Sophie is Youngest 'Sailor of the Month'

#LIGHTHOUSES - Loop Head Lighthouse in Co Clare, is set to re-open to the public later this year following a successful trial scheme last summer. As The Irish Times reports, Clare County Council opened the lighthouse for an 11-week trial period last July with the support of the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Shannon Development and Loop Head Tourism. Some 17,000 people took u...

#LIFE ON THE SHANNON - MulkearLIFE has launched its amateur photo competition for 2012, with a prize fund of €1,000 on offer. The contest celebrates the 20th anniversary of the EU LIFE programme and has the theme of ‘Exploring the Biodiversity of the Lower Shannon’. Images may cover any aspect of the theme, and can be submitted in any style from macro to landscape, black...

#ANGLING - The National Disabled Angling Facility at Aughrim in Co Wicklow is to remain open following an 11th-hour agreement last month, The Irish Times reports. A deal reached between Fás, Siptu and the centre's staff will retain all 23 jobs with a 25% pay cut and see the premises stay open until a "review" is published in March. Opened by then President Mary Robinson in 1...

#RIBS–Antrim's Red Bay Boats are building a 16-metre RIB and the new model to the Red Bay range will have a number of commercial applications. The Northern Ireland boat firm is operating at full capacity with commercial orders this month, a tonic for these times, and the firm headed by Tom McLaughlin, will be exhibiting a full range at the UK Seaworks Boat Show in late May. ...

#TALL SHIPS - The flagship vessel for an Asgard-type sail training programme in Cork has been locked up in a boatyard since 2007, the Irish Examiner reports. The Omar B was supposed to be the focus of a Youthreach project based in Bantry for early school leavers. But the schooner has spent the last four-plus years in storage in Baltimore, and has been deteriorating due to lack...

#PORTS – Dublin Port Company today published trade statistics for 2011. Total throughput in 2011 was broadly in line with 2010, down by only 0.1% to 28.1m tonnes. Within this, however, exports continued to grow and were up 2.8% in the year at 11.5m tonnes. 2011 trade statistics summary: Total throughput – 28.1m tonnes, down 0.1% Exports – 11.5m tonnes up 2.8% Imports ...

#FIREBALL – Fifteen Fireballs took to the water for last Sunday's Frostbite race but only 14 of them got a finish – Andy Boyle & Barry Hurley (14934, Royal Irish) – were recorded as an OCS! Wind conditions were lively with a WSW Force 4/5 blowing with gusts flashing across the course. The start had a boat-end bias for a change and my various correspondents advise that...

#OLYMPIC – Ireland will be hoping for repeat performances at this year's Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta this June having previously won medals on Olympic waters in both 2010 and 2011. Entries for the 2012 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta are now open, with an 'early entry discount' available to those who get their entries in before the 30th April 2012. To enter online or downloa...

Sixteen crews have so far confirmed their participation at the 420 Class's Mid-term Training Camp at Fastnet Marine and Outdoor Education Centre in Schull, County Cork.  Coaching will be provided by Irish Olympic Sailor Ross Killian, Tom Mapplebeck, Christian Birrell and double 470 World Champion Nic Asher.  Further information on the Training Camp, whic...

#LIFEBOATS – RNLI Lifeboats in Ireland launched 980 times to a variety of call outs in 2011. 905 people were rescued over the course of the year by volunteer lifeboat crews who spent over 9,826 hours on service at sea. Howth RNLI lifeboat station in Dublin was the busiest coastal Irish station, launching to 48 requests for help and, bringing 60 people to safety. They were fo...

#COASTGUARD – Two walkers have been rescued from the water at West Kirby on the River Dee estuary after a three hour ordeal, lost in fog. Liverpool Coastguard received a 999 call from the pair at 5.10pm reporting that they had set off for a dog walk out on the sands near Hilbre Island but thick fog had come in and they became disorientated and lost.  The tide was coming...

#CALVES WEEK – Calves week is to be cut down to a four day event this August in response to competitors requests for a shorter and less expensive event writes Claire Bateman. This year, as an alternative to the traditional event spanning a two week period, the Schull based sailing programme will consist of a four day Calves Week Championships, running from Tuesday 7th to Frid...

#OLYMPIC – Ballyholme and Royal Ulster Yacht Club sailor, James Espey has been campaigning to go to the Olympics in Weymouth this summer. As part of his campaign he is hosting a Fundraising Day on Saturday 18 February at BYC. This will include a day of coaching and racing, then and an evening party. The coaching will be taken by James himself and a guest coach. Top Laser sail...

#MARITIME LECTURES – This weeks 'Thursday' Night Talk organised by the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC) is indeed about the very strange tale of the "Ouzel Galley". Not many folk are aware that Dublin had its own maritime mystery that ranks with the Marie (Mary) Celeste saga. In 1625 the Ouzel Galley sailed out the River Liffey bound for Mediterranean waters. After an ...

#RIVER CORRIB - A consultant’s report on Wolfe Tone Bridge in Galway could clear the way for a new crossing of the River Corrib, according to The Connacht Sentinel. Galway City Council has confirmed that the €400,000 report will look at the possibility of a new bridge for vehicular traffic downstream of the existing span. “Given the age of the current structure, we have...

#SHANNON NAVIGATION – Carrick-on-Shannon Rowing Club "Head of River" race will take place on Sat 18th Feb 2012 from 09.00 hrs until 17.00hrs. Waterways Ireland has advised Masters of vessels to proceed at slow speed and with minimum wash when passing this stretch of the navigation and to heed any advice or instructions issued by the regatta officials....

#LARNE LOUGH - Larne Council has looked into the concerns of local residents over a proposed £250 million (€300 million) natural gas plant at Larne Lough, the Larne Times reports. Islandmagee Storage Limited (IMSL) has applied for planning permission for a 500 million cubic metre natural gas storage facility in Permian salt beds almost a mile beneath the lough, which is cla...

#SURFING - Rachel Collins writes in The Irish Times recently of her experiences learning to surf in Portugal's sunny Algarve. "Thousands of hardy souls follow the waves around the Irish coastline," she writes, "but for rookies sacrificing themselves to the sea, the warmth of the Algarve makes it the perfect place to learn." The "friendly, welcoming atmosphere" at Lagos, near ...

#LIFEBOAT – Wicklow Lifeboat took part in a joint training exercise with an Air Corp helicopter in Wicklow bay on Saturday morning. The Air Corp AW139 helicopter crew landed on the Castle near the lifeboat Station at Wicklow harbour for a briefing prior to the exercise. During the exercise, three of the lifeboat crew were winched into the helicopter using various winch method...

#RESCUE – Lifeboat crew with Howth RNLI spent over ten hours on Saturday (4 February 2012) assisting a 17 metre fishing tralwer, with seven crew onboard, 36 miles north east of Howth, which was rapidly taking on water. Howth RNLI were requested to launch their all weather lifeboat to the fishing vessel at 1.08 pm on Saturday afternoon and it would be nearly ten and a half ho...