Talks to bring a round of the 'SailGP' sailing Grand Prix to Dublin Bay in 2022 have encountered strong headwinds over a lack of shoreside space at Ireland's biggest sailing centre at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Afloat sources say.

It is the second world-class sailing event to consider an Irish port as a potential venue with Cork Harbour's bid for the 37th America's Cup also up and running.

Although Fáilte Ireland chiefs and officials from Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are in talks with SailGP, it is understood the east coast Harbour and Ireland's biggest marine leisure centre, cannot facilitate the circuit, due to a lack of shoreside space required by race organisers.

SailGP teams compete in identical F50 wing sailed catamarans that can reach speeds of up to 100km/h and each six-race Grand Prix event runs across two days.

The $1m prize is the biggest award in the sport of sailing.

Currently, eight teams representing Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States contest eight events held in as many countries over an 11-month period. The prospect of an Irish crew has been mooted. 

SailGP is the global sailing grand Prix series created by former America’s Cup yacht race winners Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour - an area to the right of the town marina has been ruled out as a base for a potential SailGP tour due to bus parking requirements for visiting cruise liners recommencing in 2022. 

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the Fine Gael Dún Laoghaire TD, initiated discussions around a bid in January.  Discussions with key organisers in harbour yacht clubs got the green light.

However, a Dun Laoghaire source told Afloat this week: "it's dead, deader than dead". "There is no room in the harbour shoreside to accommodate SailGP's excessive needs".

The former ferry marshalling was earmarked to provide the required shoreside space for the teams with their fifty-foot craft and equipment but Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council's anticipation of the return of a busy cruise season at the harbour in 2022 has scuppered this.

The marshalling area, located to the east of the town marina, will be required for buses catering for cruise-line passenger excursions.

Up to 70 cruise liners are expected to berth off Dun Laoghaire Harbour in 2022 and works commenced this week on a new coach park facility at the site.

The harbour's vacant Carlisle Pier, empty save for occasional visiting Belgian trawlers, was ruled out as 'not big enough', according to sources.

Promoters say each two-day SailGP event is estimated to be worth about €20m to the local economy

Andrew Thompson, SailGP's chief commercial and financial officer, told the Irish Examiner newspaper last Saturday "SailGP opened its bid process for season 3 – starting 2022 – in March".

"SailGP received an overwhelming response from across the globe"

"Among the cities that approached SailGP is an expression of interest from a bid team from Dublin, Ireland.

"There is no doubt that Ireland would be a fantastic destination to host our annual, global racing league featuring the sport’s best athletes."

While sections of the tiny Irish sailing community are getting behind bids for the two biggest prizes in world yachting, Cork's €190m America's Cup campaign and the Dublin SailGP both are facing major hurdles as Afloat's WM Nixon points out here in relation to the 37th AC.

Cork Harbour is still in the running to host the 2024 America’s Cup yacht race after the organisers extended the venue selection process.

Cork has also been identified as a possible SailGP venue too.

More from The Examiner here

As one Dun Laoghaire Harbour commemoration is completed at the refurbished baths, another town memorial to name all those who were on-board the torpedoed RMS Leinster on Dublin Bay remains long overdue, says campaigner Joe Ryan 

This will be the 103rd anniversary of the sinking of this vital link to the rest of the World during WW1. Since 2016 I have been trying to have a site allocated for a Memorial to name all who were on-board RMS Leinster that fateful day, just a month before the armistice on 11/11/1918. Others, including Des Branigan, who owned the wreck until its 100th anniversary, when it became State property, have endeavoured to commemorate all the names on a Memorial.

There has been a Memorial to RMS Titanic in Belfast since 1923, but for the 100th anniversary in 2012, it was added to with a wall containing all the names of those on board.

Similarly, there are Memorials to RMS Lusitania, but in 2015 a Garden and Memorial naming all those on-board was opened at the Old Head of Kinsale 100 years after it was sunk.

The RMS Leinster departed from the Carlisle Pier on its final voyage on the 10th October 1918 

All we request is that Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) allocates a site to our committee, and we will do the fundraising. There are many organisations and companies associated with RMS Leinster, still in existence, which we can approach for donations. We can't start this work until we have a site.

The Titanic Memorial Garden Belfast City Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland

In 2019, I was joined by two RMS Leinster 100th Anniversary Committee members, Richard Cruise, Chairman and David Cotter, Treasurer, to form our Memorial Committee. Ours is a small, focused committee with just one aim, to have the Memorial built.

(Above and below) RMS Leinster Wreath laying in 2020. The RMS Leinster Memorial Committee member Richard Cruise was laying the wreath in 2020 in a social distanced small gathering that included local TDs and Councillors. The RMS Leinster Memorial Committee say hopefully more people can attend this year if pandemic rules allow it.

We have huge backing from relatives of those who were lost or survived the tragedy, from politicians, businessmen, organisations and people who have no association with the tragedy but feel it should be properly commemorated.

We have made submissions to the Harbour Plan, the County Plan and the Heritage Plan and await their deliberations. A local Councillor has a motion requesting DLRCC to allocate a site that is taking time to be heard.

DLRCC has owned the site we are requesting since 03/10/18 but have steadfastly refused to engage with us even at the behest of many local Ministers, TDs and Councillors.

We remain hopeful that the Council will engage with us. Even though we can't start fundraising, we have had generous pledges from several people and organisations.

European funding was available, but the Council did not seek it. We have said that we will not commence building until all the funds plus contingency is in the Bank. Apart from allocating the site, we are not asking DLRCC to contribute any further, but we have made submissions to Heritage and Arts Departments of DLRCC for local initiative funds of €5,000 to run a competition to design the Memorial which should be organised by DLRCC, being the owner of the site. If that funding is not forthcoming, we will fundraise for it too but still feel that DLRCC should organise the competition.

• RMS Leinster Memorial Committee will lay a wreath at the anchor donated by Des Branigan at 10:00 on 10/10/2021.

The arrival of Thunderchild II into Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Friday gave rise to speculation that a Dublin powerboat record attempt might be on the cards this weekend, given the 80–mph Zero Dark RIB was also berthed at the town marina.

Both vessels have set separate Cork Fastnet Cork speed UIM record times, and it is understood both have an appetite to set further record times off the Irish coast. The latest time was set last month, as Afloat reported here.

On this occasion, though, it transpires the Frank Kowalski skippered Thunderchild was simply on her way home to Cork Harbour from a voyage to Iceland and had merely stopped off for a refuel at Ireland's biggest marina.

However, John Ryan's Zero Dark RIB may yet have her eye on some UIM record times while based in the capital's waters.

The high-speed RIB has been out Dublin Bay clocking up some impressive speeds over the past two weekends.

More news on any record attempt as we have it.

Thunderchild II off Cork Photo: Bob Bateman 

Fifty-one years to the day after he was rescued from a capsized dinghy and inspired to join a lifeboat crew, Stephen Wynne is retiring as Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI’s Lifeboat Operations Manager, a position he has held for over three decades. Stephen will however, continue to volunteer for the lifeboat station as Deputy Launching Authority.

Recalling his own rescue by the RNLI on the 10 September 1970, Stephen said it was fitting that he chose the anniversary that inspired him to get involved with the charity as the day he would hand over the reins:

‘I was rescued from a capsized dinghy outside Dun Laoghaire by the then Coxswain, the late Eric Offer and his crew on the Waveney class lifeboat which was the first class of lifeboats operated by the RNLI capable of operating at speeds in excess of 10 knots. While I was too young to join at the time, I made a decision then when I came out of hospital that when I met the age eligibility, I was going to become a volunteer crew member.’

True to his word, Stephen joined the RNLI lifeboat community in 1975 and became a crew member in 1977. He later became a Deputy Launching Authority in 1987 and became Honorary Secretary, a position known now as Lifeboat Operations Manager, in 1990.

For the last 31 years in this role, Stephen has been responsible for managing all operational activities, authorising the launch of both the all-weather and inshore lifeboats and the day-to-day management of the station.

It is a position he has relished and one which he will miss: ‘Volunteers have always been at the heart of the RNLI and essential in saving lives at sea. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve first as a crew member, then as Deputy Launching Authority and later Lifeboat Operations Manager. My contribution over the years however, has been part of a wider team effort and I want to thank the dedicated team around me in Dun Laoghaire for all that they do - the lifeboat crew, shore crew, station officers, management and fundraisers. I also want to thank the many members of the public who always give their support so generously and donate what they can to power Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s lifesaving work.’

Peter Harty, RNLI Area Lifesaving Manager, paid tribute to Stephen: ‘Stephen is the epitome of an RNLI volunteer. Utterly dedicated to saving lives at sea, he has lived the RNLI’s core values of selflessness, dependability, trustworthiness and courage in all that he does. He joined the lifeboat community at Dun Laoghaire in 1975, after he was rescued at sea. During this time, he has provided outstanding leadership and support to operational lifesavers. We are delighted that Stephen is not lost to us as he will be remaining with Dun Laoghaire RNLI as a Deputy Launching Authority.’

Ed Totterdell, also a Deputy Launching Authority, will take up the role as the new Lifeboat Operations Manager.

A new report commissioned by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council details the works required for a proposed new seasonal cruise tender pontoon in the harbour.

The plans are part of upgrades to Dun Laoghaire Harbour which expects 70 cruise liner visits in 2022 as the industry bounces back from its pandemic shutdown.

As the report prepared by consultants RPS details, the scheme involves the installation of a seasonal pontoon for use by tenders that would ferry passengers back and forth between the harbour and cruise liners at anchor in Dublin Bay.

Earmarked for Berth 4 on St Michael’s Pier, the modular pontoon would measure 40 metres in length — double that of the floating concrete pontoon that’s proposed on the Dun Laoghaire Harbour website — with a minimum width of 4.5m.

The project would also involve the construction of two separate accesses, an articulating gangway of 30m in length and self-levelling steps (10m) with a cantilevered steel bankseat platform.

As the pontoon would only be in position during the cruise season, the whole system “must be removable and able to be detached and relocated for storage during the off-season”, the report states.

In addition, the project as proposed does not entail any works that require Foreshore Licencing and/or consenting.

More details can be found in the DLR Cruise Tender Pontoon works requirements report, attached below.

Just christened by the Flemish Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries last month the new state-of-the-art beam trawler, Z.98 Windroos, from Zeebrugge is the first of the new generation of Belgian beam trawlers to arrive in Ireland.

Fishing for sole, plaice, skate or monkfish the 38-metre Z.98 Windroos operates in the southern or central North Sea, the Irish Sea and the western waters or the Bay of Biscay. 

Dun Laoghaire Harbour’s strategic location as an EU port in the middle of the Irish Sea may have been overlooked by commercial fishing fleets for years but since Brexit, it appears Belgian fishermen have been quick to see the advantage of the Dublin Bay port. 

Windroos is the third brand new Belgian beam trawl vessel to be commissioned this year, after 20 years without replacements, according to Belgian fishing sources.

A beam trawl net is held open by a steel beam with two 'shoes' and pulled over the seafloor and mostly used to catch shrimps, flatfish or fish living close to the bottom.

Royal Irish Yacht Club sailor Guy Kilroy was the winner of Wednesday's DBSC Water Wag Captain's Prize Race at Dun Laoghaire that attracted a fine turnout of 31 Wag dinghies for the annual in-harbour race. 

Second was the National Yacht Club's Cathy MacAleavey and third was RIYC's William Prentice. 

Overall, after 14 races sailed for the Jubilee Cup Series, Alistair Kissane's Shindilla was crowned the winner with MacAleavey's Mariposa second and Kilroy's Swift third.

The full results are here.

A fantastic turnout of 31 Water Wags for the Captain's Prize Race at Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Barry O'Neill

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is recruiting for a Marine Officer to fulfil the role of Harbour Master for Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The Marine Officer will be required to maintain a safe port; ensure that all statutory, regulatory and conservancy duties are carried out; enforce harbour bye-laws and Regulations; levy rates and charges; manage port emergencies and the port environment; and ensure compliance with port security, environmental, health and safety and other relevant legislation.

The ideal candidate is expected to have a proven track record in a number of areas, including experience as a shop or port security officer, programme and project management, budgeting skills and experience leading and working with a multi-disciplined team.

It is also essential that the candidate holds a full Irish/EU driving license (category B) free from endorsement and has access to their own motor vehicle.

Further details on the position are available as a PDF on the DLRCoCo website, as is the application form.

Completed applications should be returned by email only to [email protected] not later than 12 noon on Thursday 16 September.

Latvian and Italian sailors were crowned ILCA Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships at Dún Laoghaire Harbour on Saturday following a week-long competition on Dublin Bay.

More than 230 competitors representing 31 countries competed in the largest international sporting event taking place in Ireland this year.

The event was hosted jointly by the Royal St George Yacht Club and the National Yacht Club.

With mixed weather across the week of sailing, there was stiff competition for the international sailors.

In the boys fleet, Martins Atilia of Latvia took home gold, while Greek sailor Alexandros Eleftheriadis took silver and Massimiliano Antoniazzi won the bronze medal.

The winner of the competition in the girls fleet was Emma Mattivi of Italy, followed by Croatian Petra Marednic and Italian Gaia Bolzonella in second and third place respectively.

The Irish boys were led by Rocco Wright of Howth in 49th and Dún Laoghaire’s Archie Daly in 61st place. The best of the Irish girls were Tralee’s Eimer McMorrow in 38th and Dún Laoghaire’s Anna O’Connor in 40th. 

Vilamoura, Portugal is the host for the 2022 ILCA4 Youth World Championships

Final ICLA4 Youth World Championship Results;

Girls Gold: 1st Emma Mattivi (ITA), 2nd Petra Marednic (CRO), 3rd Gaia Bolzonella (ITA), 4th Claudia Adán Lledó (ESP), 5th Annemijn Algra (NED), 6th Roos Wind (NED), 7th Johanna Böckl (AUT), 8th Gabriëla Groenewegen Van Der Weijden (GRE), 9th Giorgia Bonalana (ITA), 10th Alina Iuorio (ITA).

Boys Gold: 1st Martins Atilla (LAT), 2nd Alexandros Eleftheriadis (GRE), 3rd Massimiliano Antoniazzi (ITA), 4th Joan Ravie (ESP), 5th Hidde Wapstra (NED), 6th Hidde Schraffordt (NED), 7th Max Frank (NED), 8th Daniel Cardona Balsa (ESP), 9th Can Veysel Kaska (TUR), 10th Miguel Sancho (POR).

Girls Silver: 1st Cristina Castellanos (GUA), 2nd Arwen Fflur (GBR), 3rd Donna-Tinke Huijsmans (NED), 4th Léonie Baudet (SUI), 5th Isabella Mendoza Cabezas (USA), 6th Anna Vasilieva (USA), 7th Ava Anderson (USA), 8th Paula Bestard Mayol (ESP), 9th Cannelle Opstaele (BEL), 10th Mikaela Panagopoulou (GRE).

Boys Silver: 1st Benjamin Reeser, 2nd Oisín Mac Sweeney (IRL), 3rd Antonio Pascali (GBR), 4th Karel Ratnik (EST), 5th Jacob Zils (USA), 6th Keijiro Kikkawa (GBR), 7th Andrea Dubois (SUI), 8th Florian Vreeburg (NED), 9th Connor Demming (USA), 10th João Pacheco (POR).

U16 Boys: 1st Alexandros Eleftheriadis (GRE), 2nd Hidde Schraffordt (NED), 3rd Dionysios Kalpogiannakis (GRE)

U16 Girls: 1st Adriana Castro (ESP), 2nd Audrey Foley (USA), 3rd Signe Brinkert (NED).

Irish Girls: 1st Eimer McMorrow Moriarty, 2nd Anna O'Connor, 3rd Hannah Dadley-Young, 4th Sienna Wright, 5th Iseult Hogan, 6th Ella Dempsey, 7th Una Connell, 8th Emma Lynch, 9th Megan O'Sullivan, 10th Isabel Mc Carthy.

Irish Boys: 1st Rocco Wright, 2nd Archie Daly, 3rd Luke Turvey, 4th James Dwyer, 5th Oisín Mac Sweeney, 6th Darragh Collins, 7th Christian Ennis, 8th Oisin Hughes, 9th Russell Bolger, 10th Patrick Bruen.

Full boys results are here for and girls here

Link to Afloat's event coverage here

Photo gallery of Laser 4.7 Youth Worlds at Dun Laoghaire Harbour below

ILCA 4/Laser 4.7 World Youth competitors launched at Dun Laoghaire with 18-20 knot southwesterly winds, but the 30-knot gusts that blew through the Dublin Bay racecourses were the true test for the 229 boats taking part in the first day of the final series of racing.

With the qualifying series complete at the National Yacht Club and Royal St. George Yacht Club hosted event the sailors were divided into Gold and Silver fleets in both the boy's and girl's divisions.

229 sailors are competing from 31 different countries for the overall prize.

Another change at the top of the leader board in the Girl's fleet tonight was well earned after Emma Mattivi (ITA) scored an impressive 2, 1 today to move one point clear of Petra Marednic (CRO). Gaia Bolzonella (ITA) moved from 4th overnight top 3rd overall with a strong and consistent 1, 3 and as we look to tomorrow, its all to play for.

Tralee Bay's Eimer McMorrow Moriarty is top Irish Girl in (38th). Anna O'Connor (40th) is hot on her heels in the Girl's gold fleet.

In the boy's division Martins Atilla (LAT) moved from second to first with a solid performance to record a 1, 5. Alexandros Eleftheriadis (GRE) slipped back to second overall with a 7, 14 showing just how difficult it was to find the podium today. Massimiliano Antoniazzi (ITA) climbed several places with a 2, 4.

Rocco Wright representing Howth Yacht Club holds onto the position of top-performing Irish boy in 53rd. Archie Daly (58th) and James Dwyer (65th) make up the top three Irish boys.

Strong and gusty conditions are forecast for the penultimate day's racing tomorrow before the final day on Saturday.

The organisers say the Championships is one of the largest international sporting events taking place in Ireland this year. 

Boys results are here for and girls here

Racing continues from 10:30 am