dún laoghaire harbour company

the Committee to make the event the best ever in Dublin Bay"

He further added "We are particularly pleased with the response we are getting from the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, Dún Laoghaire Tourism, and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, and with the enthusiastic involvement of the local community". The Chairman highlighted the financial and practical support pledged from Sherry Fitzgerald, Affinity Insurance, Heineken Ireland and the Harbour Company. He indicated that Failte Ireland and other commercial interests were about to come on board which ensures that sufficient finance will be in place to run a top class regatta.

The Racing Sub-Committee for the Regatta has planned a varied race programme for the twenty six classes. Racing will take place on Thursday afternoon, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning followed by prizegivings in each of the four waterfront clubs. Each day there will be five different course areas in operation on Dublin Bay and the inshore races and finishes are expected to generate plenty of spectator interest. An experienced panel of international and national race officers have been assembled to ensure the race management is of the highest order.

The yacht clubs and locals organisations will be providing a full programme of entertainment and activities ashore to cater for the sailors and visitors to the town. The 2,500 sailors and 7,000 people expected to visit the event should ensure a lively, festival atmosphere around the waterfront and in the town during the four days.

Given the working title of Dún Laoghaire regatta championship the proposers are working on the basis that, over time, the event could become an international fixture and an event of suitable stature for Dún Laoghaire which is already the biggest boating centre in these islands outside of the Solent on the south coast of England.

In the past,Dún Laoghaire Harbour hosted a regatta that flourished in the middle of the last century before petering out in the late 1960's. An event comparable to Cork Week in Dún Laoghaire would be a major boost to the town of Dún Laoghaire as well as the Harbour.

Further details: http://www.dlregatta.org

Dún Laoghaire Regatta launched

The Dún Laoghaire Regatta Championship was launched last month at the Allianz Direct Boat Show 2005 in the RDS. The event has already been dubbed "Dún Laoghaire Week" and will see the Harbour's four yacht clubs replace their individual club regatta dates this summer in favour of a combined regatta series. The Harbour Company is very pleased to support the event.

The National Yacht Club, The Royal St George Yacht Club, the Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club have given up their summer regatta dates - a traditional social highlight of the club year - and are contributing instead to the first year costs of staging what one official has described as Cork Week on the east coast from Thursday, July 7th to Sunday,July 10th,2005.

The Harbour Company has agreed to sponsor the event to the tune of €15,000 on the understanding that the money will be use to encourage the participation of the general public. The event organizers are working on specific proposals to meet the Company's objectives.

Brian Craig, Chairman of the organising committee said at the launch "The Dún Laoghaire Regatta Championship will be by far the largest sailing event in Ireland this year. We are expecting 500 boats, including top class visiting sailors, to be racing during the four days of the Regatta. The event has generated great interest and already some 200 volunteers have signed up to work with