Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: yacht

This weekend's 'Foyle Days' in the north-west city is set to welcome two offshore patrol vessels (OPV) the Naval Service LE Emer (P21) and the Royal Navy's HMS Severn (P 283), writes Jehan Ashmore.
The maritime event includes a variety of sailing organisations and accompanying craft to include the 96ft tall-ship schooner Johanna Lucretia. In addition the festival's star visitor attraction will be the inaugural call of the 68ft yacht Derry-Londonderry which is to take part in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race.

On the naval front, LE Emer was built in Cork's Verolme Dockyard in 1978. She represents the oldest of the eight-strong fleet and is designed from the Naval Service's first purpose built patrol vessel OPV LE Deirdre (P20) but was modified to improve her stability and speed. This vessel was decommissioned several years ago and was converted into a private yacht.

The original BOFORS 40mm L60 gun of the LE Emer was recently upgraded to a BOFORS 40mm L70 to improve range and accuracy of her main armament. She alongside her 65m sisters LE Aoife (P22) and LE Aisling (P23) where all built primarily to patrol the Irish section of the European Economic Zone (EEZ).

During their careers the 'Emer' class vessels have also completed numerous re-supply missions to Irish troops serving overseas with the United Nations and in particular in the Lebanon. A crew compliment of 46 (5 officers) operate the vessels which are all now in their fourth decade of service.

OPV HMS Severn is the third of four 'River' class offshore patrol vessels and like her Irish counterpart is deployed on fishery duties. The 1,677 displacement tonnes vessel was built in 2001 in the UK'S south coast port of Southampton at Woolston Docks. Her home port for the 30 crew is at HM Naval Base in neighbouring Portsmouth.

She becomes the fifth ship to bear the name and with sisters HMS Mersey (P 282) and HMS Tyne (P 281) they are assigned to the Fishery Protection Squadron. Click the ship's diary to follow the ship news. The final member of the River class HMS Clyde (P 257) serves as a Falklands Islands Patrol Vessel (FIPV).

Published in Navy
Howth Yacht Club Tuseday and Saturday series 1 17/05/2011 17 Footer SCRATCH: 1, Aura I Malcolm; 2, Leila R Cooper; 3, Isobel B & C Turvey; 17 Footer HCAP: 1, Leila R Cooper; 2, Isobel B & C Turvey; 3, Aura I Malcolm TUESDAY SERIES 1 (RACE) 17/05/2011 Puppeteer SCRATCH: 1, Trick or Treat A Pearson; 2, Harlequin Clarke/Egan; 3, Mojo Stanley/Callen; Puppeteer HPH: 1, Haemoglobin Mullen/O'Dea; 2, Arcturus McAuliffe/McDermott; 3, No Strings T Harvey; Squib SCRATCH: 1, Shadowfax P Merry; 2, Whipper Snapper M Cantwell; 3, Puffin E Harte; Squib HPH: 1, Shadowfax P Merry; 2, Puffin E Harte; 3, Whipper Snapper M Cantwell; Etchells SCRATCH: 1, Fetching Quinn/O'Flaherty; 2, Jabberwocky S Knowles; 3, Northside Dragon J Bourke; SB3 SCRATCH: 1, Investwise G May; 2, Dinghy Supplies S Murphy
Published in Howth 17
Tagged under

A north-easterly force 3 wind accompanied the flotilla of yachts that set out from Foynes Yacht Club, who sailed to Limerick city on Saturday afternoon to participate in the Riverfest celebrations.

Daniel Butler co-ordinator took members of the Northside We're Ok youth group from Moyross, who experienced another view of Limerick from the river. John Prendergast and his wife, Maureen, were guests of the club on this cruise.

The yacht's that journeyed were Mweeloon, Whyte Dolphin, Alphara, Inizi, Mariposa, Lady Shanannah, Hello, Kilteery, Kerry Dream, Battle, Dexterity, Coral Dos and Blue Ribbon. Unfortunately, Marengo had to turn back at Aughinish because of engine trouble, the skipper, Pat Finucane and crew changed boats and were transported on on Ger Reidy's, Kilteery.

The sun shone all the way for the sight-seeing journey up this magnificent of stretch of water. The Islands on the Shannon Estuary Cannon and Horseshoe are one of the first sights that can be seen on this stretch of the river. The bauxite smelting factory, Aughinish Alumina and the famous Beeves Rock lighthouse, no more in use gives an added pictureesque setting to this journey.

Further on the right-hand side the entrance into the Deel Boat Club in Askeaton can be seen on the the same shore the pre-Norman Beagh Castle is standing overlooking the Shannon. Ringmoylan, and Pallaskenry can be seen down a mile from the castle, and opposite Rineanna with the famous Shannon Airport, who hosted several US President's who stopped off to visit this country.

As we continued our journey up river the landmark, Carrigagonnell Castle is visible, also the giant chimneys of the Cement factory in Mungret and the giant-sized structure of Thomond Park.

Nearer to the city Riverpoint and the Clarion Hotel, two of the tallest buildings in Limerick, rise up to the blue sky and sunshine of May.

When the flotilla approached the Clarion Hotel, they berthed for an hour to give the public a chance to see these water vessels in their bunting and memorabilia.

After the inspections were it was into Limerick Docks for an overnight stay, and then on to Dolan's Bar and Restaurant for a much sought-after meal.

On Sunday afternoon the junior members of the club, Ailish Chawke, Claire Lowes, Ciara McCormack, Mary McCormack and Anna Lowes gave a display of sailing kayaks and Topaz boats at Howley's Quay to an array of spectators, who came to see the other craft on the water, Jet-Ski's and Clark Clifford's rib who gave the public a trip up and down the Shannon. Members of the yacht club also gave out flyers promoting Foynes Yacht Club.

When the sailing adventures were over it was time to head back down river to Cooleen Point, where a Bar-b-Que followed in the Clubhouse the sailors and their families. Overall, the reaction from everybody was excellent!

Club racing continus every Wednesday evening with first gun at 7pm. On Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15 the Estuary Bell will be raced in Foynes. Two races on Saturday and one of Sunday are pencilled in.

Published in Shannon Estuary

The John Corby designed 38 one off, Gloves off, was the winner in class zero of Kinsale Yacht Club's Spring Series League. In Class One, the X- yacht Eos skippered by David Scott had a 16-point winning margin over Dan Buckley's J109 Justus. In class two another Corby design, a 25-footer, Yanks and Franks skippered by Vincent O'Shea beat Brian Goggin's sister ship Allure. Provisional overall results are published below class by class. Photos of the event by bob Bateman are here. All the latest Kinsale news and photos including updates on June's Sovereign's Cup.

 

Kinsale's Spring Series Class IRC Zero Overall
Series PlaceSail NoBoatType of BoatOwnerHandicapSeries Points
1 IRL2003 GLOVES OFF CORBY 38 ONE-OFF Kieran Twomey 1.115 8
2 IRL4477 FREYA X-442 Conor Doyle 1.098 17
3 IRL4475 GODOT Dufour 44 Godkin & O'Donovan 1.099 24
4 IRL4076-2 MERIDIAN SALONA 45 Tom Roche 1.131 29
Kinsale Yacht Club Spring Series Class IRC One Overall
Series PlaceSail NoBoatType of BoatOwnerHandicapSeries Points
1 IRL6695 EOS X-362 SPORT David Scott 1.022 10
2 IRL2067 JUSTUS J 109 Dan Buckley 1.027 16
3 IRL1843 ANTIX BEAG 1720mod Anthony O'Leary 1.005 27
4 IRL2805 INDULGENCE DEHLER 36 [JV] Aidan Heffernan 1.023 30
5 IRL1583 CHANCER ELAN 40 Carroll Bros 1.033 39
6 IRL4430 SAMBA SUNFAST 40.3 John Downing 1.030 41
Kinsale Yacht Club Spring Series Class IRC Two Overall
Series PlaceSail NoBoatType of BoatOwnerHandicapSeries Points
1 IRL2525 YANKS & FRANKS CORBY 25 Vincent O'Shea 0.938 14
2 IRL2506 ALLURE CORBY 25 Brian Goggin 0.936 22
3 IRL4170 SLACK ALICE GK 34 Shane Statham 0.953 26
4 IRL16859 BAD COMPANY SUNFAST 32 Desmond-Ivers-Deasy 0.939 29
5 IRL4506 SEA HAWK SIGMA 33ood Clem McElligott 0.915 34
6 GBR7525R Thunderbird Corby25 Denis Coleman 0.940 43
7 IRL1121 MAC MAGIC II First 31.7 McCarthys 0.956 62
8 IRL78 NO-GNOMES NICHOLSON 30 mod Leonard Donnery 0.910 67
9 IRL9732 Wicked Sun Fast 32i Mark Mendel 0.940 70
10 IRL692 GEMINI FIRST 310 Salter/O'Regan/Minihan 0.930 82
11 IRL329 GUNSMOKE 11 FIRST 32 Sammy Cohen 0.910 89
12 IRL3492 BIG DEAL DEHLER 34 Derek Dillon 0.925 90
13 IRL6676 Y KNOT FIRST 32S5 Barrett_Conlon 0.933 95
Kinsale Yacht Club Spring Series Class IRC Three Overall
Series PlaceSail NoBoatType of BoatOwnerHandicapSeries Points
1 GBR506R ANCHOR CHALLENGE Farr 1/4 tonner Eamonn Rohan 0.917 13
2 IRL1771 Shillelagh BLAZER 23 John Twomey 0.868 15
3 IRL9600 IMPACUNIOUS IMPALA Eddie Rice 0.888 21
4 IRL4206 POWDER MONKEY SIGMA 33 Liam Lynch 0.909 31
5 IRL6002 STAGEFRIGHT FORMULA 28 STAGEFRIGHT 0.912 47
6 IRL6564 MONKEY BUSINESS Formula28 Bill McConnell 0.912 49
7 IRL152 CHAMELEON FASTNET 34 Padraig O'Donovan 0.896 52
Kinsale Yacht Club Spring Series Class IRC Four Overall
Series PlaceSail NoBoatType of BoatOwnerHandicapSeries Points
1 GBR9625R SUNDANCER DYNAMO 25 Alan Mulcahy 0.841 8
2 148 SHELLY D MOODY 30 Mick Murphy 0.859 16
3 A191 LA MARAQUITA ACHILLES 24 Eddie Higgns & Kevin Morrisson 32
Kinsale Yacht Club Spring Series Class IRC White Sail Overall
Series PlaceSail NoBoatType of BoatOwnerHandicapSeries Points
1 IRL3450 Val Criss First 345 Murphy Hennessy Dann 0.965 13
2 IRL4004 OBJECTION SUN ODYESSY 35 Kevin & Celia Murray 0.953 17.5
3 IRL7880 Windrose Nicholson 26 Bill Joyce 0.850 20
4 IRL1176 MAGIC ELFIN Hanse 371 Peter Kelly 0.992 22
5 IRL6006 CIMARRON VI OCEANIS 42.3 Dave O'Sullivan 1.009 33
6 IRL4369 Charisma Sigma33 Des Lyons & Aine Dunne 0.957 35
7 IRL7305 Delos First 305 Dave Cullinane 0.914 40
8 IRL2123 WHEELS SUN ODYESSY 42 John Whealan 1.013 40
9 IRL3910 Sonas Sun Odyssey 39i David Ross 1.011 44
10 IRL1424 Roloco Oceaniis 343 Brian Rose 0.917 45
11 IRL109 Ragtime GK 24 John Alexander 0.811 57
12 IRL4003 Aoife Oceanis 350 John O Mahony 0.911 62
Published in Kinsale
Although the sailing numbers entered to date are smaller than usual for the SB3 fleet, what it lacks in quantity it will more than up for in quality when racing starts off Howth next Saturday (April 30th).

Unless last year's champion Gareth Flanigan and his crew can beg, steal or borrow a boat, they won't be able to defend their title and a new winner will be crowned on May 1st. The recent Spring Warmer Series saw some boats post inconsistent results while two teams in particular stepped up from last year to place themselves in the running.

Eoin Quinlan's decision to team up with Mike Evans and Peter Frane with 'Shockwave' looked like a smart one, with consistent results putting them on top of that series, and giving them the confidence to make the top 3 or 4 places at the Easterns.

John O'Driscoll of the Royal St.George is another skipper in flying form and will be hopeful of a good overall result next weekend. HYC's own 'Sharkbait' (Ben Duncan/Brian Moran/Rick Morris) can never be under-estimated and will be tipped to be among the prime contenders.

A feature of the event is the entry of several women helms, the most notable being Olympic hopeful Annalise Murphy of the National YC with her mother (and former Olympian) Cathy MacAleavey crewing.

Published in SB20

Bob Bateman was afloat today to capture the latest Spring sailing off Kinsale Yacht Club, a month long sailing series that has been sailed in sunshine so far each Sunday and today's Bank holiday Monday race was no different. Scroll down for photos, there are some nice shots of John Twomey's Sonar, Shillelagh.

Today's racing was sailed in a north east 8 knot breeze. An ebb tide flowing out of Kinsale harbour gave a good beat on the windward/leeward course, leaders tacking up the western shore.

The first round the weather mark was Anchor sailed by Ian Travers with sailmaker Nigel Young on board.

Winds dropped during the day but filled in again from the South East.

Classes 0, 1, 2 were on a round the cans course taking the Bullman buoy as weather mark before going on a two sail reach to Sovereigns Islands and  a run out to SE mark.

Racing co ntinued all day and a weary class 2 only returned to the harbour after 5pm.

Racing concludes next saturday followed by a prize giving Dinner.

 

Published in Kinsale
25th April 2011

ISORA Entry List 2011

Up to 40 yachts form the backbone of the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association fleet (ISORA).  Although the 2011 entry list (below) shows a large number of Beneteau models it also reveals a wide range of other marques, largely between 30 and 50 foot. Prominent types are J109s, Sigma 33s and a number of Jeanneau yachts too.

ISORA 2011 Racing Fleet

Boat Name Sail no Hull / Mast Col Model
Lancastrian GBR7682T White Starlight
Yahtzee IRL 1068 White/Gold Oceanis 41
Rebellion IRL 6001 Blue/Silver Nicholson 58
Miss Scarlett IRL 4763 White/Gray Sunfast 40.3
Orna IRL532 Blue 40C
Mistral of St Helier K8337 White 3800D
Poppy GBR4183 Red/White Contention 33
Dinah IRL 3508 White/Aluminium Jeanneau
Raging Bull IRL 9666 White/Silver Sigma 400
Tsunami IRL 4007 Grey/Silver First 40.7
GFT Adventurer GBR 23161 White/Silver First 45
Jedi IRL 8088
J109
English Mick GRB 4771R Blue/Silver First 47.7
Galileo IRL1944 Blue First 47.7
Lula Belle IRL3607 White Beneteau 36.7
Finnigans Wake IRL2008 White 37B
Obsession IRL 4513 White/Aluminium Sigma 3300
Katanca IRL 31310 White/Aluminium Elan 31
Just Enough GBR6912T J92
Big Hillie Style IRL 3208 White Sun Fast 3200
Adelie FRA 9631 White/Black First 34.7
Mojito IS 36L White/Aluminium Bavaria
Calypso IRL 5643 White/Silver Oceanis E51
Legally Blonde IRL 3175 Grey/Aluminium Beneteau
GWAWR GRB 8330 White/Aluminium Sigma
First of September IRL 8581 White/Silver First 435
Rollercoaster IRL 9109 White/Aluminium J109
Quite Correct IRL 5405 White/White Jeanneau D5 54
Sarnia IRL 2260 White/Gold 36
Sailing West Intuition GBR 9383R Blue/Aluminium Reflex 38
Sailing West One Life GBR 3708R White/Silver Sunfast 37
Temper Tantrum 6909T White 40
Wennol 3 GBR1347R White/Black First 34.7
African Challenge IRL 2649 White/Silver Fast
Windshift IRL37737 White/Aluminium Sunfast 37
Oystercatcher IRL 1177 White/ Silver Gib'sea 37
Aztec 3 IRL29832 White/Silver A35
Published in ISORA
The yacht sailed by late former Taoiseach Charles Haughey has been offered as gift to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) as a research vessel.
The Irish Times reports that 52ft Celtic Mist had been on sale in the Isle of Wight for €175,000 since last year, but with the market at a low ebb, son Conor Haughey invited the IWDG to take over the vessel, subject to negotation.
The IWDG's Simon Berrow said the group's membership showed "overwhelming support" for the gift, and is currently looking into sponsorship to support the yacht for research, as maintenance costs would run around €20,000 per year.
The Celtic Mist was once the subject of some controversy when it emerged during the Moriarty Tribunal that businessman Dermot Desmond had paid refurbishment costs of €75,000, a sum that exceeded Haughey's then salary as Taoiseach.

The yacht sailed by late former Taoiseach Charles Haughey has been offered as gift to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) as a research vessel.

The Irish Times reports that 52ft Celtic Mist had been on sale in the Isle of Wight for €175,000 since last year, but with the market at a low ebb, son Conor Haughey invited the IWDG to take over the vessel, subject to negotation.

The IWDG's Simon Berrow said the group's membership showed "overwhelming support" for the gift, and is currently looking into sponsorship to support the yacht for research, as maintenance costs would run around €20,000 per year.

The Celtic Mist was once the subject of some controversy when it emerged during the Moriarty Tribunal that businessman Dermot Desmond had paid refurbishment costs of €75,000, a sum that exceeded Haughey's then salary as Taoiseach.

Published in Marine Science

Glorious sailing conditions prevailed for the second day of the Kinsale Cruiser Spring Series yesterday writes Claire Bateman. Scroll down for Bob Bateman's sailing photos of yesterday's cruiser action. The only sailing factor missing was the wind! However but after a wait of two and a half hours, the breeze filled in from the south- west giving some 15 knots and enabling racing to commence. Classes 0, 1 and 2 sailed the round the cans course, Classes 3 and 4 were on the windward leeward course and the White Sail Fleet sailed in the harbour. To add to the spectacle the Optimist dinghies in large numbers were sailing further east in trials for international competition. 

Published in Kinsale
A European Sailing Championship, four national championships, four regional championships and a dozen local regattas/events are the central features of a hectic year afloat being organised by Howth Yacht Club in 2011 which will bring thousands of sailors and their families to the town and contribute significantly to the local economy.

At a launch reception in the club on Thursday 31st March attended by representatives of local commerce, tourism and community bodies, HYC Commodore Roger Cagney announced that in addition to junior and adult sail training courses and club racing four days a week in the summer months, the Club would host over 20 open events during the year.

"We are used to sailing being a year-round activity," he said, "but even by our standards this will be an exceptionally busy year for Howth Yacht Club. We are fortunate in the number of talented volunteers we can call upon to help make these events successful and we have an enviable track record in this regard. We are also extremely grateful for the sponsorship of individual events from commercial concerns, details of which will be released in due course."

The major event on the 2011 calendar is undoubtedly the European Championship of the J24 Class, the world's most popular racing keelboat, when over 200 sailors from six or more countries will compete in the four-day regatta in September.

Howth will also host the Irish Championships of four classes – Puppeteer, Squib, Howth 17 and Optimist – between July 1st and late-August, with the latter attracting up to 200 competitors, together with their families, coaches and supporters. In addition, HYC will run the SB3 Eastern Championships (end April), the RS Feva Leinsters (late May) and the Dublin Match Racing Open (in J80s in early September).

The club's programme also comprises the Spring Warmer series in April, the annual Lambay Races on June 11th, the Dinghy Regatta a week later and the ever-popular Autumn League over five weekends in September/October.

Published in Howth YC
Page 11 of 14

Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

©Afloat 2020