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Displaying items by tag: Row Hard or Go Home

Four members of Ireland’s Row Hard or Go Home team visited Howth RNLI recently to present a cheque for €35,096 to the lifeboat crew.

The funds were raised through the teams taking part in the World’s Toughest Row (formerly the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge), a 4,800km race across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Antigua earlier this year.

One of the two teams set a new record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Both teams chose the RNLI and Laura Lynn to benefit from their fundraising efforts. The funds raised for the RNLI will be spent in Ireland and will go towards the search and rescue charity’s work of saving lives at sea.

The ocean rowers were shown around the north Co Dublin lifeboat station by some of the crew. The RNLI operates two lifeboats at Howth, an all-weather vessel and a smaller D-class craft which are on call 24/7.

The Row Hard or Go Home teams spent over a month at sea in some incredibly challenging conditions, away from their family and dry land. They took turns to sleep and eat and carried out repairs on the small boats, miles out to sea.

Commenting on their generous donation, RNLI community manager Pauline McGann said: “We are so delighted… Their race across the ocean, which was followed online by so many people, showed what an incredible journey and feat of endurance they undertook.

“As the RNLI is a charity that saves lives on the water, we know the challenges that being out at sea for so long can raise. They were so strong and so committed to their goal and they raised much needed funds for our lifesaving work in Ireland. We are so grateful they choose the RNLI as one of their charities.”

Derek McMullen, a member of the record-setting crew added: “It can not be understated how important and how invaluable the RNLI are. The dedication and commitment of the volunteers have saved countless lives down through the years and indeed have been there to support us through our own sea going adventures.”

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

An Irish rowing crew have set a new record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, as RTÉ News reports.

The five-man team from Row Hard or Go Home rowed from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the West Indies in 33 days, 12 hours and 38 minutes as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

On arrival in Antigua’s Nelson’s Dockyard on Saturday evening (14 January), the team of Tom Nolan, Diarmuid Ó Briain, Shane Culleton, Gearoid O’Briain and Derek McMullen smashed the previous five-rower transatlantic record by more than two days.

They were greeted on arrival by family and friends after a month at sea to raise funds or the RNLI and Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice.

And they’re not the only Irish interest in the challenge, with a four-rower team also under the Row Hard or Go Home banner still making way with some 100 nautical miles to go, while Jamie Carr is second in the solo rower standings in the mid Atlantic.

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

Published in Rowing

Marine Leisure & Aquatic Tourism

Domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million.

Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips.

While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. 

According to the National University of Galway (NUIG) research the average expenditure per coastal day trip in 2018 was calculated at €95. The equivalent for coastal overnight trips was €310. The estimated water-based activity expenditure per person per trip across the sample was €56 rising to €73 for the subsample that actually undertake waterbased activities on their coastal visits. The results also indicate that domestic tourists undertake the majority of their marine activities on the West and South coasts of Ireland and that there are notable differences in participation rates across age groupings, social classes and by family makeup.

A domestic tourist is defined in this report as a person who spends at least one night away from home on their trip. Total expenditure by domestic tourists in coastal areas was estimated to be €698 million in 2018, which represents 35% of the total expenditure by domestic tourists (using the broader Fáilte Ireland measure for domestic tourists that includes business trips equating to 10.92 million in total trips and €2,006 million in total revenue).

The marine-related activity expenditure, or what might truly be referred to as domestic marine tourism, is estimated to generate revenue of €381 million with €172 million being spent on water-based activities. Marine tourism makes up an estimated 19% of total domestic tourism expenditure.

Marine Leisure Tourism - FAQ

Coastal tourism refers to land-based and water-based tourism activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Coastal and Marine Tourism & Leisure are seen as one of the Blue Economy (BE) sectors that can help unlock the potential of multi-use of space at sea by engaging with Blue Growth (BG) sectors such as Aquaculture and Marine Renewable Energy among others.

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

NUI Galway carried out a survey of domestic residents in Ireland in 2019 as part of a survey entitled "Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland's Ocean Economy". The purpose of the household survey was to profile the domestic market for single-day trips (leisure) and overnight trips (tourism) for coastal and marine-related activities in Ireland. The results of the survey are also used to estimate what proportion of an Irish resident's total domestic tourism expenditure is in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion is spent on undertaking marine-related activities (marine tourism).

The NUI results highlight the important contribution that Ireland's marine and coastal resources make to the leisure experiences of the general population and the importance of the domestic tourism market to local coastal economies. The analysis indicates that domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million. Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips. While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. Satisfaction with the available marine-related leisure facilities was also found to be very high across all activities.

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