Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Holidays

The Holiday World Show in association with The Sunday Times, opened its doors today at the RDS Simmonscourt Complex in Dublin. The three-day show, which runs tomorrow and Sunday, will have numerous exhibitors with worldwide destinations and all types of holidays on offer.
As part of the show, visitors can attend a series of free talks held each day. One of the talks will be about "Cruise Holidays" –All You Need To Know, presented by cruise travel specialist, John Galligan of (John Galligan Travel) which starts at 3pm on Saturday. For a full list of the other speakers click HERE

The following ferry and  cruise operators are exhibiting at the show: Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Celtic Link Ferries, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Cruise Holidays, Travel.ie, Hurtigruten, John Galligan Travel, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruise Lines, Pullmantur Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Saga, Silversea Cruises, Thomas Cook and Voyages To Antiquity.

Also exhibiting is Emerald Star for those interested in taking a cabin-cruiser holiday on the Shannon.

For opening times of Holiday World Show (incorporating the Caravan & Motor Home Show) see below

Friday 28 January 1.00 pm - 8.00 pm 

Saturday 29 January 11.00 am - 5.30 pm

Sunday 30 January 11.00 am - 5.30 pm

For a full listing of exhibitors, ticket prices and further information about the show logon to www.holidayworldshow.com

Published in Cruise Liners
The Summer Holidays are nearly here - have fun and stay safe at the seaside
With the school holidays fast approaching, NI Coastguards are encouraging children to stay safe whilst at the beach and along the coast.
Last month, Northern Ireland Coastguards dealt with a number of incidents that involved young people being overwhelmed by the power of the sea or being cut off by the tide. Some young people have attempted to swim to islands but have underestimated the strength of tides and the distance that they need to swim.
The Coastguard would like to encourage young people to stay within their depth and to check tide times before they arrive at the beach.
Coastguard Sector Manager Gordon Munro says,
"We'd like everyone who visits our coast to have a great time. So before you go check out the weather and the tide times (these can often be found at the entrance to the beach). That way you can ensure that the tide doesn't take you by surprise and that you don’t get cut off.
"Inflatable boats and toys can be great fun, but we’d rather that you used them in swimming pools than at the beach. If you do use one at the beach, make sure that it is tethered to an adult and never use it if there is an offshore wind. Inflatables can so easily be blown off shore, then overturn.
Make sure that children are supervised properly by adults. We deal with numerous cases of lost children every year and it can be very distressing for children and adults alike.
Try to go to a lifeguarded beach if you can and stay within the flagged area.

If you notice that someone is in difficulty, either alert the lifeguard if one is available or call the Coastguard on 999.
Finally, have a great time and return home safely."
If you want to prepare for your day out on the coast, you might like to visit Directgov for Kids where there are games and activities for children. Visit http://kids.direct.gov.uk/ andclickontheworld,thengotothe'watchstation'inthe'places'icon.

With the school holidays fast approaching, NI Coastguards are encouraging children to stay safe whilst at the beach and along the coast.

Last month, Northern Ireland Coastguards dealt with a number of incidents that involved young people being overwhelmed by the power of the sea or being cut off by the tide. Some young people have attempted to swim to islands but have underestimated the strength of tides and the distance that they need to swim.

The Coastguard would like to encourage young people to stay within their depth and to check tide times before they arrive at the beach.Coastguard Sector Manager Gordon Munro says,"We'd like everyone who visits our coast to have a great time.

So before you go check out the weather and the tide times (these can often be found at the entrance to the beach).

That way you can ensure that the tide doesn't take you by surprise and that you don’t get cut off."Inflatable boats and toys can be great fun, but we’d rather that you used them in swimming pools than at the beach. If you do use one at the beach, make sure that it is tethered to an adult and never use it if there is an offshore wind. Inflatables can so easily be blown off shore, then overturn.Make sure that children are supervised properly by adults.

We deal with numerous cases of lost children every year and it can be very distressing for children and adults alike.Try to go to a lifeguarded beach if you can and stay within the flagged area.If you notice that someone is in difficulty, either alert the lifeguard if one is available or call the Coastguard on 999.Finally, have a great time and return home safely."If you want to prepare for your day out on the coast, you might like to visit Directgov for Kids where there are games and activities for children. Visit http://kids.direct.gov.uk/ 

Published in Marine Warning

Irish Sailing Classes and Association – There’s no shortage of one-design classes from which to choose and each gives its enthusiasts great competition, fun and camaraderie, writes Graham Smith in this review of the classes. 

One-design racing is where it all starts. It is, after all, where all the top sailors earned their stripes, battling away for line honours without a thought for a handicapper’s calculator wiping away a hard-fought victory!

Indeed, you could count on less than one hand the number of top Irish sailors who didn’t cut their teeth in a one-design dinghy! Just think of Cudmore, Barrington, Watson, Wilkins, Hennessy and Dix to name a few and you realise that they honed their skills in everything from Enterprises to Lasers and a lot in between.

At present count, there are a little over 30 one-design classes in Ireland, split almost evenly between dinghies and keelboats, a statistic which might raise a few eyebrows. They range from the long-established Mermaids, IDRA14s and Dragons to the newer additions like Fevas, Topaz and RS Elite. They all fill a particular need and give their owners and crews considerable enjoyment.

Many have attracted their World or European Championships to Irish waters over the years and while 2009 is notable for a lack of such events here, the following year will see the Etchells Worlds at Howth and perhaps a few other international regattas too.

In addition to the review, we asked each class to complete a questionnaire giving details of their fleet numbers, whether they were on a growth pattern or holding their own, so we could highlight those ‘on the up’ and those remaining static in terms of numbers. The older traditional designs, as you might imagine, fall into the latter category, although that’s not a negative!

CLASS REVIEW  The State of the Classes – League Table (as at February 2009)

S = Static; U = Up/growing

275     Optimist   U

200+   Laser   S

189     Mermaid   S

160     Flying Fifteen   S

130     RS Feva   U

115     Shannon One Design    U

100+   Mirror   S

100+   Topper   U

99       Topaz   U

94       Laser SB3   U

87       GP14   U

85       Squib   S

70       Fireball   S

70       Ruffian   S

60       J24   S

60       Shipman   S

52       Dragon   S

50       RS400/200   S

50       420    U

43       Multihulls    U

42       Dragon    S

40       Water Wags    U

40       Wayfarer    S

34       IDRA14    U

33       Puppeteer    U

28       Etchells    S

27       E-Boat    U

26       Glen    S

25       Enterprise    S

18       Sigma 33    S

18       Howth 17    U

13       RS Elite    U