Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: service to resume

Ferry company, Stena Line is to resume sailings from Fishguard to Rosslare this Sunday, 5 March, just over three weeks since Stena Europe was taken off the Wales-Ireland route due to an engine room blaze.

As the Western Telegraph writes, the port in Pembrokeshire is to welcome the return of the Stena Europe following repairs to the engine room when the blaze took place off the Welsh coast on Saturday, 11 February.

Dating to 1981, the veteran vessel was repaired at the Cammel Laird shipyard, Birkenhead at the Tranmere Basin as Afloat previously reported and where a planned maintenance also took place.

Stena Europe which at more than 40 year's old, has for half that time spent a career on the Wales-Ireland route, is to be replaced in July by the 2001 built Stena Nordica.

This ropax ferry which is based on the Baltic Sea, Afloat adds previously served on the Irish Sea but on the Holyhead-Dublin route until replaced in 2015. Since then the ropax has returned to the Irish Sea as a relief ferry during annual winter dry-dockings.

As for the St. Georges Channel route, Stena Europe’s arrival in Fishguard is scheduled for this Saturday in readiness for the next day’s first passenger and freight crossing at 1300 on Sunday. On the same day, the ferry is to return from Rosslare at 18.15.

Stena Line’s trade director Irish Sea, Paul Grant, said: “We are very pleased to have Stena Europe back sailing from this Sunday, for its last few months on our Fishguard – Rosslare route; until it is replaced by a new look Stena Nordica in the summer.

"Thank you to all our customers for their patience.”

Published in Stena Line

SB20 (formerly Laser SB3) information

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

The Laser SB3 was designed by Castro and launched in 2002. In 2007 the Laser SB3 was awarded ISAF Recognised Status and the first World Championships were held in Ireland in 2008. In 2012, Tony Castro appointed a new builder, Sportsboat World. At this time, the Laser SB3 was renamed the SB20 and building was returned to the UK from Malaysia. The ethos of the class continues.

The boat is a strict one-design class, economic to buy and campaign, easy to sail with a simple deck layout and electric downwind performance delivered by the generous sail plan. The boat has a lifting keel, can easily be launched from a slipway and towed behind a family car.

Previous SB20 World Champions

2008 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan

Host National Yacht Club, Dun laoghaire, Ireland

2009 GBR: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heeley

Host Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

2010 GBR: Jerry Hill, Grant Rollerson, Joe Llewellyn

Host Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy

2011 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Andy Ramus, Ian Mills & Emma Clarke

Host Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Torquay, UK

2012 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Lesley Dhonau, Roger Hudson & Asenathi Jim

Host Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Queensland, Australia

2013 GRB: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heley Host COYCH Club, Hyeres, France