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The Sailors of Dublin Bay 21s committee have announced further details of the membership structure ahead of the upcoming inaugural season.

Weather permitting, the plan is to launch the fleet comprising Naneen, Estelle, Geraldine and Garavogue in mid-May, pending the completion of final works on the boats, and racing will commence as soon as possible thereafter.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, racing will be on Tuesdays and Saturdays from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire with the DBSC fleet.

Based on feedback from interested racers, the committee identified various levels of interest and experience, from skippers crew and regular sailors to occasional sailors and shore supporters.

The committee therefore proposed the following membership structure:

  • Annual Membership €50: become part of the Dublin Bay 21 family, receive regular updates on the restoration project and be entitled to one sailing experience per season on a 21 boat.

In addition to the membership subscription, crewing participation is available to purchase as follows:

  • Regular season crew: be part of the regular crew for the boats throughout the sailing season for €450 (total €500)
  • Occasional season crew: partake in up to six crewing opportunities on the boats throughout the sailing season for €200 (total €250)

Crews will be allocated their preferred dates where possible depending on overall demand for an individual slot.

The committee says they are currently finalising the booking process and a secure online payment system along with the membership application form with an update on this to come shortly.

For more information contact Sean Doyle at [email protected] or 086 232 6636.

Published in Dublin Bay 21
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The next stage in the Dublin Bay 21 restoration project is getting out on the water and racing the Naneen, Garavogue, Estelle and Geraldine in their original sailing condition.

And that’s exactly what will be happening later this month with the launch of the 2023 DB21 season, racing on Tuesdays and Saturdays from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire with the DBSC fleet.

Experienced sailors, competent crew and even novices are all welcome to take part, with a complement of three to five per each of the four boats that have been restored to their 1902 glory.

For the modest sum of €500, you can subscribe to a 2023 season ticket which will allow access to the 40 DBSC races, and every effort will be given to fairly meeting subscriber preferences.

All subscriptions go solely towards annual maintenance of the fleet, with all capital costs met by the Dublin Bay 21 Footer Class Association.

For more details on the season, see the Eventbrite page HERE.

Published in Dublin Bay 21
Tagged under

National Watersports Campus, Dun Laoghaire

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Stakeholders combined forces in 2019 to promote a project to improve the Harbour’s infrastructure resulting in improved access, job creation and greater tourism potential. 

A grant application to government made by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCoCo) assisted by stakeholders was successful with the announcement of a €400k feasibility study grant from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) in January 2020.

It meant plans for the €8m National Watersports Campus at Dun Laoghaire Harbour got the green light from Government and came a step closer to reality.

The project recognises deficits in the current set up in the harbour, proposing the construction of an all-tide publicly-accessible slipway (none currently in the Greater Dublin Area) as well as a marine services facility, providing a much-needed home for the supporting industry. 

The campus also seeks to provide a marketing framework to make boating more accessible to the general public.

The benefits of such an increase might be obvious for the Dun Laoghaire waterfront but there are other spin-offs for the harbour town in the creation of the sort of jobs that cannot be shipped abroad.

Centre for Community Watersports activity and public slipway

  • High-Performance coaching centre
  • Flexible Event Space for hosting national and international events
  • Multipurpose Building
  • Campus Marketing and Promotional Centre
  • Accommodation for Irish Sailing and Irish Underwater Council
  • Shared NGB Facility
  • Education Centre for schools, community groups and clubs
  • Proposed site – Carlisle Pier

Watersports Campus FAQs

Similar to the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, the watersports campus will provide quality, public, recreational and high-performance facilities for the many watersports participants. The Campus will considerably enhance the services currently provided by more than 30 clubs and activity centres to over 50,000 annual users of the harbour.

The passing of control of the harbour to DLRCC, the public appetite for a community benefitting project and the capital funding for sports infrastructure in the Project 2040 National Plan have aligned to create an opportunity to deliver this proposal.

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) and the Irish Sailing Association (Irish Sailing) are the project leads, endorsed by the National Governing Bodies of other Irish watersports and clubs and activity providers.

The National Sports Policy, published in 2018, established the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) to provide Exchequer support for sports facility projects. In some cases, these may be projects where the primary objective will be to increase active participation in sport. In other cases, these may be venues where the focus is more related to high-performance sport.

Government has allocated at least €100m over the term to 2027 to successful applicant projects.

The Watersports Campus was one of seven successful applicants for Stream 1 funding allowing planning to commence on the project design and feasibility. €442,000 has been granted in this phase.

NThe project will provide for a municipally-owned public access facility to include a small craft slipway that is accessible at all stages of the tide (currently none in public ownership in the greater Dublin area), storage and lock-up resources, watersports event management space, a high-performance centre and NGB accommodation.

The project aims to enhance the profile of Dun Laoghaire as a major international venue for maritime events, shows and conferences. Establish Dun Laoghaire as the 'go-to place' for anything marine – generating revenues Create employment in the county - attract businesses, visitors and events. Grow the market for watersports Promote the services of activity providers to the public. Complement the plan to develop Dun Laoghaire as a 'destination.'

As of January 1 2021, The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has approved the applicant project and DLRCC are expected to appoint a team to further advance the project.

©Afloat 2020