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Displaying items by tag: Banana Boats

#PORT OF CORK – Global shipping giant Maersk Line recently started their first ever direct service to Ireland with a new liner service calling to the Port of Cork and sees the return of the 'banana' trade not last seen in port since the 1970's, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The older 'banana' boats or reefers that used to serve Cork may be long gone but the Danish owned Maersk Line will be operating an impressive  pool of eight large contiainerships. They will bring leading banana brands from Central American ports to Europe  with Cork being the first port of call in Europe. The liner service starts in the Mexican port of Vera Cruz and includes calls to Costa Rica, Belize, Panama before reaching Cork.

One of the vessels Maersk Nolanville (2004/26,833grt) last week docked in Ringaskiddy Deepwater Terminal, is one of  the largest of her type to be accommodated in the port. At 700m long, a beam over 30m and drawing a draft exceeding 10m the South Korean built vessel was too large to berth at the ports Tivoli Container Terminal further upriver on the Lee.

Maersk Nolanville and her fleet-mates will operate with a weekly call to Cork on Thursdays, where quayside cranes in Ringaskiddy will handle the 2,500 (TEU) capacity vessels including around 800 refrigerated containers containing perishable tropical fruits.

Asides bananas the vessels will import other cargoes, with the containerships also calling to Tilbury in the UK and Rotterdam and with exports on the return leg of the long trans-Atlantic voyage home.

Published in Port of Cork

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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