Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: AntiSubmarine Frigate

#navalvisits - A French Navy frigate docked in Cork city at the weekend having sailed from Cherbourg, Normandy though the ship is based at Brest Naval Base in neighbouring Brittany, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 1,250 tonnes full displacement Commandant L'Herminier (F 791) according to the Port of Cork website remains berthed this morning at the city-centre’s South Quays. A crew compliment totalling almost 90 personnel consists of 7 senior officer ranks, 58 secondary officer mariners and 24 cadets.

Commandant L'Herminier is an Aviso type A69 / d'Estienne d'Orves ship that was commissioned into the French Navy having made a debut more than three decades in 1986. The 80m long class vessel designed for anti-submarine duties also carries out high sea escort missions and various other tasks.

Among the principle weaponary of the class are Exocet sea missiles and the ability to launch torpedoes. In addition equipment such as a drone that form part of a suite of surveillance operations.

A maximum 15 day duration period is available when operating in an autonomous mode. The ship's service speed is 24 knots.

Published in Naval Visits

#FrenchFrigate - Dublin Port is to welcome La Motte-Picquet (D645) a French Navy frigate capable of 30 knots and a crew of more than 230 when she visits the capital next weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Displaceming 4,010 tonnes the anti-submarine Type F70 frigate of the Georges Leygues class is to berth at Ocean Pier during her four-day call.

The 139m long frigate completed in 1985 at the Brest Naval Dockyard, has a comprehensive armament in addition to carrying 2x Lynx Mk 4 helicopters.

 

Published in Naval Visits

Esailing & Virtual Sailing information

The concept of e-sailing, or virtual sailing, is based on a computer game sailing challenge that has been around for more than a decade.

The research and development of software over this time means its popularity has taken off to the extent that it has now become a part of the sailing seascape and now allows people to take an 'active part' in some of the most famous regattas across the world such as the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, Sydney Hobart, Volvo Ocean Race, America’s Cup and some Olympic venues too, all from the comfort of their armchair.

The most popular model is the 'eSailing World Championship'. It is an annual esports competition, first held in 2018 and officially recognised by World Sailing, the sports governing body.

The eSailing World Championship is a yearly competition for virtual sailors competing on the Virtual Regatta Inshore game.

The contract to run the event was given to a private company, Virtual Regatta that had amassed tens of thousands of sailors playing offshore sailing routing game following major offshore races in real-time.

In April 2020, the company says on its website that it has 35,000 active players and 500,000 regattas sailed.

Virtual Regatta started in 2010 as a small team of passionate designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs gathered around the idea that virtual sailing sports games can mix with real races and real skippers.