Displaying items by tag: Prince Albert of Monaco

29th March 2011

Prince Albert II of Monaco to Visit Marine Institute

Prince Albert II of Monaco is to make a state visit to Ireland next week which is to include a tour of the Marine Institute in Co. Galway, according to Department of Foreign Affairs, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The three-day visit is to mark the 50th anniversary of the visit of his late parents, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace in 1961. The Hollywood actress had ancestors from Newport, Co. Mayo. Accompanying his serene highness, will be his his fiancée, Charle Wittstock and a trade delegation.

Prince Albert's visit to the Marine Institute headquarters in Oranmore will be held on the final day of the visit on 6 April. Prior to that the prince will hold meetings with An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, minister for the marine, Simon Coveney, minister for the environment, Phil Hogan and Dublin's Lord Mayor, Gerry Breen.

The Head of Monaco will open an exhibition in honour of his late mother at Farmleigh House and the prince will host a reception to highlight Irish literature and art. In addition to honouring the royal visit a state dinner will be held by President Mary McAleese.

The world's second smallest state is home to the Musée Océanographique de Monaco which has an impressive collection of aquariums. Though the principality is more synonymous with the hosting of Formula 1 Grand Prix. The event is at the end of May and is expected to attract a higher than usual number of cruiseships totalling 12 cruise-calls.

Mostly they will be on charter and accompanied by mega-yachts which are to dock at the outer pier or anchor offshore and along the French Riviera at Villefranche, Nice and Cannes. At the far side of summer Monte Carlo's Port Hercule is also to host the Monaco Yacht Show in September.

Published in Marine Science

Beneteau 31.7 sailing in Ireland

In Ireland, the Beneteau First 31.7 Ireland One Design Class Association encourages and develop the use of the Beneteau First 31.7 yacht as a one-design keelboat, mainly for racing.

Each year the association stages national championships with boats coming from different sailing across Ireland. The main centre is Dun Laoghaire Harbour where the bulk of the fleet (15 boats) are based at the National Yacht club but are moored at Dun Laoghaire Marina.

The Beneteau 31.7 boat is not new to Dublin Bay, as boats of this size and type have competed in DBSC in the Cruiser 2 class for some years.

However during the 2006 season, due to their increased numbers, DBSC granted the class its own racing start, thereby facilitating one-design racing for this cruiser/racer.

Since then it has become one of the biggest one-design keelboat classes on the Bay.

One-design rules were drawn up to discourage modifications, maintain a level playing field and set a generally ‘Corinthian’ ethos.

To preserve the cruising dimension, the boat races with cushions aboard.

Numbers entered in DBSC have settled down to approx 15-18 boats, and regular Thursday and Saturday attendances over the season are usually of the order of 14 to 16 boats, reflecting good participation by members. Racing is close and competitive.

In addition to scratch results, ECHO results are also posted. This combines the best of both worlds, providing one-design racing which the members like, while also providing an incentive and interest in turning out for those boats who may not always approach podium position on scratch.

At A Glance – Beneteau First 31.7 Specifications

L.O.A 9.61 m
Hull length 9.50 m
L.W.L. 8.80 m
Beam 3.23 m
Draught min (Deep draught keel) Cast iron 1.90 m
Ballast weight (Deep draught keel) 1 025 kg
Air draught (max) 13.90 m
Light displacement (EC) 3 750 kg
Fuel capacity 30 l
Freshwater capacity 160 l
Engine power 21 HP