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Stena Line’s latest addition to its expanding Irish Sea ferry fleet, Stena Vision, has departed a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland following a major refit investment programme and is bound for Rosslare Europort.

The 39,178 gross tonnage cruise ferry for the Ireland-France route as previously reported is due to go into service on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route on 30th June.

Stena Vision is the company’s additional cruise ferry on the Rosslare to Cherbourg service, where it will operate alongside the Stena Horizon. The second ship will increase service frequency on the route to six departure days providing 12 sailings per week, the most frequent ferry service between Ireland and the European Continent.

Paul Grant, Trade Director Stena Line said: “We are delighted to confirm that Stena Vision has now started on its journey to Rosslare. The ship has undergone a major refit investment and we are in the process of finalising last minute preparations in advance of commencing services on Rosslare-Cherbourg on 30th June, just in time for the peak summer holiday period.”

Stena Vision   – The 39,178 gross tonnage cruise ferry for the Ireland-France route as previously reported is due to go into service on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route on 30th JuneStena Vision – The 39,178 gross tonnage cruise ferry for the Ireland-France route is due to go into service on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route on 30th June

The addition of Stena Vision to the Ireland-France route, will provide Stena Line with a significant increase in capacity operating alongside Stena Horizon. Stena Vision will have space for 1,300 passengers and 485 passenger cabins, more than any other ferry currently sailing from Ireland. It will offer a wide selection of accommodation ranging from standard cabins to deluxe suites and also offers 42 pet friendly cabins.

Paul Grant added: “The introduction of Stena Vision is also welcome news for the freight sector, which has seen demand grow for direct services to France for hauliers since Brexit. Stena Vision will also increase driver accompanied capacity with more cabin space for freight drivers.”

Stena Line routes including, combined passenger and freight services from Belfast to Cairnryan and Liverpool, Dublin to Holyhead, and Rosslare to Fishguard routes. In addition to a dedicated freight only route from Belfast to Heysham with a total of up to 238 weekly sailing options between Britain and Ireland.

Published in Stena Line

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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