Sailing and boating along the east coast are set to become safer sports as a result of the deployment of the second weather buoy in Ireland's marine data buoy network.
The buoy, positioned last week approximately 20 nautical miles east of Lambay island - 53 degrees 28.8 mins N, 5 degrees 25.5 mins W - is giving access to real time weather information via the internet from the centre of Ireland's busiest boating coastline.
Staying on the east coast, the Royal St George's Peter Bowring returns to home waters this weekend as the boat to beat following his seventh overall and top Irish traveller at a French Dragon championship in Douarnenez.
Bowring's three-man Dragon crew will compete tomorrow in the Royal Alfred Yacht club's Baily Bowl for one design keelboats. As well as the Dragons, Sigma 33s, J24 and 1720s will be competing in the first of the bay's summer's regattas.
Also in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland's largest sailing school Glenans Irish Sailing Club launched the newest addition to its fleet yesterday thanks to national lottery funding. The 32-foot Beneteau yacht named Rhythm in Blue will carry a crew of six on one and two-week training courses along the south-west coast and will be based at Baltimore in Co Cork.
On the south coast, 20 youths from different backgrounds from the North and South of Ireland are sailing from Kinsale to Crosshaven today as part of a novel yachting event that aims to promote team building.
In dinghy sailing, three national 420 teams for the world championships and Junior European Championship respectively have been selected following trials held at the Royal St George Yacht Club and the Royal Cork Yacht Club.
The teams for the 420 World Championship in Ravena, Italy in July have been confirmed as: Marty Moloney and Adam McCarthy, Royal Cork Yacht Club; Spencer Mitton and Richard Franck, Royal St George Yacht Club; Daire O'Reilly and David Sweeney, Howth Yacht Club and Bray Sailing Club. The Ladies World Championship team at the same venue is: Amy Byrne and Gillian Burke, Royal St George and Howth Yacht Club and Kate and Ann Marie Rhatigan, Royal St George Yacht Club.
