#RowingIrelandAGM: Delegates at the annual general meeting of Rowing Ireland in Dublin passed all the motions put before it by the board. Rowers entering the Irish Championships must now have competed at two events in Ireland; those in the high performance system will only be allowed to compete as seniors in that year. Two new, unelected, officers can be added to the board. There were also more techncial changes: the tracker system will now be the officially accepted way to do draws; the 100-metre breakages rule has been removed: fixtures submissions submitted late can be allocated a date of its choosing by the Domestic Events Committee.

 At a meeting before the AGM, Morten Espersen, the Ireland high performance director, and Don McLachlan, the Ireland lead coach, made the case for changes in the domestic season which they believe would benefit the international programme.

 Awards at AGM of Rowing Ireland: Connacht: Peadar O hIci; Leinster: John O’Keeffe; Munster: Dermot Wall (RIP); Ulster: Iain Kennedy. Presidents’ Award: Robert Northridge.  

#isaagm – W M Nixon gives us some impressions of today's Annual General Meeting of the Irish Sailing Association.

There have been two years of accelerating soul-searching and increasingly incisive analysis of the problems of the Irish Sailing Association. That process has been followed by this year's thorough two month tour of the country, taking the proposed Strategic Development Plan on the road for further refinement. And that was done by consulting the many sailors who are concerned about the future of their beloved sport.

After all this, there was no way that today's Annual General Meeting to consider approval of the Plan, along with the usual business of an AGM, was going to be anything other than businesslike. And if you can find a more businesslike setting than a windowless meeting room of a certain size in a motorway hotel in the anonymous middle of the country, then this particular sailor doesn't want to know about it.

Yet I'd be delighted to meet again with any of those sailing stalwarts who made it their business to be at this meeting, which both fulfilled the legal requirements of being a truly national authority, and at the same time tried to plan the way ahead. For these people care deeply about their sport, and they have nothing but underlying goodwill for those who are trying to make the ISA more accurately reflect it, and its future needs.

A Saturday evening is no time to be considering the grinding detail of the new plan, for heaven knows they've been raked over in enough detail on the Afloat.ie website in recent months. And in any case, they'll be released officially in due course next week. But for now, a few impressions won't go amiss.

There may not have been a large turnout, but it was perfectly respectable in size, even if there was only one woman sailor, but as she was Cathy McAleavey she was worth a dozen men. And there too were the main men from clubs as diverse as Royal Cork and Blessington and Howth and many others. And key to the whole thing, quietly sitting side-by-side, were Bryan Armstrong of Sligo and Norman Lee of Greystones.

Bryan Armstrong (left) and Norman Lee started the reformation. Photo: W M Nixon

They are the two "ordinary club sailors" who, two years ago, set in motion, despite all sorts of rebuffs, the glacial process of reform which will in the long run do Irish sailing no end of good. For what these two guys – who aren't in the slightest bit ordinary at all – managed to do was to get the powers-that-be to stop and listen, and listen carefully. And in the end, the powers-that-be found this to be an extraordinarily invigorating process, and good for the soul of Irish sailing.

Thus the ISA called on many talents from all round the country, and Presidents from times past such as Neil Murphy and Roger Bannon, to undertake a ferocious self-examination. It was done so thoroughly that in some areas they may have gone too far in planning to throw out what they mistakenly thought to be deadwood. But thanks to the consultation process, some very useful retaining modifications were made which should result in a national sailing and boating authority which truly represents those who go afloat for recreation on sea, lake and river.

So after reasonable consideration, adoption of the plan was successfully proposed by former ISA President John Crebbin of Dun Laoghaire, who is an Irish representative on the International Sailing Federation, and seconded by Alex Blackwell of Mayo SC, who had been one of the most eloquent critics of the plan in its original form.

Being an AGM, points of interest emerged. It was fascinating to have it clarified that the ISA's income is 37% reliant on Sports Council grants. And in this time of cutbacks, it was reassuring to hear from Board Member Colm Barrington that the High Performance Sailing Fund - which is his particular baby within the ISA remit - will be relying on philanthropic private donors, many of them anonymous, and will in no way impinge on established or developing commercial sponsorship for the main body of the sport.

It was also intriguing to hear Neil Murphy, finally at the end of his Herculean task of shaping the Strategic Development Plan 2015-2020, express the hope that with a bit of a fair wind, we might hope to see the number of active sailors in action in Irish waters increase to 25,000 by 2020. My own feeling is that the ISA's current estimate of 17,000 active sailors today verges on the pessimistic side, as it is totally reliant on figures from clubs, and we all know of clubless sailors going happily afloat. But there are others who could be persuaded, if the package is properly designed.

The ISA is taking on extra talent onto the Board, which is eventually going to increase to twelve, and there was a particularly warm welcome for new appointee Paddy McGlade of Cork, who as a former Admiral of the Royal Cork and a highly regarded figure in the cruising community, is just the kind of person needed to broaden the Association's scope. However, there was a much regretted retirement from the Board, that great seaman Philip Cowman of Wexford. But his seven years are up, and rules is rules.

Philip Cowman of Wexford, whose retirement after his statutory seven years on the Board was much regretted. Photo: W M Nixon

Looking to the future, one of the points made from the floor was that in this increasingly regulated world, regular and persistent representations to government departments should be one of the ISA's central activities, and this too has been accepted. Thus one of those who will shortly be co-opted onto the Board is former President Robert Dix, who has unrivalled experience in negotiation and representation at the highest levels.

At a more basic level, concern was expressed about the recurring difficulty of communicating with the sailing community generally, and the meeting – having been determinedly maintained at a properly humdrum level – came to its conclusion on a high, leaping to life with an entertaining and very professional presentation by Noel Davidson of the ISA Communications Sub-Committee on how Irish sailing can cope with today's multiple media. Time was when many of us went sailing to get away from it all, to get clear of the tyranny of the telephone. But fair play to Noel Davidson, he made it all seem fun.

Cathy McAleavey with Noel Davidson, whose presentation about how sailing can deal with modern media brought the AGM to a lively conclusion. Photo: W M Nixon

 

SPEECH BY DAVID LOVEGROVE, PRESIDENT ISA

AT THE AGM ON SATURDAY 28 MARCH 2015

Good morning ladies and gentlemen and thank you for giving up your Saturday morning to attend the AGM of the ISA.

This past year has been one of incredible change for your Association, but the change is not finished. Your Board has embarked on a process aimed at making the ISA more relevant to our members, weather they be clubs, individual members or training centres. But at the outset, let me say that while we are aiming high, we will not be able to deliver on everyone's expectations of what the ISA should be doing. The Directors and I are constantly getting emails from members complaining that we are not addressing some particular aspect of our activities that they feel to be of critical importance. I take it as a compliment that members are writing to us and giving out about something which they feel we should do differently. It is good to have members who engage, we cannot solve everything, but it is better than no one contacting us because we are considered to be irrelevant.

During the past year there have been a number of staff changes:

As part of the process of redirecting the focus of the Association, it was necessary to make two positions redundant. This led to Tony Wright and Ed Alcock leaving the Association. This was a hard decision and only taken after a lot of consideration. At about the same time Rachel Solon was head-hunted by Wilson Hartnell and Sylvia left to teach English in Vietnam. I would like to acknowledge the terrific service that these staff members gave to the Association over the years and wish them well in the future. Also, I want to thank the staff that was left, namely Carol, Liz, Ana, Gail, Ciaran and Nuala and especially Harry for keeping the ship afloat. Thank you.

While this was a massive upheaval, it did allow us to set about the objective of providing a better service to our members. To this end, we recruited a new RDO, Sarah Louise Rossiter, who will be responsible for the East region. This will allow, Gail and Ciaran to spend more time working in the South and West respectively. Sylvia has been replaced by two part-time staff Sheila and Rachel.

In addition, we are in the process of recruiting a new Communications and PR Manager.

Let me give a quick run-down on the main areas of activity during the past year:

For me, the most significant development has been the production of the new Strategic Plan, which is before you later in the meeting.

To produce the Plan, we put together a small group comprising; Brian Craig, Ruth Ennis, Peter Reddin, Sean Craig, myself and Harry Hermon, under the incredible guidance of our most able Chairman, Neil Murphy, a past President of the Association. Indeed, it is interesting that there will be three past Presidents working in the ISA this year: Neil, as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Group, Roger Bannon, our Treasurer and Robert Dix will be co-opted to fill the remaining Board vacancy.

The Plan before you today is the culmination of many hours work and consultation, aimed at ensuring that the ISA is focused on providing value for our members and growing participation in sailing.

We have been making progress on the Communications side. We are finalising a new web-site and have come to an agreement with Afloat to share information. As mentioned, we will soon have a new Communications and PR Manager on-board. This will then allow us to develop a communications strategy, focused on the Strategic Plan.

A few weeks ago, we held an Awards function. This was a replacement for the black-tie Ball of the past. The winners of the four awards were:

ISA /Afloat Sailor of the Year: Anthony O'Leary. Not many sailors get to win the Commodores Cup twice and then round off the year by winning the All Ireland Helmsman's Championship.

ISA/Mitsubishi Club of the Year: Royal Cork Yacht Club

ISA Youth Sailor of the Year: Finn Lynch, the winner of the U19 Laser World Championship

ISA Training Centre of the Year: Mayo sailing Club

Congratulations to all. To my great disappointment, I was snow-bound in Washington and was unable to get back for the event.

The High Performance side of the house continues to produce incredible results. Like the Rugby, we constantly punch above our weight.

- We already have three boats qualified for Rio: the Laser, Laser Radial and the 49er.

- ISAF World Cup Silver Medal, a major break through result for 49er sailors Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern
- Gold Fleet at Worlds for 49er fx sailors Andrea Brewster and Saskia Tidey who as a result break into the senior team.

- Under 19 World Laser Champion - Finn Lynch

- ISAF Silver Medal - Seafra Guilfoyle

Sincere congratulations to James O'Callaghan and Rory Fitzpatrick for incredible results.

None of this would be possible without the continuing support of the Irish Sports Council, who continue to provide substantial funding for the HP side and of course Providence Resources.

In addition, the OSG, in consultation with the Irish Sports Council, has been identifying additional sources of funding. This is leading to the establishment of the Irish Sailing Foundation, based on philanthropy, a model used by other sporting bodies and charities.

This Foundation will seek philanthropic donations aimed at furthering competitive sailing, including the pathway and donors will have the option of specifying where they want their money spent.

There are three considerations as far as the ISA is concerned:

1) The Foundation will not be in competition with commercial sponsors of sailing events. These donations are very different to sponsorship funding. Sponsorship is basically a commercial transaction in which the company providing the funding is looking for some form of commercial return. With the Foundation, the donors, many of whom will remain anonymous, do not want a commercial return and are purely making a donation out of the goodness of their heart to further sailing in Ireland. The two are not in conflict

2) There is no financial risk to the ISA. The first two years funding for the Foundation are already secured through grants from the Irish Sports Council, who are fully supportive of the initiative and a philanthropic donor.

3) While the Foundation will be a separate legal entity there will be a number of common Directors to ensure cooperation

And finally, the Board of the ISA fully endorses this initiative.

On the financial side, the financial reporting and budgetary systems were redesigned and enhanced financial governance procedures were implemented. The run cost profile of the organisation was significantly reduced and resources were reallocated to areas of activity which were regarded as having more relevance to members.
Plans for 2015 include a major investment in developing new and more efficient IT systems which are better suited to providing the appropriate infrastructure which will support the professional staff in delivering efficient and cost effective services to all our members.

The Training Policy Group is selected to achieve a representative mix of the different aspects and skills of those involved in ISA Training – clubs, commercial centres, instructor trainers, junior organisers, coaches and national trainers. Nine group meetings were held with the focus on addressing the key training issues raised in the SRG Report.

Those addressed were in five main areas:

· Potential for partnering the ISA Schemes with RYA

· Need to improve the delivery of Training schemes to Clubs by ISA

· Moving the emphasis from acquiring certificates to developing skills and the use of logbooks

· Establish a panel of Instructor Trainers that provides leadership in standards and consistency in the delivery of training to instructors.

· Raise the importance of having active double handed sailing at junior and youth levels in member clubs.

Progress has been made on each of these areas:

· A scheme by scheme comparison of the RYA and ISA schemes was undertaken and meetings held with senior members in RYA to explore opportunities for partnership. The potential to work together was seen by both parties to be in the Cruiser (Sail and Power) area and this being followed through by a working party at present.

· Discussions with clubs and Junior organisers highlighted the need for the ISA to provide specific guidance to clubs on how best deliver ISA training in the club environment. It is hoped the recently launched on-line Training Guide for Clubs will result in the clubs deriving additional benefits from running our training programmes.

· It is planned to pilot the Sailing Passport project with a mix of clubs and centres in 2015 with a view to introducing it throughout the ISA network in 2016. The potential benefits are to:

· bring more focus on skills,

· provide a logbook in electronic form,

· help integrate trainees into clubs and

· capture key data not currently available to centres or the ISA.

This project is being developed in conjunction with a Canadian software company supplying similar software to the Canadian Sailing Association servicing 20,000 sailors.

· The Instructor Trainer panel was brought together for two weekend conferences over the past six months to introduce new structures and formalise their relationship with the Association. A new mandatory Instructor Trainers Contact has been put in place and three volunteer National Trainers appointed. The TPG will be bedding down the full implementation of these contracts during 2015.

· The TPG are also looking at how best to provide guidance to members and clubs on the range of boats available and how to get more double handed sailing at junior and youth level to help the retention sailors not suited to the single handed route.

The attention for the coming months is to bring the current matters to a conclusion and then focus on others aspects of the Strategic Plan.

2014 saw the renewal of a Memorandum of Understanding between the ISA and the Cruiser Racing Association - ICRA. This new agreement makes for a closer cooperation between the two organisations with ICRA representation on the Competitions Policy Group and the ISA Director of Racing joining the ICRA Committee. Training, specifically for crewing on cruiser racers, had been identified as an urgent necessity. Funding has been agreed for a new training scheme initiative to be developed specifically for this purpose. The first stages of this scheme will be in operation early in the 2015 season.

Previously it was not possible for Training Centres to race in other clubs' events unless the helm was a member of a Category 1 club. The prescriptions of the ISA have now been amended in order that training centres can now have official access to the Racing Rules of Sailing in order that they may run, and their boats/clients may compete in other clubs' events, without becoming a Category 1 establishment, or member. It is important we promote greater progression from training centres into clubs and this initiative is seen as a help in this objective.

The rules where coaches have to be used in this scheme has been changed so that classes may now avail of a grant to help fund a non ISA coach who has specific knowledge of that class.

The Classes Policy Group identified there was a great lack of understanding as to what classes were active, and in which clubs. To address this situation we are undertaking a survey of all clubs. To date approximately 40 clubs have responded. We are hopeful of more returns in the coming weeks. The process has already started of accumulating and processing this data which will give us a more accurate insight into the strengths and weakness of racing at club level in Ireland. With this fundamental information we will be far better served to help both clubs and classes in terms of promoting inter-club racing and assisting classes with information on clubs who are open to running events. It is already evident that many classes, with some notable exceptions, are struggling to maintain fleet numbers. We have already identified and are promoting the concept that classes should combine with others to make viable numbers for clubs to host events that work for the classes and clubs alike. The RS class is a perfect example where Feva, RS200 and RS400 now combine with 50/60 boats being the norm at their events. Other successful combined events in 2014 included Flying Fifteens & Fireballs and J109 & Ruffians to name a few.

The strength of the single handed classes, Optimist, Topper and all Laser rigs continue to dominate dinghy racing. We are very anxious to support, especially among younger sailors, the increased participation in twin handed dinghies. The survey will give us a good insight into where we can best support and encourage this objective.

Intervarsity racing continues to be very active and is extremely well organised by IUSA, however we still have an, as yet, unresolved issue with how we keep sailors involved in our sport post third level. The new initiatives from ICRA and a renewed promotion of senior twin handed classes are some steps that may help this cause.

Denis Kiely has come back on board as our National handicap coordinator and we are particularly fortunate to have his expertise in this area. Work is in hand to promote all cruiser racing clubs to use software that can easily accommodate the collation of ECHO handicaps on a national basis.

The Race Officials Policy Group continues to promote participation in the various Race Official seminars, Levels 1 and 2 for race officers and the Race Team course for anyone involved in running an event both on and off the water. The Umpire and Jury Officials have also been holding talks in their areas of expertise. ICRA have organised an IRC Measurement course in collaboration with the RORC which is taking place today. A total of 8 courses have been run over the last 12 months with a total participation in excess of 150 volunteers through the different disciplines. We continue to look at new ways of promoting and educating Race Officials and are pleased to announce a new collaboration with the RYA on the role out, later this year, of new Race Management courses.

I would like to state clearly that the ISA is in full support of ISAF in reinstating Paralympic sailing in 2020. The ISA and Paralympic Ireland just took delivery of our new fleet of 2.4m boats showing our commitment and support to International competition and we continue to develop and extend the Sailability programme throughout our clubs.

The ISA Board has had considerable engagement with cruising members during the past year.

Work is ongoing in developing cruising contacts around the coast as well as inland with cruising and dinghy cruising interests. Together with the Cruising Association links are being built which will provide numbers over the next few years to support more coastal cruising.

Most clubs have provided little for their cruising members and the term Rear Commodore Cruising nowadays tends to mean "Rear Commodore Cruiser Racing" with little provided for the local cruising member who joined the club in the first place because they thought they needed a club.

The ISA is now encouraging clubs to appoint a committee member for cruising interests. This will ultimately encourage more day sailing, weekend cruising, and promote safety exercises, training and more family participation.

Irish Cruising Association members have met on a number of occasions and will continue to represent sailors' interests. Boat Registration under new legislation is a big concern for many which requires a sensible interpretation by the Government to encourage Irish registration.

Likewise, diesel availability for the cruising sailor has been raised with representations made to Revenue . The ISA also made submissions to the Maritime Safety Directive during the year.

On the Access and Participation side, we are running a new initiative this year called Try Sailing, which is a grass roots initiative to encourage the Irish public to give sailing a try, through a campaign of Try Sailing sessions available in ISA clubs and centres throughout Ireland.

Try Sailing sessions and opportunities can come in many forms and will vary from location to location, event to event. Here are a few examples -

A dedicated Try Sailing week coinciding with Irish Water Safety's "National Water Safety Week" which runs form Monday 15th to Sunday 21st June 2015
As part of the Try Sailing launch and to gain media exposure, on the 21st June 2015 we launch the inaugural Try Sailing Challenge - calling upon Ireland to get the largest number of sailors on the water on the longest day of the year - creating a goal for subsequent years.
Making Try Sailing sessions available at high profile events throughout the year. Spectators at an international event such as Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta or Volvo Cork Week would also have the opportunity to get out on the water for a fun session.
Dedicated Open Days for Try Sailing at clubs and centres on dates of their choosing, to coincide with their own regional events.
ISA Clubs and Centres scheduling regular 'Pay n Play' Try Sailing sessions, making sailing accessible as a regular sport or hobby to non boat owners.
As part of the National Water Safety Awareness Week, water sports clubs and schools all over the country will open their doors for people of all ages and abilities to try snorkelling, kayaking, canoeing, surfing, windsurfing, power boating and of course Try Sailing.
National Schools throughout Ireland will be sent Irish Water Safety information packs to help spread the message of safety on the water.
We are encouraging all ISA clubs and centres to get on board for this great initiative by opening their doors and providing an opportunity for their local community to try sailing. Your local RDO will be calling on you!

The J80 Sailfleet continues to provide and excellent return to sailing and was an excellent initiative, when introduced a few years ago.

In 2014 the J80's were based predominantly in Howth Yacht Club following a request for proposals concluded through the ISA. HYC won the request for proposals and a contract was signed from April 1 2014 to March 31 2015. The use of the fleet extended across club racing, junior keelboat training and corporate events. The fleet also acted as a means of introducing newcomers to sailing.

The fleet was also used for the Women's World Match racing Championship, held in Royal Cork Yacht Club in May-June 2014 and the All Ireland Championship in Howth later in the year.

Looking to the future:

· Expressions of interest for 2015 & 2016 were requested in February of this year for the period beginning following the HYC contract

· The HYC contact was extended to cover the ISAF Nation's Cup European Final, scheduled for HYC in May 7-10 2015 (currently there are 20+ teams entered from 15 countries

· The fleet is booked for the All Ireland Championship scheduled for National Yacht Club, in September 2015

It is also hoped to use the fleet to:

· Assist Clubs with tendering for International competitions where the Sailfleet J80's can be utilized

· Continue to promote keelboat sailing through the use of the fleet

· Support initiatives to develop keelboat sailing and retain younger sailors in the sport

I am also delighted to report that there were no instances of sailors contravening the anti-doping rules in 2014, and that our sport continues to remain drug free.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the ISA staff and all those who have given their time during the past year in assisting the Board in developing its policies and to thank two Board members who are stepping-down today, namely Mike O'Connor and Philip Cowman, both of whom have served for seven years on the Board.

#MaritimeInstitute - The AGM of the Maritime Institute of Ireland, whose patron is President Michael D. Higgins, is to be held next Saturday 18 October in the institute's National Maritime Museum of Ireland, Dun Laoghaire.

Members of the M.I.I are invited to attend the AGM which starts at 12 noon. The museum located in the former Mariner's Church is where 14 of its parishioners were killed in World War I and this will be acknowledged during the meeting.

The museum which is open to members free of charge is also open to the public, where in addition to the many diverse and interesting exhibits on display, there is a library, souvenir gift shop and café.

In recent years the museum underwent a major refursbishment, for a 3D tour of the museum click HERE. To activate, click on map to launch 3D interactive viewing. For further information about the visitor attraction visit: www.mariner.ie

#ROWING: The annual general meeting of Rowing Ireland at Garda Boat Club today was told my Morten Espersen, the High Performance Director, that he expected to send at least three women’s boats to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The two motions before the meeting were passed by assent: Just Sport Ireland will be adopted as the final arbitrator in grievance procedures and the agm may be called at any time through the year.

The meeting was concluded in an hour.

Branch Awards

Connacht: Mike McCrohan, Tribesmen

Leinster: Niall O’Toole, Commercial

Ulster: Gordon Reid, Lagan Scullers’

Munster: Mary Bonner, Tralee

President’s Prize: Dominic Casey, Skibbereen

# ROWING: Delegates at the Rowing Ireland agm in the Garda Boat Club in Dublin gave overwhelming approval to the proposal to revamp the grading system. The new system, which will be introduced next year, will allow competitors from different grades to compete in the same boat, with the grade of the boat being decided by the weighting given to each athlete. Former rowers can also come back to the sport at a lower grade than that at which they left it. Rowing Ireland hope the new rules will aid in a drive to retain adult athletes in the sport.

# 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.

 

CALENDAR 2014 - proposal for discussion / approval at 2013 AGM
2014	DATE	EVENTS JAN - DEC 2014	TYPE OF EVENT	STATUS	LENGTH	LANES	VENUE	PROVINCE
Sat	04-Jan
Sun	05-Jan
Sat	11-Jan	Kerry HOR	Head		4000		Killorglin	Munster
Sun	12-Jan
Sat	18-Jan
Sun	19-Jan
Sat	25-Jan	Sligo HOR	Head		4000		Garavogue River Sligo	Connaught
Sun	26-Jan
Sat	01-Feb	St Michaels HOR	Rolling Head		3500		O'Briens Bridge	Munster
Sun	02-Feb
Sat	08-Feb	Head of the Shannon	Head		5000		Carrick on Shannon	Connaught
Sun	09-Feb
Sat	15-Feb	Lagan HOR	Head 1 Head 2		2800 4200		River Lagan Belfast	Ulster
Sat	15-Feb	Cork HOR	Head		4000		Marina Cork	Munster
Sun	16-Feb
Sat	22-Feb	Newry Trials	Trials		5000		Newry Canal	Ulster
Sun	23-Feb	Newry Trials	Trials		5000		Newry Canal	Ulster
Sat	01-Mar	Erne HOR	Head		6000		Enniskillen	Ulster
Sun	02-Mar
Sat	08-Mar	Lagan Scullers HOR	Head		2800		River Lagan Belfast	Ulster
Sun	09-Mar
Sat	15-Mar	Galway HOR	Head		4300		Galway	Connaught
Sun	16-Mar	Fermoy HOR	Head		4000		River Blackwater	Munster
Sat	22-Mar	Dublin HOR	Head		3700		Liffey	Leinster
Sun	23-Mar
Fri	28-Mar	Trials - Juniors / U23 / Seniors	Trials				National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sat	29-Mar	Trials - Juniors / U23 / Seniors	Trials				National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sun	30-Mar	Trials - Juniors / U23 / Seniors	Trials				National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sat	05-Apr	Neptune Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	SEMI	1400	2	Islandbridge Dublin	Leinster
Sun	06-Apr
Sat	12-Apr	Skibbereen Regatta	Regatta - Grand League	FULL	2000	8	National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sun	13-Apr	Skibbereen Regatta	Regatta -Grand League	FULL	2000	8	National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sat	19-Apr	Trinity Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	SEMI	1800	2	Islandbridge Dublin	Leinster
Sun	20-Apr	Easter Sunday
Sat	26-Apr	Limerick Regatta	Regatta - Multi-lane	FULL	1500	4	O'Briens Bridge	Munster
Sun	27-Apr	Schools Regatta		Non	1500	4	O'Briens Bridge	Munster
Sat	03-May	Portadown Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	SEMI	1000	2	Portadown	Ulster
Sun	04-May
Sat	10-May	Bantry Regatta/Lough Rynn	Regatta - Grow the Sport /ML	NON/FULL	500/2000	3	Bantry	Munster/Connaught
Sun	11-May	Sligo Regatta	Regatta - Multi-lane	SEMI	1000		Sligo	Connaught
Sat	17-May	Queen's Regatta	Regatta - Grand League	FULL	1500	6	Castlewellan	Ulster
Sun	18-May
Sat	24-May	Lee Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	NON	500	6	Marina Cork	Munster
Sat	24-May	Belfast Sprint Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	NON	500	2	River Lagan Belfast	Ulster
Sun	25-May
Sat	31-May
Sun	01-Jun	Carlow Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	SEMI	1000	2	Carlow	Leinster
Sat	07-Jun	UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIPS / ( NON Championship)	Regatta - Multi-lane	NON	2000	6	Blessington	Munster
Sun	08-Jun	Dublin Metropolitan Regatta	Regatta - Grand League	FULL	2000	6	Blessington	Leinster
Sat	14-Jun	Athlone Regatta	Regatta - Multi-lane	FULL	1800	5	Coosan Point Athlone	Connaught
Sun	15-Jun	Galway Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	SEMI	700	3	Galway	Connaught
Sat	21-Jun
Sun	22-Jun	Castleconnell Sprint Regatta	Regatta - Grow the Sport	NON	500	5	Castleconnell	Munster
Sat	28-Jun	Cork Regatta	Regatta - Grand League	FULL	2000	6	National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sun	29-Jun	Fermoy Sprints	Regatta - Grow the Sport	NON	500	3	Fermoy	Munster
Sat	05-Jul
Sun	06-Jul
Fri	11-Jul	Irish Rowing Championships	Championships	FULL	2000	6	National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sat	12-Jul	Irish Rowing Championships	Championships	FULL	2000	6	National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sun	13-Jul	Irish Rowing Championships	Championships	FULL	2000	6	National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sat	19-Jul
Sun	20-Jul
Sat	26-Jul
Sun	27-Jul
Sat	02-Aug
Sun	03-Aug	Carrick-on-Shannon Sprints	Regatta - Grow the Sport	NON	420	3	Carrick on Shannon	Connaught
Sat	09-Aug
Sun	10-Aug
Sat	16-Aug
Sun	17-Aug
Sat	23-Aug	Belfast Summer Sprints	Regatta - Grow the Sport	NON	300	2	River Lagan Belfast	Ulster
Sun	24-Aug
Sat	30-Aug
Sun	31-Aug
Sat	06-Sep
Sun	07-Sep
Sat	13-Sep	Interprovincial Sprints	Interprovincials		500		Limerick	Munster
Sun	14-Sep
Sat	20-Sep	New Ross - Barrow Challenge	Head		18000		River Barrow	Leinster
Sun	21-Sep
Sat	27-Sep	Trials - Juniors / U23 / Seniors	Trials				National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sun	28-Sep	Trials - Juniors / U23 / Seniors	Trials				National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sat	04-Oct	Tullamore Time Trial	Head		2250		Canal Offaly	Leinster
Sun	05-Oct
Sat	11-Oct
Sun	12-Oct
Sat	18-Oct	Skibbereen HOR	Head		3000		National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sun	19-Oct
Sat	25-Oct
Sun	26-Oct
Sat	01-Nov	Castleconnell HOR	Head		3000		Castleconnell	Munster
Sun	02-Nov
Sat	08-Nov	Neptune HOR	Head		4000		Blessington	Leinster
Sun	09-Nov
Sat	15-Nov	Bann HOR	Head		3000		River Bann Coleraine	Ulster
Sun	16-Nov
Sat	22-Nov	Regional Indoor Rowing	2k				Provincial Venues	each Province
Sun	23-Nov	Championships	2k				to be confirmed	each Province
Sat	29-Nov
Sun	30-Nov
Sat	06-Dec	Muckross HOR	Head		3000		National Rowing Centre Cork	Munster
Sun	07-Dec
Sat	13-Dec	Irish Indoor Rowing Championships
Sun	14-Dec	Irish Indoor Rowing Championships
Sat	20-Dec
Sun	21-Dec
Sat	27-Dec
Sun	28-Dec

#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 its Annual General Meeting today, Dublin Port Company which operates Ireland's largest port, handling over half of Ireland's trade, announced it will pay a €6.5 million dividend to the State in June 2010 based on its Financial Results for the year ended 31 December 2010 together with a special dividend of €10 million. This will bring the total dividend payments to its shareholder to €36.6 million over the last five years.

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."

Dive Ireland, Ireland's dedicated dive show is taking place this coming weekend on the 5th & 6th March. The venue is the City North Hotel off the M1 Northbound and 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 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