Displaying items by tag: Martime TV programmes

27th January 2014

On the TV: Dick Strawbridge Looks Into 400 Years of Building Belfast Harbour

#OnTV - Tonight BBC One Northern Ireland is to broadcast "Belfast City: Mud, Sweat and 400 Years". The documentary starting at 22.35 is presented by former army engineer Dick Strawbridge who knows a thing or two about incredible feats of construction.

So when he was asked about where Belfast Harbour ranks in terms of ingenuity, there was no hesitation. "People talk about the efforts that went into building for the 2012 Olympics or the Channel Tunnel? Pah!" he said. "They're just not on the same scale as Belfast Harbour. It really is amazing."

The feat of engineering is made clear in this documentary made for the broadcaster, where you can read more from BBC News Northern Ireland. Strawbridge may also seem familiar on our screens as he is one of the presenters of the popular BBC series 'Coast'.

In addition, Afloat.ie had reported on a new heritage space 'A Port that Built A City' in Belfast Harbour that details the city's emergence as a major port and its subsequent growth and development as an industrial hub.

Published in Maritime TV

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Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race Information

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down to the east coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry.

The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

It never fails to offer a full range of weather, wind and tide to the intrepid entrants, ranging from a 32ft cruiser to a 79ft all-out racer.

Three divisions are available to enter: cruiser (boats equipped with furlers), racing (the bulk of the fleet) and also two-handed.

D2D Course change overruled

In 2019, the organisers considered changing the course to allow boats to select routes close to shore by removing the requirement to go outside Islands and Lighthouses en route, but following input from regular participants, the National Yacht Club decided to stick with the tried and tested course route in order to be fair to large and smaller boats and to keep race records intact.

D2D Course record time

Mick Cotter’s 78ft Whisper established the 1 day and 48 minutes course record for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in 2009 and that time stood until 2019 when Cotter returned to beat his own record but only just, the Dun Laoghaire helmsman crossing the line in Kerry to shave just 20 seconds off his 2009 time.