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Displaying items by tag: Third C class cargoship

#CastleLaunch- Arklow Castle was launched in the Netherlands yesterday to form the third ‘C’ class newbuild of a 10-ship order from the Co. Wicklow based operator, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 5,054dwt cargoship Arklow Castle (yard No. 426) slid into the canal at the Ferus Smit shipyard in Westerbroek. 

Arklow Castle has a maximized single-hold volume of 220.000cft and a carrying capacity over 5000 deadweight tons and still falls under the 3,000 gross tons limit. The newbuild's hull has an 1A iceclass notation. Propullsion is from a 1740 kW MaK engine with a single ducted propeller.

ASL transport cargoes among them: bulk grain and dangerous bulk cargoes, steel rails, minerals, generals, offshore and landline pipes and provision to carry containers.

Arklow Castle follows sisters ‘Cape’ launched last October and leadship ‘Cadet’. Both these 2,999grt newbuilds have been given new names whereas Arklow Castle revives a predecessor that operated a rare ‘container' only liner-service for ASL until around 2006.

This former Arklow Castle ran a liner-service between Avonmouth (Bristol) to Bilbao link with calls to Greenock and Dublin on the outward voyage.

According to the ASL fleet list, a ‘W’ class bulker, Arklow Wave is no longer included. This leaves only Arklow Wind as the final of a trio of South Korean built ships dating from the early 2000’s left in service.

As reported on Afloat the 14,000dwt Arklow Willow was sold last year to Canadian interests, McKeil Marine, Hamilton which saw the ship make a delivery voyage to Lake Ontario.

Published in Arklow Shipping

Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race Information

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down to the east coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry.

The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

It never fails to offer a full range of weather, wind and tide to the intrepid entrants, ranging from a 32ft cruiser to a 79ft all-out racer.

Three divisions are available to enter: cruiser (boats equipped with furlers), racing (the bulk of the fleet) and also two-handed.

D2D Course change overruled

In 2019, the organisers considered changing the course to allow boats to select routes close to shore by removing the requirement to go outside Islands and Lighthouses en route, but following input from regular participants, the National Yacht Club decided to stick with the tried and tested course route in order to be fair to large and smaller boats and to keep race records intact.

RORC Points Calendar

The 2019 race was the first edition to form part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club “RORC” calendar for the season. This is in addition to the race continuing as part of the ISORA programme. 

D2D Course record time

Mick Cotter’s 78ft Whisper established the 1 day and 48 minutes course record for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in 2009 and that time stood until 2019 when Cotter returned to beat his own record but only just, the Dun Laoghaire helmsman crossing the line in Kerry to shave just 20 seconds off his 2009 time.