The following information is for guidance only. Please if in doubt of anything at all contact a member of the committee to run through any queries you may have.
Irish Lifejacket Regulations
Fishing in Ireland from a small boat requires that you wear a lifejacket at all times. This is the LAW and must be adhered to at all times.
Current regulations state:
A life-jacket is a Personal Flotation Devices (PFD’s) and is a statutory requirement for pleasure craft in Ireland. There must be suitable PFDs for everyone on board any pleasure craft and must be worn in the following situations:
1. By anyone on board an open craft that is under 7 meters in length;
2. By anyone on deck on a craft that is under 7 meters length;
3. By anyone under the age of 16 on board an open craft or on deck of any other type of craft;
4. By anyone being towed in another craft or on any other device (skis, donuts etc.);
5. By anyone on a personal watercraft (jet ski).
Exceptions are when:
· Tied up alongside or made fast to an anchor, marina, pier or mooring;
· Immediately prior to, during and after swimming from a craft that is not moving through the water;
· Putting on, wearing or taking off diving equipment on a craft that is not moving through the water.
Safety First – a Safe Competition
Safety is of paramount importance on the water. We expect all boats who enter into the Rosslare Small Boats Festival to carry adequate safety equipment.
Decisions based on if the competition day can go ahead are based on weather predictions for the following day taking into account previous days/nights weather, weather predictions further on into the day and other environmental factors that can impact the sea state. The committee will make a decision based on how the smallest boat in the fleet can handle those conditions safely.
Navigation around Kilmore Quay
Looking at the chart of the area surrounding the Saltee Islands and it is plain to see why Kilmore Quay is famous for its outstanding fishing and vast array of species. This abundance of reefs and rocky outcrops is a haven for fish but they also make the surrounding sea area a very dangerous one too.
Several of the rocky pinnacles that offer outstanding fishing include the Bore, the long and short Bohur, Conningmore rocks, Conningbeg rock and the Brandies. Particular care should be taken around the latter two of these as at certain states of tide they lay just below the surface showing themselves only as the tide drops. Care should also be taken around Red Bank and in between the Saltee Islands as tide rips can make the seas here very unpredictable.
To the east of Kilmore there are large expanses of clean seabed interrupted by some areas of broken ground and the odd reef, but when heading east you should be careful of St Patricks Causeway. It runs from the land just east of the harbour right out to Little Saltee and is only just under the surface in places. About a mile out from the harbour there are two boys, these mark a gap which is the safe place to cross. Please don’t try and cross any other way other than through here.
Kilmore Quay is a commercial harbour with numerous crab and lobster fishing boats. With this in mind care should be taken around pot marker boys so as to not foul props on pot lines. It is also worth nothing that some pot lines can have large amounts of excess rope so giving a pot a wide berth is a wise idea.
