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Displaying items by tag: Maiden Cork call

#CruiseLiners - Disney Magic made a maiden call to the Port of Cork this morning. 

The Port of Cork welcomed the Disney Magic on the maiden call to Cobh, as part of Disney Cruise Line’s new seven-night British Isles cruise. Capable of holding 2,713 guests and 950 crew, the Disney Magic is designed primarily with the family in mind.

To mark the Disney Magic’s maiden call and to ensure a warm welcome for the passengers to Cobh, a number of free family focused events will take place from 2.30pm on the promenade in Cobh. These include an outdoor ball pool trailer, balloon modelling, face painting, a ‘Tony Balone’ magic show and family friendly music on the bandstand. The Cobh Confraternity Band will play on the bandstand as the liner departs and Disney Cruise Line has confirmed as a special bonus; the Disney characters will be out on deck to wave goodbye as the liner passes the promenade in Cobh.

Chief Executive Brendan Keating said: ‘Welcoming the Disney Magic to Cork is a real honour for the Port of Cork and we look forward to further calls from this admired cruise line.’

Disney Cruise Line described Cork as ‘home to a vibrant culinary scene and a plethora of pubs, shops and cafes. It invites visitors to connect with Ireland’s ancient past, with historic sites like Blarney Castle, where visitors can kiss the famed Blarney Stone.’

Following a request by Disney Cruise Line the Deep-water Quay in Cobh will be closed to the public from 2pm until the Disney Magic departs at 6.15pm. The Port of Cork is encouraging anyone coming to Cobh to see the ship to view it from the High Road or promenade, and to follow traffic signs for parking in the town.

Published in Cruise Liners

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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