Competitors are in Cobh for the longest sailboard race in Ireland.
Lieutenant Commander Eoin McNamara of the Naval Service is among those taking part in the race. At over 40 years of age he is one of the oldest participants. While he is experienced at sailing, standing on a sailboard presents other challenges. It is a great way to stay fit and Eoin McNamara says that six months after taking up sailboarding, he had lost two stone. It is one of the few sports that he can keep up with the younger competitors.
You need all the sailing skills you need for other types of sailing but additionally you have to be physically fit.
As the sport has grown in popularity, accusations that sailboarders are irresponsible have emerged. It is alleged that they have caused life services to be unnecessarily called out. Sailboarders do not take adequate precautions when it comes to health and safety on the water.
Eddie English from the International Sailing Centre in Cobh says,
You've got people getting involved in the sport without going through the property channels.
He calls for all sailboarders to join clubs and is concerned about retailers behaving irresponsibly by selling sailboards to people who have no information about safety. Sailboarders should not take to the water without a buoyancy aid and without knowing the principles of self rescue. The Lifeboat Institution have called for a register of sailboarders to be set up. The Irish Boardsailing Association supports this call.
Eddie English says that the Round The Island Race is unique as it is a sailboard marathon race which goes on for 15 miles. The race is run in the enclosed Cork Harbour where the waters are very safe and the boardsailors are close to land at all times. This also allows spectators to watch the race from several vantage points.
Forty competitors took part in the race, a smaller number than organisers had hoped for. Vincent Geary of the local Buccaneer Club and Dubliner Coleman Phelan were among the top contenders. It was Vincent who took the title. In the light wind conditions, it took about three and a half hours for him to complete the course.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 16 May 1984. The reporter is Tom MacSweeney.
