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Displaying items by tag: IOMSteam Packet

Officers employed by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, will according to a union, refuse to work overtime from 27 December in a dispute over changes to contracts.

In a ballot of union members from Nautilus International, who make up 48 of the ferry firm’s 70 officers, it had showed 89% had supported in taking industrial action.

At the centre of the ongoing dispute is the live-aboard arrangements for the crew working on the new custom-built £76m flagship Manxman during rest periods.

The newbuild with a capacity for 948 passengers had entered service in August on the main Douglas-Heysham route. 

This week the ferry company also faces weather disruption on the Irish Sea with gales affecting sailings yesterday. Afloat adds today, 21 December, sailings are subject to possible disruption or cancellation due to severe gale conditions.

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The Steam Packet has also warned of further disruption to sailings on the Manx-UK route which could last until Christmas Eve due to the weather.

BBC News has more on the dispute.

Published in Ferry

A Manx ferry Ben-my-Chree will be out of action for 'at least a week' as it undergoes repair work to one of its propellers.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company says it sustained damage when entering Heysham harbour, and it'll go into dry dock on Tuesday.

After inspection by divers, as well as investigations by the manufacturers of the propeller control systems, it's been decided the repairs can't be carried out whilst the vessel is afloat.

Manx Radio understands the Ben-my-Chree only returned to Douglas at around 12:30 this morning.

It'll sail from Douglas to Falmouth dry dock on Tuesday, with a further inspection and assessment by specialists to take place there.

The ropax built in 1998 Afloat adds having sailed overnight from the Irish Sea is currently off the Cornish coast while at Falmouth anchorage.

Published in Ferry

There has been a 'positive' response to a company survey according to the Isle of Man Steam Packet.

As Manx Radio reports, more than 7,000 people took part after it was launched at the end of last month.

The Company is trying to gain a better understanding of passenger views on travel services and on-board facilities.

Results from the survey will be taken into account during the design of a new vessel, which is due to replace the Ben-my-Chree over the next 2-3 years.

Published in Ferry

About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The class is targeted at youth sailors aiming at sailing the larger 49er which is an Olympic class.


The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.

About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

  • ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2
  • ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2
  • ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2

29er skiff technical specs

  • Hull weight 74kg (163lb)
  • LOA 4.45m (14.4ft)
  • Beam 1.77m (5ft 7in)
  • Crew 2 (single trapeze) 
  • Spinnaker area 15.00 m2 (181.2sq.ft)
  • Upwind sail area 12.5 m2 (142.0 sq.ft)
  • Mast length 6.25m (20.5ft)

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