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Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Ghost net

Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been abandoned, lost, or discarded in the ocean.

They are a major environmental hazard to marine and other wildlife, contributing to an estimated 10% of all marine plastic as well as causing harm to two-thirds of marine species.

Wildlife trapped in nets can succumb to a slow, inhumane death, whilst ingestion of marine plastic is a massive issue.

Ards and North Down Council recently posted on Facebook that its Parks Team had managed to remove and safely dispose of a ‘ghost’ net from the beach at The Parade in Donaghadee, a seaside town on the north County Down coast. The Council had received notification of it from a member of the marine conservation charity Sea Shepherd NI, and it turned out to be larger than anticipated.

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About J/80 Sailing

Easy to handle the J/80 is said to be less intimidating, safer and better suited for sailing offshore than other modern sport boats. 

It even has a full-length V-berth and 12-foot-long cockpit.

Thanks to its combination of stability, speed, durability, low maintenance and age-friendly deck layout, the J/80 has proved to be a great club boat around Irish yacht clubs with fleets popular in Dublin on both sides of the Bay at Howth and Dun Laoghaire. 

The key to a racing keelboat is that it holds the attention and interest of many types of sailors, young and old.  The J80 does it all, with thrilling 15-knot rides under spinnaker or relaxed sunset cruises with mainsail only. 

The Irish J/80 Class Association was formed in 2017 to represent owners, sailors, associated clubs and to help develop J/80 racing in Ireland.