Our idyllic coastline faces so many threats and needs our help

Having seen the abundance and diversity of the entire coastline of Ireland this summer I am more determined than ever that my grandchildren too should have this privilege in years to come

Common dolphins; Old Head of Kinsale. Pictures: Richard Nairn

On midsummer’s day, I was sitting aboard my small yacht in a windy west coast bay watching the sunset over the Atlantic. All around were stunning views of misty mountains, shining beaches and dark headlands but the forecast was for storms in the next few days.

With my brother Mike, I was fulfilling an ambition to sail around the island of Ireland in memory of our late father, George Nairn, who lived the same dream exactly 30 years ago. When we cast off from the east coast harbour of Greystones, County Wicklow we had some 1,600 kilometres of sailing ahead of us before returning home.