Marine Minister Creed officially opens third national marine (Ocean Wealth) conference and launches third Progress Report on Implementation of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth today.

The Minister outlined the Government’s continued commitment to blue growth and implementation of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth –Ireland’s Integrated Marine Plan. Addressing more than 500 international and national industry leaders, policy makers, researchers and maritime entrepreneurs at the third annual ‘Our Ocean Wealth’ Conference today, in the National University of Ireland, Galway,

Speaking at the conference today Minister Creed said:

“Ireland’s marine sector is a vibrant part of our national economy and we have seen significant growth in our ‘blue economy’. This transformation is being brought about by the commitment and hard work of various State agencies, Government Departments, relevant stakeholders and investors.

“I am delighted to announce the publication of the third Progress Report on Ireland’s Integrated Marine Plan Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth published by the Government in 2012. The Report sets out the considerable recent progress achieved in implementing the ambitious targets and actions outlined in the Plan and I would like to thank everyone for their continued commitment to its implementation.

The conference, which is an opportunity to reflect on the progress and achievements in implementing Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth included contributions from Minister Creed, Minister Coveney, Minister Naughten and Minister of State Kyne.

Minister Creed stated “This Government will continue to work with the sector’s stakeholders, we will build on the success of recent years and continue to implement Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth – which aims to double the value of the blue economy by 2030 and deliver 29,000 additional jobs across the maritime sector and wider economy.”

Guided by the theme “Into the Blue – Innovating for our Marine Future” the conference focused on how Ireland can innovate in three target areas of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, namely: A Thriving Maritime Economy, Healthy Ecosystems and Engagement with the Sea. Key speakers included Mary L. Shelman, global food and agri-food thought leader, European Commission DG Research Head of Marine Resources Sigi Gruber, Gerald Fleming of Met Eireann, Craig McLean, US National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration and Linda Rosborough of Marine Scotland.

Creating an infrastructure to support the blue economy is critical to the success of Ireland’s integrated marine plan. A key infrastructural element to support the maritime sector was also officially launched at the conference by Minister Creed – the SmartBay Subsea Observatory has now started streaming high speed data from the seabed at Galway Bay to businesses, researchers, scientists and policy makers across the internet. Supported by the Marine Institute, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and Science Foundation Ireland, the observatory will be used to collect valuable data from the ocean and will be a critical component of a world-class maritime infrastructure in Ireland.

Welcoming the launch of the Data Observatory, the Minister for Skills, Training and Innovation, John Halligan T.D. said , “This new infrastructure will play a key role in developing and testing the technologies necessary to unlock the economic potential of our Atlantic coast. It will drive innovation in SMEs and multinational companies in the ocean energy sector. I am particularly pleased that Science Foundation Ireland has supported this infrastructure with an award of €2.2 million, under its Research Infrastructure Programme, to fund the subsea cable providing power and data connectivity to the test site”.

Other announcements included the establishment of a dedicated Marine Development Team involving major development agencies of the state in an integrated inter agency based approach to delivering further development of the blue economy.

Minister Creed added that “The Marine Development Team which will make recommendations to the cross Departmental Marine Coordination Group, will be coordinated by the Marine Institute. I look forward to this talented team bringing a further collaborative, cohesive and cutting edge approach to growing Ireland’s Blue Economy and augmenting the positive inter agency work of recent years.”

Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth and Seafest are initiatives of the Inter-Departmental Marine Coordination Group. The conference as well as a range of industry and innovation events are taking place in Galway as part of SeaFest from 30th June -3 July. A wide range of public events are also taking place in Galway Harbour this weekend (July 2-3) as part of SeaFest which supports a key goal of Harnessing Our Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan - engaging with the Sea.

Prepare to ‘sea’ it all in Galway over the first weekend in July as the city welcomes SeaFest maritime festival, and plunges into a weekend of ocean-themed activities and entertainment.

A key goal of ‘Harnessing our Ocean Wealth: An Integrated Marine plan for Ireland’, SeaFest is all about increasing participation and engagement with the sea, showcasing Ireland’s abundant maritime resources and celebrating its proud maritime heritage – but there’ll be plenty of light-hearted fun too.

Preparing to sail his quirky craft straight into maritime history will be artist Frank Bôlter. His ‘On A Voyage’ project is a whimsical, epic and heroic attempt to build and sail a giant paper boat which he has made with members of the Kinvara Sailing Club.

The craft is a grown-up, giant-scale and, hopefully, seaworthy, version of the traditional folded paper yachts made by children. Despite its unlikely appearance, crew confidence in its reliability is high, for Frank has travelled the world with his project creating giant paper boats in Europe and Sri Lanka. Here in Galway, ‘On A Voyage’ is a pilot programme within the Galway 2020 project ‘Every Place’, a project devised by Neil Butler, Artistic Director of UZ Arts, and produced in partnership with TULCA for Galway 2020.

The giant paper boat will be launched at Kinvara Pier on Saturday 2 July at 12noon and will sail proudly into Galway Harbour alongside a flotilla of Galway Hookers. Always a favourite with locals and visitors alike, the Hookers will be showing off their speed and style with a series of races including the chase for the historic Galway Plate.

When you’ve done your share of cheering from the shoreline, there will also be opportunities to step on board craft which are usually closed to the public. Tours are free of charge but capacity will be limited.

The 15m survey catamaran, The RV Keary, will be berthed in Galway docks throughout SeaFest. With an open invitation to step on board, visit to see how and where seabed data is acquired and gain an insight into the work of marine surveyors. The aluminium boat is crewed by scientists from the Marine Institute and the Geological Survey of Ireland as part of the joint seabed mapping project – INFOMAR. Equipped with state of the art sonar mapping systems as well as seabed sampling capabilities, The RV Keary works mostly in inshore waters which can be as shallow as 2 metres. The vessel has also played its part in charting our maritime history, hosting archaeological dives on historical wrecks around the coast.

The Commissioner of Irish Lights, who maintain all the lighthouses across the country, will be bringing their exhibition of the role of Irish lighthouses from 1911 to 1923 and their own ship, The Granuaile, to SeaFest, providing a unique opportunity to see on board one of the most advanced marine vessels of its kind in the world.

Both of the Marine Institute’s (Foras Na Mara) Research Vessels, the Celtic Explorer and the Celtic Voyager will also dock at Galway, with the Celtic Explorer conducting hourly open house tours throughout the festival weekend. The national research vessels will be a familiar sight to many locals as Galway Harbour is their home port between surveys which include fish stock assessments, mapping Ireland’s seabed, surveying deep sea habitats, and oceanographic research, including the survey of the Whittard Canyon system with NUIG scientists earlier this month. The 65m RV Celtic Explorer can accommodate up to 35 personnel including crew and scientists and can spend 35 consecutive days at sea. The 31.5 m RV Celtic Voyager will also be open to the public. The Marine Institute’s unmanned submarine, the ROV Holland I will be on display alongside the research vessels. It’s normally deployed from the deck of the RV Celtic Explorer and piloted remotely to capture high definition video footage of the deep ocean as well as collecting samples from the seabed.

Adding drama to the line-up of vessels in port will be the naval service ship, L.É. Niamh. She is built to the successful RóisÁn design which optimises her year-round patrol performance in Irish waters which are among the roughest in the world. For that reason L.É. Niamh has a greater length overall (78.8m), giving the ship a long sleek appearance.

If its appearance is dramatic then so too are the roles of the vessel and its ship’s company. During a 10-week mission to the Mediterranean late last year 2015 the L.É. Niamh crew delivered a baby, named Destiny, rescued more than 4,100 people at sea and had to recover 39 bodies in the course of tasks requested by the Italian Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

If you’re tempted to have a go on the water, then try Tri Sailing. A 20 foot keelboat (also known as a Sonar), will be close by the Tri Sailing promotional stand in the Inner Harbour, ready to give experiential trips for up to five people at a time. Demand is sure to be high, but the experience promises to be well worth a wait – especially as the Inner Harbour area will be packed with entertainment.

If you’d prefer to keep your feet on dry land while you gain your maritime experience, then what about captaining a remote control boat? There will be five fabulous model craft doing duty at the weekend at the Inner Harbour, with experts on hand to help ‘newbies’ get to grips with the complexities of steering and manoeuvring the mini-vessels.

As any seafarer will confirm, the sea demands our respect, with safety always the key priority. The RNLI will reinforce that message with their engaging Respect the Water Campaign Roadshow and a packed programme of activities both on and off the water, including an awe-inspiring Air/Sea Rescue demonstration staged in collaboration with the Coast Guard and RNLI on Saturday 2 July, starting at 2.30pm.

To see the full SeaFest programme and check out ‘On The Water’ events visit www.seafest.ie.

#SeaFest - A wave of excitement is about to break over Galway as the city prepares to host SeaFest, Ireland's national maritime festival, docking in the city over the action-packed weekend of Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July.

Following a successful inaugural event in Cork last year, SeaFest is now firmly established as an annual celebration of all things nautical, honouring Ireland's multi-faceted relationship with the sea.

Launching the packed programme for Galway, new Marine Minister Michael Creed said: "SeaFest is all about raising our awareness of the value and opportunities provided by the sea, giving locals and visitors alike fresh opportunities to engage in sea-themed events and activities.

"We're making a splash with a programme of events which will include an array of seafaring family fun, on the water activities plus a seafood fair packed with great natural produce and cookery demonstrations by celebrity chefs.

"We'll be hosting tours of ocean-going vessels; offering new opportunities to get afloat on leisure craft and boats, showcasing exhibits on marine life and creatures of the deep and providing all manner of festival fun and entertainment for all the family.

"Importantly, we're proud to be playing our part in the wider Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth initiative, providing opportunities for people of every age and interest to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of the ocean, building on how we can each act to protect our abundant maritime resources."

The SeaFest programme will run from 9am to 6pm daily with Galway Harbour providing a focal point of activity.

All things fishy will be celebrated at the festival's BIM/Bord Bia Sea Food Extravangza, located in a Big Top marquee at The Docks. Here celebrity chefs Martin Shanahan and Rory O'Connell will be rolling out recipes and cookery demos to tempt seafood lovers' tastebuds, while Michael O'Meara from Oscar's Bistro in Galway and the author of the top-selling Sea Gastronomy (nominated for Best Cookbook in the World) will also share his knowledge and favourite dishes.

BIM's 2015 Young Fishmonger Of The Year, Gerard Collier from The Fisherman's Catch in Clogherhead, Co Louth will take the mystery out of preparing fish and shellfish at home. Visitors will also get to taste the best of Irish seafood from some of Ireland's best seafood producers.

The inner pier at Galway Harbour is where you will find ship tours, free screenings of Jean Michel Cousteau's film Secret Ocean (see HERE for tickets) and 'Beneath Our Wild Atlantic', an exciting, new, interactive, family-friendly exhibition from the Marine Institute.

Linking the Big Top and Inner Harbour will be a linear quayside Festival Village, a mini market of crafts and culinary temptation, all served up with nautical style and relaxed entertainment, and complemented with regular personal appearances by the RNLI's Stormy Stan character.

Intrepid SeaFesters will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with a range of vessels, invited to hop on board for show-and-tell tours.

The Marine Institute's research vessels, the Celtic Explorer and the Celtic Voyager, will be conducting open house tours of the ships over the festival. The Commissioner of Irish Lights, responsible for lighthouses right around the country, will be bringing its own ship, the Granuaile, into the harbour and will present a 'Safety at Sea Through War and Upheaval' exhibition from Irish Lights and the Royal Irish Academy, on the role of Irish lighthouses in the period 1911-1923.

'On A Voyage' will be a chance to watch on in awe as Frank Bölter sails an extraordinary large scale origami paper boat. This unusual sailing craft is made out of giant sheets of folded paper using origami techniques and reinforced with metal poles.

Enthusiasts of the traditional sailing won't be disappointed, with a gathering of Galway Hookers in the harbour, and a day of racing culminating in the challenge for the historic Galway Plate.

Underpinning the fun of SeaFest will be a serious four-day focus on research and the marine economy with a number of marine-related business and research events taking place around the city starting Thursday 30 June, each seeking to explore and strengthen the maritime heritage, economy and identity.

The third annual Our Ocean Wealth Conference will feature a number of sessions where speakers and delegates can delve more deeply into the conference theme of 'Innovating for our Marine Future'.

To whet the appetite, 'The Longest River' will be performed at St Augustinian Church (Middle Street) on Wednesday 29 June at 7pm. The performance will provide an opportunity to reflect on our maritime history and the opportunities ahead for mankind and our relationships with the earth, ocean and seas.

Visit SeaFest's 'What's On' page for the latest details as they are added to the event's programme of free activities, times and locations. Join in the fun on Facebook or follow SeaFest on Twitter.

SeaFest is supported by the Port of Galway, National University of Ireland, Galway, Department of Defence and Irish Coast Guard.

#OurOceanWealth - Registration is now open for the 2016 Our Ocean Wealth Conference at NUI Galway on Friday 1 July.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, this year's conference will again take place alongside SeaFest, Ireland's national maritime festival, hosted this year in Galway Harbour from 2-3 July.

The full conference agenda is yet to be announced but items of focus will include:

• Progress on the implementation of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth - Ireland's Integrated Marine Plan
• Into the Blue: Economy and Growth
• Map, Observe, Predict: Innovating Across the Atlantic
• Our New Relationship With the Sea

For more information or to register for the conference visit www.ouroceanwealth.ie.

#OurOceanWealth - NUI Galway will host the third annual Our Ocean Wealth Conference on Friday 1 July.

The previous two conferences – in the inaugural event in Dublin Castle and last summer's in Cork Harbour – have outlined the progress in implementing the Government's 2012 Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth: An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland.

And like last year's event in Ringaskiddy and Haulbowline, this year's conference will precede the return of SeaFest, Ireland's national maritime festival, in Galway Harbour from 2-3 July.

Further details are available at the Our Ocean Wealth website HERE.

Another upcoming date for the diary is the 26th Irish Environmental Research Colloquium.

'Ecosystem Services for a Sustainable Future' is the title of Environ 2016 at the University of Limerick from Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 March.

For more information contact Sinead Macken at 086 807 1498 or [email protected] or visit www.environ2016.org

#Open60 - There was plenty of action on the water in and around Cork Harbour this afternoon (Sunday 12 July) as the Atlantic Youth Trust's IMOCA 60 Kilcullen Voyager took on the Alex Thomson-skippered Hugo Boss in a special challenge race as part of this weekend's SeaFest events.

Indeed, it's not every day Cork Harbour plays host to not one, but two of the world's highest performing ocean racing yachts - particularly one with a record-breaking offshore pedigree, and the other sailing with youth sail trainees taking up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get on-deck experience at sailing's pinnacle.

Despite the relative lack of experience on the Irish boat, they certainly gave Thomson and crew a run for their money today, closing a significant gap to cross the finish line only a minute or so behind the professionals.

Hugo Boss well ahead of Killcullen, currently about 3 miles south of Roches Point @Seafest_ie pic.twitter.com/aW1L51l0Mm

— Gavin Deane (@gavinroyalcork) July 12, 2015

#corkharbour – All sorts of fun will be available at Ireland's first national maritime festival, SeaFest 2015, from hurricane wind simulators, modern day warship tours, shellfish cookery demonstrations, a fish market, ship simulators, sailboats and ferries in Cork Harbour and a RNLI duck race!

SeaFest 2015 promises to be a fun filled family affair celebrating Ireland's incredible ocean wealth while showcasing our abundant maritime resources. Taking place in Ringaskiddy, Haulbowline and finishing up in the Port of Cork on Saturday 11 July 2015, this festival will provide incredible line-up of free entertainment, music and activities for all the family.

At SeaFest you can experience what it's like to be a captain on the high seas in the state-of-the-art simulator, take a tour of a modern day warship in Haulbowline, or be blown away by hurricane force winds in the Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) Beaufort Scale Hurricane Experience. The SeaFest line-up has it all – from boating trips, yacht sailing, open water swimming, marine simulators, tours of Irish Navy ships, rescue demonstrations, sea life exhibits, educational screenings and talks, to a food village with live seafood cookery talks and demonstrations.

As part of SeaFest, a 'parade of sail' including yachts and boats will sail from Ringaskiddy to the Port of Cork marina in the city centre at 4pm. The parade of sail will follow behind the last of the 500 swimmers of The Vibes & Scribes Lee Swim and further celebrations will continue in The Port of Cork from 5-8pm with live music, street performers and food market, face painting & balloon modelling and tours of a naval ship.

"As an island nation, it is so important to recognise and celebrate the incredible resources of Ireland's abundant and surrounding seas," said Minister Simon Coveney, T.D. "This two day festival will travel Ireland, taking place in Cork in 2015 and with plans already underway to bring SeaFest to Galway in 2016. It is a national festival at which we can share our seafaring heritage and future, enjoy a myriad of water sports and activities, have fun while learning about the sea and the opportunities it presents, and feast on some of the world's best seafood. I am hugely excited about this national festival, SeaFest, and look forward to it becoming one of Ireland's leading festivals in the coming years."

Ireland's two greatest natural resources – our vast undersea territory and our young people – will come together in Ringaskiddy as part of the Explorers Marine Life Education Exhibit. The exhibit is a collaboration between the Lifetime Lab and the Marine Institute's Explorers Programme and will give children a hands-on marine experience where they will learn about and see creatures like the seahorse, starfish, and even whale bones! They will also discover the real map of Ireland, which extends out across the Atlantic Ocean.

Cookery demonstrations, workshops on how to cook and eat prawns, lobsters, mussels and oysters among other seafood will be hosted by the seafood development agency, BIM and Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, with renowned seafood chefs Martin Shanahan and Rory O'Connell. As well as leading Irish chefs showing people just how easy, quick and healthy it is to enjoy fresh fish from our oceans, there will also be fishmongery demonstrations and a large fish market, as well as a 'Tales from the Deep' movie screening which gives an exclusive glimpse into the life of an Irish fisherman.

In Haulbowline the Irish Naval Service will be on hand to provide tours of a modern day warship! Come and meet the men and women of the Irish Defence Forces and discover what life is like on the high sea and learn about the latest in modern seafaring technology on board this new ship.

More than 2,000 ducks in lifeboats will race in Cork Harbour as part of the RNLI Duck Race. The RNLI are the nominated charity for the event and the race will help raise funds for the charity, which provides rescue services all around the Irish coast and saves hundreds of lives at sea each year.

The National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) will be sharing their facilities, normally used to train for a career as a maritime professional, with the public at SeaFest. Festival goers can experience various ship models in national and international waters in a variety of weather conditions via the simulators; these simulation exercises show the skills required when working at sea. Visitors to the festival will also be able to visit UCC's new Beaufort Building. This state of the art €15 million building will house the LIR National Ocean Test Facility and the SFI MaREI centre which is a cluster of key university and industrial partners dedicated to solving the main scientific, technical, social and economic challenges related to marine renewable energy.

#SeaFest - Marking World Oceans Day across the globe today (Monday 8 June), Marine Minister Simon Coveney announced the first national celebration of Ireland's oceans next month.

The inaugural national maritime festival SeaFest will take place in Cork Harbour on 10 and 11 July and will see thousands of visitors enjoying the fruits and pleasures of the sea, from boating trips, yacht sailing, open water swimming, marine simulators, rescue demonstrations, sea life exhibits, educational screenings and talks, festival family fun and a food village with live seafood cookery demonstrations with some of Ireland's best known chefs.

"As an island nation, it is so important to recognise and celebrate the incredible resources of Ireland's abundant and surrounding seas," said Minister Coveney at today's SeaFest launch. "This two-day festival will travel Ireland, taking place in Cork in 2015 and with plans already underway to bring SeaFest to Galway in 2016.

"It is a national festival at which we can share our seafaring heritage and future, enjoy a myriad of water sports and activities, have fun while learning about the sea and the opportunities it presents, and feast on some of the world's best seafood. I am hugely excited about this national festival, SeaFest, and look forward to it becoming one of Ireland's leading festivals in the coming years."

Cookery demonstrations, workshops on how to cook and eat prawns, lobsters, mussels and oysters among other seafood will be hosted by the seafood development agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, with renowned seafood chefs Martin Shanahan and Rory O'Connell.

As well as leading Irish chefs showing people just how easy, quick and healthy it is to enjoy fresh fish from our oceans, there will also be fishmonger demonstrations, seafood sampling, rope making, talks on seafood and a large fish market at the festival.

The Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth Conference, which forms a key part of SeaFest, will attract international and national delegates and experts in marine research, ocean energy and the 'blue economy' to Cork.

"Ireland is one of the largest states in the EU if you take into account our seabed area," said Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute. "With our exclusive rights to a sea area more than ten times our land size, Ireland's ocean is a national asset providing incredible opportunities for tourism, energy, food and new applications for therapeutics and technology. SeaFest aims to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of the sea for the island."

The National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) will be sharing their facilities, normally used to train for a career as a maritime professional, with the public at SeaFest.

Festival goers can experience various ship models in national and international waters in a variety of weather conditions via the simulators; these simulation exercises show the skills required when working at sea.

Also open for visitors will be UCC's new Beaufort Building. This state-of-the-art €15 million facility will house the LIR National Ocean Test Facility and the SFI MaREI centre, which is a cluster of key university and industrial partners dedicated to solving the main scientific, technical, social and economic challenges related to marine renewable energy.

The Irish Naval Service will be on hand to provide tours of the offshore patrol vessel LE James Joyce, the sister ship to LE Samuel Beckett.

Members of the Irish Defence Forces will tell visitors about the activities of the Irish Navy, situations encountered aboard while at sea and showcase the latest in modern seafaring technology on board this new ship.

The Marine Institute research vessel RV Celtic Voyager will be visiting SeaFest before departing on a survey to investigate algal blooms off Ireland's coast.

The RNLI are the nominated charity for the SeaFest event and 2,000 ducks in lifeboats will take part in a duck race in Cork Harbour to raise funds for the charity, which provides rescue services all around the Irish coast and saves hundreds of lives at sea each year.

There will also be a parade of sail including superyachts, racing yachts, private leisure craft and boats that will sail from the mouth of Cork Harbour to the Port of Cork Marina in the city centre.

The parade of sail will follow the open water swimmers of the Lee Swim, which is taking place on 11 July and will see hundreds taking to the sea to enjoy a refreshing and strenuous in the sea.

SeaFest 2015 promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable festival for all. Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy the best of Ireland's oceans this July in Cork Harbour.

A full schedule of festival fun has been announced at www.seafest.ie.

Come the first weekend of July 2011, the sheltered waters of Donegal's Lough Swilly will come alive with sails big and small, with the slap of oars and paddles.

The shoreline and the golden sands of its beaches will play natural backdrop to theatre and games, to families and friends celebrating in the unique surroundings of our coastal environment.

On the tables in the courtyard of Rathmullan's historic Battery there will be an abundance of Donegal's local food culture: fresh fish and shellfish from local waters; lamb, beef and pork from local fields – all of it turned into an exceptionally simple menu of regional cuisine by talented local chefs.

"We wanted this to be an event for everyone," says Mark Wheeler of Rathmullan House and one of the driving forces behind SeaFest. "For sailors and watersports enthusiasts, be they experienced or novices; for families in search of something active to do with the kids; for people who simply take pleasure in being at the seaside; and of course for everyone who enjoys good local food."

The event will open on Friday evening, 1st July, with the launch of MalinWaters, a new cross-border marine tourism intiative for the the shared maritime zone between Northern Ireland, North West Ireland, and Scotland.

MalinWaters is part financed by the European Union's European Regional Development Fund through INTERREG IVA Cross-Border Programme.

"We are delighted to be part of the SeaFest event as it reflects exactly what the project partners are trying to achieve with our new MalinWaters tourism brand," says Lee-Anne Doherty, the project's Marketing Officer. "This includes encouraging engagement by local people in marine leisure and waterborne activities, attracting activity enthusiasts to the area and illustrating County Donegal's significant maritime heritage and linkages."

On Saturday the action on the water kicks off in earnest with the Saldanha Cup, a traditional cruiser-racer sailing regatta commemorating the 200th anniversary of the sinking of the frigate, the HMS Saldanha. The regatta will start and finish off the pier in Rathmullan with a course taking in the site of the Saldanha wreck near spellbinding Ballymastocker Strand