Understanding the economic ebb and flow

After decades of intuitive guesswork about its economic importance, Irish sailing will be more clearly defined early in 1998 with the publication of two baseline surveys that highlight its potential as a contributor to the Irish economy.

The publication of a case study of the economic significance of the biennial Royal Cork's Ford Cork Week regatta is the latest in a series of marine resource surveys to be carried out by the Marine Institute. The regatta, one of the biggest participant sporting events in the country, with up to 3,000 sailors afloat, brought 500 boats and a week of high-spending to Crosshaven.

The survey calculates the number of bed nights in the area, compares the spend of overseas visitors with local crews and also looks at how sailors rated facilities in the locality.

Meanwhile, an Irish Sailing Association (ISA) survey, also to be published next month, indicates that bridging the `affordability gap' between 16,000 sailors within the yacht club structure and a wider market revealed in last November's national survey of water-based activity will be one of the main targets of the ISA in laying out future plans.

The study on the impact of sailing in Ireland supports the findings of the Marine Institute survey, indicating that up to 144,000 people are actively involved in sailing and boating.

The national governing body's own report, the first step in the planning process of a five-year strategic plan for sailing, has also included a consultative process involving 300 sailors. It highlights a lack of facilities as a reason for sailing's stagnation, a point echoed in the Marine Institute survey, where the biggest moan from sailors and `other coastal boaters' concerned the lack of facilities such as marinas, slipways and access to the water.

The ISA brief to consultants Brady Shipman Martin (BSM) was to assess the level and adequacy of facilities available for the activity and the economic impact of the sport. In setting out sailing's current state of play, the BSM report confirms the spin-off for local economies where major regattas are hosted. In 1997, the Optimist World Championships at Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, contributed 6,900 bed nights to the area over a two-week period. In Skerries, north Co Dublin, the venue for the GP 14 World Championships, there were 5,900 bed nights for the town. Both events made significant contributions to local economies and even conservative estimates of a daily spend of £50 per head nets £345,000 and £295,000 for the east-coast towns respectively.

The Marine Institute will continue their resource series in 1998 with the survey of of boating patterns on the east coast of Ireland and west coast of Wales. The report will centre on cruising holidays and popular destinations along the coastlines.

Elsewhere, in the 420 dinghy class, Tony Nolan and Marita Connaughton, lead the Portsmouth Yardstick section of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Frostbite series into the Christmas break. Second overall after six races is Fireballer's Mick Creighton with Damian McCullogh.

The traditional 2.30 p.m. start time has been moved back to 1.30 p.m. to allow sufficient time for a four-lap race prior to the arrival of the Stena HSS car ferry that encroaches the harbour course on arrival. Racing resumes on Sunday, January 4th.

In Cork harbour, mild weather took the bite out of the final four races of the Chris Bruen Sailboat-sponsored Laser Frostbite series. Overall in the Standard rig, Dave O'Connell beat Michael Bird, while Adam McCarthy and Peter O'Donovan won in the radial and Laser II divisions, respectively.