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Displaying items by tag: Algeria, Africa

Livestock-ship ‘Sarah M’, which remains anchored and empty in the Waterford Estuary off Dunmore East, now appears set to ship cattle to Algeria by the end of this week.

A statement issued this morning by Emerald Isle Beef Producers (EIBF) declared that “the recent technical difficulties regarding the shipment of cattle to Algeria have now been ironed out”.

Stating that the Sarah M is “now scheduled to head to Algeria before the end of the week,” EIBF referred to a “stalemate” between the Department of Agriculture “and the shipping company as regards procedures to be followed for the shipment”.

As the Waterford News & Star previously reported, exporters Roundwood Park Livestock and Premium Livestock postponed the shipment of bulls and bullocks (from Belview-The Port of Waterford) last Friday as it didn’t have a “sufficient quantity of compliant animals for export assembled by then”.

A complication arose due to a difficulty with cattle not being administered a wormer at their farm of origin prior to their scheduled transport, which would have ensured that the required withdrawal period would have been fulfilled prior to slaughter in Algeria.

That this didn’t happen, in what would have been the vessel’s second recent sailing to north Africa, has led to the Sarah M’s sitting empty and moored in the Estuary in the interim.

More on the cattle-ship story reports the Waterford newspaper here. 

Published in Irish Ports

The Half Ton Class was created by the Offshore Racing Council for boats within the racing band not exceeding 22'-0". The ORC decided that the rule should "....permit the development of seaworthy offshore racing yachts...The Council will endeavour to protect the majority of the existing IOR fleet from rapid obsolescence caused by ....developments which produce increased performance without corresponding changes in ratings..."

When first introduced the IOR rule was perfectly adequate for rating boats in existence at that time. However yacht designers naturally examined the rule to seize upon any advantage they could find, the most noticeable of which has been a reduction in displacement and a return to fractional rigs.

After 1993, when the IOR Mk.III rule reached it termination due to lack of people building new boats, the rule was replaced by the CHS (Channel) Handicap system which in turn developed into the IRC system now used.

The IRC handicap system operates by a secret formula which tries to develop boats which are 'Cruising type' of relatively heavy boats with good internal accommodation. It tends to penalise boats with excessive stability or excessive sail area.

Competitions

The most significant events for the Half Ton Class has been the annual Half Ton Cup which was sailed under the IOR rules until 1993. More recently this has been replaced with the Half Ton Classics Cup. The venue of the event moved from continent to continent with over-representation on French or British ports. In later years the event is held biennially. Initially, it was proposed to hold events in Ireland, Britain and France by rotation. However, it was the Belgians who took the ball and ran with it. The Class is now managed from Belgium. 

At A Glance – Half Ton Classics Cup Winners

  • 2017 – Kinsale – Swuzzlebubble – Phil Plumtree – Farr 1977
  • 2016 – Falmouth – Swuzzlebubble – Greg Peck – Farr 1977
  • 2015 – Nieuwport – Checkmate XV – David Cullen – Humphreys 1985
  • 2014 – St Quay Portrieux – Swuzzlebubble – Peter Morton – Farr 1977
  • 2013 – Boulogne – Checkmate XV – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1985
  • 2011 – Cowes – Chimp – Michael Kershaw – Berret 1978
  • 2009 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978
  • 2007 – Dun Laoghaire – Henri-Lloyd Harmony – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1980~
  • 2005 – Dinard – Gingko – Patrick Lobrichon – Mauric 1968
  • 2003 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978

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