It's getting hot out here...

It looks like summer has finally arrived, although perhaps not for long. With another 3 lucky schools enjoying the sunshine today our school tour season is well underway, in fact we are half way through already.
We also now have our full compliment of instructors on board and with a friendly mix of old faces, new smiles and for the first time 3 of our Academy graduates you will be well looked after during your visit.


If you are planning a visit on a School tour or Summer camp then we look forward to seeing you, if you have not yet booked then you better call soon as with this taste of summer places are sure to fill up fast.
Summer camps kick off in less than 4 weeks!!!
Don't worry if you are too old for camps then why not some and learn and Sail, Kayak or Windsurf!
To book call 061 376622 or email info@ulac.ie

"Sail & Stay" Special offer

Book a weekend sailing course at UL Activity centre and get Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at the Lakeside Hotel in Killaloe/Ballina all for the fantastic price of €249pp

Book 3 and stay for free!!!
Book 3 people you all get to stay for free, that's a saving of €69 per person!!

Offer is only available until the Friday 27th May so book now to avoid disappointment, call us on 061 376622 Now.

Full list of sailing courses is available here If you can't find a date that suits give us a call and we will try and schedule something to suit when you are free.

Terms and conditions apply

Kayak training, for Adventure racers

This course is aimed at those looking to dip their toes into the world of Adventure racing but have little or no kayaking experience. Under the guidance of Kayak coach, Ocean rower and Adventure racer, Mike Jones, you will be thought all the skills you need to go straight and stay dry during your next Adventure race.

The course will run from 6pm to 8.30pm on Wednesday the 4th May and all specialist equipment will be provided, all you need is swimwear and shower kit and an old pair of shoes you don’t mind getting wet.

All this for only €30 pp

To Book call us on 061 376622 or email info@ulac.ie

UL Activity Centre, High Ropes, Skywalk

Spring has Sprung!

Over the past few weeks the spring sunshine has been doing its job warming Lough Derg and bringing a flourish of yellow daffodils and we at ULAC have been taking full advantage of the fine weather.


Over the weekend we had both years of our Sailing Academy in for some important powerboat and sailing training. We also had groups in to develop their team building skills as they took on the Crystal Maze Challenge and High Ropes course.

If you would like to join us for some fun and take part in our Easter camps give us a call today on 061 376622. We are also taking school tour and summer camp bookings and places are filling fast!

For a look at our latest newsletter click here

Latest news from the ULAC Sailing Academy

-Saturday 7^th November

Having missed the week of Halloween it felt good to be back on the water again! Although the day started with the inevitable rain it did little to dampen our spirits and we soon got out on the water! I went out in one of the RS Visions again in order to practice my trapezing again; this could have gone better if the wind has stayed constant. It was, however, very gusty and this made it quite difficult to stay upright let alone get right out on the trapeze! I had a go but I had to quickly unhook myself while hanging out over the water because it looked like the boat was going to come down on top of me; it didn’t and I ended up very wet and very cold but laughing madly! The rest of the morning continued as it had started but we were all happy, if a little bit freezing, when we got back on land. The afternoon was different again; after quite a long lunch we went out again to practice our manoeuvres. This went much better than the morning’s efforts and was very enjoyable. So, all in all another excellent day.

Saturday 14^th November

This week has to have been the best day of sailing I have done all year if not ever. It was a windy day but, as usual, this did not deter us! I went out in a fully rigged RS Vision complete with a spinnaker (which didn’t in fact come out until after lunch). When we were told what we would be doing my heart sank, trapezing and sailing without a rudder; my two nemeses! We got out and the powerboat came over and gave the dreaded order: ‘right, it’s your turn to do rudderless’! What then happened was amazing...It actually worked and I was finally able to sail between the two markers without the use of my rudder. I was so pleased but this was short-lived the next seeming insurmountable task was trapezing. As the wind remained constantly quite strong and thanks to the amazing ability of the helmsman this also worked to my great surprise and I managed to stay out for quite some time!

The afternoon too went well and I managed to do quite a bit of sailing with my spinnaker so after just a few hours I had accomplished quite a lot!

Saturday 21^st November

We were in for a shock when we arrived at the ULAC because, due to the recent rain, the whole place was flooded. The place where we usually rig our boats, well above the top of the slipway, was under several inches of water. After rigging the boats however it was straight out onto the water to do some proper sailing! It was quite windy so we really got moving! We did a few manoeuvres but mainly just sailed around enjoying ourselves! The afternoon went well too; we got to just get out and sail which was just great fun! The only slight problem was the cold! It was absolutely freezing! Next week will be the last of this year but we’ll still have all of next year’s sailing to look forward too!

And some pictures of record high levels on Lough Derg!

The latest news form the Academy

Saturday 10th October
Another good days sailing but with a fairly in auspicious start! There wasn’t a huge amount of wind in the morning but well all got stuck in and enjoyed ourselves. I was able to practice new techniques like sailing without a centreboard and sailing with only a jib. This was interesting and as usual it’s good to learn new skills. In the afternoon however we decided to take out the much bigger Ludic training boat. All five of us went on it and we got the spinnaker up; each of us got a turn at the helm which was great because we were all given the chance to sail a boat with a spinnaker; fast! This was hugely fun and I hope the everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did!

Saturday 17th October
This was possible the worst start to a day’s sailing I have ever had! The day started very still and misty; in fact it was so still the mist and water melded into one. We spent the morning on land brushing up on our theory; this was both informative and useful because it gave us a chance to remind ourselves of what we had forgotten! In the afternoon we got to try out our teaching skills with the Sailing Club sailors; we took them out to play various games. This was slightly difficult at the lack of wind meant that we had to paddle ourselves around the course! It was however fun and informative and I really enjoyed it.

Saturday 24th October
We had a completely different experience today! The wind was very strong; certainly between 5 and 7 on the Beaufort scale and very gusty! While the other sailors stayed on land the sailing academy students took to the water (albeit two to an RS Feva with a reefed main sail). It was, however, one of the most exhilarating things I have done in my life. After just sailing for the sheer enjoyment of it we decided to perform the ‘picking up a mooring’ manoeuvre. This went better for me in high winds than it had in the lighter winds on previous weeks.
After lunch we stayed on land because the wind had picked up further and no one would have been able to keep a boat upright. On land we had the chance to practice another important skill for instructors: keeping people amused when they can’t go out because of the weather! We played various team games and really enjoyed ourselves.