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Displaying items by tag: Greystones Harbour

#Greystonesharbour –  Alan Corr has been appointed as the new Manager of Greystones Harbour MarinaA keen yachtsman, Corr has over 40 years of professional experience in the marine industry. He played an integral role in the design and development of Dun Laoghaire Marina, acting as Operations Manager across the initial expansion phase. 

"My plan is to encourage more visitors and attract sailing bodies such as ISORA to come and start or finish races off Greystones" Corr told Afloat.ie

Corr also said he would be keen to attract one design classes. Boats such as the Flying Fifteen (FF) can benefit with two slipways plus the use of the hoist that is now operating.

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#greysyonesharbour – Greystones Harbour Developer Sispar has published an upbeat newsletter in the first weeks of 2014 outlining a growth of visitor numbers to the east coast port in 2013. It's all thanks to the new town marina now operated by BJ Marinas Ltd since last April. Over 1000 boats visited Greystones in County Wicklow over the Summer months according to Sispar and nearly 100 boats and 500 sailors attended the 'Taste of Greystones Regatta' weekend last September.

The town now has a purposes built modern facility at a cost of some €70m as opposed to the 200–year–old harbour wall that was badly silted up, the newsletter says. The benefits are being felt by local business and a Chamber of commerce spokesperson says the marina in only its first season has made a 'great difference'.

There are now 60 dinghies in the sailing club pen, 40 boats in the rowing club and 90 on the marina, according to the latest Sispar figures. It's part of a strategy of making Greystones one of the top three east coast harbours. 

The North Pier will open to the public with the access route to be determined by future safety requirements and as Afloat reported previously, a new 30–ton travel hoist allows visiting an resident boats to be lifted for maintenance and repairs.

 

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#greystonesharbourmarina – As a glorious first summer season comes to an end for Greystones Harbour marina in County Wicklow, the brand new east coast harbour is looking back on some memorable times including a first keelboat regatta for the Wicklow town.

With an overwhelming amount of visiting yachts travelling from neighbouring marinas and clubs as well as European waters, expectations have been exceeded for the 100–berth marina. The new factility played a part in helping Greystones Sailing Club with its first inaugural cruiser regatta. The "Taste of Greystones" had over 70 entries. The atmosphere was fantastic and the marina reception drew a great crowd to join in with the celebrations. The Sailing Club made a great effort and plans are afoot for a second regatta next year.

Now approaching its winter season Greystones Harbour marina is offering winter berthing rates with news too that the marina will shortly be operating a travel hoist crane and boatyard adjacent to the marina.

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#greystonesharbour – Last Wednesday night (28th August) in The National Yacht Club, an audience of up to sixty people heard of the origins, design and construction of the new Greystones Harbour, presented by Councillor Derek Mitchell of Wicklow County Council and Sean Mason of Arups.

The event was hosted by the Civil Division of Engineers Ireland in response to a request from members of the DBSC Thursday night racing community who couldn't make the original presentation at the Clyde Road offices of Engineers Ireland.

Councillor Mitchell gave some of the historical and political background to the project and touched on some of the community aspects while Sean Mason dealt with the technical aspects of the design and construction.

The lecture started at 19:35 and finished after 21:00 with the speakers taking up just over an hour. An active Q&A session followed the presentation.

The development of the harbour is a first for the PPP model of investment whereby a combination of public and private investment funds the project. Representatives of the contractor, Sisks, were in the audience and they too contributed to some of the answers that were provided.

The Civil Division would like to thank our hosts for the evening, The National Yacht Club, the speakers, Messrs Mitchell & Mason, the people who came out to listen to the lecture, Afloat magazine and the four Dun Laoghaire yacht clubs who promoted the lecture.

Cormac Bradley
Chairman, Civil Division
Engineers Ireland.

Published in Greystones Harbour

#Greystonesharbour – Greystones Motor Yacht Club will have an RNLI Lifeboat presentation night next Thursday 29th August at 8pm.

The venue is upstairs at the nearby Beach House Pub, next door to Greystones Harbour, a location popular with visiting sailors, including the Squib class.

Joe Taylor from the RNLI hopes to have the lifeboat 'Annie Blaker' in attendance at the harbour.

GMYC We is also going to launch the new Greystones Harbour defibrillator scheme with an explanation of how it will operate.

Published in Greystones Harbour

#greystonesmarina – Ireland's newest marina and harbour in Greystones, Co. Wicklow are the focus of a presentation at Dun Laoghaire's National Yacht Club on Wednesday 28th August. A presentation of the Civil and Maritime Works on the building of the new Greystones Harbour will described from concept stage through to initial operations, covering all stages of design and construction.

The delivery of a significant public amenity through the PPP vehicle is addressed, illustrating the inter-relationships between planning, design and construction. The project included a few 'firsts' and was not without significant challenges, both publicly and technically.

The presentation will be given by Mr. Sean Mason, F.I.E.I. of Arup. Cllr. Derek Mitchell will address the local community aspects of the development process and the impact of the transformation of the old harbour into a vibrant maritime facility. Mr. Mason will address the technical aspects of the development from initial concept stage through to construction completion.

The lecture is at the National Yacht Club, Wednesday 28th August 2013 @ 19:30. A flyer is available to download below.

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Video taken on an evening microlight flight over Greystones harbour in County Wicklow reveals progress at the new town marina a month after it opened. A mix of 25 boats from sailing cruisers to motor boats to ribs and speedboats are now berthed at Ireland's newest boating facility.

The video made public on youtube by Gary Fortune was taken on a windless night for sailing and also shows a local Greystones Sailing Club dinghy fleet searching in vain for wind. The 100-berth capacity marina comes into view at about 1 minute 52 seconds on the above timeline.

 

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#greystonesharbourmarina – The Irish Sea's newest marina opens in Wicklow on Easter Monday. Greystones Harbour Marina will open on 1st April 2013 with 100 berths available initially.

Since arriving on site in December operators BJ Marinas Ltd have been working around the clock to ensure they met their target of being open for the start of the boating season on 1st April.

Managing Director Bernard Gallagher said "We're delighted to be appointed as harbour and marina operators. It's a unique and stunning site and we're looking forward to opening this new marina on Monday'

BJ started taking bookings in late January and have had a steady stream of commitment from berth holders since then.

There will be 100 berths initially ranging from six metres to 30 metres. Once completed there will be 230 berths.

Published in Greystones Harbour

#greystonesharbour – It's full steam ahead at Greystones Harbour where operators BJ Marinas Ltd are putting the final touches to the marina ready for opening in 11 days time on April 1.

Our exclusive photo (taken yesterday) shows recent progress in the marina basin with piling complete and furniture being installed.

BJ, will operate the marina and boatyard,  say they are 'really happy with the progress' and confirm the marina will open on schedule.

The pontoon installation will be completed shortly with 100 berths initially and the access bridge should also be complete by the weekend.

Office and facilities will be in place early next week and other services and the access road are also well under way.

Local boaters have already being eyeing up the new facility. Greystones Sailing Club has put together a provisional programme for Keelboat racing this season, a new era for the club.

The County Wicklow marina has received '85 serious enquiries' for berths over the Christmas and New Year Period. Berthing details are here.

The newest addition to boating on Ireland's east coast is operated by BJ Marinas Ltd, a company owned by senior marine industry figure Bernard Gallagher.

The firm are operating the new site under contract from developers Sispar and Wicklow County Council.

greystonesmarinapontoon

Greystones Harbour Marina takes shape – pontoons are installed this week to give Ireland a new addition to its coastal marina network

 

Published in Greystones Harbour

#greystonesharbour – With work at Greystones Harbour marina progressing well this month, piling nearly complete and pontoons being floated into position, Greystones Sailing Club has been putting together a provisional programme for Keelboat racing this season.

In an exciting new era for the Club its keelboat captain Mark Usher has invited all keelboat berth holders, and those who intend to apply for a berth, to an open discussion in the Club on Friday 22nd March at 8pm when outline plans for the season ahead will be announced.

Published in Greystones Harbour
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About the Irish Navy

The Navy maintains a constant presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout Ireland’s enormous and rich maritime jurisdiction, upholding Ireland’s sovereign rights. The Naval Service is tasked with a variety of roles including defending territorial seas, deterring intrusive or aggressive acts, conducting maritime surveillance, maintaining an armed naval presence, ensuring right of passage, protecting marine assets, countering port blockades; people or arms smuggling, illegal drugs interdiction, and providing the primary diving team in the State.

The Service supports Army operations in the littoral and by sealift, has undertaken supply and reconnaissance missions to overseas peace support operations and participates in foreign visits all over the world in support of Irish Trade and Diplomacy.  The eight ships of the Naval Service are flexible and adaptable State assets. Although relatively small when compared to their international counterparts and the environment within which they operate, their patrol outputs have outperformed international norms.

The Irish Naval Service Fleet

The Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency. The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps.

The fleet comprises one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with state of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

LÉ EITHNE P31

LE Eithne was built in Verlome Dockyard in Cork and was commissioned into service in 1984. She patrols the Irish EEZ and over the years she has completed numerous foreign deployments.

Type Helicopter Patrol Vessel
Length 80.0m
Beam 12m
Draught 4.3m
Main Engines 2 X Ruston 12RKC Diesels6, 800 HP2 Shafts
Speed 18 knots
Range 7000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 55 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 7 December 1984

LÉ ORLA P41

L.É. Orla was formerly the HMS SWIFT a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in 1993 when she conducted the biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at the time, with her interception and boarding at sea of the 65ft ketch, Brime.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ CIARA P42

L.É. Ciara was formerly the HMS SWALLOW a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in Nov 1999 when she conducted the second biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at that time, with her interception and boarding at sea of MV POSIDONIA of the south-west coast of Ireland.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ ROISIN P51

L.É. Roisin (the first of the Roisín class of vessel) was built in Appledore Shipyards in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She was built to a design that optimises her patrol performance in Irish waters (which are some of the roughest in the world), all year round. For that reason a greater length overall (78.8m) was chosen, giving her a long sleek appearance and allowing the opportunity to improve the conditions on board for her crew.

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ NIAMH P52

L.É. Niamh (the second of the Róisín class) was built in Appledore Shipyard in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She is an improved version of her sister ship, L.É.Roisin

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ SAMUEL BECKETT P61

LÉ Samuel Beckett is an Offshore Patrol Vessel built and fitted out to the highest international standards in terms of safety, equipment fit, technological innovation and crew comfort. She is also designed to cope with the rigours of the North-East Atlantic.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ JAMES JOYCE P62

LÉ James Joyce is an Offshore Patrol Vessel and represents an updated and lengthened version of the original RÓISÍN Class OPVs which were also designed and built to the Irish Navy specifications by Babcock Marine Appledore and she is truly a state of the art ship. She was commissioned into the naval fleet in September 2015. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to end of September 2016, rescuing 2491 persons and recovering the bodies of 21 deceased

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS P63

L.É. William Butler Yeats was commissioned into the naval fleet in October 2016. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to October 2017, rescuing 704 persons and recovering the bodies of three deceased.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ GEORGE BERNARD SHAW P64

LÉ George Bernard Shaw (pennant number P64) is the fourth and final ship of the P60 class vessels built for the Naval Service in Babcock Marine Appledore, Devon. The ship was accepted into State service in October 2018, and, following a military fit-out, commenced Maritime Defence and Security Operations at sea.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

Ship information courtesy of the Defence Forces

Irish Navy FAQs

The Naval Service is the Irish State's principal seagoing agency with "a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements". It is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles.

The Naval Service is based in Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour, with headquarters in the Defence Forces headquarters in Dublin.

The Naval Service provides the maritime component of the Irish State's defence capabilities and is the State's principal seagoing agency. It "protects Ireland's interests at and from the sea, including lines of communication, fisheries and offshore resources" within the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps as part of the Irish defence forces.

The Naval Service was established in 1946, replacing the Marine and Coastwatching Service set up in 1939. It had replaced the Coastal and Marine Service, the State's first marine service after independence, which was disbanded after a year. Its only ship was the Muirchú, formerly the British armed steam yacht Helga, which had been used by the Royal Navy to shell Dublin during the 1916 Rising. In 1938, Britain handed over the three "treaty" ports of Cork harbour, Bere haven and Lough Swilly.

The Naval Service has nine ships - one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with State of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

The ships' names are prefaced with the title of Irish ship or "long Éireannach" (LE). The older ships bear Irish female names - LÉ Eithne, LÉ Orla, LÉ Ciara, LÉ Roisín, and LÉ Niamh. The newer ships, named after male Irish literary figures, are LÉ Samuel Beckett, LÉ James Joyce, LÉ William Butler Yeats and LÉ George Bernard Shaw.

Yes. The 76mm Oto Melara medium calibre naval armament is the most powerful weapon in the Naval Services arsenal. The 76mm is "capable of engaging naval targets at a range of up to 17km with a high level of precision, ensuring that the Naval Service can maintain a range advantage over all close-range naval armaments and man-portable weapon systems", according to the Defence Forces.

The Fleet Operational Readiness Standards and Training (FORST) unit is responsible for the coordination of the fleet needs. Ships are maintained at the Mechanical Engineering and Naval Dockyard Unit at Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour.

The helicopters are designated as airborne from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours, and 45 minutes at night. The aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, on inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains and cover the 32 counties. They can also assist in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and can transport offshore firefighters and ambulance teams. The Irish Coast Guard volunteers units are expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time of departing from the station house in ten minutes from notification during daylight and 20 minutes at night. They are also expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by day and 75 minutes at night, subject to geographical limitations.

The Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service (FOCNS) is Commodore Michael Malone. The head of the Defence Forces is a former Naval Service flag officer, now Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett – appointed in 2015 and the first Naval Service flag officer to hold this senior position. The Flag Officer oversees Naval Operations Command, which is tasked with the conduct of all operations afloat and ashore by the Naval Service including the operations of Naval Service ships. The Naval Operations Command is split into different sections, including Operations HQ and Intelligence and Fishery Section.

The Intelligence and Fishery Section is responsible for Naval Intelligence, the Specialist Navigation centre, the Fishery Protection supervisory and information centre, and the Naval Computer Centre. The Naval Intelligence Cell is responsible for the collection, collation and dissemination of naval intelligence. The Navigation Cell is the naval centre for navigational expertise.

The Fishery Monitoring Centre provides for fishery data collection, collation, analysis and dissemination to the Naval Service and client agencies, including the State's Sea Fisheries Protection Agency. The centre also supervises fishery efforts in the Irish EEZ and provides data for the enhanced effectiveness of fishery protection operations, as part of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The Naval Computer Centre provides information technology (IT) support service to the Naval Service ashore and afloat.

This headquarters includes specific responsibility for the Executive/Operations Branch duties. The Naval Service Operations Room is a coordination centre for all NS current Operations. The Naval Service Reserve Staff Officer is responsible for the supervision, regulation and training of the reserve. The Diving section is responsible for all aspects of Naval diving and the provision of a diving service to the Naval Service and client agencies. The Ops Security Section is responsible for the coordination of base security and the coordination of all shore-based security parties operating away from the Naval base. The Naval Base Comcen is responsible for the running of a communications service. Boat transport is under the control of Harbour Master Naval Base, who is responsible for the supervision of berthage at the Naval Base and the provision of a boat service, including the civilian manned ferry service from Haulbowline.

Naval Service ships have undertaken trade and supply missions abroad, and personnel have served as peacekeepers with the United Nations. In 2015, Naval Service ships were sent on rotation to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean as part of a bi-lateral arrangement with Italy, known as Operation Pontus. Naval Service and Army medical staff rescued some 18,000 migrants, either pulling people from the sea or taking them off small boats, which were often close to capsizing having been towed into open water and abandoned by smugglers. Irish ships then became deployed as part of EU operations in the Mediterranean, but this ended in March 2019 amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the EU.

Essentially, you have to be Irish, young (less than 32), in good physical and mental health and with normal vision. You must be above 5'2″, and your weight should be in keeping with your age.

Yes, women have been recruited since 1995. One of the first two female cadets, Roberta O'Brien from the Glen of Aherlow in Co Tipperary, became its first female commander in September 2020. Sub Lieutenant Tahlia Britton from Donegal also became the first female diver in the navy's history in the summer of 2020.

A naval cadet enlists for a cadetship to become an officer in the Defence Forces. After successfully completing training at the Naval Service College, a cadet is commissioned into the officer ranks of the Naval Service as a Ensign or Sub Lieutenant.

A cadet trains for approximately two years duration divided into different stages. The first year is spent in military training at the Naval Base in Haulbowline, Cork. The second-year follows a course set by the National Maritime College of Ireland course. At the end of the second year and on completion of exams, and a sea term, the cadets will be qualified for the award of a commission in the Permanent Defence Force as Ensign.

The Defence Forces say it is looking for people who have "the ability to plan, prioritise and organise", to "carefully analyse problems, in order to generate appropriate solutions, who have "clear, concise and effective communication skills", and the ability to "motivate others and work with a team". More information is on the 2020 Qualifications Information Leaflet.

When you are 18 years of age or over and under 26 years of age on the date mentioned in the notice for the current competition, the officer cadet competition is held annually and is the only way for potential candidates to join the Defence Forces to become a Naval Service officer. Candidates undergo psychometric and fitness testing, an interview and a medical exam.
The NMCI was built beside the Naval Service base at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, and was the first third-level college in Ireland to be built under the Government's Public-Private Partnership scheme. The public partners are the Naval Service and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the private partner is Focus Education.
A Naval Service recruit enlists for general service in the "Other Ranks" of the Defence Forces. After successfully completing the initial recruit training course, a recruit passes out as an Ordinary Seaman and will then go onto their branch training course before becoming qualified as an Able Body sailor in the Naval Service.
No formal education qualifications are required to join the Defence Forces as a recruit. You need to satisfy the interview board and the recruiting officer that you possess a sufficient standard of education for service in the Defence Forces.
Recruit training is 18 weeks in duration and is designed to "develop a physically fit, disciplined and motivated person using basic military and naval skills" to "prepare them for further training in the service. Recruits are instilled with the Naval Service ethos and the values of "courage, respect, integrity and loyalty".
On the progression up through the various ranks, an Able Rate will have to complete a number of career courses to provide them with training to develop their skills in a number of areas, such as leadership and management, administration and naval/military skills. The first of these courses is the Naval Service Potential NCO course, followed by the Naval Service Standard NCO course and the Naval Service senior NCO course. This course qualifies successful candidates of Petty officer (or Senior Petty Officer) rank to fill the rank of Chief Petty Officer upwards. The successful candidate may also complete and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, Management and Naval Studies in partnership with Cork Institute of Technology.
Pay has long been an issue for just the Naval Service, at just over 1,000 personnel. Cadets and recruits are required to join the single public service pension scheme, which is a defined benefit scheme, based on career-average earnings. For current rates of pay, see the Department of Defence website.