Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Ports & Shippiing News

During the process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, there was, rightly, a great deal of focus in public debate on the issues confronting Ireland’s border communities. On 20 November 2020, the Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies (IACES) will be holding an online conference which aims to expand the terms of this debate, and to examine and deepen understanding of a key issue in Ireland’s relationship with the EU – that of the future of those coastal and port communities which, at the end of the transition period, will find themselves on a new frontier between the EU and the UK.

Bringing together academics, experts and stakeholders, this online conference and workshop aims to explore the key role played by Ireland’s ports, coastal communities and maritime sector in its membership of the EU; provide a forum in which issues confronting Ireland’s port and coastal communities as a result of Brexit, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic can be discussed; and, crucially, highlight how responses to these challenges are framed and influenced by Ireland’s EU membership.

​The conference will examine contemporary challenges for Ireland's ports, coasts and maritime sector, explore community projects that cross the maritime border between Ireland and Wales, and examine the long history of Ireland's cultural connections with the sea. Attendance is open to all, and further details and registration are available here.

Published in Ports & Shipping

#Ports&ShippingReview – Over the last fortnight, Jehan Ashmore has reported on the shipping scene where Ardmore Shipping was delivered a 25,000dwt tanker newbuild, Ardmore Cheyenne from a Japanese shipyard.

Phase one of work continues on a major €50m investment of Foynes Port to transform the Shannon Estuary port into one of the biggest bulk harbours in Europe.

Rotterdam's new Maasvlakte 2 (MV2) container-terminal run by AMPT has been hitting back over claims of a slower than expected rollout of its operations with delays causing current traffic congestion at Europe's biggest container port.

The International Association of Port Cities (AIVP) will host its AGM for 2015 in Dublin next month ahead of the June Bank Holiday weekend. 'Working Waterfront' is the topic of the two-day meeting.

Due to high levels of interest in the inaugural Maritime Industry Awards (18 June) the entry deadline has been extended for companies to submit in the award categories to 23 April.

Published in Ports & Shipping

The Kingstown to Queenstown Yacht Race or 'K2Q', previously the Fastnet 450

The Organising Authority ("OA") are ISORA & SCORA in association with The National Yacht Club & The Royal Cork Yacht Club.

The Kingstown to Queenstown Race (K2Q Race) is a 260-mile offshore race that will start in Dun Laoghaire (formerly Kingstown), around the famous Fastnet Rock and finish in Cork Harbour at Cobh (formerly Queenstown).

The  K2Q race follows from the successful inaugural 'Fastnet 450 Race' that ran in 2020 when Ireland was in the middle of the COVID Pandemic. It was run by the National Yacht Club, and the Royal cork Yacht Club were both celebrating significant anniversaries. The clubs combined forces to mark the 150th anniversary of the National Yacht Club and the 300th (Tricentenary) of the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Of course, this race has some deeper roots. In 1860 the first-ever ocean yacht race on Irish Waters was held from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (now Cobh).

It is reported that the winner of the race was paid a prize of £15 at the time, and all competing boats got a bursary of 10/6 each. The first race winner was a Schooner Kingfisher owned by Cooper Penrose Esq. The race was held on July 14th 1860, and had sixteen boats racing.

In 2022, the winning boat will be awarded the first prize of a cheque for €15 mounted and framed and a Trophy provided by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world.

The 2022 race will differ from the original course because it will be via the Fastnet Rock, so it is a c. 260m race, a race distance approved by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club as an AZAB qualifier. 

A link to an Afloat article written by WM Nixon for some history on this original race is here.

The aim is to develop the race similarly to the Dun Laoghaire–Dingle Race that runs in alternate years. 

Fastnet 450 in 2020

The South Coast of Ireland Racing Association, in association with the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay and the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork, staged the first edition of this race from Dun Laoghaire to Cork Harbour via the Fastnet Rock on August 22nd 2020.

The IRC race started in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday, August 22nd 2020. It passed the Muglin, Tuscar, Conningbeg and Fastnet Lighthouses to Starboard before returning to Cork Harbour and passing the Cork Buoy to Port, finishing when Roches's Point bears due East. The course was specifically designed to be of sufficient length to qualify skippers and crew for the RORC Fastnet Race 2021.

At A Glance – K2Q (Kingstown to Queenstown) Race 2024

The third edition of this 260-nautical mile race starts from the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay on July 12th 2024 finishes in Cork Harbour.

Featured Sailing School

INSS sidebutton

Featured Clubs

dbsc mainbutton
Howth Yacht Club
Kinsale Yacht Club
National Yacht Club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht club
Royal Saint George Yacht Club

Featured Brokers

leinster sidebutton

Featured Webcams

Featured Associations

ISA sidebutton
ICRA
isora sidebutton

Featured Marinas

dlmarina sidebutton

Featured Chandleries

CHMarine Afloat logo
https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/viking-marine

Featured Sailmakers

northsails sidebutton
uksails sidebutton
watson sidebutton

Featured Blogs

W M Nixon - Sailing on Saturday
podcast sidebutton
BSB sidebutton
wavelengths sidebutton
 

Please show your support for Afloat by donating