In strong and gusty winds, Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Lifeboat was called out to a dismasted yacht on Dublin Bay this morning. 

The lifeboat launched at 10.10 am to go to the assistance of a crew of five on a First 310 type yacht dismasted three-quarters of a mile east of Bulloch harbour.

While the sea state was moderate westerly winds were gusting to over 40 knots, according to RNLI coxswain Mark McGibney.

The yacht's mast had broken in the strong winds, and the rig was lying over the side of the yacht's hull. 

"the spinnaker, main boom and assorted sheets were still in the water"

The crew had managed to get half off of the mast back on board the vessel, but the spinnaker, main boom and assorted sheets were still in the water and under the boat, which meant the crew could not risk using their engine for fear of propellor entanglement.

The lifeboat towed them back to Dun Laoghaire marina. No injuries were reported.

Due to the strong winds, Dublin Bay Sailing Club had earlier cancelled its first race of 2022 at the AIB sponsored Spring Chicken Series.

A Dun Laoghaire Senator has described this week's €35m Brexit Infrastructure Fund as an 'opportunity' for improvement of crumbling Dublin Bay Harbours.

Senator Barry Ward tweeted that both Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours in Dalkey County Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Harbour were all in need of 'urgent attention' in different ways.

Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue T.D., announced on Monday the new scheme to rejuvenate local authority public piers and harbours throughout coastal communities.

An opportunity for @dlrcc to address some of the infrastructural problems in #DúnLaoghaireHarbour, #Colliemore Harbour and #Bulloch Harbour? All in need of urgent attention in different ways.@Bullochharbour @DalkeyF @DalkeyRowing @DLMarina_Dublin @RowDunLaoghaire #Dalkey https://t.co/23IgpGngBB

— Barry Ward (@barrymward) January 25, 2022

Afloat previously reported in 2020 how the popular Dalkey Island seasonal ferryboat stopped service due to a partial collapse of a cliff-face underneath a footpath leading to the pier at Coliemore Harbour, Co. Dublin. 

And in 2018, Bulloch Harbour's Bicencentary was against a backdrop of Storm Damage suffered in Storm Emma.

Senator Barry Ward

Announcing the scheme, the Minister said this week “This record funding for our coastal communities is an unprecedented opportunity for us to invest in our publicly owned piers and harbours and will shape the future of our coastal communities. Brexit has and will continue to affect our seafood sector in a unique way compared to other industries. I am delighted to be able to offer this level of investment so that we can deliver safe, accessible, lasting infrastructure and support economic diversification right around our coastline.”

Wednesday morning saw some early 2022 season double-handed two boat tuning for a pair of Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 keelboats on Dublin Bay.

ISORA campaigners Searcher (Pete Smyth) and John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie enjoyed 10-15 knots north-westerlies for a fast reach from Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Searcher and Hot Cookie, both from the National Yacht Club, cut quite a dash crossing a deserted bay at speed under pink and red spinnakers.

The pair returned to the harbour after a two-hour session with Searcher sporting a ripped kite in conditions that had strengthened to over 20 knots in gusts.

ISORA celebrates its Golden Jubilee with a return to traditional Irish Offshore Racing in 2022 with the first fixture on May 28th with a 60-mile race from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead. All this, of course, is preceded by DBSC's Spring Chicken Series that begins on February 6th. 

Mysterious maritime events that happened on Dublin Bay exactly 256 years ago are recounted for the first time in a new book about an extraordinary seafarer, Captain George Glass and his brave wife.

The saga involves piracy, mutiny, and murder - and the Muglins Rocks at the southern tip of the Bay.

A thrilling non-fiction tale from Ireland of maritime murder and mayhem. In 1765, the Glass family became involved in multiple murders on a British ship off the southeast coast of Ireland.

Taking readers from Scotland to Senegal and back to the quaint fishing town of Dalkey, the author Des Burke Kennedy works with original research and narrative flair to deliver this historical story, with 30 illustrations.

This high quality bound hardback book is printed on 90gm Munken stock, using an easy-to-read 11.5pt New Baskerville font

Available directly from the author here.

The interest in the GP14 Frostbite Series on Dublin Bay continued with seven taking to the water last Sunday morning for some very close and competitive races.

Curly Morris with Josh Porter upfront joined Sam Street and Josh Lloyd and Colman Grimes and Meg Tyrrell in making the journey to Sutton Dinghy Club.

Add in the home Clubs Hugh and Dan Gill, Peter and Stephen Boyle, Alan Blay and Hugh McNally and Kerri-Ann Boylan & David Johnston and the build-up to the World Championships for Irish crews had some cracking racing under PRO Jim Lambkin with Safety and Mark Laying managed by Club Commodore Ian McCormack.

Despite it being low water, the racing was underway by ten past 11 in 15kts of breeze. Before the end of the morning, it had reached 20kts with a few gusts to 26kts. Aside from a broken toe-strap on the Blessington boat and a visit to the drink for Kerri-Ann and David during a spinnaker gybe, two superbly competitive races were completed.

On the day Alan Blay/Hugh McNally won both races.

Race 1: Alan Blay (1), Peter Boyle (2), Colman Grimes (3), Hugh Gill (4), Sam Street (5), Curly Morris (6), Kerri-Ann (7)
Race 2: Alan Blay (1), Peter Boyle (2), Hugh Gill (3), Kerri-Ann (4), Colman Grimes (5), Curly Morris (6), Sam Street (7)

Racing continues this Sunday.

John O'Gorman's Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club (on board footage from Prof O'Connell of North Sails below) is the overall leader of the mixed cruiser DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Dublin Bay after four of seven races sailed. 

Another top DBSC campaigner, the Lindsay Casey skippered J/97 Windjammer, from the Royal St. George Yacht Club, is lying second in the 75 boat fleet on 87 points, 11 points behind the leader. 

Early series leader Joker II (John Maybury's J/109 of the Royal Irish Yacht Club) is lying third on 94 points.

Download results below as a pdf file.

Race five starts next Sunday at 10.10hrs.

Race Organiser Fintan Cairns reports a great atmosphere in the Royal Irish Yacht Club Wet Bar and the Terrace after racing, subject to COVID guidelines.

‘All In A Row 2021’ is coming back to the capital’s River Liffey on Saturday 11th December with a rowing challenge for the teams to smash a 1,000km target in eight hours. Forty skiffs, kayaks, canoes and currachs will all be on the water to raise funds for RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.

The organisers are hoping to exceed last year’s target of rowing 1,000km during the event on the river, which will start from St. Patrick’s Rowing Club at the Tom Clarke Bridge (formerly the East Link Bridge) and go up to the Ha’penny Bridge. The challenge is being undertaken with the aim of showcasing the River Liffey as one of Dublin’s best amenities while raising funds for the water-related charities, RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. The event raised €15,000 in 2019.

The event will start at 9 am on Saturday 11th December and at 1 pm all boats will gather on the Liffey at the Sean O’Casey footbridge. A wreath-laying ceremony, attended by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, will take place to commemorate all those who have lost their lives through drowning.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland, who will be attending the event, said “The River Liffey is such an important part of the city of Dublin and it is wonderful to see so many people using and enjoying the river in a range of skiffs, kayaks, canoes and currachs. Best of luck to all those taking part and well done for rising to the challenge of rowing 1,000 km, showcasing our beautiful river and raising money for two great water-related charities, RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.”

Many Dublin rowing clubs have their home on the River Liffey and are a regular sight on the water. At the port end of the river is St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Stella Maris Rowing Club, East Wall Water Sports Group and Poolbeg Yacht and Boat club. Ringsend Basin is home to the Plurabelle Paddlers (dragon boats) and the Dublin Viking Dragon boats.

At the other end of the city beyond Heuston Station, there are many river rowing clubs and kayaking clubs, including Phoenix Rowing Club. Rowing clubs from other parts of Ireland will join in this challenge to raise funds for RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.

The J/109 Dear Prudence is the overall leader of the mixed cruiser DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Dublin Bay after three of seven races sailed. 

The 1720 sportsboat 'What did you Break?' that led until race two is now in sixth place at the Royal Irish Yacht Club hosted event.

Download results below as a pdf file.

Second is a former double winner of the Christmas Series – one of the biggest yachts in the fleet – theFirst 50, Mermaid IV that sailed home in third place last Sunday.

The Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie is third overall. 

Race four starts next Sunday at 10.10hrs.

The 1720 sportsboat 'What did you Break?' is the overall leader of the mixed cruiser DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Dublin Bay after two of seven races sailed. 

Download results below as a pdf file.

Second is the former GBR Commodore's Cupper, the First 40 Prima Forte, while another Turkey Shoot regular, the 1720 Optique, lies third overall.

Race three starts next Sunday at 10.10hrs.

Race Organiser Fintan Cairns reports a great atmosphere in the Royal Irish Yacht Club Wet Bar and the Terrace after racing, subject to COVID guidelines.

The life and times of Dublin Bay and glimpses of its wildlife against the backdrop of the capital and major port is the theme of a new series beginning on TG4 this week.

Filmed over four seasons, An Cuan is narrated by Eoin Warner. The series is billed as “a celebration of the beauty of Dublin Bay and a timely reminder of the challenges and dangers that its natural habitat faces”.

With a population of almost 1.5 million, Dublin Bay is also home to one of the most important wildlife conservation projects on the island, the series points out.

The series describes how the brent goose is the “unofficial mascot” of the Dublin Bay Biosphere, finding an unlikely feeding ground in the port.

In the first episode, which begins with Spring, Bull Island and the seabird colonies of Howth are explored, while kitesurfers take to the water. However, environmental challenges, including one family’s battle to save its house from the “ever-encroaching” sea and the impact of gorse fires in Howth are also profiled.

A Dublin Bay seal

Special pontoons built for the local tern population among the cranes and berths of Dublin Port are filmed in the second episode, entitled Summer, when the bee orchid comes into bloom on Bull island.

The vintage Howth 17 fleet feature in the new TG4 Series

The impact of human activity – on litter and in gorse fires – is also a theme, while Joyceans celebrate the special connection between Ulysses and Dublin Bay on Bloomsday, June 16th.

Autumn and winter seasons are captured in the final two episodes of the series, which was produced by Oddboy Media for TG4.

An Cuan is on TG4 from Wednesday November 10th at 9.30 pm