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Displaying items by tag: Storm Doris

#StormDoris – A pair of rival ferries have not been able to enter Rosslare Harbour from Wales since this morning due to Storm Doris. The gale to storm force conditions have battered coasts and caused high seas leading to ferry travel disruption throughout the Irish Sea.

For approximately the last seven hours, due to the adverse weather conditions both Irish Ferries and Stena Line ferries have been forced to ride out the storm off the Wexford coast. This has had a knock-on effect as subsequent scheduled sailings in the reverse direction to Wales this morning were cancelled.

Isle of Inishmore and Stena Europe were both due to dock at the Wexford port before 07.00hrs this morning, however the ferries headed as far as the South Arklow buoy. This passage away from Rosslare has been repeated several times by the ferries as they wait for conditions to moderate so to enable berthing at the Wexford ferryport.

The next scheduled sailing for Isle of Inishmore for 20.45 is on time from Rosslare to Pembroke. For the latest information from Irish Ferries routes, click here.

The next scheduled sailing of the Stena Europe at 21.15 is on time from Rosslare to Fishguard. To check the latest sailing updates from Stena Line services, click here.

Further north on the central corridor, Dublin-Holyhead sailings as previously reported were also caught up in the storm. Notably a Stena Line ferry from Holyhead, Stena Adventurer was also unable to enter the capital port due to high winds. Stena Adventurer finally docked at around 12.30.

The next sailing this afternoon of Stena Adventurer from Dublin to Holyhead has been cancelled.

According to the latest information correct at time of posting, Stena Line, (all vehicle passengers) were to be accommodated on Irish Ferries 14:15hrs Epsilon sailing.

As for (foot passengers) they are been accommodated on the 15:10hrs Stena Nordica. For more information contact ferrycheck on +353 (0) 1 907 5300.

For those travelling with P&O information on the Larne-Cairnryan by clicking here. And for Dublin-Liverpool follow this link.

A weather update from Met Eireann can be consulted here 

Published in Ferry

#StormDoris – Travel disruption due to Storm Doris has led to one of the largest ferries on the Irish Sea unable to enter Dublin Port due to the adverse weather conditions.

An attempt however by the 44,000 gross tonnage Stena Adventurer is now estimated to take place around 12.30 this afternoon. Other routes and ferry operators have also been affected with either cancelled sailings and delays arising from the fourth storm of this winter.

Stena Adventurer was scheduled to arrive in Dublin Port at 05.45hrs however high seas have led to a delay of six hours so far. The ferry which can accommodate 1,500 passengers had been circling Dublin Bay but later moved off Bray Head to wait for weather conditions to abate. 

The corresponding return sailing of Stena Adventurer from Dublin of 08.20hrs this morning has been changed to 14.00hrs.

A fleetmate on the Ireland-Wales route, Stena Nordica had cancelled overnight sailings but is scheduled to take up the routine 15.10 sailing this afternoon to Holyhead.

Stena Nordica which used to serve the route had only entered service in recent days to cover the refit dry-docking of Stena Superfast X which is at Harland & Wolff, Belfast.

For the latest information on Stena Line sailing updates and from other routes click here

For Irish Ferries click this link. Noting certain Jonathan Swift fast-craft sailings and those by ropax Epsilon have been cancelled, though the larger flagship Ulysses remains operating as scheduled.

Those intending to travel on P&O’s North Channel route between Larne-Cairnryan click here. For the Dublin-Liverpool route click here.

Met Eireann earlier this morning issued a Marine Weather Warning of Status Orange. The Warning is for gale to storm force west or northwest winds continuing this morning on all coasts of Ireland and on the Irish Sea. For further weather updates click here

Published in Ferry

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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