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Displaying items by tag: Admiral Francis Beaufort

The 2010/2011 'Follow The Fleet' Schools Essay Competition is open to all schools that are registered to take part in the Follow the Fleet project. Schools can register details by logging onto www.followthefleet.ie where a username and password will be provided.
The deadline for entries for this year's Follow The Fleet Schools Essay Competition is Thursday 31st March. The essay competition is centred around three key themes: Maritime History, Maritime Trading In Ireland –Life of a Container and Maritime Technology and the Master Mariner.

Theme 1. Maritime History

Commodore John Barry- Father of the American Navy

The Adventures of Gráinne Mhaol

Admiral Francis Beaufort's Scale

Write an historical essay on one of these famous Irish mariners and their journeys of discovery and adventure. You can include pictures or photos if choosing this category to support your essay. The pictures or photos will need to include elements of geographical representation and can include pictures of vessels, land marks, vegetation or animals pertinent to the essay.

Theme 2. Maritime Trading in Ireland –Life of a Container

An essay on a trade route from or to Ireland and progress that a container carried on a cargo ship will make. You will need to describe the size of container, what cargo it will carry, the type of ship it will travel on, the port it will depart from and the port it will go to and the places the ship may call in-between. The nominated trade routes are:

Ireland – Norway.

Ireland – Italy.

Ireland- France.

You can include pictures or photos if choosing this category to support your essay. The pictures or photos will need to include elements of geographical representation of the two countries and can include pictures / photos of land marks or cargo pertinent to the Journey.

Theme 3. Technology and the Master Mariner.

An essay on how technology helps the working life of a ships captain. You can include details on the types of technology used aboard ship including:

Telecommunications on Ships

Navigating Ships and Technology

Technology & Safety at sea

Entrants can include pictures or photos if choosing this category to support your essay. The pictures or photos will need to be representative of the technology used on board ship.

You are free to choose an essay title from any of the 3 themes listed above. For further information about essay guidelines, entry forms and competition details and rules they can be found HERE

Published in Ports & Shipping

About Electric outboard engines

The direct-drive component in electric outboard engines means that the electric motors are incredibly efficient compared to conventional marine combustion motors, operating with considerably higher torque whilst using less power.

Without any need for gears, cooling systems and moving parts the motors are maintenance free, highly efficient and economic to run.

As a result, electric boat engines are becoming more popular on Irish waters as the world transitions from fossil fuels to green energy.

To date, popular electric engine sizes have been trolling engines typically used by fishermen on lakes.

These marine engines are available in models that can be used in fresh water and sea water, for your boat or kayak.

Electric motors are Ideal for fishermen because they are quiet and create little in the way of disturbance 

Popular electric trolling models range from 30lb thrust to 55lb thrust in a range of shaft lengths.

But use is becoming broader now in 2021 and electric outboard engines are being used on small runabouts and RIBS where electric outboard engine sizes are getting bigger.

Outboard electric engines are economical and environmentally friendly. Battery technology is also improving at a rapid rate meaning they are becoming smaller and lighter and run for longer.

Built in hydro-generation provides alternative recharging options whilst under sail are also options meaning the electric outboard now has a home on the stern on small yachts and dayboats too.

As far back as 2014, Torqeedo owner Jack O'Keefe from Cork Harbour told Afloat readers of his sailing adventures in a Drascombe Coaster dinghy and how after swapping from a petrol version the rewards from his new electric outboard engine are less noise, no smells, more stowage, better sailing performance and a motor that can be started by a small child. But it's still not silent, there's a whine he says here 

Popular brands in Ireland are Torqeedo, ePropulsion, Pulsar and Minn Kota but there are more arriving all the time as the technology advances