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Displaying items by tag: Passenger Facilities

A call from Irish hauliers to ferry operators to shut all bars and restaurants at sea and to provide room service to individual drivers in their own cabins to keep them shielded from Covid-19, reported Independent.ie

The Freight Transport Association of Ireland (FTAI) issued its appeal as Brittany Ferries which Afloat also reported on Monday, became the first operator to suspend some of its sea links with the island.

FTAI general manager Aidan Flynn said truck drivers were critical for ensuring that agri-food and other essential supplies travel uninterrupted between Ireland, Britain and Europe.

Mr Flynn said ferry firms should “prioritise the safety and welfare of commercial drivers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their safety should take precedence to ensure our supply chain is protected at all costs.”

The association wants ferries to provide all passengers - but particularly lorry drivers - their own individual cabins and to deliver meals and drinks directly to those cabins. It says all bars and restaurants should be shut to reduce potential virus transmission.

For more on this story which refers to other ferry operators, click here and whenever the newspaper (homepage) has more and in addition to their 'Travel News' here.

Afloat has listed the ferry operators websites below with an important range of travel advice and information with FAQ relating to Covid-19.

Irish Ferries and for sailing updates by clicking here

Stena Line and for sailing updates click here

Brittany Ferries for sailing updates here 

It is strongly advised to consult these operators frequently for updates.

In addition to consulting the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFA) website HERE for the latest advice on travelling overseas and from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) HERE (re: Ireland) and also HERE.

According to today's TheJournal.ie as of midnight tonight, Ryanair flight schedules will be cut by over 80%. The airline says that almost all of its flights (“if not all”) will be grounded next week, from midnight of Tuesday, 24 March. 

Published in Ferry

Waszp sailing

The Waszp project was conceived in 2010 by Andrew McDougall, designer of the world-beating Mach 2 foiling Moth. 

The Waszp was created as a strict one-design foiler, where, as the class says “the true test when raced is between crews and not boats and equipment”.

The objective of the class rules is to ensure that this concept is maintained. Keeping possible modifications to a minimum ensures fair racing across the fleet, helps to reduce the overall cost to the sailor and reduces the amount of time in the workshop. 

The popularity of the WASZP has proven that the boat and the concept work. In October 2021, 1237 boats had been sold to over 45 countries. 

The top speed recorded on the foiling dinghy is 26.7 knots. 

60-95kgs+ is a weight range competitive across varied conditions with rigs knowns as ‘8.2’ and ‘6.9’.

The cost of a Moth dinghy in Europe is €14,400 inc VAT + shipping according to the manufacturers in October 2021.