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Displaying items by tag: Winter Moorings

#INLAND WATERWAYS - Anyone with boats afloat on Ireland's inland waterways have been advised to check with their insurers before mooring their vessels for the winter.

Stuart McNamara of Powerboat.ie comments on the website's forum regarding his own cautionary tale while searching for a winter mooring spot for his Freeman 27, which is normally used as a training boat by Hodson Bay Watersports Athlone.

"Luckily, I checked with my insurers before I moved across the lake," he writes. "It appears that they no longer insure winter moorings unless they are at supervised marinas or floating jetties at public harbours.

"The reasoning behind this was explained to me as being the greatly increased risk from unattended mooring lines in rising water levels. I have seen many boats sinking alongside Hodson Bay Pier in recent years because of this, so the insurer's position does make sense and is understandable."

He adds: "The lesson to be learnt is to check your marine insurance if just tied alongside somewhere unattended for the winter!"

Published in Inland Waterways

RC35 Class

The concept of the RC35 Class is to bring together similar boats within a close handicap banding and to work with owners and crews to develop the best racing experience possible on the Clyde and the Irish Sea area. The Class is within a tight rating band (IRC 1.015-1.040) yacht racing will be in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Q: What is the RC35 ‘Rule’?
A: Qualifying yachts for the RC35 Class will sit within an IRC Banding of 1.015 to 1.040. In 2017 it is proposed that a tolerance of +/- 0.05pts will be permitted

Q: Are there any other criteria?
A: RC35 takes the most prevalent IRC racing boats on the Clyde and groups them within a fixed rating band. Qualifying boats will have an LOA 32ft—38ft and displacement of between 3,000kg—9,000kg. The rule also requires boats conform to ISAF Cat.4 be anti-fouled and not dry sailed. A limit of sail purchases (2 per year) also applies.

Q: What is the RC35 Championship?
A: The RC35 Championship will cover 8 events (6 to count) and include events such as Scottish Series, Dun Laoghaire/Bangor and an RC35 Championship weekend. Each year the Class will make a commitment to one ‘away’ regatta as part of the Championship.