Bettystown Beach, Meath

Bettystown beach in Meath is regarded as the home of the IPKSA because of its central location and that the newly appointed president of FISLY: Alan Watson. FISLY stands for the International Land and Sandyachting Federation and is the global body where rules and competitions are organised. The beach is just over 5 km in length that runs from Laytown into Bettystown. At least two IPKSA events are held here every season. The length of the beach makes it suitable for mini yacht class and the standart class.

I mention the standart class because it is one of the very few locations where the IPKSA use the standart class. But the one highly noticeable thing about Bettystown beach is the gully's that are created by the tide patterns. For miniyacht circuits/tracks, they are mainly held drained sand banks so they gullies are not a problem. However if you are to use a standart class, you have to be careful with these as if you go over a one too fast you may lose control, get a strong jolt or maybe buckle or puncture a wheel. Especially through a wet puddle you may not be able to see for a few seconds until the water drips away from your helmet, so be careful. On of the most enjoyable things to do on Bettystown beach is to go from one end of the beach to the far end where the River Boyne flows from Drogheda into the Irish Sea. This can take from 20 minutes to 40 minutes depending on the wind conditions.

I will rate all beaches with the same criteria:Pros, Cons, then: Accessibility, How busy the beach is, Length, Width, how smooth the beach is, difficulty and overall. Bettystown Beach: Pros: Good length, good width, good for standart sailing and good accessibility onto the beach and a central location in Ireland. Cons: Harsh ride over tidal channels, extremely busy over summer time.
Accessibly: ****
Busyness: ****
Length: ****
Width: ***
Smoothness: **
Difficulty: ***
Overall: 3.5.
Bettystown beach is good in size but tidal patterns create harsh channels for some yachts and it makes it uncomfortable.



This is picture of Bettystown beach from the last IPKSA meeting. This photo was taken by my family.



This is a video of an event on Bettystown beach in April 2010. The ones you see are the Standart class. Watch the Blue yacht and around the 5 minute mark and you can see his wheel come off. This shows a perfect example of the channels on Bettystown beach and that you need to be cautious when you enter them. This video was put together by Alan Harvey.