# ROWING: The Irish Universities' Championships will be detached from the Irish Schools’ Championships and moved to a new date in June as part of the 2014 rowing calendar accepted by delegates at the Rowing Ireland agm in Dublin yesterday. The change has been prompted by Ireland Performance Director Morten Espersen, who also hopes to have the university athletes involved in a set programme of heads of the river and indoor rowing events.

Rowing Ireland Calendar 2014 (as approved by agm)

January 11th: Kerry Head of the River; 25th: Sligo Head.

February 1st: St Michael’s Head; 8th: Head of the Shannon, Carrick-on-Shannon; 15th: Lagan Head, Belfast; 22nd/23rd: Newry Trials.

March 1st: Erne Head, Enniskillen; 8th: Lagan Scullers’ Head, Belfast; 15th: Galway Head; 16th: Fermoy Head; 22nd: Dublin Head; 28th-30th: National Trials.

April 5th: Neptune Regatta, Islandbridge; 12th/13th: Skibbereen Regatta, National Rowing Centre; 19th: Trinity Regatta, Islandbridge; 26th: Limerick Regatta; 27th Schools’ Regatta, O’Brien’s Bridge.

May 3rd: Portadown Regatta; 10th: Bantry Regatta and Lough Rynn Regatta; 11th: Sligo Regatta; 17th: Queen’s Regatta, Castlewellan; 24th: Lee Regatta, Marina, Cork; 24th: Belfast Sprint Regatta.

June 1st: Carlow Regatta; 7th: Irish University Championships, Blessington; 8th: Dublin Metropolitan Regatta, Blessington; 14th: Athlone Regatta; 15th: Galway Regatta; 22nd: Castleconnell Sprint Regatta; 28th: Cork Regatta, NRC; 29th: Fermoy Sprints.

July 11th-13th: Irish Rowing Championships, NRC.

August: 3rd: Carrick-on-Shannon Sprints; 23rd: Belfast Summer Sprints.

September 13th: Interprovincial Sprints, Limerick; 20th: New Ross-Barrow Challenge. 27th/28th: National Trials, NRC.

October 4th: Tullamore Time Trial; 18th: Skibbereen Head, NRC.

November 1st: Castleconnell Head; 8th: Neptune Head, Blessington; 15th: Bann Head, Coleraine; 22nd/23rd: Regional Indoor Rowing Championships, Provincial Venues.

December 6th: Muckross Head, NRC. 13th: Irish Indoor Rowing Championships.

#dinghy – Dinghy sailors are blowing the bugle for change at tomorrow's Irish Sailing Association (ISA) agm with some of the country's top regatta organisers, club commodores, champions and racers joining in an online debate in advance of a motion that has been tabled for discussion at 4.30pm at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

TO VIEW THE AGM MOTION, READ THE DINGHY DECLINE ARTICLE AND 38 COMMENTS (AND ADD YOUR OWN) CLICK HERE.

This morning the organiser of last year's successful ISAF Youth world Championships in Dun Laoghaire, Brian Craig urges the ISA to build trust with its clubs and classes.

 'it should direct it energies at the clubs rather than trying to justify/communicate its existence to the members of the clubs – otherwise it becomes, as Gerry Byrne suggests [see comments], a glorified club rather than a national authority' says Craig.

The dinghy decline subject is also the focus of today's Irish Times Sailing Column by David O'Brien and yesterday's Evening Echo Column by Tom MacSweeney.

ISA Chief Executive Harry Hermon told Afloat.ie 'This is a really useful debate and is welcomed'.

Brian Craig's comments join former association president Roger Bannon and many others in questioning the current dinghy policy which GP14 sailor Norman Lee, who proposed the motion, says is killing off senior dinghy sailing.

'I want a full shake-up. Lets take the focus off the Olympics and have a root and branch reappraisal of sail training' says Lee.

Craig tells the ISA they need to 'Look after the basics' and asks why 'if key key stakeholders are feeling neglected is the organisation expanding into other areas of activity some of which are encroaching on or eroding the activities of their own clubs/classes?'

Craig continues – 'This doesn't build trust and working relationships. It should direct it energies at the CLUBS rather than trying to justify/communicate its existence to the members of the clubs'.

Lee blames an 'over-emphasis of the training of selected juveniles by the creation of elite squads of possible future Olympians'

The champion dinghy sailor says current policy is 'without proper regard to the interests of those failing (for whatever reasons) to meet that standard or who are not able or cannot afford to give the time or family/financial commitment and this discourages people who are lost to the sport'.

Also supporting the motion, the GP14 fleet will ask if the elite squad system has chased the club sailor away? The Fireball class says the current structure is too “youth orientated and fails to develop the ISA’s own slogan of sailing as a ‘sport for life’”.

Anther sailor with a unique insight into this is seasoned dinghy and one design helmsman is the Dublin Bay sailor Sean Craig, a former ISA racing director with recent involvement in junior sailing too.

'It's no coincidence that senior dinghy sailing has nose-dived around the same time that junior numbers if anything were going up (not the case now alas) and the ante was upped at junior/youth level. Where I think ISA policy has definitely got it wrong is the disconnect between learning to sail and the rest of the sport'.

Yesterday, ISA Chief Executive Harry Hermon told Afloat.ie:

'The ISA is implementing a core strategy developed in consultation with our members, launched in 2008 - the implementation of which is funded largely by the Clubs, Sports Council and commercial activity. This strategy is about growing the 'sport' in all it's aspects, and protecting the interests of the Irish boating community'

The core policy of the ISA since we launched our first strategic plan in 1998 has been to drive the growth and development of the sport through the club structures. As the activities of the clubs have become more diverse over the years, so have the interests of ISA members, and ISA strategies have developed with it.

In relation to the development of competitive dinghy racing, I think the issue has arisen due to a number of factors and I agree with many of the comments in the forum, the solution perhaps in this area is a three way partnership between the clubs, classes and the ISA working together in the interests of the sport.

TO VIEW THE AGM MOTION, READ THE DINGHY DECLINE ARTICLE AND COMMENTS (AND ADD YOUR OWN) CLICK HERE.

# ROWING: Rowing Ireland’s rule-change egm, set for January 12th, has been cancelled. The proposed changes to rules will now come before the agm of Rowing Ireland on March 31st. The decision was made for reasons of efficency and in order to minimise the number of national meetings, according to Frank Coghlan, the Honorary Secretary of Rowing Ireland.

Clubs will now be able to propose changes until a deadline of March 3rd.

At today's AGM the Annual Report for 2010 was presented to the Shareholders in advance of publication later this year after it has been laid before the Oireachtas.

Dublin Port Company also outlined its trading outlook for the remainder of the year after a return to growth in throughput in 2010 following two years of decline in trade. These results showed an increase of 6.1% on the previous year to 28.1 million tonnes which is just 9% lower than the historic high of 30.9 million tonnes in 2007.

Addressing Dublin Port Company's AGM, Ms. Lucy McCaffrey, the company's chairperson, said; "I was pleased to report to our shareholders, the representatives of the Minister for Transport and Minster for Finance, that Dublin Port Company will pay a dividend of €6.5 million in respect of the 2010 financial out-turn along with a payment of a special dividend of €10 million. The €16.5m paid this year will bring total distributions to €36.6 million in a five year period. In addition to paying a dividend to our shareholder we remain committed to investing in the port's infrastructure to ensure that Dublin Port remains the efficient modern competitive port it has become. We recently launched a major consultation exercise with all our stakeholders to create a Masterplan for the future development of Dublin Port to ensure that it can continue to serve the trading needs of the city and country for generations to come."

Speaking about the financial performance of Dublin Port Company for 2010, Dr. Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport said; "I congratulate the company on its strong financial performance for 2010 which has enabled it to pay a further dividend to the State. It is encouraging that the company remains a profitable enterprise which continues to pay a dividend to the State, in line with current Government policy in relation to the commercial State companies. Furthermore, it is encouraging that the financial strength of the company will allow it to invest significantly in the future development without recourse to exchequer funding. This country's return to economic prosperity will be export-led and Irish ports will play an important role in facilitating that trade. In this regard the current Masterplan consultation process the company has embarked on is a timely and necessary exercise in preparing for the future."

CFT who are the national governing body for sports diving in Ireland will hold it's AGM and National Dive Conference at this event.

Some of the speakers include the following:

Jack Ingle Kit configuration

Barry McGill Deep wreck diving off the Donegal Coast

Nigel Motyer Underwater photographer

Tim Carey & Eoin Mc Garry Dive expedition to Asgard II in 2010

Ken O'Sullivan Irish ocean wildlife series Showing January 23rd TG4

Shane McArdle Sports Partnership and what it could mean for CFT clubs

More details and timetable HERE

Dive Ireland, Ireland's only dedicated dive show is taking place on the 5th & 6th March. The venue
is the City North Hotel just off the M1 Northbound. Just 15 minutes from Dublin airport and 25 minutes from Dublin city.

CFT who are the national governing body for sports diving in Ireland will hold it's AGM and National Dive Conference at this event.

Some of the speakers include the following:

Jack Ingle Kit configuration

Barry McGill Deep wreck diving off the Donegal Coast

Nigel Motyer Underwater photographer

Tim Carey & Eoin Mc Garry Talk on the dive expedition to Asgard II in 2010

Ken O'Sullivan Irish ocean wildlife series Showing January 23rd TG4

Shane McArdle Sports Partnership and what it could mean for CFT clubs

Irish Sea Offshore sailing Chief Peter Ryan has circulated the Notice and Agenda for next Saturday's ISORA AGM at the National Yacht Club and told Ireland's biggest band of offshore crews to wear dinner jackets so they can vote on next year's sailing, watch Ireland play South Africa and attend the formal ISORA prize giving dinner all at the same waterfront venue.

The AGM takes place at 14.00 at the NYC. The rugby match is on at 17.30 and Ryan says if sailors are interested they can dress up in your tux and watch the match.

Immediately after the match at 19.45, the pre-dinner drinks reception will be held in the JB Room of the Dun Laoghaire club with complimentary sparkling wine and classical music by the Neptune Trio.

Dinner will be at 20.30 sharp to enable the prize giving to take place at 22.00 and finish of ceremonies by 23.00 latest. After this sailors can relax or dance the night away at the ISORA disco.

AGM papers are attached for download.