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Displaying items by tag: Ramsey Marina

Despite plans for a significant multi-million-pound investment in marine leisure in the Isle of Man, plans for a marina in Ramsey to be known as the 'marina at the crossroads of the Irish Sea' have met with significant objections.

As regular Afloat readers will know, Ramsey Marina Limited (“RML”) opened registration for expressions of interest for berths at the proposed site in February.

"The beach is a marine conservation area, a very sandy much loved free communal beach and is subject to fierce waves in the autumn/ winter months. 65,000 signed a petition opposing the plans", Ramsey Resident Ruth Gale told Afloat. 

"I appreciate the benefits that added tourism could bring to the town but not at the cost of one of the nicest public beaches on the island", she said.

A petition to save Ramsey South Beach and the Marine Nature Reserve from destruction has raised 65,000 signatures.

The petition, entitled ’Stop the Destruction of the Ramsey Bay Marine Nature Reserve’ was launched by Facebook group ’South Beach Ramsey - Save the Bay’, after it was discovered the marina proposal was due to be re-launched last year.

The Ramsey Marina proposal would see full-scale dredging of Ramsey Bay, with reclaimed land used for the construction of a housing estate and marina on the public beach.

According to a 2019 DEFA survey, it is home to many important species of fish and aquatic plants, including eel grass, which thrives in the area and is 35 more times effective at carbon capture than rainforest trees.

The plans would see the beach between the historic Queen’s Pier and the Stone Pier given to private development.

Another resident, Josephine Sebastian told Afloat "the overwhelming majority of the residents of Ramsey do not want this marina.  RML are proposing to build this abomination on most of the beautiful shallow sandy bay called south beach.
It’s the wrong place…in every sense". 

The petition is here

Published in Isle of Man
Tagged under

Ramsey Marina Limited (“RML”) to be known as the 'marina at the crossroads of the Irish Sea' has opened registration for expressions of interest for berths at the proposed Ramsey Bay Marina on the Isle of Man.

It's a welcome development given the Isle of Man lies at the epicentre of significant multi-million-pound investment in marine leisure by the Governments of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Northern Ireland yet in terms of marine leisure facilities, the Island is conspicuous by its lack of similar investment.

Promoters say Ramsey Bay Marina will be a 24/7 all-weather marina located immediately to the south of the entrance to the historic port of Ramsey on the Isle of Man. It will have 400 berths with a minimum depth of 3m. The berths for larger vessels, up to a maximum of 25m, will have between 5 and 6m depth. RML plans to keep 20% of the berths set aside for visitors.

Located at the crossroads of the northern Irish Sea, Ramsey is ideally suited for cruising the coasts of England, Scotland and Ireland. The Isle of Man itself (the only whole nation to become a UNESCO Biosphere) provides a lovely cruising ground for visiting yachts, with many ports under a day’s sail from Ramsey. In addition, Ramsey is an ideal “stopping off” point for those yachts transiting the Irish Sea.

The overall investment in building the marina will be in the region of £100m, which includes roughly £50m to build the marina itself and the other £50m to cover the cost of building the associated mixed use commercial/residential development.

Ramsey Marina will have full amenities and access to repair and maintenance facilities, as well as a wide range of shops offering everything from chandlery to local artisan foods.

Alongside the marina will be a mixed-use residential/commercial development. The residential units will range from 1 bedroom apartments to 3-4 bedroom townhouses. These will be ideal pieds-à-terres for yachtsmen who would like to keep their vessels in Ramsey on a permanent basis.

Berthing fees will be on a par with other similar marinas in the Irish Sea.

The overall investment in building the marina will be in the region of £100m, which includes roughly £50m to build the marina itself and the other £50m to cover the cost of building the associated mixed use commercial/residential development.The overall investment in building the marina will be in the region of £100m, which includes roughly £50m to build the marina itself and the other £50m to cover the cost of building the associated mixed use commercial/residential development.

RML is also planning to set up the Island’s “National Maritime Sports Centre” which will apply for full accreditation with the RYA, British Canoeing and others to provide courses catering for beginners through to professional qualifications. Similar to other centres it will offer accommodation.

The marina will host a range of bars and restaurants in addition to those already in the town of Ramsey. It will also include a boutique hotel that will showcase the Island’s local food, including its world-renowned shellfish.

Further details of the proposed marina can be found at www.ramseymarina.com.

To register an interest in a berth, download and complete the form from the website. Once completed please submit to: [email protected]. Respondents will receive a formal acknowledgement of receipt of the forms by RML. Priority will be given strictly on a “first come, first served” basis.

Published in Isle of Man
Tagged under

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

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