The Irish Times – Saturday, April 23, 2011
CARL O’BRIEN

YOUGHAL HAS moved a step closer to obtaining a long-awaited marina following Cork County Council’s decision to invite tenders to develop a hotel and berthing area for boats in the town.

The local authority is investigating the possibility of either selling or leasing publicly owned land a short distance from the town centre to facilitate a new development.

A marina has long been regarded as a key development in breathing new life into the town and helping to fulfil its tourism potential. However, there has been little progress on the issue over the past two decades or more.

Informed sources say that at least two developers have already expressed interest in developing a hotel and conference centre, along with a marina, at the site.

The town’s development plan aims for a 150- to 200-bed hotel in the area, along with a conference centre and leisure resort. The development should also include a marina in the area west of the sea wall known as the “slob bank”.

The council says tenders to develop the site should comply with this development plan and contain details of developers’ financial status and ability to deliver the proposed project.

Local Fine Gael councillor Barbara Murray yesterday said the move was a very positive development for the town.

Info: Carl O’Brien/The Irish Times – Saturday, April 23, 2011

 

Maps Info: http://www.plm.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=40:plm-projects&id=78:youghal-marina&Itemid=85

Over the winter Aquatrek delivered a series of Navigation and Safety nightclasses to seafarers – both professional and leisure boaters. Tonight their hard work has paid off as the students received their certificates qualifying them as Dayskipper and Yachtmaster Offshore navigators.

These courses (2 of each) run Monday – Thursday evenings, 7.30 – 10pm, from October to March, with a break in December – which was extended this year by the snow and ice. Some candidates are local but many travelled to town each week from Dungarvan, Waterford, Wexford, West Cork and 2 Dayskipper candidates even travelled from Carlow each Tuesday night. We have experienced pleasure boaters, new boaters, some who work on the water as fishermen and conservationists, we have RNLI Lifeboat crews from Dunmore East, Helvick and Youghal and this year we even had one of the crew from the Waterford-based Coastguard Helicopter (Rescue 117) on our Yachtmaster course.

Dayskipper courses introduce the students to the basics of Weather Forecasting, Seamanship, Rules and Regulations afloat and give them a solid footing in traditional and electronic navigation techniques and equipment. The Yachtmaster Offshore course develops the existing skills of qualified Dayskippers and improves their knowledge of meteorology with emphasis on causes of and effects of local winds and the behaviour of weather systems at sea. Navigation at this level is to the highest standards and equips the navigator to safely operate a vessel up to 150 miles from a safe haven, by day or night.

 

One of the highlights of both courses is the safety night when the students get first hand training in lifejackets, PPE, radio equipment, flares and learn about rescue by lifeboat and helicopter. The courses we deliver are RYA certified and come with 2 Admiralty Training Charts, a book of exercises, a professional course-notes handbook and uniquely – a CD ROM, fully operational Chart Plotter system for their computer, which runs the training charts and a vector chart which is used throughout the course in parallel with the paper charts to deliver a thorough understanding of the pros and cons of electronic navigation.

With their new RYA certificates these students can go anywhere in the world to charter a boat for holiday purposes or seek work as professional mariners – these qualifications are now transferrable to commercial Merchant Shipping qualifications such as Master and Mate. We wish them a safe future at sea – May they have as many safe berthings as unberthings.

In Ireland there is no compulsion to get training if you want to get afloat – you can simply buy a boat and off you go. The statistics are there to prove that the foolhardy seafarer is more often than not, the source of much of the work of our excellent Search and Rescue organisations such as the Coastguard or RNLI. A small amount of training is a huge step towards preventing accidents at sea and much of this training is applicable in everyday life as well.

Traditionally – our awards night includes a meal and some light entertainment which we’re having this year in The Quays Bar so we’d like to thank Seamus and Richenda and their staff for looking after us this evening but that’s not all… We also charged each guest a few euros over the cost of the evening in order to make a donation to charity. Previously the RNLI and the Youghal Bay Boat Club benefitted from the exercise but as today is Daffodil Day it was felt appropriate that we donate the raised funds to the Irish Cancer Society.

If you have an interest in the sea then why not follow our website at www.aquatrek.ie for news of activities and training opportunities, follow us on Facebook or call 024 90542 for more. Finally – Well Done once again to all our candidates in 2011 – we wish them safe passage and look forward to taking some of them with us to Croatia and Turkey later in the year where they’ll get the chance to put their new skills to the best of uses! FUN in the SUN!

Click on image to see the awards ceremony

Lucky the Lobster has a ‘Tail’ to tell

Giant lobster has lucky escape. A giant lobster has been saved from the pot after Youghal fisherman Kevin Murphy decided the crustacean was too special to eat.

The Lobster, which measures 31″ inches approx in length and weighs more than 10 and a half pounds, was caught in the nets while  Kevin was fishing for Ray fish in the outer harbour area of Youghal. The fishman said that while it was not the heaviest Lobster he ever caught it was certainly the biggest, comparing the catch to a prized athlete.
“He’s a fantastic specimen and by his size alone he has got to be at least 40 to 50 years old, He is an amazing creature and it’s quite an achievement to have reached such an impressive age.”

When the lobster was first caught on Tuesday 15th March in the fishermans net he appeared weak, so, Kevin brought the lobster to Youghal’s international renowned Aherne’s Seafood Restaurant and with the permission of the Fitzgibbon family placed in a special holding water tank to recuperate for a couple of days. On the 17th March, St. Patrick’s Day, the local Aquatrek Sea Training school just after participating in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in town, brought the lobster back  to where he was first caught.

The fisherman thought the lobster was so amazing he decided to cut a special V shape on his tail. Kevin explained that particular lobster was a protected species and he made a special cut on his tail, a V shape, so that if in the future he may be caught again, he will immediately be placed back at sea.

So the lucky lobster has a ‘Tail’ to tell to his fellow fish in the sea in the freedom of the enormous aquarium that is the Atlantic ocean.

Click here for related story where Kevin Murphy caught another unusual Lobster which was covered here on YoughalOnline.com

Free Claw-dia – The Crustacean needs a Vacation!

 

Jack Nolan Wins Winter League.
It was a trying winter with many days blown off the water but through all the bad weather we have sailed whenever possible. The league was a close competition right up to the very end with only 1 or 2 points between the leaders. Edward Coyne (the rookie) gave many great performances winning his share of races with skill bringing pride home in second place overall.

Adrian Lee held his own, and for a while was looking to be the favourite but, due to some problems with his Mirror, in the final two weeks of the league he dropped back to third place. Jack – the man who started strong and finished strong brought home the victory and the 1st prize of a VHF Radio Course.

Lessons and limits were learned in every race but most of all the contenders had fun. Now we all get to relax and have some fun before the Summer League starts in April > hope to see you all for the races – fun and great experience.

Final Result

1st (VHF Radio Course)  >>>  >>>   Jack Nolan

2nd (Weekend Cruise Kinsale to Youghal return)    >> Edward Coyne

3rd (Weekend Cruise Kinsale to Youghal single) >> Adrian Lee

4th (Weekend Cruise Kinsale to Youghal single) >> Shane Buckley

Background to event…

Notice of Race – Aquatrek Sea Skills Winter Sailing League 2010.

1. Aquatrek will run a series of races in the winter of 2010.

2. Racing will commence on Saturday 20th November and will be run on subsequent Saturdays through to 29th January 2011. Competitors will assume that the race each week will take place unless told otherwise on our Facebook Page or on our News board on our website.

3. Races take place in the afternoons, allowing for practice in the mornings, First Gun will be at 14.40.

4. The races shall be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012. The races shall further be governed by the ‘Sailing Instructions’  issued by Aquatrek, a copy of which is available for inspection from the OOD. In the event of a conflict between the ‘Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012’ and the ‘Sailing Instructions’ the latter shall prevail.

5. The races are scored using the PY handicapping system as adapted by Aquatrek.

6. There shall be two classes, Adult & Junior.

7. The league shall consist of 10 races in all, 6 scores per sailor shall count.

8. Registrations cost €80 for Adults and €50 for Juniors. Fees are payable on the date of your first race.

9. Prizes shall be for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each class and include Trips on Nightvision, Daysails to/from Kinsale, PFDs and 1st Place is a FREE VHF Radio course (Terms Apply)

10. Aquatrek say is final in any dispute and wrt Safety and the running of a race.?

Additional Info…

A summer league on the same vein will take place starting in April and will include the new Youghal Bay Boat Club.

Aquatrek is a Powerboating and Sailing training centre which delivers training to pleasure and professional boaters including to the standard of commercial endorsements for skippers of charter boats.

In addition to competitions, Aquatrek deliver Dinghy Sailing over 1, 2 and 5 day courses to Adults and Juniors, Summercamps in Sailing run from June to September and during mid-term school breaks.

Other activities include VHF Radio, Dayskipper & Yachtmaster Navigation Courses and Sailing Holidays in locations including Southern Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, France, Croatia, Turkey and Greece.

Croatia 2011 now booking for 3rd week in July

Turkey & Greece is 3rd week in August

Full details @ www.aquatrek.ie

Over 1,000 people were on hand to welcome Santa to Youghal as he made a spectacular entrance on water on Saturday 4th December 2010.  The arrival ceremony and subsequent ‘Free Santa Visit’ in Youghal Town Council’s Mall Arts Centre kick-started the seaside town’s annual Christmas festive season celebrations. Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com email: news@youghalonline.com

Speaking afterwards, the main organiser of the event, Clodagh Mahon of Youghal Heritage Committee commended and thanked all the sponsors and volunteers who worked so hard in delivering the free event to the town.  “This year more than ever before we were determined to take the financial pressure off families with a free event, and we believe we succeeded in doing just that. There was a great atmosphere throughout the whole day, with kids and adults alike in wonderful spirits.  Santa’s arrival with Aquatrek was spectacular to begin with and it just continued from there with hundreds of kids meeting Santa and promising him to be on their best behaviour for the next few weeks!” said Clodagh.

Following his high speed boat trip across Youghal Bay, Santa was delivered by horse and carriage to The Mall Arts Centre for an afternoon of free fun which was open to the public. Hoards of kids of all ages enjoyed the festivities until 4.30pm with a ‘free Santa visit’ and gift of a selection box, courtesy of ‘XL’ Convenience Store in Youghal and Tesco Youghal, together with a photograph courtesy of Irwins, Kodak, Youghal.  Activities included face-painting, mingling with the cast of Aladdin, all to the tunes of Youghal’s wonderful ‘Barty’s Disco.  Performances by the wonderful Youghal Youth Orchestra and Youghal Choral Society only added to what was an afternoon of true Christmas cheer!

Not to be forgotten, Mums and Dads sipped on warmed mulled wine kindly sponsored by ‘Next Door Wines’ and mince pies provided by Collins Bakery & Le Gourmet.

At 4.30 pm Santa led the nationally renowned Youghal Pipe Band on their march to Market Square for the official turning on of Youghal’s Christmas Lights.

Organisers wish to extend a sincere thank you to its many sponsors which enabled the event to be undertaken.  These included: Youghal Town Council, The Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group, Youghal Credit Union, Youghal Heritage Committee, Aquatrek, Barty’s Disco, Next Door Off-Licence, Youghal Chamber of Tourism & Commerce, Collins’ Bakery, Le Gourmet, Tom Morley (Horse & Cart), Community Radio Youghal, Irwin’s Kodak, ‘XL’ Convenience Store, Tesco, The Youghal Youth Orchestra, Youghal Choral Society, The Cast of Aladdin (Graham McDermott School of Dance) Youghal Pipe Band & Woodland Print & Design,

Issued by: Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group

Further details on event E: clodaghmahon@hotmail.com

Click on image to see more photos of Santa in Youghal

Santa visits boys and girls around the world in many different ways, but on Saturday 4th December at 2.00pm this year in Youghal, Co. Cork, Father Christmas is set to arrive on water with the help of local sailing school, Aquatrek, to the Quay-side to kick-start the seaside town’s annual Christmas festive season celebrations.

Santa’s horse and carriage will stand in his wait before taking him and the lucky winner of the school’s colouring competition to The Mall Arts Centre for an afternoon of free fun, which is open to the public.

Kids of all ages will enjoy the festivities from 2.15- 4.30 pm with a ‘free Santa visit’ and photograph, face-painting, mingling with the cast of Aladdin, while also being in with a chance to win a family pass to see the show!  Making a special appearance in Youghal this year will be ‘Tricky Trevor’ with ‘Scamp’ the puppet dog.  The afternoon will also see Trevor perform some amazing balloon wizardry!

Mums and Dads are catered for as they sip over warmed mulled wine and tuck into mince pies to the sounds of the Youth Choir and the nationally acclaimed Youghal Choir throughout the afternoon.

At 4.30 pm join Santa as he leads Youghal’s very own Pipe Band on their march to Market Square for the official turning on of Youghal’s Christmas Lights.

Speaking about the event, organiser Clodagh Mahon thanked all those who assisted in making the event possible.  “With so much doom and gloom about, we wanted to ensure that this day was extra special for the families of Youghal.  The many sponsors of the event allowed us to undertake an entirely free event, really demonstrating the community Christmas spirit in the town.  We are expecting a large turn-out which will only add to the atmosphere on the day.”

For more details log onto: www.youghal.ie or Facebook page: ‘whatsonyoughal’.

Issued by: Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group

Further details on event E: clodaghmahon@hotmail.com or T: 087-9346440

A beautiful sunset last evening (Sunday 29th August 2010) over Youghal Bay finally drew a fitting curtain over an exciting day of powerboat racing in the East Cork town. Returning to Cork waters for the first time in many years this year’s ISA National Powerboat Championship is proving to be a huge success with intense competition across all classes and superb excitement for spectators.
Photos: Ger Leahy

With the waters directly off the quays in Youghal roaring to the sound of 14 race engines, the quays were equally buzzing with the chatter of keen spectators enjoying this unique blend of water, noise, bravery and spectacle.

Although only in it’s first year, this was Youghal Bay Boat Club’s second hosting of a round of the National Championships – the first being in Ardmore back in July. In Ardmore it was the P750 (Thundercat) classes that provided the excitement, this time out the entire national powerboat racing fleet came to party.

The weekend of maritime activities had begun the previous day with local marine training centre Aquatrek hosting the Munster Final of the Yachtsman Euromarine Rib Challenge and Youghal Bay Boat Club hosting their Commodore’s Cup and a thrilling aerobatics display by Gerry Humphries (and his wonderfully daft flying cow!) in the skies above Youghal. With two new ribs up for grabs in the national finals of the Rib Challenge, competition was naturally keen. Challenges were spread across land-based skills, questions and tasks – while on the water crews were tasked with a variety of tests. When the dust settled, the teams going through to the national final were announced as:

Seniors:
1st – Aquatrek Training Centre
2nd – Youghal Bay Boat Club
3rd – Tralee Bay Sailing Club

Juniors:
1st – Aquatrek Training Centre
2nd – Wexford Harbour Boat & Tennis Club
3rd – Wexford Harbour Boat & Tennis Club

Sunday morning arrived with a car-park full of very strange machines for the people of Youghal to wonder about – it’s not every day you see a van with what looks like a little jet plane parked on its roof. With crews and boats from the four corners of Ireland filling out the car park the excitement grew from early morning until the first boats hit the water just after noon to begin a long day of hot action. Under blue skies and mostly clear water the afternoon was filled with twelve races in total. Community Radio Youghal were on hand to provide informative commentary and fill the time between races with music and banter. With this being the penultimate round of the national championships the racing was always expected to be intense, and the crews didn’t disappoint. Turn after turn, race after race, the crowds were treated to top-notch racing directly in front of the town’s quays. The big F2′s rocketing past at 100 miles an hour throwing huge plumes of water into the skies, the little P750 (Thundercats) throwing their boats and crews into impossible turns just inches apart from one another, and the T850 monohulls buzzing, skimming and often flying across the water.

For Youghal Bay Boat Club this was the first year in the build towards a major annual Maritime Festival, and it proved to be a satisfying success. For the spectators it was another opportunity to enjoy the wonderful spectacle which the waters of Youghal can provide. For the competitors it was an opportunity to showcase their sport and battle hard for championship points.

At the end of a long and exciting day the honours went to the following:

T850 Class
1st: Oliver Haire (North East Powerboat & Racing Club)
2nd: Megan Anderson (North East Powerboat & Racing Club)
3rd: Philip Haire (North East Powerboat & Racing Club)

Formula 2 Class
1st: Will Chambers (Lisnaskea Boat Club)
2nd: Liam Ralph (East Coast Powerboat Racing Club)
3rd: Oliver Haire (North East Powerboat & Racing Club)

Formula 4 Class
1st: Will Chambers (Lisnaskea Boat Club)
2nd: Phil Boyle (Irish Powerboat Club)

P750 (Thundercats)
1st: Sean Dillon & Gary Hogg (Irish Offshore Powerboat Racing Club)
2nd: Colin Snow & Conor Mullally (East Coast Powerboat Racing Club)
3rd: Ronan O’Connor & Fionn Little (Youghal Bay Boat Club)

For further information please contact Aidan Foley (Club PRO) on 086 0401368

The Family Fun Festival festival drew to a close with a ‘raft race’ in Youghal Bay.  A team of fearless ‘water babies’ calling themselves the ‘Water Rats’ clinched first place in a closely fought event, sponsored by Aquatrek Sea Skills.
Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com Email: news@youghalonline.com

The raft race which was part of the Family Fun Festival 2010 began at 7.30pm at the Mall Dock and finished at the Ferryslip. Great credit to all the entrants who represented their clubs and businessess with their colourful and clever designs, the  rafts were kept afloat using combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrels, or inflated air chambers. MC for the event Barty Murphy said it was great fun for the people who gathered at the quayside despite the bad weather.

At the closing ceremony of the event, Sal Tivy paid tribute to the hard-working committee who worked behind the scenes to make the event possible.  “They were magnificent; a fantastic, hard working team of ladies and 3 gents.  I would personally like to express my thanks and say it was these people who made it such a successful event for Youghal.  I would like to say it was my privilege to have worked with them.”

The Youghal Family Fun Festival would like to thank its sponsors for their support in this inaugural event.

Photos: www.youghalonline.com
Click on image to see the fun race

The Cork Outreach Group of the Chernobyl Children’s Project were delighted with the hospitality shown to the children during their stay in Youghal. The group enjoyed a river trip up the River Blackwater courtesy of Aquatrek and the recently formed Youghal Bay Boat Club. The group also enjoyed the recent Mary Coughlan concert courtesy of Bobby Lee from Sacred Root Promotions.
Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com | Email: news@youghalonline.com

Since its establishment in 1991, Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI) has delivered over €85 million in direct and indirect humanitarian aid to the Chernobyl region. CCPI aims to restore hope to the people of the Chernobyl-affected region.

We continue to deliver relevant projects and programmes by maintaining strong links with many international and Belarusian agencies and organisations and by then adapting and changing the work that we do according to the changing needs of the children, the adults and the communities we work with. This process of ongoing communication informs all of the work we do and allows us to closely monitor and evaluate our programme and project delivery.

Aquatrek, Youghal’s excellent sail training and leisure service unveiled Nightvision,’ the latest addition to its fleet, amidst a wintry chill at its base at Nealon’s Quay. By Christy Parker/ Photo Michael Hussey (YoughaoOnline.com)

The Excalibur Rib was designed and built by Joe Collam of Cork company Gale Force ventures. Joe is naval architect with 15 years of Rib design experience. Aquatrek founders John Innes and John Griffin developed and co-ordinated the advance onboard electronics themselves.

In appearance a blue & yellow hued glamour craft, Nightvision is a seriously capable and highly advanced vessel. With an estimated value of €65,000, it boasts two, twin controlled 75 hp engines, modified slightly to hit a top speed of 38 knots.

Built to carry four, seated crew, the safety attributes meet all recruitments for Marine Department P6 (Passenger) Licence. “Her two electric pumps can shift 4,000 litres of water an hour, as well as a manual pump,” says John Innes. A tacho system enables engine trimming to allow the craft’s hull to rise or dip according to conditions, thus contributing to fuel economy, comfort and safety Read more