Displaying items by tag: Cowes Cargoship

26th September 2018

Cowes Cargoship Caller Docked in Major UK Port of Hull to Open Rare Public Tours In October

#Ports&Shiping - Cowes Week synominous for the World famous regatta held in the UK off the Isle of Wight town is also home to Carisbrooke Shipping which today has one of their cargoships docked in the Port of Hull which on 21st October is to host public tours, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Tickets to visit the English port on the North Sea coast however have apparently been snapped up. To those who have secured tickets already from Associated British Ports (ABP) through Eventbrite, this will enable a rare behind-the-scenes opportunity to experience the huge scale of operations at the UK east coast port.

The four 90-minute tours held throughout the day will begin at ABP Port House in Hull (HU9 5NS), followed by an exciting coach tour of King George V Dock (pictured above) where the Carisbrooke cargoship, Kimberly C constructed in China in 2011 is at time of writing berthed in the dock's basin. The 6,800dwt gearless mini-bulker is one of 31 in the fleet of dry-cargo and multi-purpose ships that ranges from 5,000dwt to more than 13,000dwt.

Afloat has researched that the ship is due to depart the dock and head for Tilbury (London) on the Thames Estuary before a longer passage bound for Dublin Port next week.

King George V Dock is one of several docks that comprise the port complex includes the neighbouring Hull Container Terminal where Irish built ship-to-shore cranes were installed earlier this year. This involved a seaborne delivery of a pair of Liebherr (Killarney plant built cranes) conveyed on a heavy lift-ship HHL Lagos on a voyage from Rushbrooke, Cork Harbour to the UK port.

Returning to the port tours in Hull next month, they are to include stop-off points to fully gain a sense of the vast operations which according to ABP play such an important role in the UK and local economies.

The Port of Hull which is located on the Humber estuary is one of four ports operated by ABP, the others are located opposite on the south shore in Goole, Grimsby and Immingham. The latter port hosted a successful open day which saw over 500 people attend from across the UK.

Published in Ports & Shipping

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.