Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A Harbour Seal photographed at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinnipeds, they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas. Photo: AfloatA photograph of a Harbour Seal taken at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, this species can be found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They are the most widely distributed species of pinnipeds and can be found in the coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Baltic and North Seas. Photo: Afloat

Displaying items by tag: Ireland,

# CANOEING: Ireland’s two senior competitors at the Canoe Marathon World Championships finished in the top 20 in their classes in Rome today. In the women’s K1, Jenny Egan had a frustrating run which included a capsize and was eventually placed 16th. This was just over seven minutes behind Renata Csay of Hungary. In the men’s K1, Peter Egan was 17th. The event was won by Spain’s Ivan Alonso.

Canoe Marathon World Championships – Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

K1 Senior: 1 Spain (I Alonso) 2 hours 11 mins 43.120 seconds; 17 P Egan 2:16:28.870.

Women

K1 Senior: 1 Hungary (R Csay) 2 hours 1 minute 2.710 seconds; 16 J Egan 2:08:05.460

Published in Canoeing

# ROWING: Niall Kenny won his repechage to qualify for tomorrow’s semi-finals of the lightweight single sculls at the World University Championships in Kazan in Russia. The 24-year-old Galway man had finished last in a difficult heat earlier, but he led through all four quarters of the semi-final, beating Rusian Momot of the Ukraine into second. Estonia’s Tamor Bakhoff took the third semi-final place.

World University Rowing Championships, Kazan, Russia – Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Four – Heat Two (First Two to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Netherlands 6:08,18, 2 Germany 6:08.22; 3 Italy 6:16.97, 4 Ireland (E Mullarkey, S O’Connor, S O’Driscoll, T Lynam) 6:24.25.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Two (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Switzerland 7:07.60, 2 Poland 7:08.95, 3 Italy 7:09.48; 4 Ireland (N Kenny) 7:29.71. Repechage (Threee to Semi-Finals; rest to C Final): 1 Ireland (Kenny) 7:48.29, 2 Ukraine 7:50.64, 3 Estonia 8:20.69; 4 Malaysia 8:29.94.

Women

Four – Heat Two (Winner to A Final, rest to Repechage): 1 Russia 6:51.90; 2 Poland 7:04.19, 3 Ireland (A Greene, E Kerrigan, H Lavery, C McIlwaine) 7:17.07.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Two (First Two to A Final, rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (C Lambe) 7:53.86, 2 New Zealand (L Tester) 7:59.70; 3 Czech Republic 8:02.39, 4 Mexico 8:27.96, 5 Italy 8:40.06.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Three of the four Ireland crews are bound for repechages after the first round of competition at the World University Rowing Championships in Kazan in Russia. The men’s four finished fourth in their heat and the women’s four third in theirs. Lightweight single sculler Niall Kenny finished fourth in a heat he led for for the first 1,000 metres.

Ireland’s day started with a fine win for Claire Lambe in her heat of the lightweight single sculls and she will go into Sunday’s final as one of the favourites.

World University Rowing Championships, Kazan, Russia – Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Four – Heat Two (First Two to A Final; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (E Mullarkey, S O’Connor, S O’Driscoll, T Lynam).

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Two (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Switzerland 7:07.60, 2 Poland 7:08.95, 3 Italy 7:09.48; 4 Ireland (N Kenny) 7:29.71.

Women

Four – Heat Two (Winner to A Final, rest to Repechage): 1 Russia 6:51.90; 2 Poland 7:04.19, 3 Ireland (A Greene, E Kerrigan, H Lavery, C McIlwaine) 7:17.07.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Two (First Two to A Final, rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (C Lambe) 7:53.86, 2 New Zealand (L Tester) 7:59.70; 3 Czech Republic 8:02.39, 4 Mexico 8:27.96, 5 Italy 8:40.06.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Claire Lambe won her heat to qualify directly for the A Final of the lightweight single sculls at the World University Championships at Kazan in Russia this morning. The 22-year-old Dubliner is Ireland’s top hope of a medal. Niall Kenny finished fourth in his heat of the lightweight single and must compete in a repechage as must the women’s four, who finished third in their heat.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Two athletes who represented Ireland at senior level in the recent World Rowing Championships are part of the country’s team for the World University Rowing Championships which take place in Kazan in Russia this weekend. Claire Lambe and Niall Kenny will compete in the lightweight single sculls. Lambe finished 11th in Bulgaria and Kenny 15th.

Lambe also placed fourth at the World Under-23 Championships, and the Ireland men’s four is built around the crew which finished 11th at that event, with Shane O’Driscoll replacing Finbarr Manning. A women’s openweight four will also compete.

Ireland Team for World University Championships, Kazan, Russia

Men – Four: E Mullarkey, S O’Connor, S O’Driscoll, T Lynam. Lighweight Single Scull: N Kenny.

Women – Four: A Greene, E Kerrigan, H Lavery, C McIlwaine. Lightweight Single Scull: C Lambe.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Ireland’s adaptive coxed four finished fourth in their B Final, 10th overall, at the Paralympic Rowing Regatta at Eton Dorney this morning. The crew of Anne-Marie McDaid, Sarah Caffrey, Shane Ryan, Kevin du Toit and cox Helen Arbuthnot fought it out for third with Brazil, finishing just .14 of a second behind the South Americans. Canada battled with France at the head of the field and won.

Britain beat Germany in the A Final to win gold, with the Ukraine taking bronze.

Paralympic Rowing Regatta, Eton Dorney – Day Three (Irish interest)

Legs, Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Four – B Final (Places 7-12): 1 Canada 3:31.17, 2 France 3:32.01, 3 Brazil 3:36.58, 4 Ireland (A-M McDaid, S Caffrey, S Ryan, K du Toit; cox: H Arbuthnot) 3:36.72, 5 Russia 3:42.73, 6 Belarus 3:45.18. A Final: 1 Britain 3:19.38, 2 Germany 3:21.44, 3 Ukraine 3:23.22, 4 China 3:23.43, 5 Italy 3:27.91, 6 United States 3:30.06.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Ireland finished fourth in their repechage of the Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed Coxed Four at the Paralympic Games at Eton Dorney this morning and will compete in the B Final (places seven to 12) tomorrow. There were two places on offer for the A Final and the Ukraine and China set an impressive pace and qualified in first and second, holding off Canada and Ireland, with Russia fifth.

Canada were A Finalists in Beijing, but the standard in this event has improved radically: Italy won gold in Beijing with a time of 3:33.13, almost 10 seconds slower than Ukraine’s winning time this morning. Italy and the United States qualified for the A Final from the second repechage, where all the crews bar one were faster than the gold medal-winning time in Beijing.

Canada, Ireland and Russia will be joined by France, Brazil and Belarus in the B Final.

Paralympic Rowing Regatta, Eton Dorney – Day Two (Irish interest)

Legs, Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Four – Repechage One (First Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Ukraine 3:23.53, 2 China 3:25.03; 3 Canada 3:28.82, 4 Ireland (AM McDaid, S Caffrey, S Ryan, K du Toit; cox: H Arbuthnot) 3:34.85, 5 Russia 3:43.84.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Sanita Puspure is the Afloat Rower of the Month for August. The Cork-based athlete overcame an illness prior to the Olympic Games at Eton Dorney and represented Ireland well. She was unlucky to be drawn in an extremely tough quarter-final, where she finished fourth in a race won by eventual Olympic Champion Mirka Knapkova. Puspure won the C Final well, placing her 13th overall at her first Olympic Games, and suggesting that her ambitions of climbing the world rankings are well-grounded.  

Rower of the Month awards: The judging panel is made up of Liam Gorman, rowing correspondent of The Irish Times and David O'Brien, Editor of Afloat magazine. Monthly awards for achievements during the year will appear on afloat.ie and the overall national award will be presented to the person or crew who, in the judges' opinion, achieved the most notable results in, or made the most significant contribution to rowing during 2012. Keep a monthly eye on progress and watch our 2012 champions list grow.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Ireland’s adaptive mixed coxed  four of Anne Marie McDaid, Sarah Caffrey, Shane Ryan, Kevin du Toit and cox Helen Arbuthnot will compete in a repechage tomorrow after finishing fifth in their heat at the Paralympic Games at Eton Dorney today. The Ireland coach, John Armstrong, was pleased with the Ireland performance, and they were never far off places two to four. The race was won well by the dominant crew in this discipline, Britain, who claimed the one direct qualification for the A Final. The top two crews in tomorrow’s two repechages will qualify for Sunday’s A Final.

Paralympic Rowing Regatta, Eton Dorney – Day One

Legs, Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Four – Heat Two (Winner Directly to A Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Britain 3:23.59; 5 Ireland 3:33.95.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: The junior men’s pair of Chris Black and Joel Cassells were again the stars of the show for Ireland as they won the B Final at the World Championships in Plovdiv in Bulgaria this morning with the best time they have ever clocked in competition, six minutes 47.92 seconds. In a fiercely-competitive grade this crew might well have been contending for medals in the A Final, but came up against three of the best crews in the semi-final on Saturday in Romania, Germany and Greece and finished fourth. Black and Cassells then targeted a win in this morning’s race which would give them seventh overall and they brought it home in remarkable fashion. They were credited with one minute 36.29 for the first 500 metres, and the race plan set by coach Seamus Reynolds went so well that as Croatia, Poland and France fought it out behind them, the Irish were never seriously challenged, and won by almost two seconds.

Earlier, Claire Lambe finished fifth in her B Final of the lightweight single sculls, 11th overall. The Dubliner was fourth for a great deal of a fine race, which was won by Italy’s Elisabetta Sancassani ahead of China’s Miao Wang second, with outgoing World Champion Fabiana Beltrame of Brazil only capable of taking third. Early in the final quarter Lambe made ground of Beltrame and contended for third, but the Irish woman was passed late on by Alice McNamara of Australia, who took the fourth spot. Switzerland’s Pamela Weisshaupt, the World Champion in 2008 and 2009, and twice a World Cup winner this year, finished sixth.

World Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Day Five (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Pair B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Ireland (C Black, J Cassells) 6:47.92, 2 Croatia 6:49.81, 3 Poland 6:50.99, 4 France 6:54.82, 5 Belgium 6:56.86, 6 United States 6:57.78.

Women

Lightweight Single Scull – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Italy (E Sancassani) 7:45.78, 2 China (M Wang) 7:47.60, 3 Brazil (F Beltrame) 7:47.87, 4 Australia (A McNamara) 7:49.29, 5 Ireland (C Lambe) 7:56.68, 6 Switzerland (P Weisshaupt) 8:01.59.

Published in Rowing
Page 1 of 7

For all you need on the Marine Environment - covering the latest news and updates on marine science and wildlife, weather and climate, power from the sea and Ireland's coastal regions and communities - the place to be is Afloat.ie.

Coastal Notes

The Coastal Notes category covers a broad range of stories, events and developments that have an impact on Ireland's coastal regions and communities, whose lives and livelihoods are directly linked with the sea and Ireland's coastal waters.

Topics covered in Coastal Notes can be as varied as the rare finding of sea-life creatures, an historic shipwreck with secrets to tell, or even a trawler's net caught hauling much more than just fish.

Other angles focusing the attention of Coastal Notes are Ireland's maritime museums, which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of our nautical heritage, and those who harvest the sea using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety pose an issue, plying their trade along the rugged wild western seaboard.

Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied as the environment they come from, and which shape people's interaction with the natural world and our relationship with the sea.

Marine Wildlife

One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with Marine Wildlife. It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. And as boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify, even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat. Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse, it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to our location in the North Atlantic, there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe. From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals, the Marine Wildlife category documents the most interesting accounts around our shores. And we're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and video clips, too!

Also valuable is the unique perspective of all those who go afloat, from coastal sailing to sea angling to inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing, as what they encounter can be of great importance to organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). Thanks to their work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. But as impressive as the list is, the experts believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves, keep a sharp look out!

Weather

As an island in the North Atlantic, Ireland's fate is decided by Weather more so than many other European countries. When storm-force winds race across the Irish Sea, ferry and shipping services are cut off, disrupting our economy. When swollen waves crash on our shores, communities are flooded and fishermen brace for impact - both to their vessels and to their livelihoods.

Keeping abreast of the weather, therefore, is as important to leisure cruisers and fishing crews alike - for whom a small craft warning can mean the difference between life and death - as it is to the communities lining the coast, where timely weather alerts can help protect homes and lives.

Weather affects us all, and Afloat.ie will keep you informed on the hows and the whys.

Marine Science

Perhaps it's the work of the Irish research vessels RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of Marine Science for the future growth of Ireland's emerging 'blue economy'.

From marine research to development and sustainable management, Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. Whether it's Wavebob ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration, the Marine Science category documents the work of Irish marine scientists and researchers and how they have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.

Power From The Sea

The message from the experts is clear: offshore wind and wave energy is the future. And as Ireland looks towards the potential of the renewable energy sector, generating Power From The Sea will become a greater priority in the State's 'blue growth' strategy.

Developments and activities in existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector, and those of the energy exploration industry, point to the future of energy requirements for the whole world, not just in Ireland. And that's not to mention the supplementary industries that sea power projects can support in coastal communities.

Irish ports are already in a good position to capitalise on investments in offshore renewable energy services. And Power From The Sea can even be good for marine wildlife if done properly.

Aside from the green sector, our coastal waters also hold a wealth of oil and gas resources that numerous prospectors are hoping to exploit, even if people in coastal and island areas are as yet unsure of the potential benefits or pitfalls for their communities.

Changing Ocean Climate

Our ocean and climate are inextricably linked - the ocean plays a crucial role in the global climate system in a number of ways. These include absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere and absorbing 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity. But our marine ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure due to climate change.

The Marine Institute, with its national and international partners, works to observe and understand how our ocean is changing and analyses, models and projects the impacts of our changing oceans. Advice and forecasting projections of our changing oceans and climate are essential to create effective policies and management decisions to safeguard our ocean.

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, said, “Our ocean is fundamental to life on earth and affects so many facets of our everyday activities. One of the greatest challenges we face as a society is that of our changing climate. The strong international collaborations that the Marine Institute has built up over decades facilitates a shared focusing on our changing ocean climate and developing new and enhanced ways of monitoring it and tracking changes over time.

“Our knowledge and services help us to observe these patterns of change and identify the steps to safeguard our marine ecosystems for future generations.”

The Marine Institute’s annual ocean climate research survey, which has been running since 2004, facilitates long term monitoring of the deep water environment to the west of Ireland. This repeat survey, which takes place on board RV Celtic Explorer, enables scientists to establish baseline oceanic conditions in Irish waters that can be used as a benchmark for future changes.

Scientists collect data on temperature, salinity, water currents, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the Atlantic Ocean. This high quality oceanographic data contributes to the Atlantic Ocean Observing System. Physical oceanographic data from the survey is submitted to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and, in addition, the survey contributes to national research such as the VOCAB ocean acidification and biogeochemistry project, the ‘Clean Atlantic’ project on marine litter and the A4 marine climate change project.

Dr Caroline Cusack, who co-ordinates scientific activities on board the RV Celtic Explorer for the annual survey, said, “The generation of long-term series to monitor ocean climate is vital to allow us understand the likely impact of future changes in ocean climate on ecosystems and other marine resources.”

Other activities during the survey in 2019 included the deployment of oceanographic gliders, two Argo floats (Ireland’s contribution to EuroArgo) and four surface drifters (Interreg Atlantic Area Clean Atlantic project). The new Argo floats have the capacity to measure dissolved ocean and biogeochemical parameters from the ocean surface down to a depth of 2,000 metres continuously for up to four years, providing important information as to the health of our oceans.

During the 2019 survey, the RV Celtic Explorer retrieved a string of oceanographic sensors from the deep ocean at an adjacent subsurface moored station and deployed a replacement M6 weather buoy, as part of the Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network (IMDBON).

Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the IMDBON is managed by the Marine Institute in collaboration with Met Éireann and is designed to improve weather forecasts and safety at sea around Ireland. The data buoys have instruments which collect weather and ocean data including wind speed and direction, pressure, air and sea surface temperature and wave statistics. This data provides vital information for weather forecasts, shipping bulletins, gale and swell warnings as well as data for general public information and research.

“It is only in the last 20 years, meteorologists and climatologists have really began to understood the pivotal role the ocean plays in determining our climate and weather,” said Evelyn Cusack, Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann. “The real-time information provided by the Irish data buoy network is particularly important for our mariners and rescue services. The M6 data buoy in the Atlantic provides vital information on swell waves generated by Atlantic storms. Even though the weather and winds may be calm around our shores, there could be some very high swells coming in from Atlantic storms.”