Yachtsman Bullimore to step on to the dry land of the RDS boat show

THE British solo yachtsman best known for his experiences under rather than on the deck of a boat will be forcing himself on to terra firma this week to attend the 1997 Boat Show in Dublin.

Tony Bullimore, who was the subject of a dramatic rescue in the Southern Ocean off Australia in January, has been billed as the "star attraction" at the five day show, which was opened by the Minister of State for the Marine, Mr Eamon Gilmore, yesterday, at the Royal Dublin Society, Ballsbridge.

Mr Bullimore (56), is due to fly in to make a brief appearance at the event on Saturday.

The world famous survivor has not, as yet, developed webbed feet after his rescue from freezing Antarctic waters by an Australian naval frigate. A combination of chocolate, sheer determination and an emergency positioning beacon had helped him through a four day entombment within his upturned hull, after his craft lost its keel and capsized in heavy seas in the Vendee Globe Round the World Yacht Race.

Not recommending any such extremes, Mr Gilmore focused on preventive measures at the RDS yesterday when he launched the second Bord Iascaigh Mhara coastal training unit for fishing crews, and was presented with the latest publications drawn up by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Marine Safety Working Group.

Two booklets on machine failure in both pleasure and diving support craft - and two leaflets on safe canoeing and windsuifing will be available free of charge at the show. The BIM mobile training unit is the latest phase in the board's programme to implement recommendations of the Government's Fishing Vessel Safety Review Group.

Incidents at sea involving pleasure craft now represent a quarter of all such marine emergencies, Mr Gilmore said yesterday. Many of these could be avoided by following basic safety guidelines, he stressed.

Even if it is "grounded" away from its traditional venue on the Liffey, this year's boat show is the biggest of its kind in more than a decade, according to the Irish Marine Federation.

The federation is confident that millions will be spent on sleek fibreglass and GRP, of either the sail or motor powered kind, over the next four days. It is particularly proud - even if the sensitivities of pure sailors are somewhat offended - of one exhibit, the most expensive powerboat ever brought to Ireland. The price tag on the Sea Ray 400 DA is a mere £2 50.000.

Boat Show 97 is open today and tomorrow from noon until 9 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry is £5 an adult, £3 for students and senior citizens, and two children aged under 12 are admitted free with each adult.