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Displaying items by tag: Blueway 10k

#Blueway10k - Places are still open for experienced kayakers to sign up for this weekend's Blueway 10k Challenge, as the Nenagh Guardian reports.

Organised by Canoeing Ireland and the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland with Waterways Ireland, the nine events taking place simultaneously across the island this Saturday 20 August will see novice paddlers put their skills developed over the last 12 weeks of training to the test.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the initiative aims to take the hassle out of kayaking or canoeing on Ireland's inland waterways, showing that access to watersports is quicker and easier than many people think.

Three-time Irish Olympian Eoin Rheinisch gives an overview of the final week of training ahead of this weekend's challenge:

Published in Canoeing

#Blueway10k - Blueway 10k aims to take all the hassle out of paddling activity whether kayaking or canoeing, allowing people quick and easy access to the water. It's a fantastic way to get fit, meet new people and learn great skills.

Earlier this month saw the launch of the Blueway 10k programme with all partners offering taster sessions on inland waterways around Ireland and Northern Ireland as part of the Blueway 10k National Open Day - some accommodating close to 100 participants for each session.



The Blueway 10k programme is based on a 12-week training programme from 30 May to 20 August with three hours of activity a week. Each canoe club or activity provider will provide you with the gear needed to take part.

For more on the event and registration visit the Blueways Ireland website HERE and get a step closer to #PaddlingYourWay to the #Blueway10K​.

Published in Canoeing

About Brittany Ferries

In 1967 a farmer from Finistère in Brittany, Alexis Gourvennec, succeeded in bringing together a variety of organisations from the region to embark on an ambitious project: the aim was to open up the region, to improve its infrastructure and to enrich its people by turning to traditional partners such as Ireland and the UK. In 1972 BAI (Brittany-England-Ireland) was born.

The first cross-Channel link was inaugurated in January 1973, when a converted Israeli tank-carrier called Kerisnel left the port of Roscoff for Plymouth carrying trucks loaded with Breton vegetables such as cauliflowers and artichokes. The story, therefore, begins on 2 January 1973, 24 hours after Great Britain's entry into the Common Market (EEC).

From these humble beginnings however, Brittany Ferries as the company was re-named quickly opened up to passenger transport, then became a tour operator.

Today, Brittany Ferries has established itself as the national leader in French maritime transport: an atypical leader, under private ownership, still owned by a Breton agricultural cooperative.

Eighty five percent of the company’s passengers are British.

Key Brittany Ferries figures:

  • Turnover: €202.4 million (compared with €469m in 2019)
  • Investment in three new ships, Galicia plus two new vessels powered by cleaner LNG (liquefied natural gas) arriving in 2022 and 2023
  • Employment: 2,474 seafarers and shore staff (average high/low season)
  • Passengers: 752,102 in 2020 (compared with 2,498,354 in 2019)
  • Freight: 160,377 in 2020 (compared with 201,554 in 2019)
  • Twelve ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain (non-Covid year) across 14 routes
  • Twelve ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Rosslare, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
  • Tourism in Europe: 231,000 unique visitors, staying 2.6 million bed-nights in France in 2020 (compared with 857,000 unique visitors, staying 8,7 million bed-nights in 2019).