Future of Dún Laoghaire not just of interest to the rich

If some public commentators are to be believed, the following scenario is improbable: a left-wing politician marching side-by-side with yacht club members in a joint protest against a maritime infrastructural development.

Yet this is exactly what took place recently in Dún Laoghaire as opposition to the proposed cruise ship berth in the 200-year-old harbour became common cause for camps that are otherwise ideologically opposite. Or are supposed to be.

Too often, charges of elitism and private wealth are trotted out as easy jibes with all the appearances of being true. Facts, however, are generally in short supply when it comes to such one-sided commentary and an already biased debate only made worse by lacklustre engagement from the sailing and boating community.

Nuanced affair

As always, the truth is a more nuanced affair with contradictions and best and worst case examples used to substantiate various claims.

As an equipment-based sport, money or the lack of it is nearly always going to become an issue in sailing at some point. But it doesn’t follow that to participate in sailing and boating requires vast wealth as the popular narratives would suggest.

It can also be shown that a significant proportion of sailing participants do not own their own boat. In fact, the costs of participating are often a matter of training courses and personal protective equipment at a not unreasonable one-off cost.

In modern times, leisure boating contributes far beyond the enjoyment of the participants: permanent employment opportunities such boat-building, sailmaking, servicing and repairs, coaching and training, chandlery, marinas, design and manufacturing, domestic and overseas tourism, boat tours, adventure centres and much more are at stake.

Personal development

Nor are the uplifts limited to employment. National profile through hosting of events or competing in overseas championships together with the personal development benefits of learning life skills are all part of opportunities that should be “no-brainers” for this island nation.

In a bigger population-centre such as Dún Laoghaire/Dublin Bay, the biggest advance in many decades is the joint proposal to establish a national watersports centre in the heart of the harbour that would deliver both economic and sporting benefits.

This united initiative by yacht clubs, driven by passion and pride, could mean a worthwhile counter-argument to a previously one-sided debate. With a population base on its doorstep measured in the hundreds of thousands, a massive opportunity for all exists.