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Glen Sannox, the massively delayed Scottish ferry for operator CalMac, will need nearly two months of further tests before the 1,000 passenger capacity vessel can enter service on the Firth of Clyde.

In addition the duel-fuelled powered ferry which is to serve the Isle of Arran route, will also have to undergo "extensive” sea trials prior to completion by shipyard Ferguson Marine which John Swinney related to MSPs last week.

CalMac, has confirmed to The Scotsman, of the duration of the additional “familiarisation and network trials” that will be required before the hybrid newbuild will be able to operate on the Ardrossan-Brodick route.

Such trials of the 102m newbuild is likely to increase the pressure to have the new ferry ready for next year’s summer season after Deputy First Minister announced a further delivery delay at the shipyard owned by the Scottish government.

The delay at the Clydeside shipyard, is now to see the 16.5 knot ferry enter from May to this autumn, if not the end of the year.

A twin of Glen Sannox, the as-yet unnamed hull (#802) to operate between Uig, Harris and North Uist, will also be delayed, from March 2024 to “late summer”, if not the end of the year.

According to spending watchdog, Audit Scotland they expect the project to cost at least £293 million – this amount is three times the cost of the original contract and as Afloat reported the Glen Sannox was due to enter service in 2018.

More here on the shipbuilding story. 

Published in Shipyards

The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with well over 14,000 boats built.

The class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and parts of north-eastern USA, and the GP14 can be used for both racing and cruising. 

Designed by Jack Holt in 1949, with the assistance of the Dovey Yacht Club in Aberdyfi. The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14-foot dinghy which could be sailed or rowed, capable of also being powered effectively by a small outboard motor, able to be towed behind a small family car and able to be launched and recovered reasonably easily, and stable enough to be able to lie to moorings or anchor when required. Racing soon followed, initially with some degree of opposition from Yachting World, who had commissioned the design, and the boat soon turned out to be an outstanding racing design also.

The boat was initially designed with a main and small jib as a comfortable family dinghy. In a design philosophy that is both practical and highly redolent of social attitudes of the day the intention was that she should accommodate a family comprising parents plus two children, and specifically that the jib should be modest enough for "Mum" or older children to handle, while she should perform well enough to give "Dad" some excitement when not taking the family out. While this rig is still available, and can be useful when using the boat to teach sailing, or for family sailing, and has some popularity for cruising, the boat is more commonly seen with the full modern rig of a mainsail, genoa and spinnaker. Australian boats also routinely use trapezes.

GP14 Ireland Event Dates 2023

  • O'Tiarnaigh (Apr 22-23) Blessington Sailing Club
  • Ulsters (May 20-21) East Antrim Boat Club
  • Munsters (Jun 17-18) Tralee Bay Sailing Club
  • Leinsters (Jul 7-9) Dun Laoghaire Regatta
  • SOYC (Aug 19-20) Rush Sailing Club
  • Nationals (Sep 1-3) Sutton Dinghy Club
  • Hot Toddy (Sep 30-Oct 1) Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

 

At A Glance – GP14 Dinghy Specifications

Crew 2
Draft 1,200 mm (47 in)
Hull weight 132.9 kg
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m
Spinnaker area 8.4 m2
Upwind sail area 12.85 m2

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