Displaying items by tag: Grand Canal Basin

17th March 2017

Mix of Ship Types Visit Dublin Port to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

#Visitors - A French naval vessel, a UK based cruiseship and a local excursion boat are in Dublin Port to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The French Navy are represented in the capital with the presence of the small offshore patrol vessel, Cormoran. At just shy of 50m long the craft is on a courtesy call during the festivities having berthed at Sir John Rogersons Quay. The 390 gross tonnage vessel is on a five-day visit.

Cormoran normally patrols EEZ waters off western France, had been the Guardship for the La Solitaire du Figaro Yacht Race that called to Dun Laoghaire Harbour in recent years. Accompanying the French visitor on the Liffey is one of the Irish Navy's smallest units, the coastal patrol vessel, L.E. Orla.

Sister of the Peacock class, L.E. Ciara had also berthed here last week during the call of foreign naval visitor, BNS Castor a Ready Duty Ship of the Belgium Navy. More recently HMS Westminster, a Duke class Type 23 frigate also visited the port but took a downriver berth along Ocean Pier.

Also making a visit to Dublin this St. Patrick’s Day with up to 449 passengers is Saga Pearl II which is on cruise having departed Dover. The call of the small Saga Cruises includes an overnight stay in the capital to give cruise-goers more time to enjoy the attractions and Irish hospitality.

The arrival of Saga Pearl II follows the first cruise visitor of 2017 which came in the form of Fred Olsen's Boudicca. The larger 880 passenger capacity cruiseship made a call within the first week of January, however the cruise season proper gets underway next month in late April.

As thousands of Dubliners and visitors also from overseas throng the capital’s thoroughfare for today's St. Patrick’s Day Parade, there are those taking the sights of the capital from offshore. This is been carried out by Dublin Bay Cruises excursion boat, St. Bridget.

The former Aran Islands ferry had undergone work at Howth Boatyard in advance of seasonal cruises. Up until now the 100 assenger boat had been wintering in Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock Basin from where she departed in recent days.

St. Bridget operates cruises from Sir John Rogersons Quay. Almost facing opposite on the far bank is based replica 19th century museum famine-emigrant tallship Jeanie Johnston. The barque this week finally returned to its home-berth in the city-centre at Custom House Quay having undergone maintenance dry-docking.

Guided tours that tell the tales of Irish emigration during the famine to North America are brought to life on board the tallship.

Published in Dublin Port

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17th January 2017

How to Make Your Tourist Attraction Stand Out? Build An 'Escape Room' In a Boat

Zorg Ella – a 21 metre barge originally used to transport potatoes in eastern Netherlands was transported by ship to Dublin Port as seen lowered into the water

#EscapeRoom - The ‘escape room’ business initially an Asian craze has arrived in Ireland and appears to be booming at the moment.

The latest addition to the sector was launched in Dublin yesterday afternoon – and its backers are hoping to stand out from their competitors by offering something a little different: Ireland’s first ‘escape boat’.

“We’ve done a lot of research on escape rooms,” Ronan Brady of escapeboats.ie told TheJournal.ie at Dublin Port as he watched the soon-to-be-refitted Zorg Ella barge being lowered into the Liffey.

I’ve travelled around Europe doing a lot of them and we’ve done all the ones in Dublin – and we think there’s room for huge improvement.

Brady, who has teamed up with Irish Ship and Barge Fabrication for the new venture, hopes to have the attraction up and running on Grand Canal Quay, near the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, by spring.

They’ve spent months sourcing props for the 101-year old ship and thinking of ideas for the different rooms on board, he said.

To read more on this new craze, click here.

Published in News Update

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9th September 2014

Navigation Notice For Dragon Boat Regatta This Weekend

#InlandWaters - Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners that the Dragon Boat Regatta will take place in Dublin's Grand Canal Basin this weekend Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September.

The event will be running both days from 8am to 6pm. Masters are requested navigate with due caution if transiting the basin on these days and note the advice of safety boat marshals.

Published in Inland Waterways

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12th April 2013

Entries Open For IUSRU Raft Race at Docklands Summer Fest

#InlandWaterways - The Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (IUSRU) has announced details of its Raft Race as part of the Waterways Ireland Docklands Summer Festival.

Entry is €25 per person with four persons per raft for the day of wackiness on the water at Grand Canal Basin on 19 May.

And for those who can't build their own raft in time, prebuilt rafts can be supplied by the organisers.

More details of the event can be had from the IUSRU at 087 975 8656 or [email protected].

The complete programme of events for the Docklands Summer Festival will be posted on the official website shortly.

Published in Inland Waterways

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17th June 2011

Waterways Ireland Inter-County Sailing Championship and Docklands Summer Festival

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners that as part of the Docklands Summer Festival, yacht racing will take place in the Grand Canal Basin from 09.00 hrs until 16.00hrs on Sun 26th June.

On Sat 25th, there will be a practice session from 13.00hrs until 19.00hrs.

In addition 'Come and Try It' activities including canoeing and paddle-boarding for novices will take place in the inner basin beside the Waterways Ireland Visitors Centre, from 10.00hrs until 18.00 on both days.

There will be restricted movement of vessels in the Grand Canal Basin during the events, lock operations will be suspended once the events have commenced.

Commercial operators in the Dock are requested to adhere to these restrictions and the planned routes and schedules for the duration of the event.

Boat owners presently in the Grand Canal Basin should comply with all reasonable instructions and guidance from event marshals.

Published in Inland Waterways

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

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