The Irish Sailing Association (ISA) hopes to get the green light for a new five-year strategic plan at its agm tomorrow. Two years after a revolt
against its policies, a new five-year blueprint aims to put the association on a new tack. It comes at a time when Ireland’s 100 yacht clubs are seeking a much-needed lift.
A year ago, the ISA got a shake-up as part of a drive to stem the decline in sailing that has seen membership at some of the country’s biggest clubs drop by some 30 per cent amid policy concerns.
Since then the association, under new president David Lovegrove, has been through a full independent review of how it operates.
Tomorrow it launches a plan that has been fine-tuned at a series of regional meetings. The author, Neil Murphy, a former president, has gone as far as to change the use of the term ‘Sailing’ in place of ‘sport’ because it was pointed out that ‘sport’ implies competition and only covers a limited section of the range of activities that make up ‘Sailing’.
But for the plan to work it must first get the buy-in of a 17,000-plus strong sailing community – starting tomorrow at the Maldron Hotel, Portlaoise, at 11.30am.
Trinity Sailing Club won last weekend’s annual Colours Match against UCD at a new Grand Canal Dock venue in Dublin. Six teams from both colleges competed in a round robin format using Firefly dinghies.
In Cork, the ‘Schull Sharks’ topped five Munster teams who race next month at the National Team Racing Championships.
A previous Fastnet race winner that also took the inaugural 2009 RORC Caribbean 600 race is entered for June's 12th edition of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle offshore race. Adrian Lee's canting keel Cookson 50, that won the Fastnet race as Chieftain in 2007, joins the Commodore's Cup-winning Ker 40, Catapult skippered by Anthony O'Leary of Cork in what is looking like a strong fleet for the 12th edition of the race.
Four of the six Volvo Ocean Race boats have suffered big hits this week, as the Southern Ocean gave the fleet its roughest ride of the race in a 12 dramatic hours.
Revealing the aftermath of Dongfeng's Chinese gybe, Yann Riou, crew mate of Kerry's Damian Foxall, said: 'It took two to three hours to sort out the mess, the boat was on her side, we took 300 litres of water in to the boat through an air vent.
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company has unveiled a proposed €18 million plan to facilitate some of the world’s biggest cruise liners inside the harbour walls. A public consultation will open on the plans for the new cruise berth facility next Monday. It’s proposed a new 435m quay wall be built in the middle of the harbour in front of the east marina breakwater.
