Marina plan for Dun Laoghaire welcomed

There has been widespread support from the sailing community for this week's planning application for a £10 million, 680-berth marina to be built in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The subject of debate for more than 20 years the application for the marina, on behalf of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, envisages a marina with two breakwaters between the West Pier and the ferry terminal, marina service buildings, an amenity area, a boat hoist, car-parking facilities and improvements to the public slipway.

The chairman of the Irish Marine Federation, Pat Murphy, said yesterday that the Federation welcomed this long overdue facility but expressed concern that there was insufficient mention of facilities to service the marina.

"The entrance to the marina between the ferryport and the Royal Irish is in the wrong location and should be sited at Traders Wharf."

The IMF fears that the proposed entrance does not provide sufficient space to establish service facilities such as chandlery and haul-out which, says Murphy, are absolutely essential.

The application was funded by a £300,000 grant from the Department of the Marine in 1996. Before leaving office earlier this year the then Minister for the Marine, Sean Barrett, allocated £3 million for the provision of the breakwaters.

Dan O'Connor, commodore of the Royal Irish YC whose clubhouse is positioned in the middle of the proposed site acknowledged there could be short-term inconvenience for long-term gain during construction but stressed that the marina was a most welcome step towards proper up to date leisure amenities for the area.

"The marina will bring additional revenue to Dun Laoghaire and was a major attraction for the hosting of future international regattas," he said.

Timing of construction will be critical to avoid disruption of the racing calendar and while a large amount of the harbour's 450 moorings will be discommoded it is hoped that this will occur over winter months to avoid clashing with Dublin Bay Sailing club's summer season that caters for one thousand members sailing 285 boats in 17 different classes.

Meanwhile, tomorrow's Electrolux Skiff League, now in its second year has become one of the biggest Skiff events on the calendar, a development that reflects the current boom in numbers to 18-boats nationwide. National Skiff champion Dan O'Grady and Mike Evans will be competing at the Howth event.

Abroad, Denis Kiely is one of four Irish Sailing representatives attending today's International Sailing Federation Conference at Gothenburg, Sweden. Kiely, a member of the ISA's Handicapping committee will outline the merits of the ISA's East Coast Handicapping organisations (ECHO) system.

The intention is to exchange experience and data for those who work with these systems but, the organisers say, there is no intention to create a worldwide handicap system.

After four days of racing in Chile, Bill O'Hara of Ballyholme YC lies in fifth place overall in the Laser master's world championships. Over 150 competitors from two dozen nations are competing in the Radial, Apprentice Masters, Masters, and Grand Masters divisions.