SAILING:IT WAS a source of pride to the country's sailing community when Damian Foxall went to Áras an Uachtaráin last month, because the visit brought State acknowledgement of the biggest sailing achievement in years.
Sailors believed it was through this epic victory - and other achievements, such as last year's Fastnet win - that the Government (of this island nation) would respond to the call of the sea.
Instead, as it turns out, it's hard even to figure out just who's been left in charge of maritime affairs, now that the marine portfolio is spread over three Government departments and the marine title doesn't feature in any of them.
With 15 per cent of all European waters surrounding our shores, the decision to break up the Department of the Marine affects more than sailing: it may be costing us all. It is one reason why Foxall lives in France and sails a French-flagged boat.
It's a far cry from 30 years ago when a politician with some vision amalgamated all the marine functions into one department, a Department of the Marine.
After last year's election, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern assigned the job of Minister for Transport and Marine to Noel Dempsey.
But fisheries was assigned to Agriculture. There were reports of disagreements between the Ministers and it didn't all go smoothly. It was several months before the formal signing-over of Fisheries to Agriculture.
Today, there is still confusion over marine responsibility. Eamon Ryan in Communications and Energy hung on to aspects of fisheries, eg, drift nets. But the marine leisure section - where did that go?
The Marine Industry Federation found that the leisure section was missing and put out an alert, but it hasn't been located yet.
Sporting aspects of the water appear to come under the Department of Sport, and it should be fairly acknowledged that the department is supporting the port of Galway's role in the 2009 stop-over of the Volvo Ocean race.
The Department of Transport would have no transport to deal with if it weren't for the ships which bring in fuel. In fact, 95 per cent of all goods come into this country by boat, but the department has decided it doesn't want any reference to the marine in its title, so its documentation is labelled "Department of Transport".
This is the department containing the Coast Guard management which wants to close down the radio stations at Valentia and Malin Head; and it can't even include Marine in its name.
Four years ago Bertie Ahern tried to get rid of the marine department but ended up reinstating it after a campaign from different bodies.
This time he appears to have succeeded, but what does that mean for the pride of Irish sailing?
It may seem blindingly obvious, but it needs to be said: a single maritime authority that can make decisions relating to the sea is essential for an island people.
We're about to lay claim to the sea-bed beyond the continental shelf. This claim will be laid with the UN and may bring a sea area of over one million square kilometres under national sovereignty.
Now that marine has disappeared off the radar again, what lies over the horizon for Irish sailors? Maybe we are back to where we started, standing on the coast of an island nation looking inland even though, as seafarers like Foxall have shown, we could be leaders of the maritime world.
