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Displaying items by tag: Name New Cruiseferry

#Competition - A competition has been launched by Irish Ferries to name their new €144m cruiseferry, which will be the biggest ever ferry to operate on the Irish Sea.

The 55,000 tonne ship is due to enter service in mid-2018. The winner of the naming competition will get free travel for life on Irish Ferries’ services, while 20 more will get runner-up prizes.

Capable of handling 1,885 passengers and crew and 500 vehicles, the new giant cruiseferry currently under construction in Germany for owners ICG (see related report) is expected to begin services next summer on the Dublin to Holyhead route.

In addition the new cruiseferry with 440 cabins featuring suites with their own private balconies will also at weekends sail between Ireland and France.

The ferry operator said a literary name is suggested for competition entries as the current fleet has traditionally had names inspired by Irish literature, including Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and Ulysses. This cruiseferry introduced in 2001, is so far the biggest on the Irish Sea until the new maritime giant makes her debut next year during the holiday season.

Passenger facilities will include bars and lounge space, restaurants, cinemas, and a shopping mall. Freight drivers will have dedicated facilities and likewise for pet owners. 

On the vehicle decks there will be space for almost three kilometres in lanes of car deck space. 

Published in Ferry

Dublin Bay Sailing Club Turkey Shoot Winter Series

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Turkey Shoot Series reached its 20th year in 2020.

The popular yacht series racing provides winter-racing for all the sailing clubs on the southside of Dublin Bay in the run-up to Christmas.

It regularly attracts a fleet of up to 70 boats of different shapes and sizes from all four yachts clubs at Dun Laoghaire: The National Yacht Club, The Royal St. George Yacht Club, The Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as other clubs such as Sailing in Dublin. Typically the event is hosted by each club in rotation.

The series has a short, sharp format for racing that starts at approximately 10 am and concludes around noon. The event was the brainchild of former DBSC Commodore Fintan Cairns to give the club year-round racing on the Bay thanks to the arrival of the marina at Dun Laoghaire in 2001. Cairns, an IRC racer himself, continues to run the series each winter.

Typically, racing features separate starts for different cruiser-racers but in fact, any type of boat is allowed to participate, even those yachts that do not normally race are encouraged to do so.

Turkey Shoot results are calculated under a modified ECHO handicap system and there can be a fun aspect to some of the scoring in keeping with the Christmas spirit of the occasion.

As a result, the Turkey Shoot often receives entries from boats as large as Beneteau 50 footers and one designs as small as 20-foot flying Fifteens, all competing over the same course.

It also has legendary weekly prizegivings in the host waterfront yacht clubs immediately after racing. There are fun prizes and overall prizes based on series results.

Regular updates and DBSC Turkey Shoot Results are published on Afloat each week as the series progresses.

FAQs

Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome. Boats range in size from ocean-going cruisers at 60 and 60 feet right down to small one-design keelboats such as 20-foot Flying Fifteens. A listing of boats for different starts is announced on Channel 74 before racing each week.

Each winter from the first Sunday in November until the last week before Christmas.

Usually no more than two hours. The racecourse time limit is 12.30 hours.

Between six and eight with one or two discards applied.

Racing is organised by Dublin Bay Sailing Club and the Series is rotated across different waterfront yacht clubs for the popular after race party and prizegiving. The waterfront clubs are National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC), Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC) and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC).

© Afloat 2020