Madam, - The difficulties at a dinghy regatta hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club just outside the walls of Dun Laoghaire Harbour on July 5th are every race officer's nightmare. Organisers and parents witnessing such scenes will remember for some time the awful dread which must-have enveloped them as they observed capsize after capsize while the young sailors were out on the water.
The Royal St George is an outstanding club which has done monumental work for youth sailing over many years. Nearly all this work is done by a handful of volunteers, one of whom will have been the officer of the day. Upon his or her shoulders would have rested many administrative responsibilities along with the overall safety of the fleet. This is an awesome task as junior dinghy regattas of 100 participants or more are common during the racing season. In some cases this can mean 200 or more souls out on the water at any given time during an event.
The task of providing security on the water for such numbers is enormous and the lack of an accepted ratio of crash or rescue boats to competing vessels has been a source of difficulty and controversy.
For example, for two-person dinghies the ratio of one crash boat to six dinghies is common. On July 5th the number of crash boats for the Dun Laoghaire event was increased and the fleet restricted. This is standard operating procedure in poor weather. Despite these precautions, even experienced sailors were caught out by severe gusts of wind.
So is there a lesson to be learned? Race officers have in the past postponed or even abandoned races because of local weather conditions. Other race officers may prefer to get in at least a few races during the narrow weather window to ensure the success of an event. On July 5th a gale warning and small craft warning were in operation for the afternoon.
The question must be asked: was it worth the risk to put the fleet out in these conditions? Clearly, hindsight is a great asset but the important point to make is simple. If a statutory body such as Met Éireann issues a small craft warning, note must be taken of it. Among adult sailors there is a quiet debate on the liability of clubs and race officers if tragedy should strike when such warnings are in force.
When the Irish Sailing Association reviews the events at Dun Laoghaire, we hope that clear safety measures will be prescribed for race officers in the context of such warnings being issued. As a coastal local authority with a vibrant sailing and aquatic sporting community, Fingal County Council asks for rigid guidelines to assist the many volunteers in the sailing community. We must act now rather than tempt fate. The need for full regulation of any water-based event by the relevant local authority must also be a priority. - Yours, etc,
DECLAN HOWARD, Designated Water Safety Development Officer, Fingal County Council, Swords, Co Dublin.