Fox refers to the course layouts:

"Inevitably, the changes have required re-drafting of courses and some re-location of marks. Omega has moved from its original position not far from the West Pier to serve as a hub for the Red Fleet marks which, with the addition of a new Bay Mark, form a natural circle. Similarly, Middle mark becomes the hub of the Blue Fleet circle. Some shifting of mark positions has ensued ‚ the only radical change is that of Poldy, which was situated too close to the shipping lane for comfort; it will now be stationed roughly between East and Island Marks. Martello Mark is now redundant."

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's annual Cruiser Challenge for Cruisers 0, 1, 2, Sigma 33 and 31.7’s will be held from 26th-28th August 2011. This year the sailing weekend event is hosted by Dun Laoghaire's National Yacht Club. The notice of race for the event is below:

 

 

1. Organising Authority and Rules

The organising authority is Dublin Bay Sailing Club. The event is governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing and any amendments thereto, IRC, the ECHO handicapping system rules, Sigma 33 class rules, the 31.7 Class Rules, this Notice of Race and the sailing instructions. In the event of a conflict the sailing instructions shall prevail.

2. Schedule of Races

Warning Signals

Race 1 26^th August 16:55 hrs. Fixed mark course.

Race 2 27^th August 10:45 hrs. Windward/Leeward or Trapezoid type course.

Race 3 ASAP after Race 2 Windward/Leeward or Trapezoid type course

Race 4 28^th August 10:45 hrs Windward/Leeward or Trapezoid type course

Race 5 ASAP after Race 4 Fixed mark course

Note: Any of the above courses may be substituted for each other or a course as announced on VHF Channel 74.

3. Racing Area

The racing area will be the waters of Dublin Bay and Killiney Bay - Admiralty Chart 1468.

4. Eligibility

Eligible boats are those the classes which comply with the relevant handicapping system, the one design Sigma 33 rules, the 31.7 class rules and the entry requirements.

5. Classes and Handicap Systems

5.1 Boats will race under IRC, ECHO Handicap System, Sigma 33s and 31.7 classes  will race one design and under ECHO.

5.2      Cruisers will be divided on the basis of their current ISA Standard ECHO Reference Handicap/ IRC

ECHO Handicap as follows:

Cruisers 0 - Boats at 1.045 to 1.250

Cruisers 1- Boats at 0.980 to 1.044

Cruisers 2- Boats from 0.920 to 0.979

5.3 Boats shall comply with all stipulations and/or conditions relevant to the valid current certificate. (Subject to the right of the organizing authority to allocate a boat to any class.

6. Team Event

A trophy will be presented to the entered team comprised of one boat from each cruiser class, the Sigma33 class and 31.7 class which aggregates the lowest number of points over the series of races under IRC, one design for the Sigma class and 31.7class. Teams should be nominated in writing to the Race Office before commencement of racing. Note: RRS Appendix D (Team Racing Rules) shall not apply.

 

7. Certificates

ECHO handicaps will be advised to DBSC by the relevant rating authority. A copy of the relevant IRC certificate must accompany the entry form. However, it is the entrant's responsibility to ensure that DBSC have the correct handicap available and therefore late changes should be advised to the Hon. Secretary by the boats concerned.

 

8. Responsibility

8.1 The safety of a boat and her crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of the owner(s) or the owner’s representative whose obligation it is to ensure that the boat is fully sound, seaworthy, manned by an experienced crew and equipped with all the necessary safety gear. Neither this Notice of Race or the Sailing Instructions nor any action of the organizing authority in any way limits or reduces the complete and unlimited responsibility of the owner(s) or owner’s representative.

8.2    Attention is drawn to RRS Fundamental Rule 3 “Acceptance of Rules” and Rule 4 “Decision to race”.

8.3    Boat owners and competing crews shall ensure that they are adequately insured against loss, damage or injury to persons, boats or equipment at all times and however occurring and shall maintain third party insurance cover of not less than one million five thousand EURO (€1,500,000), and shall produce a valid certificate of insurance upon request.

8.4    No responsibility shall be accepted by the organizing authority, its members, servants or agents, nor those officials or members connected with the event for any loss, damage, injury or other claim of whatever nature howsoever arising or caused in connection with participation in, or intended participation in this event.

9. Entries

The entry fee for each boat is  €80.00 Entries shall be made by completing the details on the boat entry form  (overleaf) and forwarding it to the Hon. Secretary, D.P.O'Sullivan, 72, Clonkeen Drive, Foxrock, Dublin 18.  (The form may also be downloaded from the DBSC website). An entry is required from all boats intending to compete, including those already racing in a current DBSC series. The latest date for entries is Monday 22^nd rd August. Late entries may be accepted at the discretion of the Committee and on payment of late entry fee of €25.00

Helmsmen and their crews competing in the event will be temporary members of DBSC and  the National Yacht Club for the days of the event. Owners, Helmsmen and their crews will be bound by the rules of the Clubs. The Clubs reserve the right to withdraw such temporary membership. All entries are accepted at the sole discretion of the Committee.

10. Sailing Instructions (May be available www.dbsc.org during August 2011) 

Sailing Instructions may be posted to each entrant, left in entrant’s yacht club or collected from the Race Office before racing. Please indicate on the entry form whether Sailing Instructions are to be posted or to be collected. The Race Office and official notice board will be situated in the National Yacht Club.

11. Berthing

Boats requiring berths on the Marina must register with the Marina Administration Office on Ch. 37A prior to being advised which berth they will be allocated. Overnight berthing is available at normal rates. Berths will be allocated on first come basis. Marina Tel. (01) 2020040./ Fax  (01)2020043.

A limited number of berths may be made available at the National Yacht Club. Please contact the boathouse prior to arrival.

Dublin Port Company today announced the commencement of a wide-ranging, public consultation process to devise a Masterplan for the long-term development of Dublin Port, Ireland's most important port.  Over the next 30 years, based on even the most conservative estimates, Dublin Port will need to double its throughput to handle 60 million tonnes per annum and ensure it can continue its vital role in sustaining economic competitiveness and job creation, servicing Ireland's export and import trade.

A public consultation process, which will continue until 31st May 2011, will involve a series of stakeholder meetings at every level, including customers, business groups, statutory bodies and local councils.  There will also be public information days in community venues around Dublin between 2pm and 8pm at Seán O'Casey Community Centre in East Wall on Tuesday, 26th April, Clanna Gael Fontenoy GAA in Ringsend on Wednesday, 27th April and at Clontarf Rugby Club on Thursday, 28th April.  A detailed Issues Paper has been developed and submissions are being sought from all those with an interest in the future development of the Port and of Dublin city. The full Masterplan will be published by the end of the year and will form the basis of future developments at the Port.

Dublin Port Company Chief Executive Eamonn O'Reilly said the Port currently brings in over half the goods Ireland imports and is again approaching capacity constraints.  "Dublin Port has not added any new land in the last 30 years and in that time we have quadrupled the volume of goods going through it.  We now handle €35 billion per annum in trade going in and out of the Port and will easily double our volumes again by 2040.  We need to grow, in a way which better integrates the Port with the city and which contributes substantially to improve both the natural and built environments.  However, how we do all of this needs to be tempered and modulated by the needs of the city and its citizens. Hence, we are launching this consultation exercise to elicit the views and opinions of planners, citizens, other State bodies and anyone with a keen interest in the future development of this great city".

Speaking at the launch of the consultation process, Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport said a new plan for Dublin Port is vital to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the economy, and will play an important role in building national competitiveness, securing overseas investment and supporting tourism.

"I welcome the master-planning initiative being taken by Dublin Port. This is in line with international best practice and with measures to improve integrated transport planning more generally. Port master-planning is being addressed in the Ports Policy Review, which is currently underway. It is an important tool for ensuring the future development of Irish ports over the coming decades.

"It's important that all of Dublin Port's stakeholders have a say in the future of the port, from importers, exporters and ferry passengers to public bodies and local residents.

"I very much welcome this comprehensive engagement exercise in developing a shared vision for the future of the port and its part in our economic landscape," added Minister Varadkar.

Among the issues to be examined in the consultation process are:

Current and future land use within the 261hectares Port estate.

Maximising Dublin Port's position at the hub of Ireland's road and rail networks, with more than 13,500 truck movements in and out of the Port on a daily basis.

How Dublin Port links to and interfaces with the rest of the city.

Environmental and sustainability priorities.

The relationship between the Port and its local communities.

The identification and securing of new lands for development of Port facilities.

Maximising the tourism potential of Dublin Port for the benefit of the country.  Over 80 cruise liners currently dock annually at Dublin Port, generating between €35 and €50 million in revenue for the city, while more than 1.8 million ferry passengers enter and exit the country through the Port.

Dublin Port Company Chairperson Lucy McCaffrey said the Masterplan would provide the blueprint for the third significant phase of development in the Port's modern history.  "The city literally grew up around the Port as a trading channel over the last thousand years and over the past century its central role in the economy has been cemented.  Dublin Port is set to play a strong role in our national recovery.  I would appeal to all stakeholders to input now into the plan for the next 30 years of its development".

Further information on the Dublin Port Masterplan is available from www.dublinport.ie/masterplan

A newsletter giving details of the most popular size berth requirements at the proposed Greystones Harbour Marina has been sent to boat owners on a waiting list for the Wicklow marina.

The analysis finds 80% of the berths required are under 10 metres (32 foot). Only 2 berths were required for boats over 13m (42 feet).

In nearby Dun Laoghaire, at the country's biggest marina, the 820 berths there range in size from 6m (19 feet) to 30m (98 feet). The average berth requirement on Dublin Bay is 9-10m (29-32 feet).

The March newsletter says examination of the waiting list revealed duplication of an original waiting list which prompted a fresh exercise to establish the current market demand in 2011. The new survey of 300 people was carried out by a marina consultant, working for developer Sispar. It delivered 79 responses. An extract from the analysis is below.

The tabulation from the newsletter reflects the breakdown of the responses in terms of current berth size numbers and the extrapolation into the requirement for totals when fully developed based on to-days statistics.

Greystones Marina Berths Analysis

Berth Size	Numbers to 6/1/11	% of Current Market	Full Dev Berth Nos.
<6m	9	12.4	29
6-7m	12	15.2	35
7-8m	14	17.7	41
8-9m	5	6.3	15
9-10m	17	21.5	50
10-11m	8	10.1	24
11-12m	6	7.6	18
12m-13m	6	7.6	18
>13m	2	2.6	5
Total	79	101	235