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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: Pwhelli

Cork's Peter MCann Leads Irish hopes against some of the best of Britain's up and coming young sailors who are ready for a full week of racing at the 2011 Volvo Gill Optimist Open and National Championships, Pwllheli Sailing Club. Over 450 British and International competitors, from 15 nations will take part in the annual event from Saturday 30th July – Friday 5th August.

Ireland's Optimist Association arranged pre-event coaching  in Pwhelli for Irish sailors attending.

Racing throughout the week will be split into five separate categories, the Senior Fleet for those aged thirteen to fifteen, the Junior Fleet for those aged eight to twelve, Regatta Racing aged eight and above and for those that are looking for transition to the Junior fleet, Regatta Coaching for those competing at the event for the first time and Mini Racers aged eight and nine, who are just learning to sail.

"This year we have more international entries than last year with a number of new countries involved including South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand and Finland. It is fantastic to attract so many young sailors from across the globe. In the British fleets some of the top sailors have progressed and moved on so the regatta is wide open. The next generation are coming through and will be using the National Championships to find their positions within their fleets. It will be an exciting event for all." Said Simon Rogers, ICOA (UK) Technical Officer.

In the senior fleet, 2011 World squad members will be using the opportunity to practice against overseas competition. 2011 Volvo Gill Optimist Inland Champion, Welshman Matt Whitfield (14, Penarth YC), Jamie Calder (13, Loch Tummel) and Joseph Burns (14, Spinnaker SC) are all looking to the take home the National Champion title. Gill Race Team member, Sarah Norbury will be looking to defend her top British girl title fending off competition from 2011 Euro team members Mimi El-Khazindar (14, Royal Lymington) and Georgia Booth (14, Scaling Dam SC).

2009 and 2010 Junior National Champion, Freddie Grogono (13, St Mawes SC) has progressed to the Senior Fleet and will be looking to triumph amongst his new competitors.

In the Junior fleet, 2011 Volvo Gill Optimist Inland Champion, William Heathcote (9, Royal Lymington) will be looking to repeat his success at Graftham Water but faces stiff competition from newly selected Gill Race team and World squad member Milo Gill-Taylor (11, Spinnaker YC).

From overseas Spain's Nestor Cano (14, C Nautic Vilassar De Mar) and Ireland's Peter McCann (14, Royal Cork YC) will be both be looking to repeat last year's success with top ten finishes "There are some really good sailors competing here in Pwllheli. It is my second National Championships over here and I really enjoyed last year in Weymouth and Portland. Compared to back home it is definitely wavier and the currents are different. It can also be hard to tell where the gust is coming from, but I'm really looking forward to getting out there and starting the racing" Said Nestor.

This is the first year that Volvo and Gill have jointly sponsored the Optimist Sailing Class in the UK and includes support for three major annual championships: The Volvo Gill Optimist Inland Championships, the Volvo Gill Optimist Open and National Championships and the Volvo Gill Optimist End of Season Championships which will be taking place at Rutland Sailing Club, 8-9 October. (Additional reporting by Sarah Alexander/Volvo)

Published in Optimist
Tagged under
Conor Clarke's Melges 24 finished third overall at the Melges pre-worlds event in Texas yesterday. Let's hope it is a good omen for Irish sportsboat sailors at world championships on either side of of the Atlantic this morning. Clarke is back in action for the main Melges event later today. In Torbay, the SB3 World championships starts and 11 Irish boats are there for the 14 race event. This class has given a thumbs up to the new Dublin Bay courses. On Saturday DBSC racing (that included results for the Royal Alfred's Baily Bowl) produced another great round of racing; Gung Ho emerging the winner of the club's most popular class, Cruisers III. On the far side of the Irish sea, the X422 Xpletive was the winner of ISORA's Pwhelli Day race. Now there is a race for entries for Arklow's Turbine race.
In other offshore sailing, defending champion Brian O'Donnell, on Whyte Dolphin is expected to defend his Gold Leaf trophy on a race from Foynes to Fenit.
Published in Racing

National Yacht Club Olympic campaigner Annalise Murphy won the UK Laser Radial Qualifiers in North Wales at the weekend. It was a short, sharp affair with no wind in Pwhelli on Saturday. She scored a 1,1,6 in the three races on Sunday sailing in a southerly 15-knot breeze and in a mixed fleet of 79 entrants.

There was no doubt that race two of the series was owned by Murphy who had finished 55th in the first race according to a UK Laser report. Murphy's upwind speed put the rest of the fleet to shame and she pulled well clear leaving the rest of the fleet to scrap over the minor places. Brewster who has been training with Murphy in Ireland obviously had some of the strong wind technique rubbed off on her to take second with Phil McCoy coming in third.

Race three and Hannah Snellgrove had the best start but Murphy footed off underneath and with the first shift tacked and was never seen again. Harvey showed that he can not only perform in the light but also the wind, putting in a convincing second, with Olly Porter taking third.

Race four and Murphy was unable to clear the pin at start time and had to tack duck the whole fleet, leaving her to claw her way back through the fleet which was being initially led by Harvey. The battle at the final windward mark was between Porter and Harvey who were well clear of the chasing pack, with Emmett holding off Murphy for third. This time downwind Porter got the better of Harvey, securing the bullet with Harvey second. This was more than enough for Harvey to take the event with Porter's bullet putting him into second. Murphy had a disappointing downwind to finish seventh and a drop to third overall.

However upon returning ashore it transpired that Harvey had been black flagged, promoting Emmett to second in the race. This dropped Harvey to fifth overall and promoted Murphy to take the event on tie breaker!

Overall results:

1st Annalise Murphy 8pts
2nd Olly Porter 8pts
3rd Andrea Brewster 11pts
4th Cameron Douglas 12pts
5th Ross Harvey 13pts
6th Hannah Snellgrove 17pts

Murphy (21) is in Weymouth today at a two week training camp before Ireland's first Olympic qualification event at the Delta Lloyd regatta in Holland. It's a process however that has got easier for the Dun Laoghaire sailor following the withdrawal of the Belfast lough campaigner Tiffany Brien.

Far from hanging up her boots though Brien was back on home waters winning the Laser Radial Ulster Championships at Royal North Ireland YC, Cultra last weekend.

 

 

Published in Olympics 2012

Due to lack of interest in the proposed day sailing race from Pwllheli on the 21st August ISORA has decided to cancel the race. The day race from Dun Laoghaire to the M2 Buoy on the same day is not effected. Instructions for this race will be issued this weekend.

Published in ISORA

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.”