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Displaying items by tag: Ketch Ilen

#LectureILEN - "The Ketch Ilen-Ireland's Sole Surviving Sail Trader" will be the public lecture presented by Gary Mac Mahon next Thursday (7 November) in the Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club, Ringsend.

The talk which forms the members of Les Glénans & friends 2013/2014 lecture series starts at 20.00hrs in the Dublin docklands venue noting an entry fee of €5 in aid of the RNLI.

Ilen is a 56-ft sailing ketch that was built in 1926 in the Baltimore Fishery School Boatyard for the Falkland Islands Company. She was designed and sailed to the Falkland Islands by Conor O'Brien who in 1925 was the first Irishman to complete a circumnavigation of the world in the 42-ft ketch, Saoirse, also built in Baltimore.

The Ilen served seventy years as a trading vessel in the tempestuous seas of the South Atlantic before being brought back to Ireland in 1998.

Now being restored, she is the focal point for a remarkable maritime project embracing the A.K. Ilen School for wooden boatbuilding in Limerick and Hegarty's boatyard in Oldcourt.

Gary McMahon, in his illustrated presentation, will provide the background to the return of the Ilen to Ireland and the founding of the A.K. Ilen Company with Anthony Keane OSB.

It is an Irish-registered charity dedicated to education through the medium of sailing, very much in the spirit of the original aims of Glénans

Gary is a keen offshore sailor who publishes maritime books through the A.K. Ilen Company and will include Conor O'Brien and his exploits on Saoirse in his lecture.

For further details on this lecture contact: 087 2129614 and details for the Poolbeg Yacht, Boat Club & Marina visit: www.poolbegmarina.ie

 

Published in Ilen

About the TP52 Racing Yacht

The TP52 racing yacht is a remarkable example of cutting-edge technology in the world of competitive yachting. Measuring 52 feet (15.85 metres) in length, this vessel is constructed entirely from carbon fibre, making it an incredibly light and agile craft.

The TP52 features a 6.25-metre high rig, complete with a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker and a self-tacking jib. This design reduces the workload of the crew, allowing for more efficient manoeuvres and freeing up the crew to focus on the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The spinnaker rigging set-up, measuring 15.00 m2, presents a challenge to even the most experienced crews, requiring them to be fit and perfectly coordinated. Maneuvering the boat requires athleticism due to the vessel's lack of inherent stability and the high speed generated by the fully battened mainsail and jib.

The TP52's hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout, resulting in a weight of just 74kg. The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is made up of three parts, featuring an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease overall weight. The capsizing moment, which can be generated by a heavy mast tip, is also reduced through this design. The TP52's foils are constructed from either aluminium or fibreglass, depending on the specific requirements of the vessel.

Overall, the TP52 racing yacht is an exceptional example of the latest advancements in yacht design and technology. Its lightweight construction, advanced rigging, and high-speed capabilities make it a top contender in the world of competitive yachting, challenging even the most skilled and experienced crews.