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The Olympic coach behind the success of leading sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke has launched a new 12-week programme to set students “on the path to world-class performance”.

Hamish Willcox will deliver the Road to Gold online course which promises to demystify the secrets of campaigning at sailing’s highest level — from boat handling and tactics to fitness and mental strength.

The course will use a combination of online video and live webinars, culminating in a test that will help students determine how to bridge any gaps in sailing and campaigning skills.

And given the achievements of America’s Cup winner Peter Burling and experienced ocean and 49er racer Tuke, Ireland’s Olympic sailing hopefuls may take some interest in Willcox’s wisdom — especially with two campaigns still seeking a precious berth at Tokyo 2020.

The full course fee is €246 but early bird bookings (until Wednesday 9 December) will save more than €80 on that price, tax included — and with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Click HERE for more details.

Published in How To Sail

#ANGLING - The Atlantic Salmon Trust's 2012 Fishing Country Sports Auction went live this week, with some 300 lots offered - including three prime Irish fishing spots on the Blackwater, Mourne and Drowes.

“The annual auction remains our single most significant fundraising event and its success is essential to helping us continue our work,” said AST chief executive Tony Andrews in The Irish Times.

Aside from top fishing opportunities in England, Scotland and Wales, spots in Russia are also featured, as well as deer stalking excursions and shooting days.

For art lovers, sporting prints and watercolours are included in the lots, as is a limited edition of the acclaimed Atlantic Salmon Magic, and Salmon Rivers, one of the best recent publications on the Atlantic salmon. They could be the perfect gift for someone's Valentine's Day.

Bids will close on 14 February for the online auction at www.atlanticsalmontrust.org/auction/.

Published in Angling

The Marine Institute's specialist research library, Oceanus with has over 5,000 books relating to marine, natural and life sciences is now open online. The institute's extensive collection of scientific literature relating to marine and freshwater resources is available to browse in advance of visiting the library in person to access the material.

Some rare items date back over one hundred years and in the collection which includes contributions from the Fisheries Branch until the Fisheries Research Centre moved to Abbotstown in the 1970s and was incorporated into the Marine Institute in January 1996. The library has built up a fine collection of resource material to support and assist research, development and innovation in the marine sector.

"The foundations of the Marine Institute Library collection began with materials acquired by the Fisheries Branch of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, which was established in 1899," said Dr. Peter Heffernan, Chief Executive of the Marine Institute.

According to Anne Wilkinson, the Institute's Library and Information Manager, "Our unique archive material, dating from c. 1890, is an important element of this collection. The archive includes scientific reports, books and publications prepared by Irish and international marine researchers, including copies of Fishery Ireland Acts dating from the late 1800s and Reports of the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries and Sea and Inland Fisheries Ireland from the same period."

The Library archive has a microfiche reader to facilitate access to some of this material. In addition there are many research reports prepared by Marine Institute scientists and marine related publications issued by the EU, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

To go online to the libray click this link here  

For an appointment at the Oceanus Library which is open to the public you can contact the library Tel: (091) 38700 or email: [email protected]. The Marine Institute headquarters is located at Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway.

Published in Marine Science

Ireland's first dedicated weather news and long range forecast website, Irish Weather Online has been launched. The independently run website has already been profiled on The Weather Channel in the US since it went live last week.

Described as a website by weather enthusiasts for weather enthusiasts, the site features a daily long range weather forecast from climatologist Peter O'Donnell, the latest news relating to the weather and climate in Ireland, and weather related video and imagery.

Live weather conditions in over 50 locations throughout the country are hosted on the site, courtesy of Ireland's Weather Network.

There also dedicated sections to ski conditions at resorts around the world, the latest recorded earth tremors in Ireland and the UK (provided by the British Geological Survey), lightning reports from Ireland, real-time weather conditions in cities all over the world, and a timeline of extreme weather events down through Irish history.

iWeather Online also hosts a 'Live chat' forum which enables visitors to engage with other weather enthusiasts on the issues of the day.

According to iWeather Online founder Mark Dunphy: ""Every conversation in Ireland begins with a comment on the day's weather. Consequently, we saw there was considerable scope for developing an all inclusive portal for weather related information and by doing so tap into the huge interest among Irish people in the weather. The website's success depends on the contributions of weather enthusiasts from every county in Ireland and by providing relevant, up to date weather information we aim to become Ireland's number source for Irish weather news and information."

"The timing of the website launch last week was somewhat fortuitous as we went live less than 24 hours before Storm Carmen brought some of the strongest winds recorded in the country in recent years. A real-time report on the storm and its impact around the country attracted thousands of visitors from throughout Ireland and abroad which assisted us to providing a pictorial timeline of the storm. Some of these images were subsequently broadcast to millions of viewers of The Weather Channel in the USA.

"Many of the initial contributions to the site have come from users of the hugely popular weather forum on www.boards.ie", he added.

Visitors to the site are invited to submit pictures and videos to [email protected].

For more visit HERE

Published in Weather

Marine Institute Research Vessel Tom Crean

Ireland’s new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned County Kerry seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world, at that time.

Ireland's new multi-purpose marine research vessel RV Tom Crean, was delivered in July 2022 and will be used by the Marine Institute and other State agencies and universities to undertake fisheries research, oceanographic and environmental research, seabed mapping surveys; as well as maintaining and deploying weather buoys, observational infrastructure and Remotely Operated Vehicles.

The RV Tom Crean will also enable the Marine Institute to continue to lead and support high-quality scientific surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science. The research vessel is a modern, multipurpose, silent vessel (designed to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research), capable of operating in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Tom Crean is able to go to sea for at least 21 days at a time and is designed to operate in harsh sea conditions.

RV Tom Crean Specification Overview

  • Length Overall: 52.8 m
  • Beam 14m
  • Draft 5.2M 

Power

  • Main Propulsion Motor 2000 kw
  • Bow Thruster 780 kw
  • Tunnel thruster 400 kw

Other

  • Endurance  21 Days
  • Range of 8,000 nautical miles
  • DP1 Dynamic Positioning
  • Capacity for 3 x 20ft Containers

Irish Marine Research activities

The new state-of-the-art multi-purpose marine research vessel will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including vital fisheries, climate change-related research, seabed mapping and oceanography.

The new 52.8-metre modern research vessel, which will replace the 31-metre RV Celtic Voyager, has been commissioned with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved by the Government of Ireland.

According to Aodhán FitzGerald, Research Vessel Manager of the MI, the RV Tom Crean will feature an articulated boom crane aft (6t@ 10m, 3T@ 15m), located on the aft-gantry. This will be largely used for loading science equipment and net and equipment handling offshore.

Mounted at the stern is a 10T A-frame aft which can articulate through 170 degrees which are for deploying and recovering large science equipment such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV’s), towed sleds and for fishing operations.

In addition the fitting of an 8 Ton starboard side T Frame for deploying grabs and corers to 4000m which is the same depth applicable to when the vessel is heaving but is compensated by a CTD system consisting of a winch and frame during such operations.

The vessel will have the regulation MOB boat on a dedicated davit and the facility to carry a 6.5m Rigid Inflatable tender on the port side.

Also at the aft deck is where the 'Holland 1' Work class ROV and the University of Limericks 'Etain' sub-Atlantic ROV will be positioned. In addition up to 3 x 20’ (TEU) containers can be carried.

The newbuild has been engineered to endure increasing harsher conditions and the punishing weather systems encountered in the North-East Atlantic where deployments of RV Tom Crean on surveys spent up to 21 days duration.

In addition, RV Tom Crean will be able to operate in an ultra silent-mode, which is crucial to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research purposes.

The classification of the newbuild as been appointed to Lloyds and below is a list of the main capabilities and duties to be tasked by RV Tom Crean:

  • Oceanographic surveys, incl. CTD water sampling
  • Fishery research operations
  • Acoustic research operations
  • Environmental research and sampling operation incl. coring
  • ROV and AUV/ASV Surveys
  • Buoy/Mooring operations