Displaying items by tag: MiniBoat

2nd May 2024

Miniboat Raven Kaster Relaunched Off Achill Island from Celtic Explorer

The Raven Kaster, an educational “miniboat”, has been relaunched off Mayo’s Achill island from the Marine Institute’s Celtic Explorer.

The mini boat has been upgraded with solar-powered GPS tracking and new technology since its last voyage and has been set up to collect critical ocean data, including air and water temperature, to contribute to marine science education and research.

The Raven Kaster was first launched off Newfoundland’s Grand Banks in 2018 and was swept into Achill Island in Storm Erik.

The 1.5m long miniboat was deployed into the Atlantic Ocean near the M6 Weather Buoy

It was washed up on Dookinella beach on Achill island after 102 days at sea, and found in February 2019 by local fisherman Darren Kilbane.

Canadian students Stephanie Evans and Kaitlyn Grandy of the Frank Roberts Junior High in Newfoundland who led the project back in 2018 travelled to Ireland last year, and worked with students at Coláiste Pobal Acla in Mayo to prepare it for a return to sea.

The 1.5m long miniboat was deployed into the Atlantic Ocean near the M6 Weather Buoy, during the AIMSIR (Atlantic In-situ Marine Scientific Infrastructure Replacement) survey last week.

This project is part of the non-profit organization Educational Passages, a US entity that leads the miniboat programme to provide students with hands-on learning experiences in oceanography, environmental stewardship, and global collaboration.

Congratulating the collaborative efforts of the students and the team at Educational Passages, Alan Berry, infrastructure manager at the Marine Institute said “the mini-boat project is a wonderful example of marine science literacy and citizen engagement with the oceans”.

“It supports the strategic objectives of the Marine Institute and the value of partnerships essential for sharing marine science with the wider community. For students in particular, this project provides an exciting way of seeing real life examples of how the ocean has an influence on all our lives, learning how the ocean influences our weather and climate, and the types of technology used," he said.

"Seeing the Raven Kaster relaunched by some of the same crew members that launched the Galway Sailor back in 2021, and from the same area, is a great connection for us all,” Cassie Stymiest, executive director of Educational Passages.

The Galway Sailor, a separate miniboat, was provided to Kilglass National School in County Galway, as part of Marine Institute’s Explorers education programme. It travelled 3,000 miles to the Lofoten islands where it was found in mid -2021.

. "The hard work of our students should be celebrated as they did such great work to upgrade the boat and connect with their peers," said Karen Lavelle of Scoil Pobal Acla. "Now the students can see their hard work in action and engage directly with the ocean and the technology that can truly help make a difference."

The project is supported by contributions from the Town of Conception Bay South, the Irish Embassy in Ottawa, the Marine Institute in Ireland, MakerBuoy, and other sponsors and partners.

"The relaunch of the Raven Kaster is an example of how students from Canada and Ireland can collaborate globally to learn more about our shared ocean environment," Thomas Sheppard, teacher at Frank Roberts Junior High, said.

"It is a project that shares more than just a miniboat but a history, culture and ocean,” he said."

"It is great to see the enthusiasm and dedication from students across borders working together on such an impactful project that emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in scientific endeavours," Eamonn McKee, Ambassador of Ireland to Canada, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda, said.

Students and the public are invited and encouraged to follow the voyage in real time via the Educational Passages website (educationalpassages.org/atsea).

The Raven Kaster miniboat’s course can be tracked here

More information and data is available here

Published in Marine Science

Tagged under

Galway School Pupils' Mini-Boat Sets Sail in South Atlantic

A mini-boat named Spiorad na Gaillimhe has been deployed from the icebreaker R/V Polarstern on passage between Germany and South Africa this week.

Spiorad na Gaillimhe (Spirit of Galway) was built and decorated by students from Scoil Bhríde, Lackagh, in Co Galway.

It is one of four mini-boats – the others being from schools in Spain, Germany and South Africa - that were deployed from the Alfred-Wegener Institute’s ship into the South Atlantic.

These four new vessels will join 18 “educational passages” boats currently sailing around the world’s oceans.

The project was funded by the Nippon Foundation (NF) and POGO (Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean).

Students from Scoil Bhríde, Lackagh, in Co Galway with the completed Spiorad na Gaillimhe (Spirit of Galway) mini boat

It has provided the students in Galway with an opportunity to learn more about oceanography and ocean technology, according to Professor Peter Croot and senior oceanography technician Sheena Fennell of the University of Galway.

“The students in Scoil Bhríde, Lackagh were responsible for constructing the boat, deciding on a name, decorating the sail and hull and, most importantly, had to decide what treasures to place in the hold for any lucky finder if it comes ashore,” Croot said.

Spiorad na Gaillimhe (Spirit of Galway) mini boat on passage

“Once Spiorad na Gaillimhe sets sail it will regularly send its GPS location and values of sea and air temperature. The students will be working to predict where it will sail in the ocean by looking at weather and ocean current maps, thereby learning about our oceans,” he said.

School principal Shane O’Connor and teacher Tomás Higgins supported the project, which Higgins described as “cross curricular in nature incorporating many skills and subjects such as science, maths, art and geography”.

It “ gave us the opportunity to bring the theme of the ocean and ocean literacy into the classroom in a fun and interesting way,”Higgins said, thanking Fennell, the POGO and Educational Passages programmes for their support.

Updates from Spioirad na Gallimhe can be found here

To follow all four miniboats involved in this international NF-POGO project visit here

Published in Galway Harbour

Tagged under

MiniBoat

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.