BurgeeMullingar Sailing Club


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2006 M.S.C. news archive

GP14 rudder and centreboard foils
2007 Fixtures list

Dublin Boat Show 2007
ISA NATIONAL CONFERENCE AND AWARDS DINNER 2007

Lough Ree Yacht Club's club house
2007 M.S.C. sailing in Croatia Trip
GP 14 Hot Toddy Regatta 2006
'Inside Information. The complete guide to sailing smart and fast' Yachting World DVD
"Practical projects - Restoring a mirror dinghy at home"
GP 14 Leinster Championships.     Blessington Sailing Club  - 8/9 July 2006
Lidl offered a range of watersports specials (wetsuits, snorkelling and diving gear
, probably will be repeated May 2007)
CNN - Mainsail
Radial-cut sails for the GP14
Annual Club Dinner Fri. March 2006

Dec. 27th 2006

GP14 rudder and centreboard foils.

The Association has recently approved an extension to the materials available to make the rudder and centreboard foils.

The rules presently control the foil material to be wood, either paint coated or glass resin sheathed. Although this has been satisfactory over many years, the cost of professionally made foils has become excessive because of the high labour content in their manufacture. 

There is a thickness tolerance on both foils and no restriction of the types of wood used. Many foils in use are home made in addition to those from commercial suppliers. If a wooden blade is damaged, the repair can be expensive and time consuming.

Many clubs which use GP14s as training boats, where the blades are particularly susceptible to edge damage, have asked for simpler, lower cost, more easily repairable foils. With the object of reducing the labour hours in manufacture and surface finishing, the Association has reviewed prototype rudders and centreboards made recently by Speed Sails by a resin moulding process. The production time was significantly reduced compared to a wooden blade and the surface finish from the mould was excellent; the blade weight is similar to the average wooden blade.

Sailing trials, over a wide range of wind conditions, and static loading tests have shown that the GRP foils do not confer any sailing advantage and have a breaking load equivalent to or better than the wooden blades. If a GRP rudder blade or board is damaged, the repair is easily effected with resin filler and smoothing, and the surface can be painted at a convenient time later. To emphasize that the rule change is a means to contain cost, the use of Carbon or Kevlar fibres in this moulded method is prohibited.

The materials used in rudder blade and centreboard manufacture are controlled in Rule 5.1 on page 52 of the 2006 Handbook. The Rule change will alter the wording of the first sentence of 5.1 to

"The centreboard and rudder blade to be made or wood or plywood or fibre reinforced plastic (excluding Carbon and Kevlar fibres materials) the underwater parts to be of minimum thickness etc., etc."

The additional words are in italics.
This Rule change will be effective from November 2006 and rudders and centreboards will be available early in 2007.

David Rowlands
GP14 International Association, Technical & Rules Committee.

Dec. 21st 2006

The Gp 14 Ireland Association have published the 2007 fixtures list.

Purcell            
O’T Challenge   
Leinsters  
Ulster’s 
Nationals   
Autumn Open
Hot Toddy
Antrim Sailing Club            
Swords Sailing Club          
Mullingar Sailing Club             
Newtownards Sailing Club    
Sutton Boat Club          
Sligo Yacht Club           
Lough Erne Yacht Club 

19th –20th May (TBC)
2nd - 3rd June
23rd- 24th June
28th - 29th July
25th - 27th August
15th - 16th September
13th - 14th October


Nov.28th 2006

Some dates for your 2007 diary,

The Dublin Boat Show 2007, will take place on 14th to 18th February at the RDS Simmonscourt. 

The show is organised by the Irish Marine Federation, who recently advised the I.S.A. that the demand for "premium commercial exhibition space" is high and that all ISA clubs , classes , voluntary groups and training centres must now purchase exhibition space. Personally, I always found the clubs and classes end of the show, the most interesting, and at some of the boat shows in the past, it was the only section that promoted small sail boats like the GP14 and the Mirror.

ISA NATIONAL CONFERENCE AND AWARDS DINNER    3rd & 4th Feb. 2007

Tara Towers Hotel, Merrion Road...... notice

Normally I would not consider going to an event like this but it seems that they will be including workshops on issues such as;

 - Getting the Best from your Junior Training Programmes
 - Code of Ethics & Good Practice for Children’s Sport.
 - Event & Race Management.
 - The Secret to Promoting your Organisation/Event
 - Olympics: The Road to Weymouth via Beijing
 - Finding Alternative Funding
 - Joint Membership Scheme:    Is it value for money? 

Nov.24th 2006

There is an article on the ISA website about Lough Ree Yacht Club's recently completed club house 
that is worth checking out.  link

"With a strong family membership the club draws members predominantly from the Athlone and Tullamore areas and to a lesser extent from the Mullingar region." ?

The new clubhouse was officially opened on Tuesday July 18th by Mr John O'Donoghue, Minister for Arts, Sports and the Tourism.  Also present was Senator Mary O'Rourke and several other local representatives.

Nov.20th 2006

I have been recording the lake water temperatures since March 06, this is a graph of 
the temperatures measured 1m below the water surface by a thermometer suspended from the jetty.

Nov. 15th 2006

Added photos of Gp14 Hot Toddy.....link

Nov.3rd 2006

2007 M.S.C. sailing in Croatia Trip

Departure: Saturday 9th June 2007
Return:    Saturday 16th June

Flights:    Ryanair to Pula (Istria in Nr. Croatia)

Boats:     Sun Odyssey 35 or similar - all less than 3 years old. Fully
equipped with all sailing gear, bimini, dinghy, outboard motor. Bed linen.

Cost;      €600 per person.

Insurance: Arrange your own travel insurance. Everyone travelling will
be liable to share the cost of boat damage limit to €1,000 per boat - no
damage last year. Potential cost is a max of €250 per person if all boats
were damaged. Agreed that all on the trip share the cost of the loss of
any security deposit, irrespective of which boat is damaged.

No sailing experience is required, but a minimum of 2 people per boat
must be qualified as Day Skippers & hold me ICC Cert. Courses can be
arranged at Carlingford Yacht for those interested.

Refunds:        Deposit is non-refundable. Flights will be booked
& there are no refunds by Ryanair. In the event of difficulty, you
can arrange to swap with someone else, who arranges their own
flight, and pays the deposit for the boat. In these circumstances the
boat deposit will be refunded, likely to be about two thirds of the
total deposit.

Bonding:        This trip is not with a bonded agent.

Itinerary: Arrive in Pula on Saturday evening & proceed to
boat/accommodation. On Sunday morning, commence sailing trip taking
in visits/overnight at Pomer, Rabac, Opatija, and Punat (subject to sailing
conditions & to change). Return to Pula on Friday evening, vacate boat
& fly hope Saturday.

Weather: Average June temperature of 25 C, low rainfall & ideal
sailing winds.

Contact:   Michael Collender at 087-2529433.

Oct. 16th 2006
GP 14 Hot Toddy Regatta

21 boats competed in the event with 13 visitors from various clubs around Ireland and the final results can be found here.

Sailing conditions were excellent with consistent SE force 4's on Saturday and force 3's on Sunday. The course only had to be moved once during the two days, when the wind veered during the first race on Sunday.

On behalf of the competitors, I would like to thank everybody who volunteered their time, to run a successful regatta.

Oct. 9th 2006

GP 14 Hot Toddy Regatta

The Mirrors have been moved to create space for next weekends regatta. Some of these boats had up to 100L of water in them and an electric pump had to be used to pump them out. Its sad to see new boats awash with water, and in some cases self-bailers closed.

First race on Saturday has been changed to 12:00, and 11:00am on Sunday.

The Regatta fee has been changed to €50, if received before 5pm Friday 13th, and €60 on the day.

Oct. 5th 2006

Added Link, on Links Page/Weather, to graphic which defines the wind speed / direction symbols used on synoptic weather charts. 

Added Links to pages detailing GP14 Sail Number and Hull Development Histories

Oct. 4th 2006

Cullion Show Grounds will be available this winter for boat storage, for a fee of €30.
Contact Garry Walshe at (044) 9348363 or (087)
2706916 BEFORE you move your boat.

Comprehensive crewing guide written by Dale Knowles aimed at novice to intermediate sailors
who "want to sail faster
and become more competitive within their fleet" added to site. link

Oct. 2nd 2006

The GP 14 Hot Toddy Regatta will take place at Mullingar Sailing Club on the 14th & 15th October 2006.

Five races are scheduled. The warning signal for the first race on Saturday will be made at 1100 hrs., with Race 2 following as soon as possible and Race 3 after a lunch break on the water. 
The warning signal for Race 4 on Sunday will be made at 1100 hrs. Race 5 will follow as soon as possible.

Notice of race
Sailing Instructions
Entry Form

Racing area
Road Map

Sept 25th 2006

Maybe it was the Ryder Cup, but there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm around the club yesterday. The day turned out bright and warm with a force 2 Southerly, the water temperature was 16.5 deg.C (2 deg. warmer than the Irish Sea), but there was only five boats sailing. Ok, Sunday morning was miserable and the forecast was a little pessimistic but its a pity to blow sailing opportunities this end of the year.

The Gp14 Ireland Hot Toddy will be run at the Club on Saturday / Sunday 14 & 15 Oct, with the Saturday race scheduled to start at 11am. 
If you do not intend to race, we could do with some rescue boat volunteers, James Hackett (087) 256 8802 or (046) 955 5150. We also need to create some space for a possible fleet of 30 GP14's.    

Sept 14th 2006

Winter is around the corner, and although the water temperature in the lake is still in the high teens ,you should check out this article about the effects of immersion in cold water. link

Sept 11th 2006

Yachting World is not a magazine I would normally buy, but in the September issue there is a free DVD
'Inside Information. The complete guide to sailing smart and fast'
"starring"  49er World Champions Chris Draper, Simon Hiscocks, RYA Squad coach Mark Rushall and a Laser SB3 .

It's billed as a comprehensive race training manual for anyone who sails competitively, and while it is well produced, it could have benefited from some animation to indicate starting lines and an overview of the course.

The DVD is aimed at an “Improver” level and a brief dip into it confirmed how clueless I am when it comes to race tactics.
Contents: Intro, Masterclass, Start, Tactics, Upwind, Downwind, Mark roundings, Gybing, Tacking, Launching & towing.
The DVD is sponsored by Laser and Volkswagen, and heavily features the Laser SB3 and the Volkswagen Touareg.

Two new weather sites , both giving 180 hour ( 8 day ) wind forecasts 

"Magic Seaweed" nice animated forecasts, (might be slow on diall-up access).  http://magicseaweed.com/UK-Ireland-MSW-Surf-Charts/1/wind/in/

"Wind Finder"  
http://www.windfinder.com/forecasts/wind_british_isles15.htm

Sept. 7th 2006

Practical Boat Owner no.478 October 2006, On sale 7 September.
Some interesting articles caught my eye,

"Practical projects - Restoring a mirror dinghy at home"

"Better boat handling - PBO’s illustrated guide to springing off a pontoon in all conditions"

"Cruising north-west Spain Heading for the sun – one cruising couple pass a happy month in the remote Spanish rias while on their way to the Mediterranean"

"Cruising Northern Ireland - There’s never been a better time to sample the uncrowded loughs and harbours in County Antrim and Derry" 

Jet skis banned on lakes under Council control
 Linda O’Reilly- Westmeath Examiner

Westmeath’s County Councillors have this week passed the controversial motion completely banning jet skis on the lakes under its control - but power boats are not affected yet.

Jetskis are now completely banned on Loughs Ennell and Owel in Mullingar; Lough Lene in Collinstown; Lough Derravarragh in Crookedwood; Lough Sewdy in Ballymore and part of Lough Sheelin in Finea.

The new laws will come into effect within the next 30 days and anybody caught using a jet-ski on these lakes will be liable for an on-the-spot fine of €150 or up to €1,000, if convicted in court.


Mon 21st Aug 2006

NOTICE OF EVENTS  
----  notice

MULLINGAR SAILING CLUB REGATTA
SATURDAY 26 AUGUST – SUNDAY 27 AUGUST

FIRST RACE SATURDAY 4PM
FIRST RACE SUNDAY 2PM

Get your crew organised and enter our annual regatta – free entry for mirrors!
Be at the club 2.30 pm Saturday and make sure your boat is ready for the water.

JAMES HACKETT - JUNIOR CO-ORDINATOR


SLIGO SAILING CLUB INVITATION - Mirrors
SATURDAY 2 SEPTEMBER

SLIGO SAILING CLUB HAVE INVITED ALL OUR MIRRORS DOWN TO THEIR NEW CLUB FOR RACING ON SATURDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER. WE WILL BE TRAVELLING DOWN EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS MANY BOATS AS POSSIBLE COME DOWN FOR THE LAST BIG MEETING OF THE SEASON.

CONTACT JAMES HACKETT AT 087 2568802

Fri . 4th Aug 2006

Looking through the site, you might be forgiven for assuming that the GP14 was the only boat sailed at the Club. I would welcome ANY content from club members, particularly anything related to Mirrors, Fireballs or Cruising logs. You can email me at:   info at msail dot net

Its amazing how much work some people will put into the restoration of a boat.
This is a short account of the restoration of GP14 no.19 "Mizpah"

A Mullingar Sailing Club history page written by Bob Heath and associated photos,  added to site; link

Wed  2nd Aug. 2006

GP 14 Worlds at Sligo, provisional results;    link
GP14 Class Association of Ireland - 2006 Event Schedule;    link
GP 14 useful information and links to tuning guides added to site; link

I have been recording the water temperature in the lake since March;    link
Beaufort Scale of Wind Force and Specifications For Use At Sea And On Land added to site;    link

Upcoming events:

Westmeath Youth Water Festival 2006
12th August 2006
Mullingar Sailing Club, Lough Owel, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath 10am-4pm
link

Mullingar Sailing Club Regatta : August 26 & 27th.
(Clash with the GP14 Championship of Ireland at Lough Erne Y C on 26 & 27 August ?)

Mullingar Sailing Club GP 14 Shield will be will be held on Sunday Sept. 3rd and Sunday Sept. 10th.
Please note on both occasions the first gun will be at 3pm sharp.

Wed 12th July 2006

29 ENTRIES FOR GP14 LEINSTERS
GP 14 Leinster Championships.     Blessington Sailing Club  - 8/9 July 2006

Silver fleet sailors Chris Scott and Mark Taylor from Lough Erne YC moved to Gold fleet in style this weekend by winning the Leinster Championships despite the close attentions of this years current Gold flee leaders Niall Henry and Ossian Geraghty of Sligo.

Race one on Saturday in blustery force 5 conditions saw brothers Norman and Ken Lee from Greystones/LDYC port start the whole fleet [except Curly Morris who hooked the pin mark] and gain a substantial lead only to throw it away due to rusty spinnaker work and tacking, winding up 5th. Lough Erne’s Scott and Taylor showed no pity and capitalised to build up a good lead which they held to the end, 2nd and 3rd fell to Sligo men Tim Corcoran and Ben Lynch and Henry and Geraghty and 4th to Curly Morris and Laura McFarland from Larne.

Race two saw very tight racing with Henry and Geraghty holding off Scott and Taylor with John Mc Guinness and Richard Street Moville/Blessington 3rd, Corcoran and Lynch 4th and the Lees 5th again.

Race 3 was called off by PRO Peter Hannon as the forecasted very strong winds had arrived and some masts and sail had already become victims.

Good food and entertainment was provided in the club for the evening and all the campers snuggled down some time after midnight to the sounds of the Who playing at Oxygen competing with the howling winds.

Sunday dawned with torrential rain and black squalls beating up the lake and the committee boat went forth bravely to suss it out only to radio in after an hours postponement that we could all pack up, to prevent possible major damage ruining someone’s chances in the Worlds in Sligo in 2 weeks time and allow the football fans see the World Cup final in front of their favorite telly.
 
Counting both races Scott and Taylor were 1st, Henry and Geraghty 2nd and Corcoran and Lynch 3rd. Youngest competitor was Daniel Gill 10 and the oldest at 65ish won Bronze but refused to have his name published.

29 entries from 15 different clubs spread around Ireland shows how well the GP class is spread nationally. 8 different clubs represented in the top 10 results shows that no centre has a monopoly, no other double hander dinghy class comes anywhere near except the Mirror which beats the numbers but could only manage 8 or 9 clubs. Most classes only exist with 1 or 2 club fleets or in a very limited area such as Dublin Bay where the Fireball is currently strong and 90% of the national fleet exists. Anyone considering what fleet to enter should be aware of this strength in depth which guarantees good competition and national cover which means there is probably a competitive club fleet close to them no matter where they live.

Author: Norman Lee
http://www.sailing.ie/news/newsDetails.asp?id=1113

Final Results:

Series Place : Sail No  : Fleet  : Helm  : Crew  : Club  : Series Points  : Race 1  : Race 2
1  : 13460  : S  : Chris Scott  : Mark Taylor  : LEYC  : 2.75  : 0.75  : 2
2  : 13833  : G  : Niall Henry  : Ossian Geraghty  : SYC  : 3.75  : 3  : 0.75
3  : 13801  : G  : Tim Corcoran  : Ben Lynch  : SYC  : 6  : 2  : 4
4  : 13866  : G  : John McGuinness  : Richard Street/Alan Parker  : MVSC  : 10  : 7  : 3
5  : 13669  : G  : Norman Lee  : Ken Lee  : GSC  : 10  : 5  : 5
6  : 13927  : G  : Paddy O'Connor  : Tania Machale  : SYC  : 14  : 8  : 6
7  : 13865  : S  : Keith Louden  : Ryan Louden  : LFYC  : 17  : 6  : 11
8  : 13915  : G  : Hugh Gill  : Daniel Gill  : SDC  : 18  : 9  : 9
9  : 11700  : S  : Simon Cully  : Niall McDowell  : BLSC  : 19  : 12  : 7
10 : 13917  : G  : Curly Morris  : Laura McFarland  : EASC/NTSC  : 20  : 4  : 16
11 : 13454  : B  : John Sheridan  : Manus Sheridan  : BLSC  : 26  : 13  : 13
12 : 13902  : S  : N Sloan  : M Vallentine  : NSC  : 27  : 19  : 8
13 : 13682  : S  : Bob Torrens  : Maurice Baalham  : NSC  : 27  : 15  : 12
14 : 13890  : B  : James McGee  : Paul Ruigrok  : SKSC  : 28  : 10  : 18
15 : 13910  : B  : Brian Andrews  : Mark Magreehan  : NTSC  : 29  : 14  : 15
16 : 13459  : B  : Graeme Farrington  : Rebecca Edwards  : EDYC  : 32  : 18  : 14
17 : 13882  : S  : Lawrence Baalham  : Libby Tierney  : NSC/BLSC  : 34  : 17  : 17
18 : 13901  : G  : PG Duffin  : B Carlisle  : EDYC/NSC  : 39  : 29  : 10
19 : 12633  : S  : Declan Scallan  : Mina Scallan  : BLSC  : 40  : 11  : 29
20 : 13644  : B  : Stuart McCormack  : James Hacket  : MLSC  : 40  : 20  : 20
21 : 13608  : B  : Alex Walsh  : Catriona Walsh  : SSBC  : 43  : 24  : 19
22 : 13663  : B  : Anita Owens  : Brid McMahon  : SYC  : 44  : 23  : 21
23 : 12196  : B  : Tom Duggan  : Joe Smith  : BLSC  : 45  : 16  : 29
24 : 13999  : B  : John Gibson  : Cathy Gibson  : BLSC  : 50  : 21  : 29
25 : 13110  : B  : Steven Preston  : Victoria Meredith  : NTSC  : 51  : 22  : 29
26 : 12450  :    : Martin O'Brien  : Alan Watson  : SKSC  : 58  : 29  : 29
26 : 13329  : B  : Paul O'Brien  : Noel O'Brien  : BLSC  : 58  : 29  : 29

Thu. 15th June 2006
Link added to "Weather links"
XCWeather charts weather station reports from Ireland to Croatia.
It reports "live weather data", wind history and six days wind forecasts. You can plot the current wind strength, temperature, pressure, weather, and visibility. The weather data is derived from METAR aviation weather station, Met. station and some marine buoy reports.

Tue. 6th June 2006
CREW WANTED (in any condition)
we seem to have far more boat owners / helms than crews, there are a number of owner / helms
waiting out there for your reply to this ad.
Please email / text or call me at (086) 8577367

Fri. 2nd June 2006

GP14 for sale
"Barry Drinan" <drinanb@indigo.ie>
Folks, if anyone is interested in an older timber  GP or knows anyone who might be,
please drop me an e-mail. The sail number is 11963.  The boat is
in good condition, will equipped, complete with road trailer,  cover and launching trolley.
She is not being used enough as I am racing a  ruffian at present and she needs a good home!
I'm looking for Euro 950 for  her.

Tue. 23rd May 2006
Lidl will be offering a range of watersports specials from Monday 29th May.
3, 5, & 6.5mm wetsuits, snorkelling and diving gear......Link

Sat 20th May 2006

CLUB NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2006..... Link


Gp14 2006 World Championship, Sligo Yacht Club.
Currently there are 69 boats registered for the event, including 3 from Mullingar.
Sligo tops the number of entries,

Sligo Yacht Club
East Down Y.C.
Hollingworth Lake S.C.    
Lagos Y.C.(Nigeria)         
Lough Erne Y.C.              
Mullingar S.C.                
Newtownards S.C.            
Tollesbury Sailing Club     
Bartley S.C.                    
Blessington S.C.             
Bolton S.C.                      
Budworth S.C.                  
Derwent Reservoir S.C.     
Lough Derg Y.C.               
Skerries SC                      
Sutton Dinghy Club            
Swords S.C.                     
York Railway Institute       
Annandale S.C.                
Bassenthwaite S.C.          
Burwain S.C. /
Windermere Y.C.              
Cardiff Bay S.C.             
Chelmarsh SC                
Combs S.C.                 

15
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1

1
1
1
1


GBR    IRL    NGR    SRI
26       38      3        1

Mon 15th May 2006
"Beginning Racing" page added to site..... Link

Tue. 9th May 2006
Sail training programme 2006

We are again running our annual introduction to dinghy sailing for Adults (June 12th to 23rd) and Juniors (July 3rd to 21st). details

Fri. May 5th 2006
CNN - Mainsail
Presented by British Olympic Gold sailing medallist, Shirley Robertson, CNN broadcasts a sailing magazine "MainSail", throughout the third weekend of every month.
Broadcast times (UK) Saturday:12:30, 18:30 Sunday:08:30, 14:30,19:30 Monday:14:30, 18:30


"Human waste floods Ennel"
A night long flow of human waste into the River Brosna on Bank Holiday Sunday of this week has put Lough Ennel's Blue Flag status at risk. Westmeath Examiner 6/5/2006

The Fast Powered Watercraft controversy finally made it to national media with a report on RTE radio 1 this morning. The "power crafters" put forward a convincing argument that the allocated area at Lough Derravarragh was too small.

Fri. April 28th 2006
There was an advert in PBO for March which called for pre-98 lifejackets from a number of manufacturers to be examined for a potential safety fault.     Link to Crewsaver notice       Upgrade kit

Wed.April 26th 2006

Racing season starts Wed. May 3rd.

Tue. April 18th 2006
Sunsail manslaughter trial: no rescue knife used.....
Alison Panes/ Practical Boat Owner, 21 March 2006

Radial-cut sails for the GP14
Arrow Sails and Victory Sails have merged and have introduced radial-cut mains and genoas for the GP14.
http://www.victorysails.co.uk/gp14.htm

Gp14 2006 World Championship, Sligo Yacht Club.
Currently there are 41 boats registered for the event, including 2 from Mullingar.
Dates of racing:
Sunday 30th July              Practice Race & 1st. Qualifying Series Race
Monday 31st July              Qualifying Series Races
Tuesday 1st August          Qualifying Series Races
Wednesday 2nd August     Final Series Races
Thursday 3rd August         Final Series Races
Friday 4th August             Final Series Races & Prize Giving & Banquet
Event website    http://www.gpworldssligo.com
Sligo demolished their club house in Feb. 2006 and Sisk have the new version up to first floor level.
Handover of the new building is scheduled for end of June 06 in time to prepare for the up comming GP14 World Championships at the end of July.

Mon. April 17th 2006
Western Mirror Championships   Photos
50 boats competed in the Western Mirror Championships held at the club on Sat April 15 & Sun. 16th.
On Saturday winds were light and only two shortened races were completed. Three races were completed on  Sunday in moderate, occasionally fresh winds.

Sat. April 8th 2006
"The Lighthouses of Ireland" by Richard M. Taylor, (Collins Press, €14.95), tells the history of lighthouses on or off the coast of Ireland.
Taylor was an Irish Lights technician for 44 years and visited or worked on all 86 lights around out coast.

Sat. March 25th 2006

Windmill Leisure have relocated to: 18a Monkstown Cresent, Monkstown.  Phone (01) 280 5325

“Sailing on the telly”
Sailing enthusiasts can watch their favorite sport on their computer 24 hours a day for free, however you would need a good broadband link.   

To view, go to www.sail.tv

Fri. March 24th 2006
Forty five members attend the Annual Club Dinner at the "An Tintain" restaurant in Multifarnham . In his after dinner speech, the club's Commodore, Keith Pinder briefly outlined the Club's history, thanked the founding members and unveiled Mullingar Sailing Club's Ensign.
(Thanks to Pat McArdle for the time spent on research, design and registration of the Ensign).

Sat, Feb 25 2006

"Westmeath leads the way with new jet ski legislation",  Westmeath Examiner

Westmeath County Council have enacted new Bye-Laws controlling the use of power boats and Council owned lakeshore land.

Westmeath County Council Fast Powered Watercraft Bye-Laws 2006.

Westmeath County Council Lakeshore Bye-Laws 2006

Mon. March 15th 2006


CLUB NEWSLETTER SPRING 2006..... Link 

Sat. March 11th 2006

"Ennell residents worried about jetskis", Westmeath Examiner

“Concerns have been raised again by the residents of Lough Ennell who fear that jet skiers will descend onto the lake in huge numbers after a hold-up in bringing in rules to regulate them.

The Lough Ennell Amenity Group wish to preserve the delicate peace of the lakeshore and protect the special area of conservation which contains rare and endangered birds plants and fish. Chairperson Patricia Fox describes the presence of the jet skis as a horrendous and relentless noise. “Residents in the area are entitled to a quality of life which will be totally destroyed if jet skis are allowed onto Lough Ennell. Even if the council put in place a directive governing the use of the lake, they will still be on it until 7 o’clock, which is unacceptable.”

People using the jet skis were coming from as far afield as Wexford, Kildare and Dublin, the group is claiming.

Patricia’s view is that jet ski users would be better travelling to a coastal area where their noise would be swallowed by the enormity of the sea.

Confused as to why people from outside of Westmeath were allowed to enter and destroy such a valuable amenity as the Lough Ennell lakeshore, she said: “it is an area that is enjoyed for its peace and tranquillity by many families and local residents”.

Residents wanting to join the Lough Ennell Amenity Group can contact Patricia on 087-2127901”