Hodson Bay Watersports and Adventure Training Centre opens for business

Athlone"s newest tourist attraction opened in Hodson Bay on Sunday last, offering a top class watersports and adventure training programme to visitors and locals alike. The Hodson Bay Watersports and Adventure Training Centre is based close to the popular Hodson Bay Hotel in a brand new state-of-the-art €1.5 million building, specifically built last year by Roscommon County Council to boost the tourism potential of the area. 'Our main objective is to make available to all sectors of the community, and visitors and tourists watersports programmes which they can use on a recreational basis, firstly and secondly, some sectors of the community who may wish to get training in specific areas of water safety or sports,' Coordinator of the new centre Richie O"Hara explained to the Westmeath Independent this week. A first in the region, the fabulous new facility will offer a myriad of water based activities including kayaking, pedal boating, windsurfing, sailing, banana boat rides, dinghy sailing and watersports equipment hire. Adventure Activity Programmes will also be organised for local groups or tourists in the facility. A lecturer in AIT, Mr O"Hara, who lives in the nearby Hill of Berries, has a long track record in the adventure tourism sector over the last thirty years running tours in both in his native Mayo and in Westmeath over that period. A lecturer in Tourism and Leisure Management and Social Studies as well as Coordinator of the sports department in Athlone Institute of Technology since 1981, he has worked in visitor related projects on a seasonal basis since then, operating a very successful programme for school tours including a watersports programme for many years. He also ran a hotel in Achill for 18 years with watersports tours. 'I draw on the theoretical aspects that prevail and what comes up in the books and we put in practice. Vice versa I see in the industry what the reality is at the coalface I can apply it and pass it on to my students. It fits in very well,' he commented, adding that there is great potential along Lough Ree for recreational tourism. He complimented Roscommon County Council and Councillors on their initiative of providing such a fantastic facility, which he hopes will boost visitor numbers in the South Roscommon and wider Athlone area. 'I think we are looking at one of the finest amenities in the country, one of the biggest lakes in the country stretching from Athlone to Lanesboro, and the recreation potential is there to be fully developed. There is a fair bit of activity over recent years on the lake on the Leinster side but what we are talking about is Hodson Bay and we are looking at maximising the potential this great amenity offers,' he added. Rosemount native Teresa Farrell is Manager of the Hodson Bay Watersports and Adventure Training Centre. She appealed to local people and tourists to come in and look around the new facility and try out the activities on offer. There will be special groups rates for local community groups or organisations who want try their hand at watersports. 'We are looking forward giving people around here the opportunity to experience watersports that wouldn"t had it up to now, in so far as they can hire out kayaks, dinghys, club med type catamarans, which are new to the area. We will also be doing canoeing, windsurfing, that kind of watersports,' she said. 'A lot of families will be able to come down and enjoy a family day out, rather than just one member of the family going and doing something. We have excellent facilities in the building and we"ll have world class instructors that will able to instruct people on how to use the equipment correctly, while also gaining experience and learning. It will be accessible to all,' Ms Farrell concluded. Three full-time staff will be employed at the Hodson Bay facility with the numbers of part-time workers fluctuating depending on demand in the summer months. Hodson Bay Watersports and Training Centre will open six days a week on a seasonal basis and can be contacted at 09064 94801.