No fire brigade, no doctors, no ambulance service – when a problem arises at sea, seafarers have to tackle it themselves.

That’s what makes the seafarer a “special breed” who is always “solution-focused”, according to Port of Galway harbourmaster Capt Brian Sheridan.

The challenges of Covid-19, Galway’s position as a hub for renewable ocean energy, and its plans for expansion are among issues that Capt Sheridan spoke to Wavelengths about this week as part of the podcast’s occasional series on ports around the coast.

Galway secured a first Irish stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race, in 2009, and its finale in 2012. There were also three national “seafests” in the harbour, organised by the Marine Institute.

In May 2022, Galway will host a stopover for the Round Britain and Ireland Yacht Race, when some 40 competing yachts are anticipated to berth over a four day period.

“It gives a little bit of a parting in the clouds...when things are so dark,” Capt Sheridan says.

There’s also “a poet in everybody”, he adds, and Storm Ophelia in 2017 inspired one such piece which he wrote, and which he read for the podcast.

Listen below