A remarkable number of yachts are visiting Greystones New Marina. Over 500 visiting Yacht nights have been recorded. One weekend 67 Yachts visited some for 2 or 3 nights. Usually there are 4 people on board and they spend plenty in the pubs and restaurants. These have come from all over Ireland and the UK, especially Wales, and Belgium and France. These visitors are impressed with the harbour, the atmosphere of the town and the surrounding mountains.

Cllr Derek Mitchell said ‘these high spending visitors would never have come to Greystones before we had a safe harbour and their spend is helping businesses. This is the largest number of visitors to any new marina in Ireland’.

The Rowing Club has had a good Regatta and the Sailing Club is going to have its first Keelboat Regatta on the 1st September.

I notice that Stephen Donnelly T.D. and his Strategy Group have as their first item that they want to ‘open Greystones harbour’. How can they not have noticed it is open and trading so successfully! It doesn’t speak much for the Strategy.

In July I wrote to Sispar and asked them to tidy the site. I am glad to see that at lunch time today they were clearing debris from the middle of the site and putting it in a compound. I understand they will replace the hoardings with better fencing. Following this they are getting the grass people back to do better on the lower section of the site as this did not grow well in contrast to the upper part which did grow well.

There is a lecture on building the harbour by the Engineers Ireland in the National Yacht Club Dun Laoghaire on 28th August 7.30 pm. Speakers will be Sean Mason, Ove Arup and myself.