What we do
Good news!
If you join an Irish Sailing affiliated club, then you automatically become an Irish Sailing member joining an active community with over 26,000 members of all ages across Ireland.
Irish Sailing as a national governing body, has a wide remit and much of what we do is not easily visible. This includes representing and advocating on behalf of our members, providing resources and administrative assistance to clubs, maintaining and communicating safety and safeguarding standards, facilitating and supporting local and national races for all ability levels, initiating inclusion programmes and much more.
Below is a bit more detail about some of what we do.
Promotion of sailing – in all its forms
Including promotion of windsurfing, powerboating and using personal watercraft (jetskis)
Club and Training Centre Development
We provide clubs with a vast range of resources and guidance to support them administratively, allowing them to safely and legally provide facilities and services to their club members. We also provide the framework and training for clubs who wish to develop and become training centres.
Safeguarding
We have a dedicated National Children’s Officer who manages all safeguarding policies and training.
Training Courses
We design and maintain a wide range of training courses for new and experienced sailors of all ages, instructors, coaches and clubs which are delivered by Irish Sailing training centres nationally. We also manage all licencing and certification.
High Performance Pathway
Our Performance division provides a pathway for young sailors to compete in international competitions such as the Olympics. Irish Sailors currently hold the World Championship titles for Youth Girls and Youth Boys, as well as the male and female world titles for youth 29er.
Inclusive Sailing
Irish Sailing supports the delivery of a number of inclusive programmes such as Women on the Water, and Sailability. We have a number of inclusive boats, to enable people with disabilities to sail, which are loaned to clubs on request.
Racing Events
We run key annual events including the Champions’ Cup, the Junior Champions’ Cup and the Irish Youth National Championships.
Racing and handicaps
All sailors who want to race both in national championships and in international regattas must be a member of Irish Sailing, and any club that wishes to run racing events must be affiliated to the national body. We also manage the training for all race officers, judges, umpires, measurers, equipment inspectors and safety boat crews. Irish Sailing also manages all racing rules, handicaps and ratings, issuing the ECHO Standards (national performance handicap system) and IRC Rating Certificates. Irish Sailing is the IRC Rule Authority in Ireland.
Responsible Sailing
Irish Sailing has developed programmes and guidelines to help sailors and clubs to ensure that they minimise their environmental impact whether in day to day recreational cruising or when running a racing event.
Safety at sea
Irish Sailing, manages all safety frameworks and standards and provides this information to all member clubs and sailors.
Collaboration
We liaise with other NGBs in Ireland, and with other national bodies across Europe.
Funding
We work with Sport Ireland and other stakeholders to secure funding
Advocacy
With the increase in Offshore Windfarm licences being awarded around Ireland’s coasts, we lobby to ensure that navigational routes are maintained and safe. Similarly, the increasing pressure on waterfront land occupied by yacht and boat clubs, means that there is a constant need for a national governing body to advocate for clubs and protect their access to water and shore resources.