Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Inland and Coastal Marina

Some of the largest concrete breakwaters to have ever been transported by road left Cork Harbour almost a year ago destined for a large international wave attenuation project in Geelong, Australia.

As the UK's Marine Industry News reported, the massive structures travelled by night to disrupt traffic as little as possible on its way to the Port of Cork. The convoy passed through small towns, where street signage and other structures had to be taken down to accommodate the wide load. Even on the motorways, toll booths had to be disassembled to allow passage before it could reach the port where the breakwaters were transferred to cargo ships for the next leg of their journey.

The breakwaters are made by Inland and Coastal Marina Systems which manufactures and exports 6m wide breakwaters from its factory in County Offaly.

“We’re making increasingly larger breakwaters to meet the growing demand to attenuate waves in more exposed sites,” says Maeve Parker, Inland and Coastal Senior Marina Engineer. “We make them in Ireland so that we can tightly control the manufacturing process, ensuring they are high-quality.

The shipping is always a fun challenge though, but the results are well worth it.”

Now the works are nearing completion in Geelong, Afloat will have an update on the Inland and Coastal Marina Systems project from down under shortly. The company has also recently completed an extension to a marina in the Hebrides as Afloat reports here.

Published in Irish Marinas

Leisure craft berthing at Stornoway Harbour marina in The Hebrides has been boosted to 155 thanks to the completion of works by Offaly firm Inland and Coastal and the installation of 75 new marina berths in Stornoway's Newton Basin.

As Afloat reported in June, The midlands firm designed and built the new pontoons using its own GRP mini-mesh decking, giving the much needed additional berths excellent anti-slip properties.

Protected by a state-of-the-art breakwater, the new Scottish berths will welcome their first resident boats in the New Year.

Offshore energy sector

This month, the busy Irish marine firm is also exhibiting at RenewableUK’s virtual Global Offshore Wind event 2020 from 28-30 October. Inland and Coastal is in the Enterprise Ireland pavilion, showcasing its 'Operational and Maintenance Base' pontoons for the offshore energy sector.

Published in Irish Marinas

County Offaly firm Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) has been appointed by The Marine and Property Group Ltd as part of a major project to modernise its Port Dinorwic Marina.

The busy marine firm that hails from Banagher in the Faithful county recently installed pontoons in Stornoway, The Hebrides as Afloat reported previously here.

Acquired by The Marine Group in 2017, the 180-berth full-service marina on the coast of North Wales will receive a complete refresh of its marina hardware as part of a major upgrade project.

As much of the existing infrastructure as possible will be adapted, but where this isn’t feasible ICMS will replace walkways and finger pontoons completely with its highly respected Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) decked pontoons. The aesthetically pleasing GRC decking remains slip resistant when wet and doesn’t rot, considerably reducing maintenance costs while increasing the longevity of the marina system.

“We are investing in several areas at Port Dinorwic Marina, including the installation of club standard washrooms, upgraded food and beverage outlets and common areas with the aim of ensuring our berth holders and visitors enjoy a first-class experience for many years to come,” says Christopher Odling-Smee, Director of The Marine & Property Group.

“We’ve chosen to work with Inland and Coastal Marina Systems as not only do they produce quality durable pontoon systems, but the team is keen to work with, and utilise, much of what currently exists, making the most efficient use of time and resources.”

Inland and Coastal Marina Systems’ Managing Director, Oliver Shortall comments: “It’s great to be involved in such an interesting project. Our GRC pontoons will provide safe and stable berthing for a long time to come at this picturesque location.

“As part of our sustainability effort, we always endeavour to work with existing infrastructure as much as possible, and we’re pleased to be able to incorporate established marina components while modernising the facilities at Port Dinorwic Marina.”

Port Dinorwic Marina is a Grade II listed marina and offers swinging moorings, a motorboat launching service and winter storage, in addition to annual and seasonal berthing. Boat sales, boatyard services and engine servicing are also available onsite.

Published in Irish Marinas

Later this summer, local and visiting leisure craft to Stornoway Harbour in The Hebrides will be enjoying 75 new marina berths in its Newton Basin – increasing capacity for leisure craft to 155. The new facilities, designed and built by County Offaly's Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS), will be protected by a state-of-the-art breakwater and complement the existing 80 berth marina that was expanded previously in 2014.

With demand again currently exceeding supply for berthing in Stornoway, ICMS is installing its leisure marina walkway and finger pontoons as part of Stornoway Port Authority’s 2017 Masterplan. The GRP mini-mesh decked pontoons will provide the much-needed additional marina berths, all with excellent anti-slip properties.

The Outer Hebrides is a key sailing destination for visitors, and Stornoway is an important link in the chain of safe havens stretching from the Butt of Lewis to the Isle of Barra. The marina’s situation on the Isle of Lewis makes access to the mainland and construction plant challenging.

The Stornoway Harbour Marina pontoon in the HebridesThe Stornoway Harbour Marina pontoon in the Hebrides

“Being in the Hebrides has its logistical issues when it comes to installation, but we always find a solution,” explains Brian Curley, Inland and Coastal Senior Project Manager. “Assembling the pontoons offsite really helps timewise and reduces the amount of specialist machinery needed in-situ.

“This exciting project will also incorporate a new slipway and boat hoist, enabling the marina to offer boatyard services to visitors and port users,” continues Brian. “We are delighted to be involved in such a prominent project in Scotland, which will be enjoyed by locals, sailors from aboard and the wider community long into the future.”

Published in Irish Marinas

County Offaly marina firm Inland and Coastal Marina Systems has successfully upgraded the ‘waiting’ jetty at Conwy Marina in North Wales. The new pontoon is now in constant use, providing users with a safe and secure place to wait for entrance into the marina.

Inland and Coastal installed a Continuous Concrete Pontoon (CCP), increasing berthing and load capacity for larger vessels. With greater wave reduction and stability properties, the system also requires less maintenance.

Due to varying water levels between the outer harbour and marina basin, access to the 500-berth marina is via a tidal sill.

“The large tidal range in the estuary here often causes the holding pontoon to ground at low water springs,” says Jon Roberts, Conwy Marina Manager. “Inland and Coastal’s continuous pontoon design works perfectly. The attention to detail also made the installation process extremely efficient. The work progressed during specific tidal gates without interfering with daily operations and I am delighted with the quality of the new structure.’’

Jon continues: “Our customers’ first impression of the marina comes from their experience on the waiting pontoon. The new pontoon, with its additional safety features and the reangled ramp to give less steep walk ashore access, make me confident that we are giving the best welcome possible.”

“Conwy is a stunning part of the coastline,” says Oliver Shortall, Inland and Coastal Managing Director. “We were delighted to provide a robust ‘waiting’ jetty. Our concrete pontoons have double the lifespan of wooden ones. The solid surfaces also offer much better grip properties - especially when wet.”

As well as continuously developing pontoon solutions for marina operators, yacht clubs and port authorities, Inland and Coastal is the official UK supplier of SeaBin, demonstrated at the recent Southampton International Boat Show.

Inland and Coastal will be exhibiting at METSTRADE on stand 05.514 in the Marina and Yard Pavilion.

Published in Irish Marinas
Page 2 of 2

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

©Afloat 2020