Displaying items by tag: Gannets

8th June 2018

Plastic Problem For Gannets On Little Skellig

Little Skellig hosts Ireland’s largest colony of northern gannets

#MarineWildlife - Concerns have been raised over the levels of plastic pollution at an important gannet colony on the smallest of the Skellig Islands.

As The Irish Times reports, discarded plastic waste – including parts of old fishing gear in the Atlantic for more than a decade – now comprises a large proportion of the material used by some 70,000 gannets to build their nests on Little Skellig.

And conservationists fear the problem is being ignored by authorities focused on marketing nearby Skellig Michael to tourists based on it appearance in recent Star Wars films.

“I film marine life underwater [and] it’s very difficult to get a frame without plastic in it, and that wasn’t an issue 15 years ago,” said local filmmaker Vincent Hyland, who added that plastic pollution levels had reached “frightening proportions” in the last year.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Marine Wildlife

Tagged under

Scottish Series Background

Although the format of the Scottish Series varies little from year to year, it is interesting to see some of the changes which the event has seen over the years:

CYCA handicap class added to IOR (1976)

IOR level rating classes to reflect the popular sizes and World Championships being held in the UK

Separate one design class for Sonatas (1980 to date)

Campbeltown dropped with offshore races direct to Tarbert (1982)

Unique light displacement CYCA class - the forerunner of today's sportboats (1982)

Computer results system introduced in 1982 and now recognised as the best in the UK

Separate one design class for Sigma 33 (1987 to date)

Separate one design classes in certain years for Impalas, Sigma 38, Melges 24 and Cork 1720

Inner triangle to shorten courses for smaller classes (1986)

Points loading for offshore race reduced from 2 to 1.5 to 1

First racing in Scotland under Channel Handicap (1988)

Second racecourse for smaller classes (1989)

Discard introduced

Windward leeward races - two per day (1993)

Sportboat classes with no overnight races (1994)

Marquee on quayside for main social events (1995-2008)

Restricted Sail Class (1998)

Third racecourse for sportboats with up to three races per day (1998)

Day feeder races (2002)

Overnight and day feeder races discontinued (2005)

Stand-alone Tarbert Inbound and Outbound passage races introduced (2005/6)

With all these changes, some things have stayed the same:

Huge support from Ireland every year since 1975

A magnificent effort ashore and afloat from the volunteer helpers of the Clyde Cruising Club, Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club and Tarbert Loch Fyne Yacht Club

Results and communications service at the forefront of technology

The best competition and the best social scene in the country

An overall Series winner, the roll call including many of the top sailors in Scotland and beyond.