Perfect sailing conditions on the south coast marked the finale of the Marshall Marine Textiles April sailing League at Royal Cork Yacht Club on Saturday writes Claire Bateman.

There was a northerly breeze tempered by the bright sunshine and the cruisers were sent to No. 5 before beating in the harbour to No. 10 and then on to a course that gave them plenty of running, reaching and beating before returning to finish at Grassy. The day was described by Batt O'Leary, winner of IHS, as a wonderful and most enjoyable day of sailing of which there have not been too many so far this season.

Also sailing in the harbour were Fevas and some Laser Radials out for practice. However, the biggest gathering of boats was reserved for the Optimists, with the beginners group having a ball with their Instructors and other more senior Optimist sailors giving a helping hand.

Also in view of the forthcoming Optimist trials next weekend for the International Team, a group of Optimist Sailors from Kinsale Yacht Club were working up and joined with a group from TeamX Training from Dublin who were accompanied by their Coach Denis Passke assisted by Séafra Guilfoyle and they later joined in with the regular Royal Cork Optimist sailors racing under Race Officer Michael McCann.

Hopefully today saw the start of the fine weather for the coming sailing season and the new Optimist Class Captain, Frank Thompson, should be very pleased with the success of the day and the previous weekend highly successful novice intruductory session.

#coastguard – Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has welcomed the opening of a new state-of-the-art Irish Coast Guard facility at Crosshaven in Co. Cork.

The purpose-built facility was developed by the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and the OPW to provide a modern base for Crosshaven Volunteer Coast Guard Unit, as well as a Coast Guard Regional HQ and Training centre. The building can also serve as an emergency management co-ordination centre for use by other statutory services.

Minister Varadkar said: 'The Crosshaven team is made up of 20 local volunteer members and I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank them for their dedication and hard work. They train every week and provide weekly for a 24 hour, seven day emergency response to shoreline and coastal emergencies. I also want to congratulate the volunteers who today received their long-service medals. They are richly deserved'.

The new station was officially opened on behalf of the Government by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney, who also presented long service medals to volunteers drawn from local Coast Guard Units. Following the ceremony a Coast Guard helicopter landed in the vicinity of the station, affording members of the public an opportunity to view the helicopter and to meet the crew.

The largest element of the Crosshaven building is the boathouse or garage area, which is fitted with large roller shutter doors to allow for the rapid response of vehicles and boats. The upper level has an operations room, office and training room.

Following the success of previous events, Meitheal Mara will host the third annual Cork Harbour Summer School on Monday 10th June 2013 at the NCMI [National Maritime College of Ireland], Ringaskiddy.

The Summer School will have stories about seafaring and traditional boat-building and rowing from Ireland and overseas.

Workshops where experiences of maritime projects will be exchanged.

The 3rd Cork Harbour Summer School will be the finale of Ocean to City, Cork's Maritime Festival which will feature a programme of activities from Saturday 1st June to Monday June 11th.

There will be ample time for mingling and exchange of views informally between contributors and audience, which is an integral part of this event.

#corkharbour – With the aim of providing better racing for Cork harbour class three yachts, a new harbour intiative this season attempts to combine up to 30 yachts currently split between different clubs and courses, namely Royal Cork Yacht Club and Cove Sailing Club.

There will be two races held each month between the months of May and September inclusive (Dates and organisng club below),

There is currently between 20 and 30 class three boats racing every week in cork harbour, but unfortunately they are split between different race courses and clubs.

With the combined league organiser Kieran O'Connell says they will be creating a common ground for all to meet up and 'truly explore the potential that class three has in Cork harbour'.

There will be a prize giving dinner in November. 

All boats wishing to get involved in this league please contact Kieran O'Connell via the PDF flyer downloadable below. Closing date for entries is May 10th 2013.

Dates and Organising Club

May 10th Friday night Cobh
May 30th Thursday night RCYC
June 7th Friday night Cobh
June 21st Mid Summer Madness RCYC
July 14th Scora Chps Cobh
July 27th Race to Aghada RCYC
Aug 18th Cobh Peoples Regatta Cobh
Aug 29th Thursday night RCYC
Sept 7th Cobh to Blackrook Cobh
Sept 14th Naval Race RCYC

#portofcork – Ahead of the busy 2013 cruise season, the Port of Cork today announced details of their sister seaport agreement with PortMiami, the "Cruise Capital of the World". The sister seaport agreement will benefit the Port of Cork and PortMiami in collaborating on the exchange of information and ideas, with the intended aim of increasing both cargo and cruise trade between ports.

The Port of Cork can learn a lot from PortMiami, particularly on increasing the number of cruise calls to Cork. On average Port Miami welcomes 4million cruise passengers annually and has seven cruise terminals, while this year the Port of Cork will welcome 60 cruise liners carrying in excess of 100,000 passengers and crew to the region.

Over the last 10 years, the Port of Cork has invested €8 million in upgrading and improving cruise facilities and this has made a major impact on the number of calls, increasing from 35 in 2005 to 60 this year. The Port of Cork has high aims to grow the number of cruise calls to 80 over the next five years and to increase turn-around calls and overnight stays. Learning from PortMiami and sharing knowledge and industry information will assist the Port of Cork in achieving these goals.

The cruise business in Cork is very important for the local economy and increasing calls and overnight stays will help to generate further revenue for the region.

Other benefits of signing a Sister Seaport agreement for both ports are;
•             Commitment to a free and uninhibited exchange of information regarding the cargo and cruise industries in each port, and general marketing research aimed at increasing cruise and cargo traffic between ports.
•             Forming groups that exchange security information with the aim of strengthening the safety of ports worldwide
•             Assisting in the implementation of educational programs that will help foster goodwill between ports
•             Global promotion of both the sister seaport relationship and the advantages of doing business with the sister seaports

While the Port of Cork looks forward to a busy cruise season in 2013, Captain Michael McCarthy Port of Cork Commercial Manager says the sister seaport agreement with Port Miami means a lot for the Port and indeed Cork.

"We attended the largest ever cruise exhibition, Seatrade Miami earlier this year and we were delighted to sign the sister seaport agreement with PortMiami. The benefit of this mutual agreement means we can benchmark our cruise business with PortMiami who have extensive experience in operating cruise terminals. PortMiami is the "Cruise Capital of the World" and they operate very successful turnaround calls for most of the large cruise lines and this is something the Port of Cork hopes to learn from in the future."
Captain McCarthy continued: "In 2012 the Port of Cork had three successful turnaround calls from Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and MSC Cruises and we are aiming to extend this sector of the cruise business."

All cruise vessels that call to Cork are given a very special welcome courtesy of CorkCruise, providing tourist representatives who go on board each vessel, a display of traditional Irish dancing for passengers and a fond farewell on the quayside with a performance by a local brass band. These efforts do not go unnoticed by the passengers and the cruise lines and in 2011 the Port of Cork was awarded two Cruise Insight Awards for 'Best Shore Side Welcome' and 'Best Tour Guides'.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney TD will officiate at the opening of a new Coast Guard building tomorrow afternoon in Crosshaven.

The purpose built facility will serve as a Base for Crosshaven Volunteer Coast Guard Unit, as well as a Coast Guard Regional HQ and Training centre. The building can also serve as an emergency management co-ordination centre for use by other statutory services.

Minister Coveney will also present long service medals to Coast Guard volunteers drawn from local Coast Guard Units.

After the ceremony a Coast Guard helicopter will land in the vicinity of the station affording members of the public an opportunity to view the helicopter and meet the crew.

#NATOnavalVisitors – A flotilla of naval vessels from NATO's Standing Mine Countermeasures Force are on a visit to Cork this bank holiday weekend following a fortnight of exercises, writes Jehan Ashmore.

More than 300 sailors from the following European navies; Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Poland have docked along the city's central quays. They arrived into Cork Harbour on Thursday under the escort of the Naval Service's OPV L.E. Aisling (P23) which too had tied-up on the city quays.

The naval flotilla will be open to  the public between (2-5pm) on Sunday and Monday.

Since the start of this year, the force group six-strong mine-clearance flotilla, have carried out operations throughout the Baltic, North Sea and the Low Countries.

Next Tuesday, the flotilla are heading to UK waters followed by Faroese Islands and Iceland and in the north Atlantic, an area where the NATO force task group were first deployed having been formed in 1973.

The current operations are not just to make shipping safe from recovering explosives devices dating from the last two world wars but are also to combat international terrorism threats from the sea.

Among the eclectic looking naval ships is the Norwegian Navy's HNOMS HINNOEY (M343) -scroll down the page.This mine-clearance catamaran craft and her fleetmates (see list below) are berthed along the north and south quays close to the Port of Cork Company headquarters.

BNS BELLIS (M916) –Belgium Navy
HNLMS URK (M861) -Royal Netherlands Navy
FGS WEILHEIM (M1059) –German Navy
ORP CZERNICKI (511) – Polish Navy (noting NATO symbol on funnel)
ORP CZAJKA (624) –Polish Navy
HNOMS HINNOEY (M343) – Norwegian Navy

NATO which stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an alliance of countries from Europe and North America.

The organization provides a unique link between these two continents for consultation and cooperation in the field of defence and security, and the conduct of multinational crisis-management operations.

#rnli – Recently retired Port of Cork Harbour Master, Captain Pat Farnan was thanked by Crosshaven RNLI at a special presentation at the lifeboat station on Wednesday night.
Operations Manager, Alan Barton thanked Pat, who retired from the company after 33 years, for his help and support of the RNLI in Crosshaven since the station's inception in 2000.

#portofcork – Cork businessman John Mullins has been formally appointed as Chairman of the Port of Cork by the Minister of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, T.D. today (1 March 2013) and will commence a five year term immediately.

Mullins was most recently Chief Executive of Bord Gáis Eireann, a role which he held for 5 years until he resigned in December 2012 to set up his own consultancy and to pursue other business interests.

Commenting on his appointment, John Mullins said "I am honoured with the trust placed in me by Minister Varadkar. I look forward to my new role as Chairman of the Port of Cork, particularly at
this crucial period for the company as it advances proposals for new infrastructure required to service business for the next twenty years. I strongly believe that the Port of Cork is central to a brighter economic future for the Munster region and the Irish economy as a whole, given the value it brings in moving goods to market for both customers and businesses. As one of Ireland's core ports, I will work to ensure that the Port of Cork continues to grow and improve competitiveness."

Brendan Keating, Chief Executive of the Port of Cork said "John brings extensive experience to his role as Chairman and we are confident that he will provide excellent leadership for the port in the coming years. He will provide valuable assistance with the growth of the business and the development of port facilities as we consolidate our position as the premier port in the South of Ireland".

John Mullins takes over as Port of Cork Chairman from Dermot O'Mahoney, whose term ended in September 2012.

#TallShips - What was the HMS Bounty doing in the middle of Hurricane Sandy? It's a question that Kathryn Miles - author of a book on the history of the Jeanie Johnston - attempts to answer for Outside magazine.

As reported last October on Afloat.ie, the tall ship replica of the 18th-century square-rigged vessel - and a previous visitor to Irish shores - was sunk in the Atlantic some 100 miles off Cape Fear, forcing its crew into liferafts.

The ship's captain Robin Walbridge went missing in the incident and is presumed dead.

According to Outside, the ship has has a tumultuous history since its construction for the 1960 Hollywood film Mutiny On The Bounty starring Marlon Brando - weathering life as a seaside attraction at a Florida resort town, and as an extra in two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Since 1995 it was skippered by Walbridge, who "worked tirelessly to preserve the vessel" and took her as far and wide as the Great Lakes, the Panama Canal and Europe - including visits to Cork Harbour in 2009 and Belfast Lough in 2011, reflecting the original vessel's Irish connections (Captain William Bligh designed the North Bull Wall and surveyed Dublin Bay some years after the infamous mutiny).

But preservation requires funding, and it's that struggle for funding that may have encouraged the captain to push the limits of his vessel and its crew.

Outside has much more on the story HERE.