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Displaying items by tag: Coastal Trading

Afloat previously featured the Port of Galway's shipping activity and likewise the company of the mid-west port highlighted on social media the variety of vessels along with respective cargoes that called to the harbour at the weekend.

A trio of cargoships were berthed in the Port of Galway's single berthing area, Dun Aengus Dock. Here the Hestia was engaged in refuse-derived fuel (RDF), Mia Sophie-B with limestone while the Pasadena had a load of scrap metal.

The aptly named Corrib Fisher, operated by Jas Fisher Everard arrived with petroleum (from Whitegate Refinery, Cork Harbour).  The final ship in port over the weekend was RV Celtic Explorer, the research vessel of the Marine Institute berthed at its registered homeport.

This afternoon the port is occupied by the continued presence of Celtic Explorer, the port's pilot cutter and a variety of leisure craft. At the port's outer pier is the Aran Islands serving freighter, Saoise na Mara which was acquired as secondhand tonnage last year.

The former Norwegian flagged palletised cargo ship Fagerfjord was renamed when introduced by Lasta Mara Teoranta last year. The operator has a government contract to run a subsidised service to the Aran Islands. This vessel can also load vehicles with deck-mounted cranes.

Published in Galway Harbour

Esailing & Virtual Sailing information

The concept of e-sailing, or virtual sailing, is based on a computer game sailing challenge that has been around for more than a decade.

The research and development of software over this time means its popularity has taken off to the extent that it has now become a part of the sailing seascape and now allows people to take an 'active part' in some of the most famous regattas across the world such as the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, Sydney Hobart, Volvo Ocean Race, America’s Cup and some Olympic venues too, all from the comfort of their armchair.

The most popular model is the 'eSailing World Championship'. It is an annual esports competition, first held in 2018 and officially recognised by World Sailing, the sports governing body.

The eSailing World Championship is a yearly competition for virtual sailors competing on the Virtual Regatta Inshore game.

The contract to run the event was given to a private company, Virtual Regatta that had amassed tens of thousands of sailors playing offshore sailing routing game following major offshore races in real-time.

In April 2020, the company says on its website that it has 35,000 active players and 500,000 regattas sailed.

Virtual Regatta started in 2010 as a small team of passionate designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs gathered around the idea that virtual sailing sports games can mix with real races and real skippers.