#CruiseSailing – As Serenissima departed scenic Glengarriff, west Cork yesterday evening, the exploration cruiseship shares connections with Soufriere, an entrant in today's start of the three-day ICRA Nationals held off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, writes Jehan Ashmore.

As W.M. Nixon drew our attention in his Saturday Sailing column of the Spirit 54 sailing classic, Soufriere,  she will clearly have a racier sporting presence among the 100 plus ICRA fleet but also the added allure of her debut appearance in a James Bond film.

It was that scene in 'Casino Royale' which saw Daniel Craig as 007 and his co-star Eva Green at the helm along the Venetian waterway of the Canal Grand.

The glamorous pairing of the silver screen stars set in the jewel of Venice, is from where the name of the cruiseship operator, Serenissima Cruises, that takes its name from 'La Serenissima'. The title given to the 'Repubblica di Venezi' that existed until 1797 and which literally translates to 'the most' or 'very serene'.

Such a description is easily applicable to the Italian city on the Adriatic and the same could be said for those sweeping lines of the cruiseship and that of the stylish yacht-racing boat.

So when Stephen O'Flaherty's Soufriere gathers Dublin Bay wind in her sails, having departed the ICRA Nationals host of the Royal Irish YC, the harbour of Dun Laoghaire is also where as previously reported the Serenissima (photo) too made a visit last summer. For footage of her underway off Sandbanks, Poole Harbour click HERE.

To continue on the theme of royalty, on the same day of Serenissina's debut call, Cunard's flagship, Queen Mary 2 also made her inaugural visit while anchored offshore.