#rcyc –  Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) at Crosshaven in Cork harbour has announced leading Irish marine supply firm CH Marine as sponsor of the club's annual Autumn Regatta starting at the end of the month.

Preliminary details are as follows:

Dates of Racing: First Gun Race 1 each day 11:55 hrs

Sunday September 30th 2012

Sunday October 7th 2012

Sunday October 14th 2012

Sunday October 21st 2012

Saturday October 27th 2012

Number of Races: a maximum of 2 races per day are scheduled for the Regatta.

The entry fee this year will be €75 and there will be a first prize for any group of three boats of the same type.

Entry Forms must be received before Friday September 28th 2012

#rcyc – Good winds and great atmosphere ashore made for an excellent two day Neville Jewellers At Home Regatta for Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour writes Claire Bateman.

Plenty of stories were to be had from the Saturday racing even to one account of a spinnaker being blown to shreds on a Class Two boat and a Laser losing its mast on Day Two and a young competitor going overboard from his Optimist.

The fleets were a little depleted as the Laser National Championships were taking place in Dublin and the Royal Cork was represented in all three divisions, Standard Rig, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7. Nonetheless the turnout at Crosshaven was excellent.

The At Home dinner took place on Saturday night and an excellent evening was enjoyed by all with members enjoying the convivial atmosphere, good food and many exchanges of salty dog stories around the tables.

The Family At Home day ashore on Sunday, in addition to the fleet racing in the harbour, was packed with activities including face painting, bouncy castles, and bubbles floating everywhere from the bubble guns provided for the kiddies. Forty Two children took place in a hard fought tug of war. The famous, or infamous, Optimist Parents race took place at the marina in front of the club and had great racing with even greater encouragement from the spectators, even if it took in some over use of tillers and some ingenuous interpretations of the sailing rules! The eagerly awaited Admirals Boules match had a splendid entry of twelve and a ding dong battle for supremacy took place between former Admirals T.E. Crosbie and Kevin Lane with the latter succeeding by the narrowest of margins.

Throughout the afternoon the admiral's Lady, Judy, and her band of willing helpers kept the hungry hordes supplied with copious quantities of scrumptious sandwiches and cakes supplied by the ladies of the club. The children had their own designated area where they were supplied with delicious treats, goody bags, had their faces painted and received squiggly balloons and had high jinks on the bouncy castles keeping their parents well occupied running around after them.

Finally, the prizegiving took place with the prizes being presented by the Sponsor, John Neville, and the Admiral presenting the trophies. The Admiral having thanked the Sponsor, the day came to a close with unanimous agreement that it had been a wonderful weekend.

#portofcork – The Port of Cork Company has reported increased total traffic volumes of over 5% for the first six months of 2012. This is in strong contrast with recent figures released by the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) which showed a significant decrease in shipping volumes across Irish ports when six key seaports are taken into account.

Container traffic (Lo/Lo) increased by over 5% compared to the same period in 2011, with imports up nearly 6% and exports up almost 5%. Figures taking into account traffic in all Irish ports have shown a decline in imports of 4% and a decline in exports of 2% for the first six months of 2012.

Dry bulk cargoes also continued to perform well with the Port of Cork maintaining traffic volumes at 2011 levels for the first and second quarter of 2012. With a reported decline of -6% from all Irish ports, Cork has seen a notable rise in imports of animal feedstuffs and coal. Overall, bulk cargoes (break & liquid) are up 3% compared to the same period in 2011.

Port of Cork continues to see an increase in oil traffic with imports over 6% and exports up 7% while non-oil traffic also increased by 3% when compared to the same period in 2011.

Commenting on the traffic figures for the Port of Cork, Brendan Keating CEO said "2012 to date has seen our traffic volumes in a growth mode as we continue to serve as Southern Ireland's gateway for trade. The Port of Cork is perfectly placed as a trading hub for European and the American Markets with its deep water facilities and as such we are continuing to expand and grow our facilities to meet our customer's demands. As a port, our strength is in the diversity of our trades such as oil, chemicals, gas, coal, wood, animal feed, fertiliser, off-shore supply and ferries."

Another growth sector is our cruise business with the Port of Cork welcoming a total of 60 cruise liners calling in 2012, bringing over 100,000 passengers and crew to the region. The ports deep water and dedicated cruise terminal means it is the only port in Ireland capable of handling these vessels alongside. These cruise visits are estimated to bring in some €17 million and 200 full-time-equivalent jobs to the local economy.

#lifeboat – Crosshaven RNLI lifeboat were called upon to assist two vessels within two days.

The first call came on Wednesday afternoon (22 Aug) after a 16' motor boat suffered mechanical failure behind Haulbowline Island. The boat owner had deployed his anchor while awaiting help to arrive. On arrival, the newest recruit to the lifeboat crew, Ian O'Keefe, managed to get the engine started before the lifeboat escorted the vessel to Monkstown Marina.

Last night, Valentia Coast Guard tasked the lifeboat to a 36' yacht, South of Roches Point. The yacht was on passage from the UK, and had suffered both rigging and mechanical failure during the night. The yacht had been drifting for several hours before being able to request assistance. The crew of four were exhausted with one person disabled due to seasickness.

One of the volunteer crew boarded the yacht and checked on the condition of the crew, before setting up a tow with the lifeboat. The casualty vessel was then taken in tow to Crosshaven Boatyard. The Volunteer crew on this service were Mark Bushe (helm) with Bernard Lynch and Vincent Fleming.

Vessels from the Naval service and the Port of Cork also responded to the scene.

#CORK HARBOUR - Due to the success of previous years’ festivals, Cork Harbour Open Day has now been expanded to a two-day Open Weekend for 2012, with activities for all ages taking place on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September.  

The open weekend is a great opportunity for people to see exactly what Cork Harbour has to offer, and this year is no exception with the second largest natural harbour in the world playing host to the annual Cobh-to-Blackrock sailing race, kayaking on the River Lee and crab fishing in Cobh, while in Cork city the Naval Service vessel LE Ciara will be open to the public for free tours on both the Saturday and Sunday.  

Visitors to Ringaskiddy over the weekend will be given the opportunity to go on a free guided tour around the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) and see its panoramic bridge ship simulators, the survival pool and the marine workshops.  

Also running in the NMCI will be free screenings of finalist entries of 8 Minutes: The Ford Short Film Competition. Part of the Titanic 100 event, the competition saw hundreds of entries from film-makers across Ireland who submitted short films of eight minutes in length based on a Titanic theme. All 12 finalists’ entries will be screened over the weekend.  

To celebrate Cork Harbour Open Weekend, Spike Island is offering a family day out on the Island with live music, children’s entertainers and an opportunity to walk on the recently completed walking trail around the perimeter of Fort Mitchell with stunning views of Cork Harbour. Military exhibitions will also be on display. Visitors to the island are being encouraged to bring their own picnic. Guided Walking Tours of Fort Mitchell are also available at a 50% discount of the normal rate over the weekend. Boat rides will operate from Kennedy Pier in Cobh to the Island.  

In Crosshaven, Camden Fort Meagher will be hosting military re-enactments on both days. On Sunday a family day will be held featuring children’s entertainers, a fancy dress competition and live music.  

In Cobh, there will be crab fishing at the promenade from 3pm–5pm on the Saturday while Sunday will see a ‘Life Along the Seashore’ walk at 3pm. Also in Cobh on both Saturday and Sunday will be the ‘Great Island, Great Harbour, Great Ships, Great Puzzle’ treasure hunt.  

Blackrock Castle Observatory will present its theatrical tours on Saturday and Sunday, bringing the colourful story of the castle to life from 400 years ago to present day. It’s a great venue for all the family and a superb location to watch the Cobh-to-Blackrock sailing race as the yachts head up the river.  

Also taking place on the Saturday is the Emergency, Voluntary and Statutory Services Exhibition which will see demonstrations and drills showcasing the best of the emergency services. Organisers will simulate crash scenes, perform fire-fighting displays, take to the River Lee in sea riders to perform RIB displays and mount a simulated rescue operation in which rescue personnel will abseil from buildings.  

Aimed at embracing all that Cork Harbour has to offer, the Cork Harbour Open Weekend aims to raise awareness of the different activities available for people in the harbour both on and off the water. It’s a great day for all the family with many events free to everyone.  

The idea for a Harbour Open Day, now extended to a full weekend, emerged from discussions between various stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of the Integrated Strategy for the Harbour in 2007. This has been taken forward by the Harbour Management Focus Group (HMFG) which meets quarterly to exchange information on Harbour issues. The HMFG working group comprising representatives from UCC, City and County Councils and the Port of Cork set about working together to engage users of the Harbour and to organise the Open Day.    

For more information on Cork Harbour Open Weekend and to view the full programme of events visit www.corkharbour.ie.

#ANGLING - Known as the 'wolves of the sea', blue sharks haven't yet been showing in numbers off Cork Harbour, but a number of them surprised a group of anglers recently.

Donie Geary of the angling boat John Boy tells Cork Harbour Angling Hub that he was taking out a group of UK anglers in an area north of the Ling Rocks in a calm Saturday morning.

The boat put out a shark trace using mackerel, bran and fish oil as bait, but as Geary says, he wasn't optimistic about their chances, especially with the low numbers of mackerel.

Meanwhile, the group enjoyed a morning and afternoon of bountiful bottom fishing, forgetting about the shark rods, when "one of the ratchets screamed off".

That one was a false start, Geary explains, but the next one was hooked - and after "about 30 minutes of gentle coaxing on 30lb braid" they landed an impressive 60lb blue.

A few more scraps with the marine predators later and an even bigger 80lb specimen was landed and photographed before release.

Here's hoping this 'shark attack' is a good omen for more blues in Cork coastal waters this year.

Cork Harbour Angling Hub has more on the story HERE.

The Rambler Crew thank Valentia Radio for saving their lives in the Fastnet Race, but Coast Guard management wants to shut the station .... My story of two vessels ... John Twomey's Parlaympian achievements ... Cork gets a new Pilot Boat and ... trying to make ship-boarding pilot ladders safer ... There's a lot about boats in this week's TIN ..... Read on ....

 

SAVING LIVES MATTERS MOST – NOT FINANCIAL CUTBACKS

August 15 this year marked a very special day for the crew of the yacht Rambler 100 – they were still alive and they celebrated that fact – and they sent from New York an Email to the staff of Valentia Radio Coastal Station in Kerry. Coast Guard management in Dublin has a proposal to shut down the station and transfer its work to Dublin, to the constituency of the Minister for Transport, as a support station to the main Dublin base!

On August 15 the Rambler 100 crew Emailed to the staff at Valentia Island Maritime Radio Station:

"Today marks the one-year anniversary of our unfortunate accident during the Fastnet Race. Each Rambler crew member has his own story of what happened during this time of distress, however, the one thing that we share is the gratitude we feel for the Valentia Island Coast Guard. The professionalism of the Valentia crew and the diligence in alerting all authorities for our successful rescue is the reason we are here to share in the celebration of survival today. Tonight at 5.42 p.m. New York time the Rambler team will gather together and raise our glass to the sea and send out our thanks to our new friends in Ireland. Gratefully yours, Wendy, George and the Rambler 100 Crew."

Not much more needs to be said about the importance of Valentia Island Coastal Radio Station and its continued operation. It has a long history of saving life at sea in addition to its other operations.

I have asked for an interview with the Director of the Coast Guard Chris Reynolds, to find out exactly what is going on with the management proposals and why they want to centralise operations in Dublin. One proposal is that a support base to the national centre in Dublin should be located Blanchardstown, which just happens to be in the constituency of Minister for Transport Leo Varadakar who will have the final decision to make on the future of the coastal radio stations at Valentia and Malin and who has already indicated that "tough" decisions will be taken.

Again, the question has to be raised, as it was when then Minister Dempsey sought to close Waterford SAR rescue station – How much is a life worth?

 

TWO BOATS – TWO STORIES

Asgard I pictured above, Celtic Mist in main image

Two boats, part of the Irish maritime scene in years past, are back in public – Asgard 1 and Celtic Mist – one ashore, the other afloat.

I was in the National Museum at Collins Barracks in Dublin when the historic ketch of Erskine and Mollie Childers went on exhibition after a five-year restoration project. It will be a permanent reminder of how the marine sphere was central to the formation of this Republic. Asgard looks superb. There was a lot of controversy over whether she should be restored or put to sea again, but the right decision has been made to conserve her ashore. The exhibition is open free-of-charge and worth seeing.

The second vessel, Celtic Mist, is the motor-sailing ketch of Charlie Haughey which his family donated to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. I was asked to re-dedicate it to its new role as a research vessel and did so on Sunday at Kilrush Marina, where hundreds watched the ceremony. I talked to Conor Haughey who told me: "They have rejuvenated her. She was getting old and tired and it would have been a shame if she rotted away rather than going to sea again. The boat was very important to my father. It has great family memories."

Onboard, Charles Haughey's cabin has been dismantled, including the bath and double berth and several bunks built instead for researchers who will track whales and dolphins and carry out other maritime research. Much of the eight-month refurbishment work was done by IWDG volunteers, with some contractors and financial assistance from the Clare Leader organisation and other supporters.

Despite all the controversy surrounding Haughey, as IWDG Director Simon Berrow said, getting the boat was a major benefit and came in the 21st year of its existence. In government Haughey had declared Ireland's waters a whale and dolphin sanctuary and Dr.Berrow said this should be followed by a

similar "pan-European designation" of EU waters. The Celtic Mist will provide a platform for finding out more about whales and other marine life off Ireland, he said.

 

JOHN TWOMEY AND THE IRISH PARALYMPIAN SAILORS

Irish Sonar Team

Kinsale Yacht Club member John Twomey is leading his crew into his tenth consecutive Paralympics, a magnificent achievement for the 57-year-old sailor. He will Skipper the Sonar, Ireland's only sailing entry, with crew Anthony Hegarty and Ian Costelloe. Sailing will be in the testing waters of Weymouth Bay on the south coast of England where the Olympic events were also held.

For the past three and a half decades he has been one of Ireland's most consistent and successful performers at the Paralympic Games. John is already the holder of Paralympic medals, won prior to his sailing career in the discus event - bronze in 1984 and gold at Seoul 1988. He also competed in table tennis before his transition to sailing, winning silver in the team event at Arnhem in 1980. Before moving to the three-man Sonar keelboat he sailed with Amy Kelleher in the mixed SKUD18 event at Beijing 2008, finishing tenth with a score of 75 points.

In preparing for this year's Paralympic John, Anthony and Ian were 7th in the World Disabled Sailing Championships in Florida and have been practising intensively off Kinsale over the past few weeks.

I met him at Kinsale YC and he was hopeful about their prospects:

"Tough waters in Weymouth, but with the experience of the past few months, particularly in the world championships we are well prepared."

John is from Ballinhassig, has represented Ireland more times than any other Olympic or Paralympic athlete. He is involved in sailing courses in Kinsale for people with disabilities where up to 30 sailors with a wide range of physical, intellectual and sensory disabilities go sailing every Saturday.

In Paralympic Sailing, three medal events feature one, two and three sailors per boat, respectively. All events consist of nine separate races with one point for first, two for second and so on, the same as in Olympic sailing. The winner has the lowest points total at the end of the nine races.

John's crew mates are 42-year-old Anthony from Mallow and 24-year-old Ian from Killorglin in County Kerry. Both are both amputees. John introduced Anthony to sailing seven years ago. He works as a software developer for Core International and has represented Ireland on several occasions. He is also a member of Kinsale Yacht Club.

Ian also sails out of Kinsale YC and will be making his first appearance at the Paralympic Games.

Paralympics Ireland CEO and Chef de Mission for the Irish Team, Liam Harbison, said there has been tremendous preparation, co-ordination and management of the Irish Team. "It's time for us to make a return on the faith and investment placed in us – we aim to deliver."

From left: John Twomey, Ian Costelloe and Anthony Hegarty.

 

NEW PILOT BOAT IN CORK

Cork Pilot Boat Crew

Cork Port has a new pilot boat. 'Failte' was built by Safehaven Marine and replaces 'Sonia' which has been in service for 14 years. Safehaven Marine is a Cork -based company, employing 25 staff in Little Island and Youghal. Since the company was founded in 1998. They have supplied pilot boats to countries from Scandinavia to the Middle East and are one of Europe's leading manufacturers of GRP pilot boat.

There are eight full-time crew, six of them pictured here – L to R: Ron Randalls, Carl Randalls, Gerry Moran, George Norris, Con Crowley and Keith Ryan. (Two were on holiday when the photo was taken.) The boat is an Interceptor 48 with two Volvo D13 engines, 600 hp each.

Cork pilot boats undertake in excess of 3,000 services per annum to vessels of all types including cruise ships and cargo vessels, according to the port company.

 

MAKING PILOTING SAFER

The International Maritime Pilots' Association and the International Chamber of Shipping have joined forces to update a brochure aimed at shipping companies and seafarers to ensure that ladders used for pilot transfers are safe and always rigged correctly.

The revised brochure – 'Shipping Industry Guidance on Pilot Transfer Arrangements' – is supported by a wide range of other international shipping bodies. It takes account of the latest amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) concerning pilot ladders, which came into effect on 1 July 2012.

IMPA Secretary General, Nick Cutmore, said: "Pilots continue to lose their lives as a result of accidents while boarding or disembarking from ships, and many more have been seriously injured."

ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe, added: "Some common causes of accidents still appear to be defects in the structure of the ladder treads or ropes, or a lack of a proper securing of the ladder to the ship."

An electronic copy of the IMPA/ICS brochure can be downloaded from the IMPA and ICS websites.

New Pilot Boarding Advice

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#corkharbour – Failte is the appropriate name for the first Irish boat most foreign ships and cruise liners will meet when they enter Cork harbour. The Port of Cork today officially named a new pilot boat at the Port of Cork City Marina. Built by Safehaven Marine, "Failte" will be replacing the "Sonia" which was named after Sonia O'Sullivan and has served the Port gallantly for the past fourteen years.

Dermot O'Mahoney, Chairman of the Port of Cork said "An Irish welcome is synonymous with the Port of Cork and reflects our attitude to all vessels that call to our harbour so it is fitting that we are christening our new pilot boat "Failte" today".

Captain Pat Farnan, Harbour Master and Deputy Chief Executive of the Port of Cork continued "Our pilots and launch crew provide a service that is second to none. Their skill and seamanship has seen some of the world's largest vessels such as the "Queen Mary 2" and the "Independence of the Seas" navigated safely in and out of our Port and I have no doubt "Failte" will serve the Port well for many years to come. The launches are required to operate in all weather conditions, 365 days a year and must be built to a very high standard to make this possible."

Safehaven Marine is a local Cork based company, employing 25 staff in Little Island and Youghal. Since the company was founded in 2008, they have supplied pilot boats to countries across the globe from Scandinavia to the Middle East and are now one of Europe's leading manufacturers of GRP pilot boat.

Safehaven Marine, Managing Director Frank Kowalski commented "We are delighted to once again be supplying the Port of Cork's new pilot vessel, "Failte" having also built their last new pilot boat, the "Gleann Mór" six years ago. It is extra special for us to be working with our local Port in delivering this vessel, which is a proud example of our high level design and engineering."

The pilot launches undertake in excess of 3,000 services per annum to vessels of all types including cruise ships and cargo vessels.

#rnil – A French yacht with a fouled propelller  on passage to Kinsale in foggy conditions has been towed safely to Crosshaven in Co. Cork by the RNLI. At 7.20pm last night, Valentia Coast Guard tasked Crosshaven RNLI lifeboat to assist a 12m yacht with two people on board, 2 miles south of Power Head that had a fouled propellor. Weather conditions at the time were calm with heavy fog banks rolling off the coast.

Roberts Head is midway between the mouth of Cork Harbour and Kinsale the French registered yacht was on passage to Kinsale when they became entangled in an old lobster pot line and were effectively anchored. Crosshaven Lifeboat under the command of Ian Venner with crew Ritchie Kelleher and Vincent Fleming cut away the line and took the yacht in tow, arriving back in Crosshaven some 2 hours later.

The yacht was safely berthed at the Boatyard.

#COBH REGATTA - A parish priest is set to join a group of Cobh residents who will abseil from the turrets of the town's cathedral in an effort to save the Cobh People's Regatta.

According to the Irish Examiner, the fundraising challenge aims to support the annual regatta, which will run this year from 17-19 August.

"There are so many worthy causes out there, we needed something unique and this is it," said organiser Kathleen Geary. "I looked for an iconic building in Cobh for the abseil and the cathedral fitted the bill."

Fr Michael Leamy not only gave permission for the group to use the cathedral for the event this Saturday 4 August, but also signed up himself and is training hard with his 14 fellow abseilers at Ardmore Adventures.

Last year's regatta enjoyed plenty of wind and sunshine for the boats taking part, as reported on Afloat.ie.