Dun Laoghaire marina a ‘no go’ for SUPs
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Master Simon Coate has noted mounting concerns regarding the safety of Stand Up Paddleboarders (SUPs), kayakers, and sculls who often frequent the marina fairways. Not only do the working cranes, the fuel birth, and the overhead electricity cable present dangers, but these crafts have a very low profile, which makes them difficult to spot by larger cruisers manoeuvring through the marina.
For these reasons, it has been decided to make the marina a ‘no go’ area for all such crafts, who are now “instructed not to enter the marina fairways”. SUPs, kayakers, and sculls should also steer well away from the commercial berths at the St. Michael and Carlisle Piers, and keep clear of the motor fishing boats using the Traders Wharf at the West Pier. “In any event, a sharp lookout should be kept at all times” whilst using any area of the Dun Laoghaire harbour water.
The map featured above provides further guidance concerning the newly defined ‘no go’ areas for kayak and SUP users. For more information, and to stay up to date regarding the in-force Dun Laoghaire notices to marine users, readers are encouraged to visit the Dun Laoghaire Harbour website at: https://dlharbour.ie/harbour-information/notice-to-mariners/.
We would advise all water users to check the local activity of the area and ensure they clear of other boat traffic.
Always ...
- Wear a life jacket / buoyancy aid
- Check your craft is seaworthy
- Check the weather forecast
- Have a means of communication to shore
- Tell someone that you are going to sea, and when you will be back
- In case of an emergency - call Irish Coast Guard (999, 112 or on VHF Channel 16
Take a look at the official app of Irish Sailing - the Irish Sailing SafeTrx App. The app allows you to register your vessel and plan your journey on your Smartphone. At regular intervals the App will send a position report to the server and your emergency contacts will be automatically alerted 30 minutes after the journey exceeds the ETA. At any stage during the journey you can end your trip, revise the ETA, number of people on board or the destination.
Use the SafeTrx app to:
- Improve maritime trip planning with your own personalised checklist to be included as part of your Sail Plan.
- Access official Met Éireann weather data when planning your trip or when your trip is in progress.
- Activate a emergency call while your trip is in progress.
- Quickly start your trip using the ‘Track only’ mode to begin tracking at a touch of a button.
- Store up to 20 trips in your Mobile Logbook and replay trips within the app in video playback mode.
- View your journey history and manage your vessels, emergency contacts and other important information through the Irish Sailing SafeTrx boater site - https://safetrx.sailing.ie