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Displaying items by tag: Common Skate

#Angling - Billy Wallace reeled in a record-smashing catch recently in the form of a 225lb common skate - but sadly won't see his name in the record books, as the Angling Times reports.

The sea angler was fishing in Donegal Bay off Sligo on Declan Kilgannon's Kiwi Girl when he landed the whopper, estimated to be 4lb heavier than the Irish record set more than 100 years ago.

However, because he released the fish back into the sea immediately after, Wallace's catch cannot be made official.

But at least he has a photo to show for it, meaning his story is anything but fishy!

Published in Angling
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#FISHING - Dingle fishermen trawling for tuna off the south-west coast of Ireland found a big surprise in their nets this week in the form of an enormous 2-metre-long bluefin.

As The Irish Times reports, the Atlantic bluefin is considered one of the big game fish and is highly sought-after for top-quality sushi, a demand that has led to its adding to the endangered species list.

Strict quotas have been placed on bluefin for fishermen who normally trawl for albacore tuna - but the Dingle boats Fiona K and the Atlantic Venture were lucky that their unexpected catch was within the 1% they are allowed each year.

The 140kg tuna is set to end up in shops and restaurants in Dingle and throughout Kerry for much less than one would pay for such fish in Japan, where a bluefin double the size went for over €600,000 earlier this year.

Meanwhile, an even bigger bluefin was snappped up by eager fish lovers at Limerick's Milk Market last weekend.

The 250kg goliath was caught 600 miles off Castletownbere in Co Cork by local fisherman JD Sullivan, according to the Limerick Leader.

“The tuna migrate up the west coast of Ireland around this time of year, but very few of them are caught,” said Paul Cusack of Rene Cusack’s fish shop in the market.

It's leading some to question if there's something in the water, with news from Angling Times of a giant 189lb common skate recently caught off the coast of Northern Ireland.

Published in Fishing

Beneteau 211 sailing in Ireland

A small, fast cruiser/racer – in style very much a miniature Open 60 or early Figaro, the Beneteau First 211 offers high sailing performance for her size, plus simple accommodation for up to four people.
The boat is very dinghy-style to sail, although the keel makes her self-righting, and foam buoyancy renders her unsinkable, according to the French manufacturer.

Designed by Groupe Finot and introduced in 1998 as a replacement model for the 1992 model First 210, the Beneteau First 211 is a small high-performance yacht designed to be simple to sail and take the ground or be trailed. The words' pocket rockets' tend to be used to describe these boats!
The design was revised to become the Beneteau First 21.7 in 2005. All three models, 210, 211 and 21.7, are very similar in style and concept and share many actual components.

The hull of the Beneteau First 211 is solid GRP, with sandwich construction for the deck moulding. There is foam buoyancy at the bow and stern, guaranteeing unsinkability. The ballasted drop keel is raised by a manual jack and allows easy transport of the boat and drying out if required, supported level by the twin rudders.
The sailplan has a non-overlapping jib to keep sheet loads down and a large spinnaker to achieve high speeds downwind. With almost six foot of draught with keel down and twin rudders for control, upwind performance is also excellent.

The design is popular in Ireland's boating capital at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, where up to a dozen race as part of a one-design class in regular Dublin Bay Sailing Club racing. The boats also race for national championship honours annually. The boats are kept on Dun Laoghaire Marina and look all the more impressive as the fleet of pocket rocket racers are all moored together on one pontoon.

At A Glance – Beneteau First 211 Specifications

LOA: 6.2m (20ft 4in)

Draught: 1.8m to 0.65m (5ft 11in to 2ft 2in)

Displacement: 1,100kg (2,200lb)

LWL: 6m (19ft 7in)

ARCHITECT
• Finot Conq et Associés

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