On the OCTOBER edition MARITIME IRELAND, the only programme reporting on this island nation’s marine sector – 34-year-old sailor from Greystones, Co.Wicklow, Pamela Lee, who has based herself in France to develop her international career, outlines her plan to follow the historic coffee route of the great sailing clippers in the Transat Jacques Vabre race this month. It starts from Le Harve in France to Martinique in the Caribbean on October 29. “Offshore sailing is a mechanical sport and it is an intellectual sport. More than using physical abilities and power, you can use your head to get the boat to work for you. If you’re relying on brute force to get a boat to do what you want, then you’re not doing it right,” she says. I was interiewing her for this month’s edition of MARITIME IRELAND when I compared the strength of women with men in offshore sailing. We were discussing tactics for the Transat race which she’ll be sailing from October 29 with French co-skipper Tiphaine Ragueneau. “If you’re thinking about what you’re doing, if you understand what you’re doing, if you understand how to use a boat properly, you can manoeuvre the boat to work for you. If you’re using brute force against the boat, you’re not going to win,” she told me. “It’s really about thinking cleverly.” That’s advice I’m going to apply to myself!
Also on the Podcast, which is also a programme broadcast on Community Radio Stations around the country, I talk to Noel Campbell, Assistant Keeper at the National Museum of Ireland, Country Life, at Turlough Park, near Castlebar in County Mayo. This collects and preserves material culture from Ireland’s traditional way of life, of which the maritime sphere is, of course, a major part. It is a fascinating place. where Noel Campbell is developing a BOAT GALLERY. In his interview he outlines how he hopes to develop the project and how it is obtaining information and contribution from around the coast of Ireland.
Also on the Podcast, Rhoda Twombly reports from the annual general meeting of the Islands’ Federation, Comhdháil Oileán na hEireann on Inishturk Island and highlights the need for more housing on the islands.
Birdwatch Ireland, the voluntary organisation devoted to the conservation and protection of wild birds and their habitats says that 23 of the 24 breeding seabirds in Ireland are now Red or Amber-listed and of conservation concern. These include kittiwakes and Puffins which are also classed as globally vulnerable. Amy Lewis outlines the issue from BirdWatch headquarters at Kilcoole in County Wicklow.
It is, I hope, a Podcast/programme which will interest you and that you will enjoy.
