Displaying items by tag: East Coast Rowing

19th February 2018

2018 East Coast Rowing Fixtures Published

Following yesterday’s AGM of the East Coast Rowing Council, the fixture list for their 2018 regatta season has been released. (Downloadable below). Crews of men, women, and children from Skerries in the north to Arklow in the south will compete for the individual regatta medals and trophies, for the championship league positions, and for the overall club shields.

In a departure from tradition, which is that regattas are held on a Sunday unless there is a bank holiday, the fixture list includes a Saturday Regatta in June. It is relative newcomers Skerries Rowing Club, established in 2012, that have taken this bold move. Holding with tradition, the 140th Wicklow Regatta will be held on the August Bank Holiday Monday

Regattas are held on the ‘home’ courses of each club., on the bays, estuaries, and open water of the east coast of Ireland. All regattas feature races from Under 12s through to Senior Men and Senior Women, with 5-12 boats per race and up to 13 races spread over the afternoon.

Last year was a hugely busy and successful year on the East Coast, with the St. Michael’s Regatta in Dun Laoghaire falling just 2 crews short of the all-time record for entries, which was set at the 2017 Wicklow Regatta at 125 crews. In terms of results, the two Ringsend clubs managed to share the overall season’s spoils between them, with Stella Maris taking the Junior Shield, and St. Patrick’s taking both the Senior Shield and the Overall Shield.

Clubs can look forward to strong growth over the coming year, with new builds for 7 East Coast skiffs having been awarded grant aid in the 2017 round of Sports Capital Grants. With these boats being unique to Dublin and Wicklow, the growth of the fleet is a source of pride for all who row these fine boats.

Published in Coastal Rowing

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East Coast Rowing Gets Extended 2017 Fixtures Calendar

The new schedule for coastal rowing regattas accommodates this growing sport in Dublin and Wicklow

This week sees the launch of the fixture list for the East Coast Coastal Rowing regatta circuit 2017. Crews of men, women, and children from Skerries in the north to Arklow in the south will compete for the individual regatta medals and trophies, for the championship league positions, and for the overall club shields. Fixtures can be found below.

To facilitate the recent growth in the sport, this year sees the season being extended earlier, into mid-May, and later, into mid-August. The 139th Wicklow Regatta will be held on the August Bank Holiday Monday, but in a break with tradition, there will be an official regatta after this fixture, hosted by Dalkey Rowing Club.

Regattas are held largely on Sundays on the 'home' courses of each club. All regattas feature races from Under 12s through to Senior Men and Senior Women, with 5-12 boats per race and up to 13 races spread over the afternoon.

This fixture list arises off the back of Sunday's East Coast Rowing Council AGM, where exciting prospects for the season ahead were discussed. Skerries Rowing Club’s regatta will be held in conjunction with the Skerries Water Festival and St. Michael’s Rowing Club of Dun Laoghaire will be collaborating with the Volvo (sailing) regatta and the Dun Laoghaire Harbour bicentennial. The newly formed Fingal Rowing Club was also admitted to the ECRC.

Last year was a hugely busy and successful year on the East Coast, with the Wicklow Regatta beating the all-time record for entries and 125 crews. The two Ringsend clubs managed to share the overall spoils between them, with St. Patricks taking the Senior Shield, and Stella Maris taking both the Junior Shield and the Overall Shield.

2017 events and regattas

Arklow Rowing Club, Arklow Sun 21 May
Skerries Rowing Club, Skerries Sun 18 June
Bray Rowing Club, Bray Sun 25 June
St. Michael’s Rowing Club, Dun Laoghaire Sun 9 July
Stella Maris Rowing Club, Ringsend Sun 16 July
St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Ringsend Sun 30 July
Greystones Rowing Club, Greystones Sat 5 August
Wicklow Rowing Club, Wicklow Mon 7 August
Dalkey Rowing Club, Sandycove Sun 13 August

Published in Coastal Rowing

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East Coast Rowers Line Up for 2015, Download Coastal Rowing Fixtures Here!

#coastalrowing – This week sees the launch of the fixture list for the East Coast Rowing regatta circuit. Crews of men, women, and children from Skerries in the north to Courtown in the south will compete for the individual regatta medals and trophies, for the championship league positions, and for the overall club shields. Download the East Coast Fixtures List for 2015 below as a jpeg file.

The season kicks off on 7th June at the Arklow Regatta, and continues for most Sundays at the 'home' courses of each club. The season finishes with the traditional August Bank Holiday 'Double Header' at Greystones on Saturday 1st, followed by the 138th annual Wicklow Regatta on Monday 3rd. All regattas feature races from Under 12s through to Senior Men and Senior Women, with 5-12 boats per race and around 13 races spread over the afternoon.

This fixture list arises off the back of Sunday's East Coast Rowing Council AGM, where exciting prospects for the season ahead were discussed. It is hoped to see a tentative return to regatta racing for the newly reborn East Wall Rowing Club, with other new entrants in the offing too. Arklow and Bray Rowing Clubs will celebrate their 25th and 80th anniversaries respectively, and there will be interesting changes to the race courses at both Arklow and the St. Michael's course at Dún Laoghaire. Congratulations were extended to Dalkey Rowing Club who have a new rowing skiff under construction.

Last year was a hugely busy and successful year on the East Coast, with some regattas pushing 100 crews. The two Ringsend clubs managed to share the overall spoils between them, with St. Patricks taking the Senior Shield, and Stella Maris taking both the Junior Shield and the Overall Shield.

Published in Coastal Rowing

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How old is Galway port?

Galway was founded in the 13th century by the de Burgo family, and became an important seaport with sailing ships bearing wine imports and exports of fish, hides and wool.

How old is Galway bay?

Not as old as previously thought. Galway bay was once a series of lagoons, known as Loch Lurgan, plied by people in log canoes. Ancient tree stumps exposed by storms in 2010 have been dated back about 7,500 years.

What is the tonnage of the port?

It is about 660,000 tonnes as it is a tidal port.

Who is the harbourmaster of Galway port?

Capt Brian Sheridan, who succeeded his late father, Capt Frank Sheridan

When are the lock gates open?

The dock gates open approximately two hours before high water and close at high water subject to ship movements on each tide.

What's the biggest ship that can 'fit' in the harbour?

The typical ship sizes are in the region of 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes

Is renewable energy generating a lot of business for Galway port?

Turbines for about 14 wind projects have been imported in recent years, but the tonnage of these cargoes is light. A European industry report calculates that each turbine generates €10 million in locally generated revenue during construction and logistics/transport.

Is Galway a European cable location?

Yes, Iceland has selected Galway as European landing location for international telecommunications cables. Farice, a company wholly owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe.

What's the update on the Galway port expansion plans?

It is "very much a live project", Harbourmaster Capt Sheridan says, and the Port of Galway board is "awaiting the outcome of a Bord Pleanála determination", he says.

Where does all the scrap go at Galway Port?

90% of the scrap steel is exported to Spain with the balance being shipped to Portugal. Since the pandemic, scrap steel is shipped to the Liverpool where it is either transhipped to larger ships bound for China.

Why is Galway Port exporting silage and the Irish farmers are crying out for it?

It might look like silage, but in fact, its bales domestic and municipal waste, exported to Denmark where the waste is incinerated, and the heat is used in district heating of homes and schools. It is called RDF or Refuse Derived Fuel and has been exported out of Galway since 2013.

When is the new ferry starting service from Galway?

The new ferry is arriving at Galway Bay onboard the cargo ship SVENJA. The vessel is currently on passage to Belem, Brazil before making her way across the Atlantic to Galway.

Is the Volvo Ocean Race coming back to Galway?

Two Volvo round world races have selected Galway for the prestigious yacht race route. Some 10,000 people welcomed the boats in during its first stopover in 2009, when a festival was marked by stunning weather. It was also selected for the race finish in 2012. The Volvo has changed its name and is now known as the "Ocean Race". Capt Sheridan says that once port expansion and the re-urbanisation of the docklands is complete, the port will welcome the "ocean race, Clipper race, Tall Ships race, Small Ships Regatta and maybe the America's Cup right into the city centre...".

When is Seafest coming back to Galway?

The pandemic was the reason why Seafest did not go ahead in Cork in 2020. Galway will welcome Seafest back after it calls to Waterford and Limerick, thus having been to all the Port cities.