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Displaying items by tag: N. Ireland

17th July 2009

Newcastle Yacht Club

Newcastle Yacht Club, South Promenade, Newcastle, Co. Down BT33 0EY, N. Ireland. Tel: +44 (0)28 4372 6515

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Published in Clubs
17th July 2009

East Antrim Boat Club

Located on the edge of Larne Lough in East Antrim Northern Ireland, we believe our club to be situated on some of the best sailing waters in the UK.

With members of all ages and ambitions, we have a healthy mix from cruising yachts through to competitive dinghies. 

The focus of our sailing is on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and weekends throughout the season. 

East Antrim Boat Club, Curran Point, Larne, Co. Antrim BT40 1AU, N. Ireland

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Published in Clubs
17th July 2009

Donaghadee Sailing Club

Donaghadee Sailing Club is located in the seaside town of Donaghadee on the east coast of Northern Ireland. Donaghadee comes from the Irish - Domhnach Daoi meaning 'Daoi’s Church'. Donaghadee has a long history with many of it's prominent features dating back as far as Norman times. For a long time the harbour has been the hub of the town and the history of the harbour goes back as far as the 17th century. The modern harbour was constructed in 1821 and has been a haven for local fishermen, sailors and visitors alike. The harbour also acted as a ferrying point between Northern Ireland and the Scottish village of Portpatrick on the Galloway coast.

Donaghadee Sailing Club was formed in 1970 to provide facilities for the local sailing community. The sailing club is housed at 20 Shore Street, on the seafront overlooking the harbour and bay. Donaghadee Sailing Club has gained in popularity over the years and now boasts a strong membership with members of all ages. The sailing club provides sailing opportunities to its members and has developed an extensive training programme, teaching people of varying abilities and all ages to sail. Through the running of this successful training programme we have achieved the status of being an RYA recognised training centre. Furthermore, DSC has achieved RYA championship club status and is also recognised as an RYA Sailability centre. With all this activity and increasing numbers over the years we had out-grown our premises and facilities and with a lot of hard work by our dedicated club members starting in 2005 the club commenced redevelopment plans and subsequently was successful in receiving substantial funding from Sport NI. We have also received funding from other bodies, local businesses, members of the local community and of course our own club members. Construction of the new DSC clubhouse began in October 2008 and completion will be in April 2009.

The new clubhouse has been designed with training in mind and has impressive facilities for the benfit of all.

Wet/Dry training rooms
Large changing facilities including Adult/Junior/Disabled areas
Large multi-function room incorporating bar and catering facilities, with stunning sea views
Multi-function training room with large projection screen
Visitor changing/showering facilities
 
Donaghadee Sailing Club, 20 Shore Street Donaghadee, Co. Down BT21 0D, N. Ireland. Tel: 02891 884270
 
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Published in Clubs

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!