Displaying items by tag: Record Season

23rd October 2023

Record Cruise Season for Belfast Harbour Comes to a Close with Call by Borealis

A record cruise season for Belfast Harbour this year saw 158 calls as reported by Cruise Belfast, the partnership between the port and Visit Belfast which markets the city as a leading destination.

The announcement was made as the final cruise ship to call to Belfast this year, Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s Borealis berthed on Saturday. Due to adverse weather, the 61, 849 gross tonnes cruise ship which was to have arrived the day before, was however rescheduled to the next morning according to Belfast Harbour on social media. This took place, as Afloat can confirm the 1,353 (standard occupancy) capacity Borealis berthed after 10.30hrs with the day visit lasting until the early evening as the ship departed just after 1900hrs.

Borealis brings to 57 ships in total calling to Belfast this cruise season and from 32 different cruise operators, carrying 320,000 passengers and crew, who received a customary warm welcome. Among them were 14 ships which made their inaugural calls.

The total of 158 calls made by cruise vessels during the 2023 season marked an 8% increase on the pre-pandemic record set in 2019. On board, passenger capacities have increased to an average of around 90% per vessel.

With increased passenger numbers, and more visitors arriving into Belfast to experience the tourism offerings across Northern Ireland, Cruise Belfast estimates that more than £20m was injected into the local economy through passenger spend alone.

This year also marked the arrival of the 2 millionth cruise visitor to Belfast Harbour since the first cruise ship called to Belfast in 1996. The milestone passenger arrived onboard the Norwegian Dawn, operated by the Norwegian Cruise Line in May this year.

A further indication of the city’s growing status in the cruise industry, Belfast has also begun to facilitate a number of cruise turnarounds during the year, the largest of which saw 1,200 US passengers from the Oceania Riviera ending their holiday in Belfast and a further 1,200 starting their trip in the city.

Published in Cruise Liners

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12th June 2023

Record-Breaking Cruise Ship Season for Dún Laoghaire Harbour with 90 Plus Visits

This season more than 90 cruise ships will call to Dún Laoghaire Harbour bringing a total of 164,000 passengers and 71,000 crew to the area

With 44% of passengers* who tender ashore visiting Dún Laoghaire Town and the surrounding area, the cruise industry is generating significant income and creating a range of job opportunities. The benefits of these cruises extend beyond the immediate tourism sector, contributing to the restoration of the historic Harbour.

Councillor Mary Hanafin, Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council said: “This is a very exciting time for Dun Laoghaire with thousands of visitors arriving in cruise ships. The DLR Cruise Tourism Kiosk is open daily to offer advice on local attractions, while the Dun Laoghaire Business Association operates a souvenir shop for passengers. The benefits of these cruises extend further with job creation in various roles such as tourist cabin, security staff, and Tender escort boats”.

Dún Laoghaire Harbour was the second busiest Harbour in Ireland for Cruise visits last year (65 in total) second only to Cork/Cobh** and the aim is to continue to build on this success for the years ahead.

Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council highlighted: “The significant income generated from the cruise ships contributes to the restoration and repair of the 200-year-old Harbour and to future plans which include a national Water Sports Campus”.

Norwegian Cruise Lines will top the schedule with 20 visits to Dun Laoghaire this year, followed by Viking Cruise Lines who will visit 17 times. (Afloat adds for a full list of cruise callers this season, click here).

Gabby Mallon of dlr Chamber added: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council promoting Dún Laoghaire as an attractive shopping destination for the influx of International Cruise ship tourists, expected to arrive this year”.

Kyron O’Gorman from the local Powerboat School who tender in the passengers from the cruise liners highlighted:

“Our staff are early risers, waiting for the next cruise ship to come over the horizon and ready to tender them ashore. This greatly expands our marine sector in the county, creating 40 mariner sessional jobs on the water and much more ashore”.

Cruise Statistics for 2023

The combined passenger and crew complement exceeds the population of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown by nearly 1k.
The 2023 cruise season surpasses last year when 65 cruise ships arrived with 79,000 passengers and 44,000 crew.
At 333m, the longest cruise ship will be ‘MSC Preziosa’ which has a gross tonnage of 139,072t and a capacity for 4,345 passengers 1,313 crew. In a very close second place, is the ‘Regal Princess’ at 330m long. With a capacity for 3,592 passengers 1,205 crew. These enormous cruise ships are operated by MSC Cruises and Princess Cruises respectively. Both will be regular callers this year, ‘MSC Preziosa’ calling twice and ’Regal Princess’ calling 11 times.
Norwegian Cruise Lines are once again top of the schedule with frequent visits to Dun Laoghaire 20 times this year.
Viking Cruises will visit 17 times this year sending 7 different ships from their ocean going fleet.

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24th March 2023

Isle of Man Set for Record Cruise Season and Generate £1.7m

The Isle of Man is to welcome cruise passengers and generate around £1.7m to the island's economy in what will be a record year in the number of ships calling.

The Manx Government's Department for Enterprise says it's expecting 18,000 visitors to come ashore from 59 cruise liners this summer, with the first passengers arriving on the Hurtigruten's 'Spitsbergen' this Sunday.

With almost 60 ships booked to visit the Island in 2023, it's set to be a record year for the sector and surpasses the previous record of 47 ships which visited in 2019.

The Non-executive chair of Visit Isle of Man, Ranald Caldwell, explained on Manx Radio on what the industry brings to the Island. Click the link to listen to an audio-piece.

For a list of cruise calls is available here to download.

Of the callers, Afloat adds that Holland America Lines Nieuw Statendam which is due in August, will be the largest visitor, carrying approximately 2,660 passengers and 1,025 crew.

The Isle of Man has six locations where cruise ships this season will make a call by visiting a port or take anchorage with passengers tendered ashore.

The six locations are Douglas Harbour, Douglas Bay, Peel, Peel Bay, Port St. Mary and the Calf of Man, an island off the south-west coast.

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28th January 2019

Record Cruise Ships Due in Belfast Harbour This Year

Cruiseship Berlin AFLOAT adds is seen making a call to Belfast Harbour in June last year with towage assistance from SMS Towage. In the background the famous iconic landmarks of H&W dockyard and Titanic Belfast Centre, the visitor attraction venue located on the banks of the River Lagan.

#cruiseliners - A total 285,000 visitors on board 151 cruise ships are due to call at Belfast Harbour this year, an increase of 31% on the 115 visits during the 2018 cruise season.

The figures were announced by Cruise Belfast, the partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast.

According to Cruise Belfast, July will be the busiest month with 32 ships scheduled to call among them SAGA’s first ever newbuild vessel Spirit of Discovery. Other first time callers to Belfast this year include Disney Magic and Cruise & Maritime Voyages which acquired a ship and renamed Vasco da Gama.

In total 35 separate cruise lines will call at Belfast, the most frequent being CMV with 15 calls scheduled and Princess Cruises set at 13 calls.

The Italian-based Costa Line will also call at Belfast for the first time while the number of calls from Celebrity will double to eight. Norwegian Cruise Line is expanding its visits from one in 2018 to eleven calls as part of its strategic growth plans for the northern European market.

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18th October 2018

Record-Breaking Cruise Season Ends As Black Watch Calls Time On Belfast

A record 115 cruise ships carrying 185,000 crew and passengers visited Belfast this season, according to Cruise Belfast. AFLOAT adds Black Watch seen in recent years in Belfast Lough with a white hull (now dark blue) had docked in the harbour on the southside of the port. On board were Canadians taking a 26-day cruise.

#CruiseLiners - It was a record-breaking cruise season that officially ended yesterday when the Fred Olsen-owned Black Watch (docked) in the Port of Belfast.

As The Irish News reports this was the 115th ship to dock in 2018, and since the arrival of the Portuguese-registered Astoria in mid-March, some 185,00 passengers and crew have spilled out into the city's shops, restaurants and tourist attractions.

Cruise Belfast, the partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast, confirmed that the city has been named as one of Europe’s most popular cruise destinations by Cruise Critic, the world’s largest online cruise community, boosting 350,000 reviews covering 500 cruise ships and 300 global ports.

Cruise Critic chose Belfast a one of the winners of its third annual Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards, which are based entirely on consumer ratings.

For more on the story click here in addition Afloat adds the 900 passenger /423 cabin cruiseship sailed overnight and is this morning docked at Liverpool Cruise Terminal.

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.