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Displaying items by tag: BOA70

7th June 2013

Mersey River Festival

#MaritimeFestival – Following the recent 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, there is an exhibition of the historic event which will form as part of the Mersey River Festival which starts this weekend of 7 - 9 June.

Around half a dozen Tall Ships will grace the River as Liverpool becomes one of the host ports for the Irish Sea Fleet - Maritime Tour 2013.

There will many free events and among the festival programme there will be curator talks, demonstrations and music and dance performances along waterfront venues, as well as plenty of fun and crafts for youngsters.

Find out more about Merseyside Maritime Museum's collections and displays, including rarely seen photographs and drawings and the Battle of the Atlantic online feature. For further details visit this link.

 

Published in Maritime Festivals

#BattleofAtlantic – The Mersey will yet again be witness in marking another historic occasion tomorrow as the Battle of The Atlantic (on it 70th anniversary) is to be commemorated for the final time in the UK, writes Jehan Ashmore.

A unique opportunity to take part in the final ceremony is by taking a farewell cruise, as naval vessels from countries throughout Europe, Russia, US and Canada are to depart Liverpool. The event has also been commemorated in London and Derry-Londonderry.

The international flotilla which has spent the last few days in Liverpool represent both sides of the conflict which ran the entire length of the Second World War, from 1939 to 1945. The Battle of the Atlantic was pivotal to the success of the allied side, though the loss of life was horrific on both sides as highlighted on the Royal Navy BOA70 commemorative website.

Among the commemorative naval flotilla is HMS Edinburgh (D97) the last Type 42 destroyer in the Royal Navy fleet which is to decommission in Portsmouth in early June. It is apt her visit to Merseyside as she was launched in 1983 across the river on the Wirral Peninsula at the Cammell Laird shipyard.

 

Published in Naval Visits

Irish Sailing

The Irish Sailing Association, also known as Irish Sailing, is the national governing body for sailing, powerboating and windsurfing in Ireland.

Founded in 1945 as the Irish Dinghy Racing Association, it became the Irish Yachting Association in 1964 and the Irish Sailing Association in 1992.

Irish Sailing is a Member National Authority (MNA) of World Sailing and a member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland.

The Association is governed by a volunteer board, elected by the member clubs. Policy Groups provide the link with members and stakeholders while advising the Board on specialist areas. There is a professional administration and performance staff, based at the headquarters in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Core functions include the regulation of sailing education, administering racing and selection of Irish sailors for international competition. It is the body recognised by the Olympic Federation of Ireland for nominating Irish qualified sailors to be considered for selection to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games. Irish sailors have medalled twice at the Olympics – David Wilkins and Jamie Wikinson at the 1980 games, and Annalise Murphy at the 2016 games.

The Association, through its network of clubs and centres, offers curriculum-based training in the various sailing, windsurfing and powerboating disciplines. Irish Sailing qualifications are recognised by Irish and European Authorities. Most prominent of these are the Yachtmaster and the International Certificate of Competency.

It runs the annual All-Ireland Championships (formerly the Helmsman’s Championship) for senior and junior sailors.

The Association has been led by leading lights in the sailing and business communities. These include Douglas Heard, Clayton Love Junior, John Burke and Robert Dix.

Close to 100 sailors have represented Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Membership of Irish Sailing is either by direct application or through membership of an affiliated organisation. The annual membership fee ranges from €75 for families, down to €20 for Seniors and Juniors.