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Displaying items by tag: Rib

#TradeNews - Afloat.ie first reported in March last year on Inland Inflatables Services' planned relocation to larger premises in Collooney, Co Sligo.

And now the move is finally going ahead, as the RIB service business - one of the largest in Ireland - gets ready to set up in an impressive 8,000 square foot space as it celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2014.

As company head Ronan Keys told the Sunday Business Post recently: "Some people thought I was a bit crazy to make the move out of Sligo town to Collooney as such a time in the economy."

But as Keys adds, the numbers made sense, as the fall in property prices made purchasing the larger out-of-town space a much better deal, and in turn will allow the company to take on more business - and more staff.

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#RIB – Mazda UK and partner Linley Swan GP have scored a class victory in the arduous Powerboat and RIB Round Ireland Challenge 2013. Winning skipper, Tom Montgomery-Swan led the 13 remaining boats into Kilmore Quay at 2pm on August 4th, concluding ten days at sea through huge seas and high winds.

Tom Montgomery-Swan, 24 from Exeter, Devon, has been racing boats almost all of his life and said; "The Powerboat and RIB Round Ireland Challenge was one of the toughest ocean challenges in this part of the world, so to finish, let alone lead the fleet with Mazda was a truly incredible experience. With our newly Linley Swan designed boat, and capable Mazda CX-5 support car, we proved Mazda's SKYACTIV principals worked on water, and on land."

To contest the Round Ireland Challenge, Linley Swan produced a brand new boat using a proven Ribeye A Series hull design. The starting point for the project was Mazda SKYACTIV philosophy of lightweight, environmentally sound design without compromise on performance or handling.

Designed to defy convention, the boat introduced new technologies, and a new way of thinking about design for Linley Swan.

The six metre vessel features race specification materials, advanced electronics packages, fuel efficient engine technology, and custom suspension - a shock mitigating console and seat designed by a NASCAR firm in Canada.

Mazda UK supported Linley Swan with the popular CX-5 sports utility vehicle (SUV), which saw action as the exclusive land vehicle for the Linley Swan GP race team. The car covered almost 2,500 miles, delivering food, supplies, mechanical parts and much more to the boat throughout the event.

The Mazda CX-5 proved to be the ideal event support vehicle for Linley Swan. As well as being a welcome sight dockside at the end of each leg, the car's practical, capable nature ensured it offered indispensable support, whilst maintaining an average fuel consumption of over 45mpg and a reliable service.

Offering good towing capabilities, ample space for kit, and frugal fuel consumption, the Mazda CX-5 is an environmentally friendly SUV with excellent driving credentials to deliver the support crew to each rendezvous dry and in comfort.

"Mazda proved to be the ideal partner for this event," commented Linley Swan GP Skipper Tom Montgomery-Swan. "We needed a stylish, economical car capable of towing our RIB whilst delivering on comfort for the crew and practicality for lugging the expanse of kit - all assets we need to address the logistical challenge of moving the RIB safely and at a greatly reduced cost to more traditional towing vehicles.

Montgomery-Swan concludes: "We wanted a vehicle partner which delivered on our brand values of performance and reliability whilst being environmentally friendly, and Mazda has proved its commitment to the environment with its SKYACTIV technology which enables them to produce cars with reduced CO2 emissions whilst using less fuel. This fitted well with our environmental values to preserve the marine landscape by using biodegradable oil and fuel in the boat."

Published in RIBs
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#ribchallenge – 10000hrs Sunday – Afloat.ie just received news from ribber Derek Shaw on Nyzod, a Zodia Pro Open 650, on the RIB Challenge that the fleet is en route to Royal Cork Yacht Club and has just passed the Mizen and estimate possible arrival somewhere between 1pm and 3pm.

Nyzod is the only Irish entry in the challenge and has on board John Garvey an RNLI Cox, Walker Shaw, Richie Cunningham, Donal O'Connor and Paul Lydon.

The Challenge started out with twenty five RIBS and one motor cruiser ranging in size from 4.7m up to 11.5m, a week ago. The fleet met bad weather coming down the west coast and have been stormbound in Dingle, Co. Kerry for the past two days.

RIBs ran into difficulty last Thursday in County Kerry prompting Fenit lifeboat to issue a reminder about how important it is to get an up to date forecast and plan your journey carefully and stay in regular contact with the Coastguard. Fenit ALB  launched to assist three ribs which got into difficulty in Brandon bay. Fenit lifeboat took one vessel in tow, and escorted the other two ribs to Fenit harbour. 

Organiser of the event Hugo Montgomery-Swan, gave a most graphic description of the conditions encountered by some of the boats approaching Brandon Bay. Seas of ferocious ferocity were encountered with winds whipping and twisting enormous sheets of white water some 300 to 400 feet long and with twisters clearly seen.

The Irish Coastguard were advising and Fenit life boat was tasked and took a RIB that had lost power and was being towed by a fellow challenger, under tow back to Fenit marina. Three boats spent the night there and the second three boats of this party were advised by the Coastguard to make for the safety of a beach inside Brandon where they spent the night on the beach, according to local reports.

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#RIB – An air sea rescue for a solo Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RIB) skipper in the Irish Sea got the 2013 Round Ireland RIB Challenge off to a dramatic start at the weekend.

The 24–boat circumnavigation RIB fleet arrived in Dun Laoghaire marina on schedule yesterday afternoon, but one of their number was lucky to be alive after a Search and Rescue operation on Friday plucked a solo skipper from the sea, some nine miles offshore from Milford Haven.

The RIB driver was thrown out of his craft, and a signal from his personal locator beacon was picked up. The incident happened during a crossing from Milford Haven in Wales to the start of the RIB Challenge at Kilmore Quay in County Wexford on Friday afternoon, according to HM Coastguard.

The RIB named Merlin is a Gemini Waverider 4.95m RIB, according to details on the Round Ireland Challenge website. 

As Afloat.ie reported on Friday, Falmouth Coastguard contacted Milford Haven Coastguard about a signal from a PLB, (personal locator beacon) located nine miles offshore from St David's Head on Friday afternoon. Coastguard officers checked vessel and contact details on the UK Beacon Registry database and identified that this PLB was registered to Merlin.

Milford Haven Coastguard requested the launch of St Davids RNLI Lifeboat and the rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor.

The rescue helicopter located the man in the water using the signal from the beacon and winched him into the aircraft. The man was checked by the crew in the helicopter and in agreement with Milford Haven Coastguard returned to his vessel and has made the return voyage to Milford Haven.

He was thrown into the water but was wearing a survival suit, lifejacket and had a PLB with him. The man spent approximately three hours in the water.

Milford Haven Coastguard Watch Manager Rob James says:
"Fortunately this skipper was prepared for a single handed voyage offshore and having the right gear has saved his life. The kill cord on the vessel did work and cut the engine when he was thrown from the boat.

Wearing a survival suit and lifejacket enabled him to survive the three hours in the sea while awaiting rescue and the PLB which was activated sent the exact location of the casualty to the Coastguard."

A tweet from the Challenge organisers on Saturday said Merlin had been 'delayed' and would join the fleet in Dun Laoghaire marina. The fleet, drawn largely from the UK but with Irish, German and Luxembourg entries too, enjoyed an evening at Dun Laoghaire last night and headed north for Bangor marina on Belfast Lough at 9am this morning.

Published in RIBs
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#coastguard – A man has been rescued nine miles off shore after he was thrown from his vessel and a signal from his personal locator beacon was picked up.

At 4.07pm last night Falmouth Coastguard contacted Milford Haven Coastguard about a signal from a PLB, (personal locator beacon) located nine miles offshore from St David's Head. Coastguard officers checked vessel and contact details on the UK Beacon Registry database and identified that this PLB was registered to the RIB (Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat) Merlin.

Milford Haven Coastguard requested the launch of St Davids RNLI Lifeboat and the rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor. The rescue helicopter located the man in the water using the signal from the beacon and winched him into the aircraft. The man was checked by the crew in the helicopter and in agreement with Milford Haven Coastguard returned to his vessel and has made the return voyage to Milford Haven.

The single handed skipper was on voyage from Milford Haven to Kilmore Quay in Ireland when a wave knocked him out of his RIB. He was thrown into the water but was wearing a survival suit, lifejacket and had a PLB with him. The man spent approximately three hours in the water.

Milford Haven Coastguard Watch Manager Rob James says:
"Fortunately this skipper was prepared for a single handed voyage offshore and having the right gear has saved his life. The kill cord on the vessel did work and cut the engine when he was thrown from the boat.

Wearing a survival suit and lifejacket enabled him to survive the three hours in the sea while awaiting rescue and the PLB which was activated sent the exact location of the casualty to the Coastguard."

Published in Coastguard
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A Donegal based Redbay 6.1m RIB, Deep Six (the 'welcome wagon') along with another RIB from Belfast ran out to the Kish lighthouse on Dublin Bay on Saturday to escort a 10–boat RIB fleet from Wales up the river Liffey and into the heart of Dublin city.

The RIBs had departed the Welsh coast on Saturday morning and the fleet was on its second annual RIBnet Caernarfon to Dun Laoghaire cruise. 33 ribbers were involved. 

After arriving on Dublin Bay the crews proceeded to the city centre for a spectacular run up the river on one of the best days of the summer so far.

Navigation up the Liffey was easily handled even though the Ribbers encountered a new bridge that gave an air draft clearance of roughly 2.2 metres for boats/a-frames.

According to reports, the crews had a ball and were 'impressed' with local hospitality at Dun Laoghaire marina and the nearby Purty Kitchen pub. 

A third run to Dublin is planned again next year.IMG 1600-2

 Donegal ribbers Richard (left) and Danny provided a welcome for ten Welsh RIbs in Dublin at the weekend. Photo: Afloat.ie

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#KillCord - An official report into the tragic speedboat accident in Cornwall earlier this month that killed a father and daughter says that the driver was not attached to the boat's 'kill cord'.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, BSkyB executive Nick Milligan and his eight-year-old daughter Emily were struck by the family's runaway RIB after being thrown overboard from the vessel on the afternoon of Sunday 5 May.

Four other family members were struck by the runaway boat as it circled in the water off Padstow. Nick's wife Victoria and four-year-old son Kit are recovering after sustaining "life-changing" leg injuries.

Police were reportedly investigating the role played in the incident by the boat's kill cord or safety lanyard, a device attached to the throttle that should automatically cut engine power if the driver is thrown from the vessel.

Now The Guardian reports the Marine Accident Investigation Branch's (MAIB) conclusion that the 8m Cobra RIB was fitted with a kill cord, but it was not attached to the driver.

It has not yet been determined who was driving the speedboat at the time of the accident, nor is it clear how the family was thrown from the vessel.

The report added: "The kill cord serves only one purpose, to stop the engine when the driver moves away from the controls.

"To ensure that this tragic accident is not repeated it is essential that all owners and operators of vessels ensure they are fitted with kill cords."

Published in RIBs

Irish Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) builder Red Bay Boats is exhibiting one of its giant 16–metre Pilot Boat Stormforce RIBs at next month's Seaworks commercial exhibition in Southampton.

Intended for a variety of commercial applications including Pilot, Patrol, and passenger carrying usages this new Stormforce 1650 is a development of the County Antrim firm's Rigid Inflatable Boats. Of particular interest is the keen handling of the 'keel–less' demonstrator craft 'Caledonia' (pictured above and vid below) when manoeuvring alongside ships during recent trials.

The Cushendall firm headed by Tom McLaughlin has been busy working on the commercial side of the RIB business and is seeking Port customers for The 1650 which has a deep-V hull, with foam filled collars bonded to the hull sides.

Red Bay is also exhibiting a new 12 metre jet powered RIB, a 7.4m with a new Hyundai diesel and two more outboard driven 7.4s with Suzuki engines.

 

Published in RIBs

#KillCord - Police in Cornwall investigating the deaths of a father and daughter in a speedboat accident off Padstow at the weekend are focusing on the boat's 'kill cord', according to BBC News.

BSkyB executive Nick Milligan and his eight-year-old daughter were struck by the family's runaway Cobra RIB after losing control of the vessel and being thrown overboard.

Four other family members in the water struck by the 8m-long boat were hospitalised, with the BBC reporting that Milligan's wife Victoria and four-year-old son Kit suffered "serious, potentially life-changing injuries".

Witnesses describe the speedboat circling to hit the family after turning sharply and throwing them into the water, then continuing to run around in circles before it was stopped by local waterskiing instructor Charlie Toogood who jumped on board.

Investigators are looking closely at the kill cord or safety lanyard, a device attached to a boat's throttle that should automatically cut engine power if the boat's pilot goes overboard.

A malfunctioning kill cord was identified in an incident in Cork Harbour last summer in which a RIB pilot lost an arm after he was thrown overboard and subsequently struck by his runaway vessel, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Months before, an angler died and another was treated for hypothermia after being thrown overboard and separated from their vessel, a result of neither man using the kill cord on their boat's engine.

Published in RIBs

#rib – The first ever Dublin Bay RIB raid to Wicklow  has been hailed a great success with plans afoot for more Raids writes Ronan Beirne.

Proceedings commenced on Sunday with a RNLI jife jacket check by the RNLI at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

After a course and safety briefing at 11.30 we set off - seven ribs and a Benneteau motor vessel.

With the ebb and c 20 knots of wind we set off on a course outside the Dublin Bay racing marks and outside the Muglins. A bit of a chop off Bray Head.

Greystones Marina allocated a handy berth for us near the steps. While the Greystones Gourmet event was happening in the main street most settled for ice cream and chips on the sea front. One rib came up from Wicklow to join the raid.

Set off for Dun Laoghaire before three and through Dalkey Sound and to Dun Laoghaire Harbour where we were met by the Lifeboat who escorted us back in for prize giving.

nycribraiders2

The National Yacht Club Ribbers return to base in Dun Laoghaire after a 12-mile run to Greystones. Photo: Michael Chester. More photos below.

Jimmy Kinahan's crew on the Zodiac won a big RNLI flag for the best dressed" Muglins Pirates".

Liam Shanahan's Red Bay a Lifeboat pennant for the rib with the most flags.

Sorcha Prouvier on the Antares the best dressed "scarey" pirate.

A great day was enjoyed by all and over €200 in the box for the Lifeboat.

Plans now in place for another Rib Raid adventure.

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Irish Fishing industry 

The Irish Commercial Fishing Industry employs around 11,000 people in fishing, processing and ancillary services such as sales and marketing. The industry is worth about €1.22 billion annually to the Irish economy. Irish fisheries products are exported all over the world as far as Africa, Japan and China.

FAQs

Over 16,000 people are employed directly or indirectly around the coast, working on over 2,000 registered fishing vessels, in over 160 seafood processing businesses and in 278 aquaculture production units, according to the State's sea fisheries development body Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

All activities that are concerned with growing, catching, processing or transporting fish are part of the commercial fishing industry, the development of which is overseen by BIM. Recreational fishing, as in angling at sea or inland, is the responsibility of Inland Fisheries Ireland.

The Irish fishing industry is valued at 1.22 billion euro in gross domestic product (GDP), according to 2019 figures issued by BIM. Only 179 of Ireland's 2,000 vessels are over 18 metres in length. Where does Irish commercially caught fish come from? Irish fish and shellfish is caught or cultivated within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but Irish fishing grounds are part of the common EU "blue" pond. Commercial fishing is regulated under the terms of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), initiated in 1983 and with ten-yearly reviews.

The total value of seafood landed into Irish ports was 424 million euro in 2019, according to BIM. High value landings identified in 2019 were haddock, hake, monkfish and megrim. Irish vessels also land into foreign ports, while non-Irish vessels land into Irish ports, principally Castletownbere, Co Cork, and Killybegs, Co Donegal.

There are a number of different methods for catching fish, with technological advances meaning skippers have detailed real time information at their disposal. Fisheries are classified as inshore, midwater, pelagic or deep water. Inshore targets species close to shore and in depths of up to 200 metres, and may include trawling and gillnetting and long-lining. Trawling is regarded as "active", while "passive" or less environmentally harmful fishing methods include use of gill nets, long lines, traps and pots. Pelagic fisheries focus on species which swim close to the surface and up to depths of 200 metres, including migratory mackerel, and tuna, and methods for catching include pair trawling, purse seining, trolling and longlining. Midwater fisheries target species at depths of around 200 metres, using trawling, longlining and jigging. Deepwater fisheries mainly use trawling for species which are found at depths of over 600 metres.

There are several segments for different catching methods in the registered Irish fleet – the largest segment being polyvalent or multi-purpose vessels using several types of gear which may be active and passive. The polyvalent segment ranges from small inshore vessels engaged in netting and potting to medium and larger vessels targeting whitefish, pelagic (herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting) species and bivalve molluscs. The refrigerated seawater (RSW) pelagic segment is engaged mainly in fishing for herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting only. The beam trawling segment focuses on flatfish such as sole and plaice. The aquaculture segment is exclusively for managing, developing and servicing fish farming areas and can collect spat from wild mussel stocks.

The top 20 species landed by value in 2019 were mackerel (78 million euro); Dublin Bay prawn (59 million euro); horse mackerel (17 million euro); monkfish (17 million euro); brown crab (16 million euro); hake (11 million euro); blue whiting (10 million euro); megrim (10 million euro); haddock (9 million euro); tuna (7 million euro); scallop (6 million euro); whelk (5 million euro); whiting (4 million euro); sprat (3 million euro); herring (3 million euro); lobster (2 million euro); turbot (2 million euro); cod (2 million euro); boarfish (2 million euro).

Ireland has approximately 220 million acres of marine territory, rich in marine biodiversity. A marine biodiversity scheme under Ireland's operational programme, which is co-funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Government, aims to reduce the impact of fisheries and aquaculture on the marine environment, including avoidance and reduction of unwanted catch.

EU fisheries ministers hold an annual pre-Christmas council in Brussels to decide on total allowable catches and quotas for the following year. This is based on advice from scientific bodies such as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. In Ireland's case, the State's Marine Institute publishes an annual "stock book" which provides the most up to date stock status and scientific advice on over 60 fish stocks exploited by the Irish fleet. Total allowable catches are supplemented by various technical measures to control effort, such as the size of net mesh for various species.

The west Cork harbour of Castletownbere is Ireland's biggest whitefish port. Killybegs, Co Donegal is the most important port for pelagic (herring, mackerel, blue whiting) landings. Fish are also landed into Dingle, Co Kerry, Rossaveal, Co Galway, Howth, Co Dublin and Dunmore East, Co Waterford, Union Hall, Co Cork, Greencastle, Co Donegal, and Clogherhead, Co Louth. The busiest Northern Irish ports are Portavogie, Ardglass and Kilkeel, Co Down.

Yes, EU quotas are allocated to other fleets within the Irish EEZ, and Ireland has long been a transhipment point for fish caught by the Spanish whitefish fleet in particular. Dingle, Co Kerry has seen an increase in foreign landings, as has Castletownbere. The west Cork port recorded foreign landings of 36 million euro or 48 per cent in 2019, and has long been nicknamed the "peseta" port, due to the presence of Spanish-owned transhipment plant, Eiranova, on Dinish island.

Most fish and shellfish caught or cultivated in Irish waters is for the export market, and this was hit hard from the early stages of this year's Covid-19 pandemic. The EU, Asia and Britain are the main export markets, while the middle Eastern market is also developing and the African market has seen a fall in value and volume, according to figures for 2019 issued by BIM.

Fish was once a penitential food, eaten for religious reasons every Friday. BIM has worked hard over several decades to develop its appeal. Ireland is not like Spain – our land is too good to transform us into a nation of fish eaters, but the obvious health benefits are seeing a growth in demand. Seafood retail sales rose by one per cent in 2019 to 300 million euro. Salmon and cod remain the most popular species, while BIM reports an increase in sales of haddock, trout and the pangasius or freshwater catfish which is cultivated primarily in Vietnam and Cambodia and imported by supermarkets here.

The EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), initiated in 1983, pooled marine resources – with Ireland having some of the richest grounds and one of the largest sea areas at the time, but only receiving four per cent of allocated catch by a quota system. A system known as the "Hague Preferences" did recognise the need to safeguard the particular needs of regions where local populations are especially dependent on fisheries and related activities. The State's Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, based in Clonakilty, Co Cork, works with the Naval Service on administering the EU CFP. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and Department of Transport regulate licensing and training requirements, while the Marine Survey Office is responsible for the implementation of all national and international legislation in relation to safety of shipping and the prevention of pollution.

Yes, a range of certificates of competency are required for skippers and crew. Training is the remit of BIM, which runs two national fisheries colleges at Greencastle, Co Donegal and Castletownbere, Co Cork. There have been calls for the colleges to be incorporated into the third-level structure of education, with qualifications recognised as such.

Safety is always an issue, in spite of technological improvements, as fishing is a hazardous occupation and climate change is having its impact on the severity of storms at sea. Fishing skippers and crews are required to hold a number of certificates of competency, including safety and navigation, and wearing of personal flotation devices is a legal requirement. Accidents come under the remit of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, and the Health and Safety Authority. The MCIB does not find fault or blame, but will make recommendations to the Minister for Transport to avoid a recurrence of incidents.

Fish are part of a marine ecosystem and an integral part of the marine food web. Changing climate is having a negative impact on the health of the oceans, and there have been more frequent reports of warmer water species being caught further and further north in Irish waters.

Brexit, Covid 19, EU policies and safety – Britain is a key market for Irish seafood, and 38 per cent of the Irish catch is taken from the waters around its coast. Ireland's top two species – mackerel and prawns - are 60 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, dependent on British waters. Also, there are serious fears within the Irish industry about the impact of EU vessels, should they be expelled from British waters, opting to focus even more efforts on Ireland's rich marine resource. Covid-19 has forced closure of international seafood markets, with high value fish sold to restaurants taking a large hit. A temporary tie-up support scheme for whitefish vessels introduced for the summer of 2020 was condemned by industry organisations as "designed to fail".

Sources: Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Marine Institute, Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Department of Transport © Afloat 2020