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Displaying items by tag: Passengers (Irish)

Passengers from Ireland are among those on board a cruiseship which docked in Cambodia last week with confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

According to The Irish Times, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney speaking on Tuesday morning, confirmed the presence of the Irish nationals on the MS Westerdam. He also confirmed there were additional Irish passengers aboard the Diamond Princess off Tokyo.

“There is a second cruise ship off Cambodia, we’re working with Irish nationals on both of those ships to make sure they’re safe. And if they’re in quarantine [there] to make sure those conditions are safe,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently offering consular services to those affected and establishing whether anyone requires medical attention.

“We are talking with our European partners about how, or if, they will get home,” Mr Coveney added.

The total number of Irish passport-holders on board the two ships is not yet clear but is understood to be below ten.

The Westerdam was refused access to several international ports before being allowed to dock in Cambodia last week after which passengers were permitted to disembark. Mr Coveney said “some Irish” were among them.

More on this story here, including several Irish citizens as alluded on board Diamond Princess. 

About Quarter Tonners

The Quarter Ton Class is a sailing class of the International Offshore Rule racing the Quarter Ton Cup between 1967 and 1996 and from 2005 until today.

The class is sailed by smaller keelboats of similar size and is likely the world's most-produced keelboat class.

The Ton, Half, Quarter, etc. 'classes' were each given a 'length' and yacht designers had almost free rein to work the hull shapes and measurements to achieve the best speed for that nominal length.

The Ton Rules produced cranky and tender boats without actual downwind speed. Measurement points created weird, almost square hull shapes with longish overhangs.

They were challenging to sail optimally and lost value very quickly as any new wrinkle (e.g. 'bustles') to take advantage of the rule made older boats very quickly uncompetitive.

Although its heyday was 30 years ago, the boat class continues to make its presence felt by holding its own in terms of popularity against some fern race fleets.