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Displaying items by tag: Calls to Address

Taking control at the Department of Defence is Tánaiste Simon Coveney who said one of his immediate priorities in the role will be to address the manpower crisis in the Naval Service, writes Irish Examiner.

A year ago, the navy had to tie-up two of its ships because it lacked crews and a third could follow suit before the end of the year if personnel continue to leave at the current rate.

Mr Coveney said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland that the Naval Service needs a “response” from him well in advance of a Commission which is to be set up to examine all aspects of Defence.

PDForra, which represents 6,800 enlisted personnel in the Defence Forces, said the first step Mr Coveney should take is to increase allowances across the Defence Forces.

General secretary, Ger Guinan, said further increases in allowances are needed in the Army, Air Corps and in particular the Naval Service: “Doing this is an absolute necessity, and it must be recognised it is most needed in the Naval Service."

For more on this story click here in addition to the newspaper's previous related coverage written by Colonel Dorcha Lee (retd) who is a former Defence Forces Provost Marshal and Director of Military Police.

Published in Navy

About Match Racing

A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.

In yacht racing, it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with their results being combined.

A match race consists of two identical boats racing against each other. With effective boat handling and clever use of wind and currents, a trailing boat can escape the grasp of the leader and pass. The leader uses blocking techniques to hold the other boat back. This one-on-one duel is a game of strategy and tactics.

About the World Match Racing Tour

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors