10 a.m. 'Dublin Port – Past and Present'– Niall Dardis

11 a.m. 'The Blood Red Badge: Dublin Dockers, Seamen and their Unionisation' – Francis Devine

12 Noon 'Liffey Ships' – Pat Sweeney

All are welcome to attend the lecture morning, noting the nearest DART station to the venue is at Pearse Street. For further information about other events, activities and developments of the M.I.I. visit www.mariner.ie

The fundraiser event which is in aid of the Development Fund of the museum, is to take place this Thursday evening (8 p.m.) on 10th November, in the National Yacht Club (NYC) along the waterfront of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, close to the East Pier.

Tickets costing €20 are available from the Maritime Institute of Ireland's (M.I.I.) museum office located on the top floor of the Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre, in local fashion shops and by contacting (01) 214 3964.

At the end of last month, the M.I.I. celebrated its 70th anniversary which was founded in 1941. To read more about the museum which is undergoing renovation and due to re-open in March 2012 click HERE and to read other news and developments visit www.mariner.ie

Sunflower 2 is to make bunker calls on the repositioning voyage, firstly in Valletta, Malta before she transits the Suez Canal to the Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Columbo, Sri Lanka. From there she transits the Strait of Malacca then through the South China Sea followed by the East China Sea before finally entering the Strait of Korea to her homeport of Busan.

Since 1999 she has served Stena Line's fast-ferry high-season Rosslare-Fishguard route sailings taking 1 hour 50 minutes in tandem with conventional ferry Stena Europe (1981/24,828grt) which currently maintains the year-round 3 hours 30 minutes route. It is believed that Stena Line will not be operating high-season fast-ferry services in 2012.

Prior to her Dun Laoghaire departure, her South Korean crew have been preparing the craft over the last three weeks. Notably there was the removal of all Stena Line corporate livery markings on the hull. Her new name and port of registry were painted at the stern though she retained her original name at the bow which included both symbols of an Irish shamrock aptly to starboard (green) and the Welsh dragon to port (red) to reflect her Irish Sea southern corridor route.

Stena Lynx III departing Dun Laoghaire last year, note her starboard 'Shamrock' at the bow.

In recent years on the St. Georges Channel route she was marketed as the Stena 'Express'. Her final sailing this year was 4 September and three days later she docked Dun Laoghaire at St. Michaels Pier. On the adjacent berth which is designed specifically for and only capable of accommodating the HSS 1500 class fast-ferries.

Stena Lynx III also ran several shoulder season stints on the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead route with the HSS Stena Explorer (1996/19,638grt) only running during the busier summer months. During this summer all sailings were maintained by HSS Stena Explorer until the route became a seasonal-only service for the first time this year when the last sailing took place in mid-September. The HSS remains in layover for the winter in Holyhead at her dedicated berth. The route is due to re-open in April or May.

The 35 knot Stena Lynx III was launched from fast-ferry catamaran specialists InCAT Pty based in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart. Early in her career the 81m wave-piercing catamaran (WPC) craft served Dover-Calais followed by two seasons between Newhaven-Dieppe when renamed P&O Elite for joint operators P&O Stena Line.

Her predecessors the WPC InCat 74m Stena Sea Lynx, became the first car-carrying catamaran to operate Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead sailings in 1993. The pioneering water-jet propelled craft was replaced in subsequent years by the larger InCAT 78m Stena Lynx II.

She was replaced in 1996 when the revolutionary four gas-turbine engine water-jet propelled HSS Stena Explorer was introduced. A further two sisters of the HSS 1500 class (High-speed Sea Service) were completed by Finnyards in Rauma.

Following the one-day soft-opening, any group which wishes to visit the museum by appointment should contact the MII's Tel: (01) 280 0969 or you can also call (01) 214 3934.

To read more about the renovation programme click HERE. If you would like to assist through voluntary work, fund-raising activities or make a donation in addition to keeping abreast of news, events and winter lecture programme visit www.mariner.ie

At the end of this month the M.I.I. will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its foundation and it is the intention of the voluntary run museum to 'officially' re-open in March 2012.

To read more about the renovation programme click HERE. If you would like to assist through voluntary work, fund-raising activities or make a donation in addition to keeping abreast of the latest developments visit www.mariner.ie

Regular guided tours will provide a fascinating insight into the work of the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL). The tours (first-come basis) are also available for disabled access and they start from 12 noon to 5pm, noting the last tour is 4.30pm. Location: Harbour Road, Dún Laoghaire.

Like most of the tours and events in Open House Dublin, there is no pre-booking required. Entry is FREE and on a first-come basis. For more information about what to expect from your tour or event, check the How It Works by clicking HERE.

CIL operate the 79m aids-to-navigation tender ILV Granuaile which is based at her homeport of Dun Laoghaire. The 2,625grt tender was built by the Dutch Damen Shipyard group in Galati, Romania. She was then towed to The Netherlands where further outfitting work was conducted. She entered service in 2000 and she is the third tender to be named after the Mayo pirate queen.

Occasionally ILV Granuaile can be seen moored alongside the berth adjacant to the marine depot accessed through Dun Laoghaire Marina, though she mostly calls to the harbour's western bight area, using her DP (dynamic-positioning) mode. Her design is ideally suited for buoy and chain work, search and rescue, salvage and recovery, towing, hydrographic applications, and ROV work.

She is shallow drafted at 4.4m and has heavy lifting equipment including a 20 tonne aft-mounted crane with an outreach of 20m. Accommodation is for a crew of 16 in addition there are cabins for a further 10 persons.

According to the vessels survey schedules, RV Celtic Explorer had today completed fisheries demersal surveys which started in Galway on 23 September. The near fortnight-long survey was conducted in the ICES area VI, under the direction of chief scientist, Dave Stokes.

On Friday she embarks on a herring acoustic survey which is to take place in the Celtic Sea and the south-west. This survey will be under chief scientist Ciaran O'Donnell and is to de-mobilise in Cork on 27 October. To read more about her 2011 survey programme click HERE.

Across Dublin Bay in neighbouring Dun Laoghaire, the 31m RV Celtic Voyager is currently nearing the end of a month-long hydrography survey of the Celtic Sea. The survey had started in Howth Harbour on 17 September under chief scientist Kevin Sheehan. For the time-being she remains moored in Dun Laoghaire prior to resuming survey work which will continue until the vessel de-mobilises in Rosslare in mid-October. To find out more about her remaining surveys for this year click HERE.

On the surveys outlined they are conducted on behalf of Marine Institute scientists, though the vessels are also allocated ship-time for use of third parties. These include government departments and agencies, universities, research institutes and industry. For further information on the research vessels, survey schedules etc can be found by visiting: www.marine.ie/home/Research+Vessels.htm

RV Celtic Voyager is an inshore RV and she can accommodate 6 - 8 scientists with a maximum endurance of 14 days. According to her intensive survey schedule she is currently conducting hydography work for this month entirely. To read her complete survey programme click HERE.

In 2002 she was joined by a second though considerably larger vessel the 65m RV Celtic Explorer, which is six times larger than her fleetmate in terms of tonnage, which is 2,425grt. Apart from all the scientific and deck machinery she can also handle seven 20-foot containerised laboratories.She has accommodates for 35 personnel, including 19-21 scientists and has an endurance window of 30 days.

The vessel was also built by the same Dutch shipyard and both are owned by the Marine Institute. Ship management of the Galway based pair is provided by P&O Maritime Services (Ireland) Ltd.

In addition the ROV Holland I a deepwater Remotely Operated Vehicle is operated on board the RV Celtic Explorer. The ROV is named after John Phillip Holland from Liscannor, Co. Clare who was an early inventor and builder of submarines. For more information about the ROV which forms as part of tonight's 'Sea2Sky' event in Salthill, Galway, as previously reported on Afloat.ie click HERE.

Today is European Researchers Night, where the ROV will be on display in Galway

The core reason to withdraw the HSS on the 120-minute route which is not to re-open until the 2012 season, rests with the high operating costs of the fuel-thirsty fast-ferry which is powered by four gas-turbine engines. In addition the route's generated most of its turnover during the period May-September, leaving the remaining months unsustainable, as such the company wants the route to be seasonal-only in the long-term.

HSS Stena Explorer departs Dun Laoghaire Harbour on her final sailing this season. Photo: Jehan Ashmore

Passengers and freight customers will instead need to use the company's other Dublin Bay route between Dublin Port and Holyhead. The 3 hour 15-minute central corridor route is served by two ro-pax vessels, Stena Adventurer (2004/43,532 grt) and Stena Nordica (2000/24,206 grt) which operate to a year-round schedule, for times click HERE.

What is not certain is the precise date for resumption of Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead services as Stena Line have only indicated that they hope to reopen in April or May nor it is outlined as to what type of fast-craft would operate the route next year.

With today's break in service for at least the next six months, this is the most significant absence of the revolutionary HSS (High Speed Sea Service) 1500 fast-ferry which made her official maiden voyage on the route from Dun Laoghaire on 10th April 1996. The only other notable occasions when the HSS was off-service was for the short spells to allow for annual dry-docking, refit, repairs or when the route in recent years was partially operated by Stena Lynx III.

The 1500 referred to the number of passengers the Stena Explorer could accommodate. She was the first of the three Finish-built HSS 1500 catamaran vehicle capable carrying craft to enter service on three routes from the UK. The next sister completed HSS Stena Discovery entered service in the same year between Harwich-Hook van Holland and the final of the trio HSS Stena Voyager entered the Belfast-Stranraer route in 1997. Several years ago the HSS ceased operating on the Dutch route and the HSS currently serving on the North Channel is due to be replaced by conventional ferries in mid-November as previously reported on Afloat.ie, to read more click HERE.

On the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead service the HSS enjoyed the boom years, and at its peak there were five daily round trips. From 2006 onwards the routes fortunes began to decline due to the ending of duty-free sales, competition from low-cost airlines, and the increasing cost of fuel.

In order to stave off further losses, a series of cost cutting measures were implemented over the next five years. Firstly the sailing frequency was reduced then the passage times were increased to reduce fuel consumption at the expense of faster crossings. In addition the company resorted to withdrawing the Stena Explorer during the shoulder months surrounding the summer and as previously mentioned these sailings were covered by the Stena Lynx III.

When the Stena Explorer returned for the summer months, the Stena Lynx III switched to her normal high-season spell on Rosslare-Fishguard sailings in tandem with regular route vessel Stena Europe. This year she served as usual on the St. Georges Channel route with the last high-season sailing completed on 4 September.

Stena Lynx III remained initially at Fishguard until making a repositioning voyage to Dun Laoghaire via the Kish Lighthouse last Wednesday. She berthed adjacent to the now disused HSS berth link-span on St. Michaels Wharf. The Tasmanian built craft has spent previous winter layover periods in Dublin and last year in Dun Laoghaire whereas the Stena Explorer is expected to do so in her home port of Holyhead.

At the neighbouring Carlisle Pier, the former terminal where numerous steam-packets, 'mailboats' and the conventional Sealink/British Rail car-ferries served (the last being the Stena Adventurer better known as St. Columba built in 1977) there are plans for a national diaspora museum.

The centrepiece landmark building would form as part of the masterplan proposed by the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company as part of a concerted effort to offset the reduced role of ferry operations. The masterplan is also to attract cruiseship business amongst other proposals envisaged.

Kevin will be recounting his involvement with the acquisition of many of the museum's artefacts in addition to the part he has played in representing the M.I.I. on such issues as sail-training, and the National Monuments Legislation with relation to the Armada finds in Ireland. In addition, Kevin is an experienced yachtsman and he will be touching on that subject too during the evening.

The museum which is situated in the former Mariners Church, Haigh Terrace is due be re-opened with a 'preview' from 16 October 2011 to mark the M.I.I.'s 70th anniversary. The museum is due to be officially opened in Easter 2012. For more about the M.I.I., its museum and activities www.mariner.ie