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A new Maritime Mile Treasure Trail has been launched in Belfast Harbour bringing an exciting outdoor family experience aimed at encouraging locals and visitors to explore the city port's historic waterfront.

The joint initiative is between the Titanic Foundation and Belfast Harbour where the trail provides a waterfront experience for visitors to explore Belfast’s maritime & industrial heritage.

Titanic Foundation, the charity set up to preserve and promote Belfast’s maritime and industrial heritage including the development of Titanic Belfast, collaborated with Belfast Harbour on the trail. It was developed as part of the Foundation’s commitment to the development and promotion of Belfast’s iconic heritage waterfront as a seamless, accessible and vibrant destination for local people and visitors.

The treasure trail, which is available now until 6th November, is free!

There are 18 stops along Belfast’s iconic waterfront with questions, clues, facts and challenges all of which can be easily found on a series of information panels along the self-guided route.

There will be weekly prize draws as well as a main prize draw of a specially commissioned Maritime Mile painting by local artist and former Harland & Wolff employee Colin H. Davidson. There’s also a mini explorers version of the trail, with prizes also available. Everyone who completes the experience will get their very own Maritime Mile certificate.

For further information on the Maritime Mile Treasure Trail visit www.maritime-mile.com Follow Maritime Mile on Facebook and  Instagram  #MaritimeMile.

Published in Belfast Lough

#belfastlough - Belfast Harbour Commissioners has announced that ITV Broadcasting, owners of UTV are the latest tenant for its new £250 million City Quays 2 office development.

City Quays 2 is a new office led development of 20 acres on Belfast's waterfront. UTV is to relocate from its previous home at Havelock House which has been the local broadcasters base since its launch in Northern Ireland in 1959. 

Belfast firm McLaughlin & Harvey has been appointed to fit-out the 11,400 sq ft space and create a modern broadcasting centre complete with HD studio, editing technology and office space for all of UTV’s staff. In addition to Grade ‘A’ office space, City Quays 2 will also include a four-star hotel operated by AC Marriott and a 900-space multi-storey car park.

UTV, which is taking the top floor of City Quays 2, is expected to begin broadcasting from its new studios in the summer of 2018.

Welcoming the move, Graeme Johnston, Belfast Harbour’s Property Director, said: “To confirm a household name such as ITV as the first tenant for City Quays 2 is excellent news and a great reflection on the flexibility of the office space available.”

“Other cities such as Manchester have benefitted from the creation of media quarters such as MediaCityUK and there is the potential to replicate that success here. NBC Universal is already based in City Quays 1, the Belfast Telegraph is located nearby in Clarendon Dock and both the Belfast Harbour Film Studios and Titanic Studios are within easy reach.”

“City Quays 2 has been one of the largest speculative office developments in Northern Ireland in recent years and could ultimately accommodate 1,000 workers.”

Speaking earlier in the year Terry Brennan, Head of News and Programming at UTV said: “We are delighted to have secured the entire eighth floor of this prestigious new building which is in a prime location in central Belfast for our new UTV headquarters. We can see how beneficial this location will be, in terms of the surrounding amenities and transport links for our modern news operation.

“This is also a significant milestone in UTV’s history and represents a multi-million pound investment by ITV since it acquired UTV just over a year ago. We aim to be operational at the new site by the middle of next year, when the detailed technical work will be complete to fit out the new HD studios, edit suites, corporate offices and news, administration, finance and sales areas for our staff.”

Published in Belfast Lough

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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