Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company

Sailing in Dublin - 25 years

The Sailing in Dublin Club (SID) celebrates 25 years in existence this year. The club was founded by sailing enthusiasts in response to the question "where can I sail regularly, improve my sailing skills without the expense of purchasing my own boat?"

The Club now offers its members access to an impressive fleet of craft catering for all sailing tastes. At any given time the club's fleet of eight dinghies and two keelboats will be involved in everything from leisurely sailing sessions around Dublin Bay, to Dalkey Island and Howth, where skills can be developed, to competitive racing in evening and weekend competitions in Dun Laoghaire and local regattas.

The most recent addition to the fleet, an impressive Sigma 33, has opened another chapter in this remarkable club's development. Members can now experience the joys of cruising in their very own 6+ berth cruiser to destinations along the east coast and beyond. The Sigma will let the club compete in racing in the Bay, in which its sister Ruffian 23 keelboat already competes.

A major strength of the club is the participation of its members in all club activity. This strong voluntary ethos ensures members can learn all aspects of boat care and sailing as well as fostering a great social side which ensures that all important sense of friendliness and fun is maintained. SID always welcomes new members particularly those who have done some sailing but may wish to broaden their skills. Annual membership is €375. Details of all Sailing in Dublin activities are on the website: http://www.sailingindublin.ie/

HSS back in service

The Stena Line HSS Explorer returned to the Harbour on February 12th after a five week absence for its annual refit. The work was completed in the dry dock at Harland & Wolff in Belfast and cost £1.1 million. The ship is currently on a one sailing a day schedule between Dun Laoghaire and Holyead, arriving in the Harbour each day at 1225 and departing at 1330.

Commenting on the refit and general overhaul of its Irish Sea fleet, Stena Line route director Vic Goodwin said: "The credit crunch has resulted in more people considering holidays within the British Isles, which is good news for the ferry industry. Therefore, it is vitally important that when new customers travel with us, we show them how much ferry travel has developed over the years and how pleasurable an experience it can be compared to flying."

Engineer Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas was the first engineer on site when construction work on the Harbour began in 1816. He served in that position until his death in 1838 at the age of 48. The Harbour Company has had contact with Dick Thomas the great-nephew of Richard Thomas. Dick Thomas owns the diary of Richard Thomas' brother, Thomas Townshend Thomas, which describes in some detail his brother's trip from Halifax in England to (then) Kingstown after learning of his brother's death. Extracts from these diary pages have now been added to the Harbour Company website and can be viewed at:

www.dlharbour.ie/content/history/richard_thomas/index.php

Any queries or additional information can be addressed to Dick Thomas at: thomasatelmers@aol.com