Displaying items by tag: Dun Laoghaire East Pier

9th December 2018

Repair Work Shows Extent of Storm Damage to Dun Laoghaire's East Pier

Repairs are underway to the East Pier that was damaged in March's Storm Emma. The extent of the damage is visible from this landward photograph that reveals a breach in the harbour wall close to the bandstand area.

There was 'substantial damage' to Dun Laoghaire's East Pier following Storm Emma.

Dublin harbours bore the brunt of the easterly storm when high seas caused flooding and infrastructural damage with the damage to the country's largest man made harbour revealed in these pictures here.

The bad news for the harbour, following its bicentenary year, came as Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council recommended the dissolution of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company and the transfer of its assets to the local authority that has since been completed.

Published in Dun Laoghaire Harbour News

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Dun Laoghaire East Pier

11th October 2011

Dun Laoghaire’s Maritime Museum Set for Re-Opening

The 'soft' re-opening of the Maritime Institute of Ireland's (M.I.I.) renovated maritime museum in Dun Laoghaire is this Sunday, though the opening is dependent to fire officer's approval, writes Jehan Ashmore.

For several years the museum has been closed due to extensive renovation that was urgently required in the former Mariners Church built in 1837. In 1971 the church closed and the museum moved into the building in 1976. The church retains many of the original features, including the prisoner's docks in the gallery and magnificent stained glass windows. Externally the building has also undergone external renovation with extensive cleaning of the structure's stonework.

It is situated between the town's main shopping thoroughfare on Georges Street Upper and Dun Laoghaire Harbour's East Pier. If you are arriving to Dun Laoghaire by DART, why not take the short stroll to the museum along The 'Metals' as far as the Christ the King sculpture opposite the East Pier. From here there are steps that lead up to Haigh Terrace and the museum.

At the end of this month the M.I.I. will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its foundation and it is the intention of the voluntary run museum to 'officially' re-open in March 2012.

To read more about the renovation programme click HERE. If you would like to assist through voluntary work, fund-raising activities or make a donation in addition to keeping abreast of the latest developments visit www.mariner.ie

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Published in Dublin Bay

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5th October 2011

Marine Institute Research Vessels On Rare Double Calls to Dublin Bay Ports

On a rare occasion both the Marine Institute's research vessels docked in both Dublin Bay ports today, normally these vessels operate mostly off the western seaboard and using their home-port of Galway Harbour, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 65m RV Celtic Explorer (2002 /2,425grt) made an early morning call to Dublin Port's Ocean Pier. Her smaller fleet-mate RV Celtic Voyager (1996/340grt) made a midday arrival to Dun Laoghaire Harbour's East Pier. She moored at the same berth last month, as previously reported on Afloat.ie The larger vessel has a greater range capability while the smaller vessel covers more inshore-work throughout the Irish coastline.

According to the vessels survey schedules, RV Celtic Explorer had today completed fisheries demersal surveys which started in Galway on 23 September. The near fortnight-long survey was conducted in the ICES area VI, under the direction of chief scientist, Dave Stokes.

On Friday she embarks on a herring acoustic survey which is to take place in the Celtic Sea and the south-west. This survey will be under chief scientist Ciaran O'Donnell and is to de-mobilise in Cork on 27 October. To read more about her 2011 survey programme click HERE.

Across Dublin Bay in neighbouring Dun Laoghaire, the 31m RV Celtic Voyager is currently nearing the end of a month-long hydrography survey of the Celtic Sea. The survey had started in Howth Harbour on 17 September under chief scientist Kevin Sheehan. For the time-being she remains moored in Dun Laoghaire prior to resuming survey work which will continue until the vessel de-mobilises in Rosslare in mid-October. To find out more about her remaining surveys for this year click HERE.

On the surveys outlined they are conducted on behalf of Marine Institute scientists, though the vessels are also allocated ship-time for use of third parties. These include government departments and agencies, universities, research institutes and industry. For further information on the research vessels, survey schedules etc can be found by visiting: www.marine.ie/home/Research+Vessels.htm

Published in Marine Science

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13th August 2011

French OPV ‘Guard-ship’ to Follow Figaro Fleet From Dun Laoghaire

Tomorrow morning walkers at Dun Laoghaire Harbour's pier-heads will have close-up views of the departing Solitaire du Figaro race fleet and a French Navy patrol vessel, writes Jehan Ashmore.

At 11 o'clock the third race-leg heads for Les Sables d'Olonne, Vendée, a distance of 475 miles. They will be accompanied by the (OPV) offshore patrol vessel PSP Cormoran (P677) which is scheduled to depart in advance at 10 o'clock so to allow the boats to gather in Dublin Bay. From there the PSP Cormoran will act as an escort 'guard-ship'. A role in which she has been engaged since the prestigious solo-sailor race started a fortnight ago.

The 447 tonnes OPV provides communication liaison and assistance should the forty six sailors require during the arduous race including SAR. As such the vessel can deploy a rapid response high speed RIB-craft from an internal dock-well located at the stern.

Otherwise the RIB is used to board fishing vessels as part of fishery monitoring duties and patrolling France's Exclusive Economic Zone out to 200 nautical miles (370 km). She is a Flamant class OPV and was built in 1997 by the Cherbourg based shipyard Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie. The 54m/177-ft craft is equipped with two 12.7mm machine guns.

As Dun Laoghaire is the only international port of call during the four-leg stages of the 1,695 nautical miles (3,390kms) the hosting of the Irish harbour is a welcomed boost to the sailing community and the local economy. Leading off the Carlisle Pier are pontoons where the one-design boats are moored and opposite is the East Pier jetty berth where the PSP Cormoran is docked.

Also at the East Pier is a festival market which is part of the Festival des Bateaux. The three-day festival ends tomorrow and was organised by the race-hosts the National Yacht Club, the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. For further festival details click HERE.

The presence of a foreign naval visitor to the harbour was more commonplace particularly during festivals held in the 1980's. In addition to the French, navies from Belgium, The Netherlands were regular festival participants.

Published in Navy

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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.