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Displaying items by tag: from March, 2023

Brittany Ferries has today confirmed that it will re-open its Rosslare-Le Havre service and for 'passengers' on the Ireland-France link.

As Afloat reported the route has been run in freight-only mode, since the Covid crisis struck. As of today, 20th December, passenger tickets have gone on sale, for journeys taking place from early March 2023. 

Passengers will travel on Brittany Ferries ropax Cotentin which has space for up to 114 passengers in well-appointed cabins. Cotentin hosts a self-service restaurant, bar and small shop. Up to 30 dogs can be accommodated on the route (travelling in vehicle).

“This is great news for travellers in Ireland and for Rosslare,” said Hugh Bruton, General Manager of Brittany Ferries in Ireland. “Once again, Brittany Ferries will connect travellers with three destinations in France and one in Spain - offering a variety of options and choice.”

“Le Havre is a fantastic destination in itself. It’s a Unesco World Heritage Site renowned for the towering St Joseph’s Church, famous gardens and a fantastic beach, which is one of its best kept secrets. But Le Havre is also gateway to the Seine Maritime region and the many treasures this area holds, such as the famous arch of Etretat.”

As well as Rosslare Europort– Le Havre, the ferry will carry passengers on the English Channel route of Le-Havre-Portsmouth. The ship's schedule includes one round-trip to each destination:

Friday

Le Havre-Rosslare : departure 19h00 – Arrival 14h30

Saturday

Rosslare-Le Havre : departure 17h45 – Arrival15h00

Sunday and Thursday

Le Havre – Portsmouth : departure 17h30 – Arrival 22h00

Portsmouth - Le Havre : departure 23h30 - Arriva 08h30

Published in Brittany Ferries

The Star keelboat is a 6.9 metres (23 ft) one-design racing keelboat for two people designed by Francis Sweisguth in 1910.

The Star was an Olympic keelboat class from 1932 through to 2012, the last year keelboats appeared at the Summer Olympics at which Ireland's representatives were Peter O'Leary and David Burrows.

Ireland has performed well in the class internationally thanks to some Olympic campaigns including a bronze medal at the Star World Championships in 2000, won by Mark Mansfield and David O'Brien.

The boat is sloop-rigged, with a mainsail larger in proportional size than any other boat of its length. Unlike most modern racing boats, it does not use a spinnaker when sailing downwind. Instead, when running downwind a whisker pole is used to hold the jib out to windward for correct wind flow.

Early Stars were built from wood, but modern boats are of fibreglass and carbon construction.

The boat must weigh at least 671 kg (1,479 lb) with a maximum total sail area of 26.5 m2 (285 sq ft).

The Star class pioneered an unusual circular boom vang track, which allows the vang to effectively hold the boom down even when the boom is turned far outboard on a downwind run.

Another notable aspect of Star sailing is the extreme hiking position adopted by the crew and at times the helmsman, who normally use a harness to help hang low off the windward side of the boat with only their lower legs inside.

At A Glance – Star Specifications

Designer Francis Sweisguth
Year 1910
Crew 2 (Skipper + Crew)
S + 1.5 C ≤ 250 kg (550 lb)[1]
Draft 1.016 m (3 ft 4 in)
Hull Type keelboat
Hull weight ≥ 671 kg (1,479 lb)
(including keel)
LOA 6.922 m (22 ft 9 in)
LWL 4.724 m (15 ft 6 in)
Beam 1.734 m (5 ft 8 in) at deck
1.372 m (4 ft 6 in) at chine
Hull appendages
Keel/board type bulb keel
401.5 ± 7 kg (885 ± 15 lb)
Rig
Rig type sloop
Mast length 9.652 m (31 ft 8 in)
Sails
Mainsail area 20.5 m2 (221 sq ft)
Jib/genoa area  6.0 m2 (65 sq ft)
Upwind sail area ≤ 26.5 m2 (285 sq ft)

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