Trainees recognised for their exceptional contributions to Sail Training Ireland's Tall Ships voyages in 2023 were honoured at the Annual Awards Ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin.

The award ceremony, held on February 3rd, 2024, was hosted by the Lord Mayor Daithi De Roiste.

The 534 trainees who sailed on the tall ships last year were eligible for the awards, with the winners selected for their outstanding achievements. Since 2011, Sail Training Ireland (STIrl) has provided bursaries to over 3,500 young people from all backgrounds and abilities to participate in training and self-development programmes.

The 2024 Tall Ships Voyages Awards Ceremony winners and speakers at the Mansion House in Dublin

The charity aims to promote education and youth development through adventure, shared experiences, and challenge by introducing young people to life on a Tall Ship as a platform for personal development. Trainees included young people from Youth and Community Groups, residential care homes, Garda Diversion Projects, and Schools, drug rehabilitation programs, asylum seekers, and young people with visual, hearing, and physical impairments from across Ireland.

Dublin City Council and Dublin Port Company have been jointly supporting the charity since the Tall Ships Race Festival in 2012. In 2023, Dublin City Council's generous contribution helped 193 young people from Dublin participate in Sail Training Ireland's programmes.

Tall Ships Voyages Trainee of the Year Winner: Cillian Cooney with, MC Brian Turvey, Commander Brian Matthews, STIrl Chairman Robert Barker, and Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithi de Roiste

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste, expressed his delight at the progress made by the charity in promoting youth development and education. He said: “Sail Training Ireland promotes education and youth development through adventure, shared experiences, and challenge by introducing young people to life on a Tall Ship as a platform for personal development. The charity offers this opportunity to young people from all backgrounds and with all abilities."

Sail Training Ireland's Annual Award Winners

1. Watch Leader/ Mentor of the Year: Peta Scott - Co. Wicklow
2. Special Contribution Award 1: Thomas Dodd – Co. Cork
3. Special Contribution Award 2: John McNally – Co Wicklow
4. Special Contribution Award 3: Valerii Kholidnyi – Co. Dublin
5. Special Contribution Award 4: Brogan Carthy – Co. Wexford
6. Volunteer of the Year: Loraine Lynch – Co. Wicklow
7. Asgard Award Nominating Org: Gorey Youth Needs – Co. Wexford
8. Trainee of the year: Cillian Cooney – Co. Wexford
9. Drogheda Sail Training Bursary: Charlie Wogan – Co. Meath
10. Drogheda Sail Training Bursary: Lilou Conroy – Co. Meath

Sail Training Ireland's programs for 2024 include the Asgarda Armada Voyage featuring five vessels and over fifty trainees, Erasmus+ Youth Exchange between Ireland and The Netherlands, Spain, and Latvia, three STEM at Sea voyages incorporating ocean science at sea training workshops, thirty young people from Dublin’s North-East inner city participating as part of the Taoiseach’s taskforce NEIC project, and regional sail training schemes in Drogheda, Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Wexford, and Waterford.

The Department of Defence, Dublin City Council, and Dublin Port Company continue to support the charity in all that they do. Anyone interested in partaking in a voyage or organisations that work with young people who may benefit from such an experience can contact Sail Training Ireland at www.sailtrainingireland.com, email [email protected], or phone: 01 845 4773.

Dublin Port Company (DPC) and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ireland have today welcomed the arrival of the German Navy’s Tall Ship “Gorch Fock”, carrying a crew of 182, most of them young naval cadets.

It was a beautiful morning for her arrival, having anchored in Dublin Bay overnight and sailed up the River Liffey this morning; just as well as by Thursday lunch time, a sea fog was rolling in on the bay.

As Afloat reported earlier, used as a sail training vessel for the German Navy, Gorch Fock is visiting Dublin for the sixth time, the first since 2015. She is named after the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym ‘Gorch Fock’ and was killed in the Battle of Jutland in 1916.

The German Navy Tall Ship, "Gorch Fock", passes the Poolbeg chimney's on the River Liffey at Dublin Port Photo: Conor Healy

During her stay in Dublin, this spectacular tall ship will open to the public to visit, free of charge, on Sunday, 25th June 2023, from 2-5 pm. She is at Berth 18, which is located immediately east of the Tom Clarke Bridge, on the North Wall extension in Dublin Port, accessible from beside the roundabout at 3Arena. Members of the public will be able to see the naval cadets at work on board and inspect the fine craftsmanship of the vessel up close.

The German Navy Tall Ship, "Gorch Fock", on the River Liffey at Dublin Port ahead of a five-day visit to the capital. Photo: Conor Healy

Measuring 81.4 metres in length, the three-masted barque, commissioned in 1958 and renovated between 2015 and 2021, is Germany’s best-known tall ship. More than 15,000 officer and non-commissioned officer candidates have been trained on board to date.

Led by Captain Andreas-Peter Graf von Kielmansegg, Gorch Fock’s visit to Dublin comes towards the end of her 175th training journey on her way back from Spain and Portugal, a journey involving more than 250 naval cadets in total. On training voyages, the naval cadets learn basic seamanship skills, the importance of teamwork, camaraderie and safe seafaring while enjoying new cultures and countries.

German Ambassador to Ireland Cord Meier-Klodt (right), with the commander of the SS Gorch Fock, Captain Andreas-Peter Graf von Kielmansegg (left), at the arrival of the tall ship at Dublin Port Photo: Conor Healy

The German Ambassador to Ireland, Cord Meier-Klodt, said: “It is a very special honour to welcome the Gorch Fock, our iconic three-mast navy school ship, and her young and diverse crew to Dublin. Built in my hometown Hamburg in 1958, she is as we call her "our Ambassador under sails". The visit symbolises our friendship and both our countries' great maritime traditions.”

German Ambassador to Ireland Cord Meier-Klodt on board the tall ship Gorch Fock at Dublin Port Photo: Conor Healy 

Encouraging the public to visit Gorch Fock this Sunday, Michael McKenna, Harbour Master, Dublin Port Company, said; “Tall ship visits to Dublin always capture people’s imagination and curiosity about life on board these spectacular vessels, and Gorch Fock is no exception. I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to explore this fascinating vessel on Sunday, and to extend a warm welcome to the crew onboard. For many, it is their first visit to Ireland and a really important next step in their career at sea.”

The wheel of the German Navy Tall Ship, "Gorch Fock".  Measuring 81.4 metres in length, the three-masted barque, commissioned in 1958 and renovated between 2015 and 2021 Photo: Conor Healy

As if to signal the start of summertime this Sunday, a magnificent three-masted Tall Ship arrived on Dublin Bay this morning, and with her spring arrival, the promise - perhaps - of a bumper 2023 Irish boating season ahead.

The German-flagged Alex Von Humboldt II sailed into the capital's waters overnight after a 12-day sail from Ponta Delgada in Portugal. 

Built in 2011, as Afloat reported here, the 65-metre-long ship anchored in the south of the Bay.

The ship is a civilian square-rigger offering tall ship voyages, regardless of previous experience, from her home port of Bremerhaven.

With rigging resembling a wind jammer of 150 years ago, Alex II has been built with a traditional barque rig. That means the fore and main mast carry square sails while the sternmost, the mizzen mast, carries gaff sails. 

At 0900 hrs on March 23rd, her traditional barque rig was identifiable on this Dublin Bay ship anchorage webcam here before she weighed anchor and moved up into Dublin Port under engine, arriving at the mouth of the River Liffey at 10 am. 

Alex II is driven by 24 sails with a sail area of 1.360 m2. In favourable wind conditions, she runs up to 14 knots. 

The Alex Von Humboldt II will compete in this summer's Tall Ships Races 2023.  The international fleet of Tall Ships and Small Ships will return to Den Helder, Hartlepool, Fredrikstad, Lerwick and Arendal from 29 June to 6 August.

Trainees who made outstanding contributions to the Tall Ships voyages organised in 2022 by the charity Sail Training Ireland were recognised at the Annual Awards Ceremony at the Mansion House, courtesy of Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy (on Saturday, 28th January 2023).

The award winners were among the 546 trainees who sailed on voyages on tall ships last year. Since 2011, 3,000 young people from all backgrounds and abilities have availed of the opportunities provided by Sail Training Ireland (STIrl) to participate in training and self-development programmes. These are designed to offer a change in direction, perspective, attitude, and behaviour leading to self-confidence, motivation, and the acquisition of new skills.

Volunteer of the Year Anita Oman-Wrynn receiving the award from Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy and Sail Training Ireland Chairman, Seamus McLoughlin

“Sail Training Ireland promotes education and youth development through adventure, shared experiences, and challenge by introducing young people to life on a Tall Ship as a platform for personal development. The charity offers this opportunity to young people from all backgrounds and with all abilities. Dublin City Council and Dublin Port Company have been jointly supporting this Charity since the Tall Ships Race Festival in 2012 as a legacy to that festival and the benefits to the community, which it created. I am delighted that the generous contribution from Dublin City Council in 2022 has helped over two hundred young people from Dublin to participate” Lord Mayor of Dublin, Caroline Conroy

Trainees include young people from residential care homes, Garda Diversion Projects, Youth and Community groups and Schools, drug rehabilitation programmes, asylum seekers and young people with additional needs across Ireland.

The highlights of Sail Training Ireland’s programmes in 2023 will include:

• Erasmus+ Youth Exchange between Ireland and Malta.
• Two STEM at Sea voyages incorporating science at sea training workshops.
• Thirty young people from Dublin’s North-East inner city participating as part of the Taoiseach’s taskforce NEIC project.
• Regional sail training schemes (funded programmes) in Drogheda, Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Wexford, and Waterford.
• Cross Border voyages including young people North and South.
• As part of the Ability Voyage project, several wheelchair users will go on board the Tall Ship ‘Tenacious,’ a ship built specifically to cater to those with disabilities.
• The Government of Ireland (Department of Defence, Dublin City Council and Dublin Port Company continue to support the charity.

“The core aim of Sail Training Ireland is to ensure that all young people across the island of Ireland have access to the life-changing experience of a voyage at sea. 2022 has been a record year with over 546 trainees partaking in thirty voyages on five vessels. The Government funding provided again for 2023 will allow us to offer the opportunity to those who otherwise may not have been able to avail of such a chance. ” - Sail Training Ireland CEO - Daragh Sheridan

Anyone interested in partaking in a voyage or organisations that work with young people that may benefit from such an experience, should contact Sail Training Ireland at www.sailtrainingireland.com, email [email protected], or phone: 01 845 4773

The Department of Defence will continue to provide funding to Sail Training Ireland for three more years from this year, 2023.

This funding will provide sail training to young persons from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This funding is subject to compliance with two Performance Delivery Agreements, which were entered into between the Department of Defence and Sail Training Ireland.

The two Agreements will provide for; €100,000 to be provided by the Department of Defence in the years 2023, 2024 and 2025.

In addition, €50,000 will be provided in 2023 from the Dormant Accounts Fund.

Provision of this money will be subject to compliance with the Performance Delivery Agreements, particularly the provision of sail training to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including young people from Northern Ireland.

Tall ship Grace O'Malley arriving in Cork Harbour this evening for a weekend visit to Leeside to show herself to the public.

The 164-ft ship is due to be in the city until Tuesday.

As reported in numerous articles in Afloat.ie for many months now, having been bought in Sweden the 164ft (153ft hull length) three-master has been gradually introducing herself to all of Ireland, via the Foyle Maritime Festival, followed by time in Belfast, and then Warrenpoint before coming on south this week under the command of Capt. Gerry Burns to Dublin, where she was berthed at Sir John Rogerson's Quay.

It will be 2023 before the ship has been fully re-configured to accommodate a throughput of a thousand trainees annually. Their learning experiences can be adapted to include much more than traditional sail training in a committed acknowledgement by the AYT that nowadays, tall ships have to be multi-purpose in order to earn their keep.

More on the Grace O'Malley and her tour here

Underway is National Heritage Week with ongoing events to include The Port of Cork Company (PoCC) which is delighted to host an event celebrating its 250-year history, at The Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, which was built in 1724 as the original Cork’s Custom House.

In commemoration of this heritage, the Port of Cork Company gifted a significant collection of maritime paintings and artefacts, known as The Port of Cork Collection, worth an estimated €1 million to The Crawford Art Gallery in November 2021.

Guests were offered a guided tour of The Port of Cork Collection, to learn about the Port’s history and how it has played a vital role in keeping Cork connected as an international gateway for trade for many centuries.

Speaking at the event, Eoin McGettigan, Chief Executive Officer with PoCC, stated “As a company, we are very proud of our heritage, which spans over 250 years. These unique maritime artworks, by renowned artists, offer a fascinating insight into the operations of Cork Harbour at that time and underscore The Port of Cork’s long-standing international significance for commerce and trade."

He added "not only does the collection signify the history of our great port and harbour, but it also showcases how far the port has come, in terms of leisure, operations, scale and trade. We are delighted this collection has found such a welcoming home at The Crawford Art Gallery over the past 6 months.”

The Cork has more on the exhibition (running to 28 August) of 17 paintings on display that date to the 1800's to include a Cobh-born artist.

The Atlantic Youth Trust Charity chaired by Round the World sailor Enda O'Coineen, says a 164ft Tradewind schooner it proposes to call 'STV Grace O'Malley' will act as the new ‘flagship’ for introducing young people across the island of Ireland to maritime and careers.

As Afloat reported in October 2021, O’Coineen, a former Director of Coiste an Asgard, says "we have long since championed the need to replace Ireland’s lost sail training vessel the Asgard II in a dynamic and creative new way".

Atlantic Youth Trust supporters travelled to Sweden to try out the new vessel in November and reports on the visit are very favourable for the project that will rely on public and private funding.

The Charity says the tall ship will have a key role to play in the areas of research, innovation, tourism promotion and providing a support outlet for vulnerable young people.

It is hoped the ship can become a floating embassy for Ireland at events home and abroad, ranging from Tall Ships races to trade events while all the time fulfilling her core youth and reconciliation mission.

It is understood that a " mini-refit" will be required to suit Irish purposes. According to O'Coineen, she will need some cosmetic work on deck and will need to be repainted. Much of the running rigging, now several years old, will need replacement.

It is anticipated that the current 35 berths, many of them with specifications ensuite, will need to be increased to 40 or 45 to accommodate 30 trainees, five full professional crew and five experienced youth leaders.

The new ship is a replica of a famous 19th-century wooden ship The Lady Ellen. A successful Swedish industrialist who had seen her as a boy, loved her lines and had a replica rebuilt to the highest specifications in Submarine Steel.

Owned and used over recent years by Tarbet Shipping, based in Skarhamn, she has crossed the Atlantic 17 times and has been maintained, regulated and certified to the highest standard.

Over 400 young people will participate next year in 29 voyages onboard five ships as part of the Sail Training Ireland 2022 Voyage Calendar launched yesterday in Dublin. Although the charity had to cancel its 2020 and 2021 programmes due to the pandemic, the new calendar further extends its activities that have seen 2,400 young people participating in Tall Ships voyages since the organisation was formed 10 years ago.

The charity is now taking bookings for some new and exciting projects, which are happening alongside its usual annual Irish port voyages. Most of the charity’s voyages have generous bursaries available to reduce the cost to those who may not be able to avail of the opportunity because of their circumstances.

A key aim of the organisation is that the opportunity is open to all abilities. Success in this objective is demonstrated by the fact that 30% of participants in the past two years have had a disability of some kind.

Sail Training Ireland is extremely grateful to all its sponsors and supporters who continued to support the charity through this extremely difficult period.

Sail Training Ireland trainees

“Dublin Port Company is delighted to support young people participating in sail training voyages and we look forward to seeing the return of visiting tall ships to Dublin Port in 2022”, said Eamonn O’Reilly, CEO at Dublin Port Company.

Due to pent-up demand arising from the forced lack of activity for the past two years, it is advised that places are booked early to avoid disappointment. Bookings can be made on the Sail Training Ireland website here

“We cannot wait to welcome new trainees on board one of our 2022 sail training voyages. We have been working hard to make up for lost time and to provide as many places available as possible to young people. We hope next year will be the best one ever.

Please come and join us”, commented Daragh Sheridan of Sail Training Ireland at the launch.

Intended to replace the lost Asgard II, the Atlantic Youth Trust Charity chaired by Round the World sailor Enda O'Coineen, says a 164ft Tradewind schooner it has identified will act as the new ‘flagship’ for introducing young people across the island of Ireland to maritime and careers.

In addition, the Charity says the tall ship will have a key role to play in the areas of research, innovation, tourism promotion and providing a support outlet for vulnerable young people.

O’Coineen, a former Director of Coiste an Asgard, says "we have long since championed the need to replace Ireland’s lost sail training vessel the Asgard II in a dynamic and creative new way".

“This would be a strategically important move for ensuring we are well-positioned to maintain our island’s rich maritime heritage, skill set and knowledge. This will be vital for connecting future generations with the ocean and adventure who might normally never get the opportunity. As we emerge from the Covid 19 pandemic, the urgency for supporting projects like this has never been more important as we seek to address growing mental health challenges facing our young people.”

In looking for a solution to this, the Atlantic Youth Trust have identified, a 164ft Tradewind schooner lying in Sweden which is an ideally suited replacement for delivering youth maritime development and sail training. The ship is to be renamed the Grace O’Malley, after the so-called Mayo ‘Pirate Queen’. Built of steel in a modern structure, and elegant lines of a 19^th century Tall Ship, she is considered fit for purpose to high safety specifications.

The Grace O’Malley, is a 164ft Tradewind schooner. The ship is a realistic and modern version of her Edwardian counterpart. She is a replica of a timber merchant schooner originally built in Denmark in 1909.

Built to the same design of Lars-Erik Johansson and constructed in Sweden by Kockcums Submarine Yard, she was launched on 10th August 1980.

In 1986 she sailed to Quebec to take part in the Canadian 450th-anniversary celebrations. Under new ownership, she was re-fitted in 1990 and again in 1993.

The interior was fitted out by the Vindo Yacht Yard and the mast and rig in Skagen, Denmark. She is built with submarine standard steel, teak clad superstructure, teak laid decks and oak capping rails.

This elegant and traditional vessel is fully coded with an E100 Pax Certification for 100-day guests and 37 overnight passengers/trainees and crew. She also features:

• Powerful topsail schooner rig with 99ft main-mast.
• Thirteen sails setting 800 sq.m. 550hp Scania diesel engine.
• 250hp Hundested bow-thruster
• Two 46kw generators and 29kw generator
• LOA 50 m / 164 ft long keel sail
• 9 m / 26 ft steel plate RB35972