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Displaying items by tag: Storm Frank

#StormFrank - Storm Frank may have passed but possible strong gales are still forecast for today (Thursday 31 December), making for a very windy New Year's Eve.

A Status Yellow marine warning has been issued by weather forecasters Met Éireann as southerly winds will increase to gale force this morning on all Irish coastal waters and on the Irish Sea, veering westerly by afternoon and increasing to strong gale force at times.

Coastal counties from Donegal to Wexford are bracing for strong and gusty winds with means speeds between 50 and 65 kmh, gusting to as high as 110 kmh – the strongest of these expected in exposed areas of Connacht and Donegal.

Such high winds should be little surprise as Storm Frank brought near hurricane strength winds to Dublin Bay yesterday afternoon – though it's not yet confirmed whether the severe weather heralds the next winter storm of the season, which would be named Gertrude as per the full list revealed this week.

Met Éireann also reports that showers or longer outbreaks of rain will be widespread across the country, with thunderstorms possible, posing additional problems for areas already experiencing or at risk of flooding.

According to TheJournal.ie, the ESB advises that waters in Lough Derg could reach levels matching the destructive floods of 2009 over the next few days.

And the flood risk could continue for another three weeks as forecasts predict further heavy rains, as The Irish Times reports.

Published in Weather

#StormFrank - Stay away from coastal areas for the next 24 hours - that's the message from the Irish Coast Guard as Storm Frank sweeps in from the Atlantic today (Tuesday 29 December).

As the Belfast Telegraph reports, all vessels off the West and South Coasts in particular have been advised to seek shelter as Met Éireann has declared Status Orange national and marine warnings for high winds and heavy rains.

"The storm has the potential to lead to a loss of life," warned Irish Coast Guard director Chris Reynolds, who added that seas will be at their most treacherous this afternoon starting on the East Coast.

And at-risk areas in western counties are already making preparations. According to the Galway Advertiser, the Salthill Promenade will be closed to traffic from noon today as a precaution. (Update: closure of the promenade has been postponed with Galway City Council monitoring the situation, as Galway Bay FM reports.)

Motorists nationwide have also been advised to avoid unnecessary travel tonight and into Wednesday (30 December) due to the significant flood risk.

Hopefully that message will be heeded by the group of bored young men in North Tipperary whose video of them waterskiing on a flooded has gone viral overnight, as Entertainment.ie reports.

 

Been real irish about things

Posted by Oisin Harding on Monday, 28 December 2015
Published in Weather
Tagged under

#StormFrank - South to southeast gales have been forecast for all coasts on the Irish Sea today as Storm Frank advances from the Atlantic.

Met Éireann's Status Yellow marine warning, issued early this morning (Monday 28 December), advises that southwest winds veering northwest will reach gale force or a short time later today on all coasts from Mizen Head to Erris Head to Malin Head ahead of the sixth winter storm of the season.

Last night winds were predicted to gust as high as 95kmh in western coastal counties, while 30mm of rain could fall in Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick – many of these areas still suffering from floods caused by Storm Desmond earlier this month.

As TheJournal.ie reports, Storm Frank is also expected to produce "exceptionally high Atlantic waves" on the North, West and South Coasts, which will be good news for Ireland's intrepid big wave surfers.

Published in Weather

The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual offshore yacht racing event with an increasingly international exposure attracting super maxi yachts and entries from around tne world. It is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately 630 nautical miles (1,170 km).

The 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race starts in Sydney Harbour at 1pm (AEDT) on Monday 26 December.

This is the 77th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The inaugural race was conducted in 1945 and has run every year since, apart from 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

88 boats started the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart, with 50 finishing.

The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - FAQs

The number of Sydney Hobart Yacht Races held by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia since 1945 is 75

6,257 completed the Sydney Hobart Yacht race, 1036 retired or were disqualified)

About 60,061 sailors have competed in the Sydney Hobart Race between 1945 and 2019

Largest fleets: 371 starters in the 50th race in 1994 (309 finished); 154 starters in 1987 (146 finished); 179 starters in 1985 (145 finished); 151 starters in 1984 (46 finished); 173 started in 1983 (128 finished); 159 started in 1981 (143 finished); 147 started in 1979 (142 finished); 157 started in 2019 (154 finished)

116 in 2004 (59 finished); 117 in 2014 (103 finished); 157 in 2019 (154 finished)

Nine starters in the inaugural Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 1945

In 2015 and 2017 there were 27, including the 12 Clipper yachts (11 in 2017). In the record entry of 371 yachts in the 50th in 1994, there were 24 internationals

Rani, Captain John Illingworth RN (UK). Design: Barber 35’ cutter. Line and handicap winner

157 starters, 154 finishers (3 retirements)

IRC Overall: Ichi Ban, a TP52 owned by Matt Allen, NSW. Last year’s line honours winner: Comanche, Verdier Yacht Design and VPLP (FRA) owned by Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant, in 1 day 18 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds. Just 1hour 58min 32secs separated the five super maxis at the finish 

1 day 9 hours 15 minutes and 24 seconds, set in 2017 by LDV Comanche after Wild Oats XI was penalised one hour in port/starboard incident for a finish time of 1d 9h 48m 50s

The oldest ever sailor was Syd Fischer (88 years, 2015).

As a baby, Raud O'Brien did his first of some six Sydney Hobarts on his parent's Wraith of Odin (sic). As a veteran at three, Raud broke his arm when he fell off the companionway steps whilst feeding biscuits to the crew on watch Sophie Tasker sailed the 1978 race as a four-year-old on her father’s yacht Siska, which was not an official starter due to not meeting requirements of the CYCA. Sophie raced to Hobart in 1979, 1982 and 1983.

Quite a number of teenage boys and girls have sailed with their fathers and mothers, including Tasmanian Ken Gourlay’s 14-year-old son who sailed on Kismet in 1957. A 12-year-old boy, Travis Foley, sailed in the fatal 1998 race aboard Aspect Computing, which won PHS overall.

In 1978, the Brooker family sailed aboard their yacht Touchwood – parents Doug and Val and their children, Peter (13), Jacqueline (10), Kathryne (8) and Donald (6). Since 1999, the CYCA has set an age limit of 18 for competitors

Jane (‘Jenny’) Tate, from Hobart, sailed with her husband Horrie aboard Active in the 1946 Race, as did Dagmar O’Brien with her husband, Dr Brian (‘Mick’) O’Brien aboard Connella. Unfortunately, Connella was forced to retire in Bass Strait, but Active made it to the finish. The Jane Tate Memorial Trophy is presented each year to the first female skipper to finish the race

In 2019, Bill Barry-Cotter brought Katwinchar, built in 1904, back to the start line. She had competed with a previous owner in 1951. It is believed she is the oldest yacht to compete. According to CYCA life member and historian Alan Campbell, more than 31 yachts built before 1938 have competed in the race, including line honours winners Morna/Kurrewa IV (the same boat, renamed) and Astor, which were built in the 1920s.

Bruce Farr/Farr Yacht Design (NZL/USA) – can claim 20 overall wins from 1976 (with Piccolo) up to and including 2015 (with Balance)

Screw Loose (1979) – LOA 9.2m (30ft); Zeus II (1981) LOA 9.2m

TKlinger, NSW (1978) – LOA 8.23m (27ft)

Wild Oats XI (2012) – LOA 30.48m (100ft). Wild Oats XI had previously held the record in 2005 when she was 30m (98ft)

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