Displaying items by tag: Specialist Support Ship

14th March 2023

French Navy Support Ship Calls to Cork City Quays While Ambassador Visits Naval Base

Cork City Quays is where a French Navy ship is berthed having arrived from a naval base in Brest, Brittany to the Munster city for an extended weekend port of call, writes Jehan Ashmore

After a voyage of two days in the Celtic Sea, the FNS Garonne (A605) arrived to Cork Harbour on Friday morning.

The foreign naval ship passed the Irish Naval Service Naval Base in Haubowline in lower Cork Harbour when en-route to the city via Lough Mahon.

In 2020 the FS Garonne became the final unit of a quartet of custom-built 'Loire' class specialist offshore support and assistance ships to enter commission and serve the requirements of the French Navy.

The ship was ordered in 2016 to the Kership shipyard and is based on the design of a civilian class Multi Purpose-Supply Vessel (MPV) with the standard large aft-stern deck for supplies and towing duties.

Among the roles is support diving operations and dealing with pollution in the aftermath of a spillage at sea. In addition to assisting submarines and surface ships, including salvage operations.

On the same day of the 70m auxiliary vessel's arrival at North Custom House Quay, the Ambassador of France to Ireland, Vincent Guerend made a visit to the Naval Base.

The ambassador was received by the honour guard and was briefed by Commodore Malone about the Naval Service. In addition the role of both neighbouring nations on the Atlantic arc of north-west Europe where co-operation of maritime operations is key.

In addition the ambassador was welcomed on board L.É. George Bernard Shaw (P64) the newest of the quartet of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV)/P60 class which entered service in 2018.

FNS Garonne is to remain in port overnight and where on the adjacent quay to the south, is Cork City Marina which is conveniently located close to facilities and tourist attractions.

Likewise, the city is where the 17 personnel have had crew rest and recreation before the naval visitor is scheduled to depart tomorrow morning.

Published in Naval Visits

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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.