The £4 million Limerick navigation project came a step closer to completion this week with the flooding of the Abbey river that now provides pleasure craft with access from the Atlantic to the Erne.
Pumps that kept the river bed dry during construction work are now turned off and with each high tide the water level is rising in the dammed section of the Shannon and Abbey Rivers.
The large bund between Sarsfield Bridge and Curragour Point is also being removed to make the Abbey River tidal again and open for boat traffic in May following two years of construction.
Large pleasure boats will for the first time be able to berth in the heart of Limerick.
A key benefit of the project, according to Frank Larkin of Shannon Development is the development of a marina/berthage facility in the city centre which will provide further impetus to the ongoing development of Limerick City by bringing marine leisure and tourism activities into the city.
The project comprised the construction of a weir wall in the Shannon River, the installation of new lock gates and 26 pontoon berths, and ancillary works.
The berths in the city will be short stay and will be operated by Waterways Ireland, who will also operate the lock that will give all tide access to the Estuary tidal waters. Limerick Corporation will be providing onshore facilities for boat users.
Top-flight team racing returns to Dun Laoghaire harbour tomorrow for the inaugural Irish Team Racing Association (ITRA) random pairs series at the Royal St George Yacht Club. Formed in the wake of the success of the 1999 world team racing championships held at the same venue, the ITRA has rekindled Irish interest in the discipline and this weekend's event will pit Irish crews against some of the best in the UK.
The ITRA have opted for an innovative random pairs format with a programme of races that does not involve the standard three-boat flights usually associated with team racing regattas. Instead each race sees teams of two helmsman who are paired at random and raced against another random team of two.
The end result is a round robin in which every helmsman sails one race with and against everyone else by the time the 96-race series draws to a close.
One of the major attractions at next month's Irish Boat Show will be the yacht Asgard, renowned for its association with the 1916 Rising. It is the first time the yacht will be on public display for 22 years following removal from her storage at Kilmainham jail. Safety on the Water is also a feature of the show and organisers have included talks/clinics, demonstrations, videos and information packs from the Marine Safety Working Group, and the RNLI. The Boat Show takes places from Wednesday, March 7th, to Sunday, March 11th, at the RDS in Dublin.
In last week's column, it was incorrectly reported that the new membership subscription for the Irish Windsurfing Association included competition insurance. The new fee of £20 (£10 for children & students) is reduced from the previous £55 while the RYA offers a group insurance scheme.
