Displaying items by tag: Northern season

2nd April 2022

First Cruise Ship to Belfast Harbour of 2022 Arrives As Tourism Industry Anticipates Bumper Holiday Season

Viking Venus arriving on Belfast Harbour yesterday, Friday. Afloat adds the 930 capacity cruiseship with more than 700 passengers, marked the first caller to the North since the pandemic began more than two years ago. The ship on Tuesday called offshore to Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The first cruise ship to Belfast Harbour for the 2022 season arrived on Friday, with the tourism industry anticipating a bumper season after taking a massive hit from Covid-19.

The Viking Venus, a 930-passenger vessel owned by Viking Cruises, is the first of 130 cruise ships expected to bring up to 340,000 visitors to Belfast in 2022.

Belfast is a stop on Viking Cruises’ 15-day voyage between London and Bergen in Norway (which included a tender call of Dun Laoghaire Harbour)

Belfast Harbour said 18 of the cruise ships would be first-time visitors, and many would visit on multiple occasions. In total, there are 50 vessels from 33 cruise lines due to arrive.

Newcomers include the Ambassador Ambience from British cruise line, Ambassador, and Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess and Island Princess.

Michael Robinson, Belfast Harbour’s port director, said: “Following two challenging years for tourism, the team at Belfast Harbour is thrilled to have 130 cruise vessels booked for arrival at our port in 2022.

Further coverage the Belfast Telegraph reports.

Published in Cruise Liners

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SB20 (formerly Laser SB3) information

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

The Laser SB3 was designed by Castro and launched in 2002. In 2007 the Laser SB3 was awarded ISAF Recognised Status and the first World Championships were held in Ireland in 2008. In 2012, Tony Castro appointed a new builder, Sportsboat World. At this time, the Laser SB3 was renamed the SB20 and building was returned to the UK from Malaysia. The ethos of the class continues.

The boat is a strict one-design class, economic to buy and campaign, easy to sail with a simple deck layout and electric downwind performance delivered by the generous sail plan. The boat has a lifting keel, can easily be launched from a slipway and towed behind a family car.

Previous SB20 World Champions

2008 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan

Host National Yacht Club, Dun laoghaire, Ireland

2009 GBR: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heeley

Host Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

2010 GBR: Jerry Hill, Grant Rollerson, Joe Llewellyn

Host Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy

2011 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Andy Ramus, Ian Mills & Emma Clarke

Host Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Torquay, UK

2012 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Lesley Dhonau, Roger Hudson & Asenathi Jim

Host Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Queensland, Australia

2013 GRB: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heley Host COYCH Club, Hyeres, France