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Displaying items by tag: checklist

With the countdown to launch well under way, Viking Marine provides a handy checklist below to help with your own to-dos getting your boat ready for another season’s sailing.

Stock is now arriving in-store and online at VikingMarine.ie for all your boating needs, whether it’s antifoul paint, hull cleaner and polish/wax, wood varnish and oil, ropes and rigging, blocks and winches and more.

Ring 01 280 6654 or pop in at The Pavilion in Dun Laoghaire for any tips or advice you need. Viking Marine can also source and place orders for almost anything you might need to get your boat pre-launch ready.

viking marine checklist

 

Published in Viking Marine

#FastnetRace - With the days ticking down till the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race, Ocean Safety has published its free Fastnet Safety Checklist to ensure your yacht is ready for the rigours of the challenging seas around Fastnet Rock.

One of the most important items for the race for the race undoubtedly the liferaft, which will need a service before setting out from Cowes on Sunday, 6 August.

Ireland's CH Marine is a leading supplier of liferafts and services, hires and sells rafts. Both for leisure and commercial vessels.

Published in Fastnet
18th June 2011

Basic Safety On the Water

Even the most experienced people with the best equipment can run into danger on the water, according to the RNLI's Irish sea safety officer.
Kevin Rahill told The Irish Times that standards are improving in terms of safety awareness, but many basic procedures are still being ignored.
"Leisure craft are unregulated, so a big part of what we do is to try to get people to increase their safety on a voluntary basis: wear a lifejacket, understand weather conditions, undertake training," he said.
Des Kearney of Deep Blue Sea kayaking highlighted that many novices will be tempted out to the water to see the dolphin pod that has recently taken residence in Dalkey.
"“My main concern is that people recognise the dangers," he said. "Once you get outside the harbour wall the winds can be very strong, and an inexperienced paddler could be swept away."
The Irish Times has more on the story, including a safety checklist, HERE.

Even the most experienced people with the best equipment can run into danger on the water, according to the RNLI's Irish sea safety officer.

Kevin Rahill told The Irish Times that standards are improving in terms of safety awareness, but many basic procedures are still being ignored.

"Leisure craft are unregulated, so a big part of what we do is to try to get people to increase their safety on a voluntary basis: wear a lifejacket, understand weather conditions, undertake training," he said.

Des Kearney of Deep Blue Sea kayaking highlighted that many novices will be tempted out to the water to see the dolphin pod that has recently taken residence in Dalkey.

"“My main concern is that people recognise the dangers," he said. "Once you get outside the harbour wall the winds can be very strong, and an inexperienced paddler could be swept away."

The Irish Times has more on the story, including a safety checklist, HERE.

Published in Water Safety

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