Far from the fickle Southern Ocean, the Royal Dublin Society in Ballsbridge, Dublin, will play host to yachts, boats and sails when the 21st Irish Boat Show is opened today by the Minister for the Marine, Frank Fahey.

The rescheduled show, which was put off last year during the foot-and-mouth-disease alert, comes at a time when there is a multi-million euro programme for marina development on the coastline - with the bulk of the expenditure expected to be in the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) region. Marine safety is due to be a major theme at this year's show, with a series of 10-minute talks planned at various intervals throughout the five-day event.

The Irish Boat Show, hosted by the Irish Marine Federation, runs at the RDS from today to March 3rd: noon to 7 p.m. today and Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. on Friday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.