Survey shows healthy support for sailing activities

SAILING: Figures supporting the buoyancy in the sailing market will be published at the Irish boat show at the RDS this month when the Minister for the Marine, Pat the Cope Gallagher, launches the national survey of water-based leisure activity.

The report, commissioned by the Marine Institute, says that 142,000 adults are involved in boating activity ranging from sailing and boating at sea to boating on inland waterways.

The survey, carried out by the ESRI, confirms the numbers in coastal and inland boating and water sports since a previous less detailed survey was carried out eight years ago. The report finds that almost 28,900 used a sailing boat with an auxiliary engine and an estimated 25,000 used a motor boat or a "motor sailor". Over 17,000 are involved in dinghy sailing.

Industry figures such as the Irish Marine Federation's Brian O'Sullivan have known about the greater demand for boats for some time and this, he says is the reason that this month's show, the 23rd staged by the Irish Marine Federation, has broken all records in terms of size.

Organisers are expecting a bumper turn out for what has become the country's largest consumer exhibition. Across the floors of the 6,000 square metres of stands there will be a number of new designs making their Irish debuts including Beneteau's 21.7, Jeanneau's 40.3 and also it's Sun 2500 design. Bavaria's 42-foot model, the biggest boat at the show, also makes its debut here.

The show also benefits from a decision by Irish Distillers Ltd to stage its annual Oscar-style ceremony for the sailor of the year awards at the RDS venue. Twelve monthly winners have already received awards during 2004 but the overall prize will not be known until the boat show ceremony on Thursday, February 24th.

Although the traditional timber Mermaid class spat out any notion of moves towards a fibreglass hull when it convened last December Roger Bannon's prototype project refuses to go away and now - following an IMF invitation - the enterprising project will be among the features at the boat show at the RDS where the fully working simulated clinker boat, known as Dolly, continues to stir interest both in and out of traditional boating circles.

Staying with small boat news, next month's Flying Fifteen world championships in Auckland New Zealand will not only have an Irish team competing for world class honours but the regatta itself will have an Irish race officer. Dún Laoghaire's Jack Roy, one of only a handful of ISAF accredited international race officers in this country, has accepted an invitation issued by the Royal Akarana Yacht Club for the event that takes place on March 11th.

In dinghy sailing news, judges in the forthcoming Irish Examiner/TV3 Junior sport star awards will find it hard to ignore the impressive record of sailing's George Kingston. He has been nominated by both Royal Cork and Kinsale Yacht club for the awards for what was a highlight of the Irish dinghy sailing season at least, when the 19-year-old Cork helmsman won the Laser Radial Youth European championship on Belfast Lough last July.

Tomorrow the Irish Team Racing random pairs event takes place at the Royal St George Yacht club, Dún Laoghaire. Across the bay in Howth, the Brass Monkey series, that runs until March 13th, begins in Howth.