Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: LaserPerformance

CH Marine who took over the official LaserPerformance dealership in the Republic of Ireland in June have been appointed Northern Ireland agents too. The aim, says CH Marine Managing director Nick Bendon, is to increase support for sailors in the region and attract a new wave of sailors into the sport. The new arrangements come into place next month.

Bendon reports an excellent first few months with LaserPerformance in the Republic and the Munster firm looks forward to promoting the same service in Northern Ireland from its Newtownards branch.

CH Marine is a dedicated resource in the marine industry and has demonstrated decades of high level service for their customers. An already established presence in Southern Ireland provides them with the experience to be a strong leader in the Northern Ireland small boat community.

'The Northern Ireland Laser market has been well catered for in the past and we hope to continue the excellent standards, says Bendon. CH Marine has a known reputation for customer service and we are committed to holding comprehensive stocks of boats, sails, spars and parts at our Newtonards depot, to provide the best delivery times and support, he adds.

“CH Marine has been offering the best products, service and insight to customers in Ireland for the past 45 years and was appointed as our Dealer for Southern Ireland earlier this year. We are excited by the prospects of being able to work closer with the sailing community in Northern Ireland in a bid to get more sailors on the water moving forward.” Dan Smithers, Vice President of LaserPerformance.

This is an exciting and positive step forward for the community in Northern Ireland. The talent synergies of LaserPerformance and CH Marine will provide sailors in the region with the best of both worlds in customer service and product selection.

We look forward to advancing the vision for LaserPerformance with CH Marine. Our close working relationship will accelerate the momentum that both brands have built to promote dinghy sailing and the local sailing communities, clubs and programs in Ireland.

LaserPerformance is the world’s largest manufacturer of small sailboats and proudly promotes the sailing community. LaserPerformance boats are designed and built to meet the needs of all sailors. LaserPerformance proudly manufactures many iconic sailboats including: Laser, Sunfish, Laser Pico, and more. As a lifestyle brand, it distributes water sport related products.

Published in Marine Trade

#Laser - The designer of the iconic Laser is putting pressure on the boat's manufacturer for the UK, Europe and North America to halt all production of the vessel, as Marine Business World reports.

Bruce Kirby has previously filed a complaint in the US Federal Court District of Connecticut alleging the unauthorised production of his design and non-payment of royalties by LaserPerformance, the company licensed to build Laser class boats for the western market.

It's now being reported that yesterday (17 May), Kirby's company Kirby Inc has sought a court order to issue a prejudgement remedy against LaserPerformance, which would prevent that or any associated company from building Lasers while the court assesses the case.

The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) are also named in Kirby's lawsuit for allegedly assisting LaserPerformance by supplying ISAF plaques despite being given formal notice to cease by Kirby.

In April, Kirby took the sailing world by surprise with the news that he had relaunched his classic single-handed one design under a new brand, the Kirby Torch.

The new company's website cited "supply of the Kirby sailboat and parts to sailors worldwide" as the issue for its terminating of previous manufacturing deals at the end of last year.

Published in Laser

ESB’s 2040 strategy Driven to Make a Difference: Net Zero by 2040 sets out a clear roadmap for ESB to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. 

ESB will develop and connect renewable energy to decarbonise the electricity system by 2040. ESB will invest in the development of new renewable generation, including onshore and offshore wind and solar, and will significantly increase the amount of renewable generation connected to our electricity networks.

ESB will:

  • Deliver more than a fivefold increase in our renewable generation portfolio to 5,000MW.
  • Reduce carbon intensity of generation fleet from 414 to 140gCO2/kWh by 2030.
  • Decarbonise 63% of our generation output by 2030 and 100% by 2040 (up from c20% now).

Offshore wind

ESB know the importance of offshore wind in tackling climate change and delivering net zero. Ireland has a unique capability given its prime location to take advantage of the potential of offshore wind. ESB are working hard to develop offshore wind projects for the benefit of everyone across society in Ireland and the UK. This includes ongoing engagement with marine users and local communities so ESB can deliver these significant projects.

Offshore wind will play a major role globally in our fight against climate change. It will help to replace energy generated by burning fossil fuels with that from a clean, safe and secure renewable energy source. Ireland’s geographic location on the exposed edge of the Atlantic presents us with a significant opportunity to generate electricity from wind – both offshore and onshore.

Power from onshore wind farms currently provide over one-third of Ireland’s electricity needs. But, whilst its marine area is many times the size of its landmass, Ireland’s offshore wind potential is only starting to be realised. ESB have a coastline stretching over 3,000km but only one operational offshore wind farm – Arklow Bank, with a capacity of 25 MW. In contrast, Belgium’s coastline is only 63km long, but it has already developed more than 2,000 MW of offshore wind. In Great Britain, with a coastline four times the length of ours, offshore wind generation now equates to over 440 Arklow Banks, with an installed capacity of 11,0000 MW as of late 2021.

The Irish Government's target to install 5,000 MW of offshore wind capacity in our maritime area by 2030 is set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021. It also has the objective to source 80% of Ireland’s electricity needs from renewables by the same year. In line with this, ESB is applying its professional and proven engineering expertise to the challenges set within the Climate Action Plan.

ESB are committed to playing a strong role in developing Ireland’s offshore wind potential for the benefit of the people of Ireland. This will be done in consultation with marine users and local communities, and with due care for the marine environment.