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Displaying items by tag: fewer passengers

The considerably delayed newbuilds for Scotland ferry operator, Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) which are being built at Ferguson Marine shipyard, Port Glasgow, will it has emerged carry fewer passengers than first envisioned.

As STV reports, the reduction in passenger capacity of the leadship twins, Glen Sannox and recently named Glen Rosa, is in response to safety certification measures as required by the regulator, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

This will see each ferry with a maximum carrying capacity of 1,000 reduced to 852 passengers, a difference of 148 in the original design of the newbuilds, with the first the Glen Sannox Afloat highlights was due to enter service in 2018.

Chief executive of the Scottish Government-owned shipyard, David Tydeman said the cost of the newbuilds has risen further, see previous coverage.

In a letter sent last week to MSP’s, he said Calmac and the agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) were considering a maximum capacity of 852 passengers to accommodate the required number of stairwells and passageways.

On Tuesday, transport minister Fiona Hyslop said CMAL would only take delivery of the newbuilds, once they had been signed off by the MCA, in addition to the regulator, the class society, which surveys ships.

The minister told the Scottish Parliament that all systems including the Liquid National Gas (LNG) propulsion system will need to be completed, something which will require special pipework.

More here on the ongoing ferry 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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