Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Message in a Bottle

A family in New Jersey who found a message in a bottle from Ireland have connected with the woman who wrote it after the story went viral.

Frank Bolger says his wife and granddaughter found the bottle while litter picking on the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey on 17 August.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland last week, he relayed that the message was written by someone who identified themselves only as Aoife, with no contact information, and was dated 17 July 2019.

Part of the message reads: “Maybe it’s travelled down to Africa or to Iceland. I won't know if someone found this, but I hope it’s found.”

The Bolgers’ appeal to connect with the mysterious message writer moved a lot faster than the bottle did across the Atlantic Ocean, as Aoife Byrne discovered during the week.

The Bray woman connected with the Bolgers on social media and together they joined CBS News Philadelphia to share their remarkable story.

Published in Coastal Notes
Tagged under

#MessageInABottle - Another connection's been made across the ocean between Ireland and North America thanks to a message in a bottle, as Canada's CTV News reports.

Last summer Canadian student Saskia Vaisey dropped a bottle into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean, with a note sealed inside describing the wildlife and sights she saw while on an Arctic study programme.

That very bottle was discovered earlier this month on a beach near Claddaghduff in Co Galway by German national Eva Hart, who emailed Vaisey shortly after to express her excitement at the find.

It was an important one for Vaisey from a marine science standpoint, too, as she send her message-in-a-bottle along with 50 of her fellow students as a part of a 'Drift Bottle Project' to track ocean currents.

And it's not the first time that Canada and Ireland have been linked by such a long-distance message, as two years ago a young boy in Co Waterford discovered a note sent into the sea by two French-Canadian girls some eight years before.

Published in News Update
Tagged under

#AfloatProject – As previously reported, the 'Afloat' project of Dalkey-based visual artist, Roisin Cunningham, took place on Sunday where 50 bottle jars containing messages about the recession made contact in the waters of Dublin Bay, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Since then the first jar (No.22) has been found washed ashore this morning by a woman while walking on the beach at Sutton. The jar had drifted from the location of the bottle launch in the seas off The Muglins near Dalkey Island in the south of the bay. For a photo, click the link to Roisin's 'Afloat' facebook page.

The inspiration for the Afloat project had originated several years ago and is based on the main theme of communication between people and how this can be achieved. What appealed to the artist is the idea of using ordinary people's messages, often because their ideas have no platform.

As the ideas gathered, she was surprised and encouraged at how when asked to send a personal message to a stranger, people engaged in such a positive way with inspirational quotes or greetings.

The messages in the jars not only reflected the state of the nation in which in recent years we seemed to have, as an Island people, had many ideas and criteria forced on us. This is where Roisin wanted to gauge what was the general mood among the people.

In addition the jars contained a paper boat and a numbered piece taken from a painting of the Muglins painted by the artist.

The rocky outcrop of The Muglins and its lighthouse is where strong currents converge and which can make for notoriously unpredictable conditions.

Despite the swells at high-tide and under an overcast sky, Roisin was rowed out from Coliemore Harbour by the Dalkey Rowing Club's Ladies junior team, crewed by Nadine Cunningham, Sinead McCullogh, Claire Cunningham and Mary-Grace Power. They clearly displayed their rowing skills coupled by the cox of the day Pat Dalton.

So where have the natural elements taken the other jars as they bob and drift about the Irish Sea and who knows to where else?...

 

Published in Coastal Notes

#MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE - It took eight years to cross the Atlantic, but a message in a bottle sent by two girls from eastern Canada finally found a recipient - in Co Waterford.

As the Irish Independent reports, 10-year-old Oisin Millea found the letter encased in a 2-litre soft drink bottle more than a week ago among litter from the sea strewn across the beach at Passage East.

And thanks to the wonders of the internet, he was able to contact the girls who sent the message - and even see them on his computer screen via Skype.

RTÉ News says it got in touch with the two French-Canadians, who were aged 12 when they sent the bottle into the sea via the St Lawrence River in Quebec back in the summer of 2004.

Charlene Dalpé and Claudia Garneau, now 20 years old, told the Irish Independent that they have remained friends since, and described Oisin's discovery as "really exciting".

Published in News Update

Annalise Murphy, Olympic Silver Medalist

The National Yacht Club's Annalise Murphy (born 1 February 1990) is a Dublin Bay sailor who won a silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. She is a native of Rathfarnham, a suburb of Dublin.

Murphy competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women's Laser Radial class. She won her first four days of sailing at the London Olympics and, on the fifth day, came in 8th and 19th position.

They were results that catapulted her on to the international stage but those within the tiny sport of Irish sailing already knew her of world-class capability in a breeze and were not surprised.

On the sixth day of the competition, she came 2nd and 10th and slipped down to second, just one point behind the Belgian world number one.

Annalise was a strong contender for the gold medal but in the medal race, she was overtaken on the final leg by her competitors and finished in 4th, her personal best at a world-class regatta and Ireland's best Olympic class result in 30 years.

Radial European Gold

Murphy won her first major medal at an international event the following year on home waters when she won gold at the 2013 European Sailing Championships on Dublin Bay.

Typically, her track record continues to show that she performs best in strong breezes that suit her large stature (height: 1.86 m Weight: 72 kg).

She had many international successes on her road to Rio 2016 but also some serious setbacks including a silver fleet finish in flukey winds at the world championships in the April of Olympic year itself.

Olympic Silver Medal

On 16 August 2016, Murphy won the silver medal in the Laser Radial at the 2016 Summer Olympics defying many who said her weight and size would go against her in Rio's light winds.

As Irish Times Sailing Correspondent David O'Brien pointed out: " [The medal] was made all the more significant because her string of consistent results was achieved in a variety of conditions, the hallmark of a great sailor. The medal race itself was a sailing master class by the Dubliner in some decidedly fickle conditions under Sugarloaf mountain".

It was true that her eight-year voyage ended with a silver lining but even then Murphy was plotting to go one better in Tokyo four years later.

Sportswoman of the Year

In December 2016, she was honoured as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland 2016 Sportswoman of the Year.

In March, 2017, Annalise Murphy was chosen as the grand marshal of the Dublin St Patrick's day parade in recognition of her achievement at the Rio Olympics.

She became the Female World Champion at the Moth Worlds in July 2017 in Italy but it came at a high price for the Olympic Silver medallist. A violent capsize in the last race caused her to sustain a knee injury which subsequent scans revealed to be serious. 

Volvo Ocean Race

The injury was a blow for her return to the Olympic Laser Radial discipline and she withdrew from the 2017 World Championships. But, later that August, to the surprise of many, Murphy put her Tokyo 2020 ambitions on hold for a Volvo Ocean Race crew spot and joined Dee Caffari’s new Turn the Tide On Plastic team that would ultimately finish sixth from seventh overall in a global circumnavigation odyssey.

Quits Radial for 49erFX

There were further raised eyebrows nine months later when, during a break in Volvo Ocean Race proceedings, in May 2018 Murphy announced she was quitting the Laser Radial dinghy and was launching a 49er FX campaign for Tokyo 2020. Critics said she had left too little time to get up to speed for Tokyo in a new double-handed class.

After a 'hugely challenging' fourteen months for Murphy and her crew Katie Tingle, it was decided after the 2019 summer season that their 'Olympic medal goal' was no longer realistic, and the campaign came to an end. Murphy saying in interviews “I guess the World Cup in Japan was a bit of a wakeup call for me, I was unable to see a medal in less than twelve months and that was always the goal".

The pair raced in just six major regattas in a six-month timeframe. 

Return to Radial

In September 2019, Murphy returned to the Laser Radial dinghy and lead a four-way trial for the Tokyo 2020 Irish Olympic spot after the first of three trials when she finished 12th at the Melbourne World Championships in February 2020.

Selection for Tokyo 2021

On June 11, Irish Sailing announced Annalise Murphy had been nominated in the Laser Radial to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Murphy secured the Laser Radial nomination after the conclusion of a cut short trials in which rivals Aoife Hopkins, Aisling Keller and Eve McMahon also competed.

Disappointment at Tokyo 2021

After her third Olympic Regatta, there was disappointment for Murphy who finished 18th overall in Tokyo. On coming ashore after the last race, she indicated her intention to return to studies and retire from Olympic sailing.  

On 6th Aguust 2020, Murphy wrote on Facebook:  "I am finally back home and it’s been a week since I finished racing, I have been lucky enough to experience the highs and the lows of the Olympics. I am really disappointed, I can’t pretend that I am not. I wasn’t good enough last week, the more mistakes I made the more I lost confidence in my decision making. Two years ago I made a plan to try and win a gold medal in the Radial, I believed that with my work ethic and attitude to learning, that everything would work out for me. It didn’t work out this time but I do believe that it’s worth dreaming of winning Olympic medals as I’m proof that it is possible, I also know how scary it is to try knowing you might not be good enough!
I am disappointed for Rory who has been my coach for 15 years, we’ve had some great times together and I wish I could have finished that on a high. I have so much respect for Olympic sailing coaches. They also have to dedicate their lives to getting to the games. I know I’ll always appreciate the impact Rory has had on my life as a person.
I am so grateful for the support I have got from my family and friends, I have definitely been selfish with my time all these years and I hope I can now make that up to you all! Thanks to Kate, Mark and Rónán for always having my back! Thank you to my sponsors for believing in me and supporting me. Thank you Tokyo for making these games happen! It means so much to the athletes to get this chance to do the Olympics.
I am not too sure what is next for me, I definitely don’t hate sailing which is a positive. I love this sport, even when it doesn’t love me 😂. Thank you everyone for all the kind words I am finally getting a chance to read!"

Annalise Murphy, Olympic Sailor FAQs

Annalise Murphy is Ireland’s best performing sailor at Olympic level, with a silver medal in the Laser Radial from Rio 2016.

Annalise Murphy is from Rathfarnham, a suburb in south Co Dublin with a population of some 17,000.

Annalise Murphy was born on 1 February 1990, which makes her 30 years old as of 2020.

Annalise Murphy’s main competition class is the Laser Radial. Annalise has also competed in the 49erFX two-handed class, and has raced foiling Moths at international level. In 2017, she raced around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race.

In May 2018, Annalise Murphy announced she was quitting the Laser Radial and launching a campaign for Tokyo 2020 in the 49erFX with friend Katie Tingle. The pairing faced a setback later that year when Tingle broke her arm during training, and they did not see their first competition until April 2019. After a disappointing series of races during the year, Murphy brought their campaign to an end in September 2019 and resumed her campaign for the Laser Radial.

Annalise Murphy is a longtime and honorary member of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

Aside from her Olympic success, Annalise Murphy won gold at the 2013 European Sailing Championships on Dublin Bay.

So far Annalise Murphy has represented Ireland at two Olympic Games.

Annalise Murphy has one Olympic medal, a silver in the Women’s Laser Radial from Rio 2016.

Yes; on 11 June 2020, Irish Sailing announced Annalise Murphy had been nominated in the Women’s Laser Radial to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021.

Yes; in December 2016, Annalise Murphy was honoured as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland 2016 Sportswoman of the Year. In the same year, she was also awarded Irish Sailor of the Year.

Yes, Annalise Murphy crewed on eight legs of the 2017-18 edition of The Ocean Race.

Annalise Murphy was a crew member on Turn the Tide on Plastic, skippered by British offshore sailor Dee Caffari.

Annalise Murphy’s mother is Cathy McAleavy, who competed as a sailor in the 470 class at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988.

Annalise Murphy’s father is Con Murphy, a pilot by profession who is also an Olympic sailing race official.

Annalise Murphy trains under Irish Sailing Performance head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, with whom she also prepared for her silver medal performance in Rio 2016.

Annalise Murphy trains with the rest of the team based at the Irish Sailing Performance HQ in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Annalise Murphy height is billed as 6 ft 1 in, or 183cm.

©Afloat 2020

At A Glance – Annalise Murphy Significant Results

2016: Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Silver

2013: European Championships, Dublin, Ireland – Gold

2012: Summer Olympics, London, UK – 4th

2011: World Championships, Perth, Australia – 6th

2010: Skandia Sail for Gold regatta – 10th

2010: Became the first woman to win the Irish National Championships.

2009: World Championships – 8th

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