Displaying items by tag: Storm Imogen

Q: Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

3rd December 2018

'Run Ahead of' 154km/h Storm Attempt Caused 'Worst Ever' Irish Ferries Crossing from France

#ferry - Commanders who took a decision of an Irish Ferries ship to “run ahead of” a Status Orange storm writes The Journal.ie led to multiple injuries and extensive damage to freight cargo, a report has found.

Ten passengers and two crew members were injured when the MV Epsilon was caught during Storm Imogen while en route from Cherbourg in France in February 2016, (see Afloat's report).

The Italian-built ship hit winds of 60 knots in what one observer said was probably the “worst ever” crossing from France, adding that it was “lucky the ship was not lost”.

A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) into the incident found that the issue may have arisen because of a reliance upon an outdated weather forecast.

It also raised concerns over how decisions were made by both masters on the ship before it sailed.

According to the report, the night-time duty master voiced concerns about the impending storm during his hand over to the senior master at 7.00am on 7 February.

However, he was overruled by the day-time duty master – the ship’s senior master – and the sailing was prosecuted as scheduled.

For much more, click here.

Published in Ferry

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Coastguard Aborts Search For Missing Fishermen In Poor Weather

#Coastguard - Poor weather conditions forced the Irish Coast Guard to abort its search for a missing fisherman off the Clare coast yesterday evening (Monday 8 February).

As Breaking News reports, the missing individual is understood to have fallen overboard from a fishing trawler in the North Atlantic some 330km off Clare.

The Shannon-based coastguard SAR helicopter Rescue 115 was dispatched to the scene but was forced to return to base within half an hour due to the worsening conditions as Storm Imogen swept in.

The long-range mission came just days after the medevac of a crewman from a Russian vessel off Valentia last Friday (5 February), as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Published in Coastguard

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Storm Imogen Prompts Severe Wind Warning From Midnight Tonight

#StormImogen - Met Éireann has issued a Status Orange alert for all coastal areas from midnight tonight (Sunday 7 February) as Storm Imogen sweeps in.

The warning is already in effect for mariners in all Irish coastal waters and the Irish Sea with south-west to west games or strong gales expected, reaching storm force over night from Carnsore Point to Mizen Head to Slyne Head.

Cork and Kerry are expected to bear the brunt of this latest Atlantic depression, with mean wind speeds between 65 and 75kmh and gusts of up to 120kmh.

A Status Yellow wind warning has been declared for Clare, Limerick and Waterford active from 2am tonight, with mean wind speeds and gusts only slightly less severe.

And nationwide there is a Status Yellow weather advisory in place from midnight, with "extreme waves" between 12 and 15m predicted along the South West and West Coasts.

It follows a blustery fortnight that began with Storm Jonas – which brought much of the north-eastern US to a standstill with heavy snowfall and blizzards – buzzing north-west of Britain and Ireland, followed quickly by Storm Gertrude and most recently Storm Henry.

Published in Weather

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Marine Leisure & Aquatic Tourism

Domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million.

Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips.

While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities.

According to the National University of Galway (NUIG) research the average expenditure per coastal day trip in 2018 was calculated at €95. The equivalent for coastal overnight trips was €310. The estimated water-based activity expenditure per person per trip across the sample was €56 rising to €73 for the subsample that actually undertake waterbased activities on their coastal visits. The results also indicate that domestic tourists undertake the majority of their marine activities on the West and South coasts of Ireland and that there are notable differences in participation rates across age groupings, social classes and by family makeup.

A domestic tourist is defined in this report as a person who spends at least one night away from home on their trip. Total expenditure by domestic tourists in coastal areas was estimated to be €698 million in 2018, which represents 35% of the total expenditure by domestic tourists (using the broader Fáilte Ireland measure for domestic tourists that includes business trips equating to 10.92 million in total trips and €2,006 million in total revenue).

The marine-related activity expenditure, or what might truly be referred to as domestic marine tourism, is estimated to generate revenue of €381 million with €172 million being spent on water-based activities. Marine tourism makes up an estimated 19% of total domestic tourism expenditure.

Marine Leisure Tourism - FAQ

What is marine leisure tourism?

Coastal tourism refers to land-based and water-based tourism activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Coastal and Marine Tourism & Leisure are seen as one of the Blue Economy (BE) sectors that can help unlock the potential of multi-use of space at sea by engaging with Blue Growth (BG) sectors such as Aquaculture and Marine Renewable Energy among others.

Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

What marine leisure tourism studies have been conducted in Ireland?

NUI Galway carried out a survey of domestic residents in Ireland in 2019 as part of a survey entitled "Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland's Ocean Economy". The purpose of the household survey was to profile the domestic market for single-day trips (leisure) and overnight trips (tourism) for coastal and marine-related activities in Ireland. The results of the survey are also used to estimate what proportion of an Irish resident's total domestic tourism expenditure is in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion is spent on undertaking marine-related activities (marine tourism).

What were the results of the NUI marine leisure tourism study?

The NUI results highlight the important contribution that Ireland's marine and coastal resources make to the leisure experiences of the general population and the importance of the domestic tourism market to local coastal economies. The analysis indicates that domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million. Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips. While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. Satisfaction with the available marine-related leisure facilities was also found to be very high across all activities.