Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Le Havre

The first sailing race to France for the 2011 RORC Season's Points Championship proved to be a real cracker with several classes enjoying some extremely competitive racing writes Louay Habib. With over 100 entries for the race, the Royal Yacht Squadron Line was a cauldron of activity and a magical sight as the fleet set off downwind under spinnaker towards The Needles. After a beat around the south side of the Isle of Wight, the fleet rounded the Nab Tower to bear away for a fast passage across the English Channel. The 2011 RORC Cervantes Trophy Race provided some spectacular racing.

The majority of the fleet completed the 125-mile course in less than 20 hours. Gray and Laidlaw's Farr 52, Bob, took line honours by nearly three hours and won the Cervantes Trophy for best yacht overall on corrected time.

"We had a great Cervantes," explained Bob's trimmer and driver, John Brinkers. "The blast reach in fresh conditions was very exciting. We had 29 knots of breeze at one stage, blasting along under jib top and genoa staysail on the leg from Nab Tower to the buoy off Le Havre. As we came off one big wave, the boat accelerated to just under 22 knots with big whoops from the crew. All credit to skipper Brett Aarons and the Bob team for impressive crew work. They did a great job."

Charles Ivill's Grand Soleil 54, John B corrected out as winner of IRC One. Two First 44.7s had a close battle for second in class. John Stapleton's Vespucci's Black Sheep eventually took the runner up spot in IRC One. Andrew Arthur's Koko Kai was third. The class also contained four identical Challenge 72s competing for the Tall Ships Youth Trust. Stephen Durkin's Challenger 4 was first home in an elapsed time of just over 18 hours. The Tall Ships Youth Trust is dedicated to the development of training young people through sailing and the Cervantes Trophy Race was part of their preparation for the Rolex Fastnet Race later this year.

RORC Commodore Andrew McIrvine scored his first win of the season, taking IRC Two in his First 40, La Réponse. Neil Kipling's J 122, Joopster enjoyed the fresh conditions to claim second place in class but by less than two minutes on corrected time from X 40, Exception, owned by Frenchman Patrick Ponchelet.

Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew, won class in the Cervantes Trophy for the second year running. Enjoying the big breeze, the Le Havre based yacht was the first boat home in IRC Three and class winner on corrected time. William Hutchinson's Dutch Ff110, Fandango, had a high-speed surfing duel with David Aisher's J/109, Yeoman of Wight, crewed by the British Keelboat Academy. Fandango took second place by just 23 seconds on corrected time.

IRC Four was decided by just 30 seconds on corrected time with two French yachts battling it out. Philippe Rios' Dufour 34, Gwaihir Ventur won the class with Frederic Waniart's Aphrodite 101, Vim, second. Dorset-based Ian Braham, at the helm of his MG 346, Enigma, was third.

19 yachts raced to Le Havre Two-Handed, nearly double the amount from last year's Cervantes Trophy Race. Vim scored a memorable win, beating Rolex Fastnet winner, the X 35 Exile/Mirabaud, skippered by Nicolas de la Fourniere. Peter Olden's A 35, Solan Goose of Hamble, was third.

After enjoying the warm hospitality of Le Havre, competitors returning to Cowes enjoyed a race back across The English Channel. The Trophée Guillaume Le Conquérant is organised by the Société des Régates du Havre in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Island Sailing Club.

Racing resumes for the RORC Season's Points Championship on the 14th May with the De Guingand Bowl Race.

Provisional Results:

IRC OVERALL
1. Bob, Farr 52, R Gray & S Laidlaw
2. John B, Grand Soleil 54, Charles Ivill
3. La Réponse, First 40, Andrew McIrvine

IRC ZERO:
1. Bob, Farr 52, R Gray & S Laidlaw

IRC ONE:
1. John B, Grand Soleil 54, Charles Ivill
2. Vespucci's Black Sheep, First 44.7, John Stapleton
3. Koko Kai, First 44.7, Andrew Arthur
4. Challenger 4, Challenge 72, Tall Ships/Stephen Durkin

IRC TWO:
1. La Réponse, First 40, Andrew McIrvine
2. Joopster, J 122, Neil Kipling
3. Exception, X 40, Patrick Ponchelet
4. Arabella ,J 111, Niall Dowling

IRC THREE:
1. Foggy Dew, JPK 10.10, Noel Racine
2. Fandango, Ff110, William Hutchinson
3. Yeoman of Wight, J 109, David Aisher/British Keelboat Academy

IRC FOUR:
1. Gwaihir Venturi, Dufour 34, Philippe Rios
2. Vim, Aphrodite 101, Frederic Waniart
3. Enigma, MG 346, Ian Braham

IRC TWO-HANDED:
1. Vim, Aphrodite 101, Frederic Waniart
2. Exile/Mirabaud, X 34, Nicolas de la Fourniere
3. Solan Goose of Hamble, A 35, Peter Olden

CLASS 40:
1. MAXVMG, Class 40, Mark Denton
2. Partouche, Class 40, Christophe Coatnoan

Published in RORC
Tagged under
30th November 2009

Rosslare Europort

Rosslare Europort

Rosslare-Europort is located on the south-eastern tip of Ireland, and is the closest point in the south of the country to the UK and continental Europe.

There are regular sailings to Fishguard (with Stena Line); to Pembroke, Cherbourg, and Roscoff (with Irish Ferries); to Cherbourg (with Celtic Link Ferries); and to Le Havre (with UECC).

Rosslare-Europort, being the closest point from the southern part of Ireland to the UK and the European Mainland, is a hub of all the major RORO Passenger and Freight services operating the southern Irish Sea and Continental routes.

Enquiries relating to timetables, rates, fares, etc. on existing services should be addressed directly to the relevant shipping line (contact information is available on their respective websites – see links below).

Ferry Reservations – Please visit our partner site, aferry.to, to find out about the route schedules and booking information.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Sea – There are regular services to Cherbourg, Fishguard, Le Havre, Pembroke, and Roscoff. Book a sailing here.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Rail – There is a railway station in the port itself, Rosslare-Europort station. There are services to Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, and Limerick. See Irish Rail's website for more information.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Bus – Bus Eireann provide good services at Rosslare, linking it with Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, and it is possible to get connecting buses from there to your final destination. For more information, see Bus Éireann's website.

Getting to/from Rosslare Harbour by Car – Rosslare Harbour is located on the N25 route, which runs across the south of the country, connecting Rosslare with Waterford and Cork. If travelling from Dublin, take the N11 south to Wexford, from where you can turn onto the N25 east to Rosslare Harbour. If hiring a car, check out our car hire guide.

Rosslare Harbour Accommodation – Please see our Rosslare Harbour Accommodation page.

More Information – Rosslare Europort is operated by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), and more information can be found on their website.

 

Trade enquiries regarding port access, rates, etc. should be addressed to:

Rosslare Europort  John P Lynch, General Manager Rosslare Europort, Iarnród Éireann, Terminal Building, Rosslare Europort, Co Wexford. Tel: +353 (0) 53 915 7970 , ax: +353 (0) 1 886 0511 , or email: [email protected]

Published in Rosslare Europort

Ireland's offshore islands

Around 30 of Ireland's offshore islands are inhabited and hold a wealth of cultural heritage.

A central Government objective is to ensure that sustainable vibrant communities continue to live on the islands.

Irish offshore islands FAQs

Technically, it is Ireland itself, as the third largest island in Europe.

Ireland is surrounded by approximately 80 islands of significant size, of which only about 20 are inhabited.

Achill island is the largest of the Irish isles with a coastline of almost 80 miles and has a population of 2,569.

The smallest inhabited offshore island is Inishfree, off Donegal.

The total voting population in the Republic's inhabited islands is just over 2,600 people, according to the Department of Housing.

Starting with west Cork, and giving voting register numbers as of 2020, here you go - Bere island (177), Cape Clear island (131),Dursey island (6), Hare island (29), Whiddy island (26), Long island, Schull (16), Sherkin island (95). The Galway islands are Inis Mór (675), Inis Meáin (148), Inis Oírr (210), Inishbofin (183). The Donegal islands are Arranmore (513), Gola (30), Inishboffin (63), Inishfree (4), Tory (140). The Mayo islands, apart from Achill which is connected by a bridge, are Clare island (116), Inishbiggle (25) and Inishturk (52).

No, the Gaeltacht islands are the Donegal islands, three of the four Galway islands (Inishbofin, like Clifden, is English-speaking primarily), and Cape Clear or Oileán Chléire in west Cork.

Lack of a pier was one of the main factors in the evacuation of a number of islands, the best known being the Blasket islands off Kerry, which were evacuated in November 1953. There are now three cottages available to rent on the Great Blasket island.

In the early 20th century, scholars visited the Great Blasket to learn Irish and to collect folklore and they encouraged the islanders to record their life stories in their native tongue. The three best known island books are An tOileánach (The Islandman) by Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Peig by Peig Sayers, and Fiche Blian ag Fás (Twenty Years A-Growing) by Muiris Ó Súilleabháin. Former taoiseach Charles J Haughey also kept a residence on his island, Inishvickillaune, which is one of the smaller and less accessible Blasket islands.

Charles J Haughey, as above, or late Beatle musician, John Lennon. Lennon bought Dorinish island in Clew Bay, south Mayo, in 1967 for a reported £1,700 sterling. Vendor was Westport Harbour Board which had used it for marine pilots. Lennon reportedly planned to spend his retirement there, and The Guardian newspaper quoted local estate agent Andrew Crowley as saying he was "besotted with the place by all accounts". He did lodge a planning application for a house, but never built on the 19 acres. He offered it to Sid Rawle, founder of the Digger Action Movement and known as the "King of the Hippies". Rawle and 30 others lived there until 1972 when their tents were burned by an oil lamp. Lennon and Yoko Ono visited it once more before his death in 1980. Ono sold the island for £30,000 in 1984, and it is widely reported that she donated the proceeds of the sale to an Irish orphanage

 

Yes, Rathlin island, off Co Antrim's Causeway Coast, is Ireland's most northerly inhabited island. As a special area of conservation, it is home to tens of thousands of sea birds, including puffins, kittiwakes, razorbills and guillemots. It is known for its Rathlin golden hare. It is almost famous for the fact that Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, retreated after being defeated by the English at Perth and hid in a sea cave where he was so inspired by a spider's tenacity that he returned to defeat his enemy.

No. The Aran islands have a regular ferry and plane service, with ferries from Ros-a-Mhíl, south Connemara all year round and from Doolin, Co Clare in the tourist season. The plane service flies from Indreabhán to all three islands. Inishbofin is connected by ferry from Cleggan, Co Galway, while Clare island and Inishturk are connected from Roonagh pier, outside Louisburgh. The Donegal islands of Arranmore and Tory island also have ferry services, as has Bere island, Cape Clear and Sherkin off Cork. How are the island transport services financed? The Government subsidises transport services to and from the islands. The Irish Coast Guard carries out medical evacuations, as to the RNLI lifeboats. Former Fianna Fáíl minister Éamon Ó Cuív is widely credited with improving transport services to and from offshore islands, earning his department the nickname "Craggy island".

Craggy Island is an bleak, isolated community located of the west coast, inhabited by Irish, a Chinese community and one Maori. Three priests and housekeeper Mrs Doyle live in a parochial house There is a pub, a very small golf course, a McDonald's fast food restaurant and a Chinatown... Actually, that is all fiction. Craggy island is a figment of the imagination of the Father Ted series writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, for the highly successful Channel 4 television series, and the Georgian style parochial house on the "island" is actually Glenquin House in Co Clare.

Yes, that is of the Plassey, a freighter which was washed up on Inis Oírr in bad weather in 1960.

There are some small privately owned islands,and islands like Inishlyre in Co Mayo with only a small number of residents providing their own transport. Several Connemara islands such as Turbot and Inishturk South have a growing summer population, with some residents extending their stay during Covid-19. Turbot island off Eyrephort is one such example – the island, which was first spotted by Alcock and Brown as they approached Ireland during their epic transatlantic flight in 1919, was evacuated in 1978, four years after three of its fishermen drowned on the way home from watching an All Ireland final in Clifden. However, it is slowly being repopulated

Responsibility for the islands was taking over by the Department of Rural and Community Development . It was previously with the Gaeltacht section in the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht.

It is a periodic bone of contention, as Ireland does not have the same approach to its islands as Norway, which believes in right of access. However, many improvements were made during Fianna Fáíl Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív's time as minister. The Irish Island Federation, Comdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, represents island issues at national and international level.

The 12 offshore islands with registered voters have long argued that having to cast their vote early puts them at a disadvantage – especially as improved transport links mean that ballot boxes can be transported to the mainland in most weather conditions, bar the winter months. Legislation allowing them to vote on the same day as the rest of the State wasn't passed in time for the February 2020 general election.

Yes, but check tide tables ! Omey island off north Connemara is accessible at low tide and also runs a summer race meeting on the strand. In Sligo, 14 pillars mark the way to Coney island – one of several islands bearing this name off the Irish coast.

Cape Clear or Oileán Chléire is the country's most southerly inhabited island, eight miles off the west Cork coast, and within sight of the Fastnet Rock lighthouse, also known as the "teardrop of Ireland".
Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast, which has a monastic site dating from the 6th century. It is accessible by boat – prebooking essential – from Portmagee, Co Kerry. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it was not open to visitors in 2020.
All islands have bird life, but puffins and gannets and kittiwakes are synonymous with Skellig Michael and Little Skellig. Rathlin island off Antrim and Cape Clear off west Cork have bird observatories. The Saltee islands off the Wexford coast are privately owned by the O'Neill family, but day visitors are permitted access to the Great Saltee during certain hours. The Saltees have gannets, gulls, puffins and Manx shearwaters.
Vikings used Dublin as a European slaving capital, and one of their bases was on Dalkey island, which can be viewed from Killiney's Vico road. Boat trips available from Coliemore harbour in Dalkey. Birdwatch Ireland has set up nestboxes here for roseate terns. Keep an eye out also for feral goats.
Plenty! There are regular boat trips in summer to Inchagoill island on Lough Corrib, while the best known Irish inshore island might be the lake isle of Innisfree on Sligo's Lough Gill, immortalised by WB Yeats in his poem of the same name. Roscommon's Lough Key has several islands, the most prominent being the privately-owned Castle Island. Trinity island is more accessible to the public - it was once occupied by Cistercian monks from Boyle Abbey.

©Afloat 2020