Irish yachts to the rescue in mid-Atlantic
10 December 2007
Two Irish yachts have each rescued other sailors in the mid Atlantic.
The Mayo-based polar exploration yacht Northabout saved two French sailors in a difficult mid-Atlantic rescue yesterday. The 14 metre aluminium yacht, best known for undertaking the first westward circumnavigation of the North Pole, was en route from the Canaries to Grenada with a crew of six.
It heard a radio distress call from the French yacht Nérée which had lost its steering gear in heavy weather and was sinking. The location of the incident was given as 15 degrees North and 46 degrees West, approximately 800 miles east of Barbados.
Northabout, skippered by Mayo man Jarlath Cunnane, diverted to the area and located the two French crew, a man and a woman, in their liferaft. In heavy swell, it took the Irish crew five attempts to pluck the pair from their raft. Northabout is expected in Grenada in about a week.
Blog by the French couple, Gilbert Brun and Marie Rose Haufman, is here. They were bound for Venezuela.
Northabout in the polar ice in 2005.
On Saturday morning, 8 December, the Tralee based Navillus, participating in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, also rescued sailors in peril.
A call from the UK Marine Rescue Coordination Centre at Falmouth initiated the ARC radio net to help rescue the crew of a yacht that had called a MAYDAY. A message was sent to the ARC fleet with an update on the position and situation of the yacht in trouble.
Individual calls were also made to ARC yachts likely to be in the vicinity and able to relay the distress call via VHF radio. ARC yachts Blue Spirit, Worldwide Traveller, Cat-man-do and Regina all responded, but it was ARC yacht Navillus (Brian O’Sullivan IRL) that was first on station.
A 31ft catamaran called Spam – not participating in the ARC – had been dismasted and subsequently holed earlier in the morning. Luckily for the three crew, Navillus, a Bavaria 50, picked up the MAYDAY and was able to assist. The crew were transferred using their liferaft, which was then slashed to sink it.
The dismasted catamaran, from the Scilly Isles, was then abandoned, sinking but still afloat, and an advisory message sent to all ARC yacht to keep clear of it. Navillus has now resumed course for St.Lucia with her unexpected guests safely aboard.
Bavaria 50, sistership to Navillus. Skipper Brian O’Sullivan is MD of O’Sullivan Boats, Tralee and chairman of the Irish Marine Federation.
Other Irish boats in the ARC include:
Safari of Howth, a Hallberg Rassey 42E, Ken & Carmel Kavanagh
Sabrina, a Beneteau Celebration 411, Kevin Heery
Mary P, a Grand Soleil 42, Neil Prendeville
Gull, a Beneteau Oceanis 423, Brendan Cahill
Fizz, a Bavaria 44, Ciaran Geoghegan
Dreamcatcher, a Beneteau First 47.7, Martin Bates
Blueflyer, a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49, Hugh & Val Pilsworth.
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New No Naked Flames
5 December 2007
Following on their three year success story with the J-109 No Naked Flames, the Belfast team of brothers Andrew and Niall Allen and Colm Monahan ordered a new boat from the design board of Wicklow-based Mark Mills. It has just been splashed in New Zealand.
More info about the 36 footer, which will be the “small” boat in the Ireland Green team for the Commodore’s Cup, is available at Mark Mills’ website. Could be the camera angle, but that is some flare aft! First event will be Key West Race Week in late January ’08.
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Frostbiting
27 November 2007
A couple of pix from the DMYC Frostbite series, inside Dun Laoghaire Harbour. I run one of the safety boats.
Here are the first of the Fireballs arriving at the Weather Mark…
The first two Lasers….
Louise and Guido…
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Dun Laoghaire Marina Expansion
17 November 2007
The Harbour Board released this sketch of their plans to build a marina across the front of the George, the Carlisle Pier and the National.
“Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company has announced today (Friday 16th November) that early next week it will publish a tender to advance its plans to significantly expand marina facilities in the Harbour. The Harbour Company has identified the eastern side of the Harbour as the preferred location for a new marina development of up to 1,300 berths. An additional 400 berths will be added to the existing marina’s 820 berths on the western side of the Harbour.
The addition of 1,700 berths will increase by over 200% the berthing capacity in the Harbour and will create the largest marina in the country.”
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From Russia with Luck
29 September 2007
Lone sailor rescued from small boat
A lone sailor, who may have been at sea for more than a month on a stolen yacht, has been rescued by the Naval Service. The 22-year-old man, who is believed to be Russian, is fit and well.
Le Katell, a four-metre vessel, was first spotted by a British-registered Spanish fishing vessel, Willing Boys, on Thursday. Such was its size and distance from shore that the fishing vessel approached it to see if it was in difficulty. The yacht’s sole occupant on board appeared to be disorientated, and waved the fishing vessel away. They contacted the coastguard to say the man appeared to be confused and disoriented.
The French coastguard confirmed that the 12 foot yacht, Le Katell, was stolen from Roscoff harbour on 23 August, and requested that the Naval Service go to the scene.
[OR….Differing news reports…]
The sighting was relayed to the Naval Service and Irish Coast Guard, which confirmed with French authorities that the yacht had been reported as stolen from the French port of Morlaix on August 28th.
Under international UNCLOS maritime regulations, the Naval Service is empowered to board a vessel if safety of life is involved. It has no powers to detain the vessel, but it is expected to report the discovery to the French authorities.
An RAF Nimrod spotted the boat in the water yesteday afternoon, and relayed the information to the LE Aisling. Navy officers found one man on board. He had some food and water, but no radio or navigation equipment – and only a life ring for safety. The man was brought aboard, where he had his first meal in days.
The small boat was also lifted onto the naval vessel, and is due to arrive in Cork Harbour this morning. The man and the boat were handed over to gardaí on arrival.
Navy officers, through the use of translation cards, have established his name, Valdim Smolyak, and that he is 22 years old and from Russia. It is believed the man left France on 23 August, and he may have been at sea since that time. It is understood that he was trying to make his way by sea to the Mediterranean.
A navy spokesman said he had been either an extremely good sailor, or extremely lucky.
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Dubarry of Ireland
29 September 2007
I love my Dubarry boots and my Dubarry boat shoes. An impressive and successful Irish company prominent on the world stage.
They care about their product. Today on ybw.com’s Scuttlebutt forum, English sailor Tom Frame posted about how he received a free pair of new boots:
“After this news item I received a phone call a week later from Dubarry and they simply asked how I was and what size boot I was, 2 days later I received a brand new pair. Now thats amazing service in this day and age – as soon as I am able to sail again I would have bought a new pair myself. Bowled me over completely, good on them and they are great boots.”
Tom had broken his leg just after the start of this year’s windy Fastnet. Upon arrival at hospital, doctors sliced his Dubarry boot in half to remove it prior to treatment.
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Chieftain is RORC Yacht of the Year
25 September 2007
Another amazing Irish boat…
RORC ANNUAL CHALLENGE TROPHIES & SPECIAL AWARDS
2007 YACHT OF THE YEAR
winning the SOMERSET MEMORIAL TROPHY
for outstanding racing achievement by a yacht owned or sailed by a RORC member as voted for by the RORC Main Committee. In recognition of winning the Rolex Fastnet Race, and second place in IRC in the HSH Nordbank Blue Transatlantic Race 2007
CHIEFTAIN, (Cookson 50) Ger O’Rourke
Our friend Barry sails on this J-105 in double hand races…
ALAN PAUL TROPHY
for consistent high performance in IRC
Based on consistent high scores plus a bonus for the number of races completed
DIABLO-J, (J 105) Nick Martin
Topics: Sailing | 1 Comment »
Sardinia
24 September 2007
Back from a week’s holiday on Sardinia. No sailing, but we did get on board Eamonn Conneely’s Patches, which was in Porto Cervo for the TP52 Global Championship. The boat won the 2006 event. Crewman Ronan Grealish, from Galway, was kind enough to give us a tour of the boat. Everything is made of carbon fibre, including the passarelle which is at the transom climbing up to the pontoon. An amazing Irish boat.
Also in the port, we spotted in the distance the distinctive shape of a Laser SB3, somewhat dwarfed by its neighbours.
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Green Team for the VOR
10 September 2007
Literally stumbled across this new website put up by what appears to be the Irish entry for the 2008 Volvo Ocean Race.
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Last Thursday
31 August 2007
Last night was the final race of Dublin Bay Sailing Club’s Thursday evening series. It was a bit windy and wild, but great fun. Cheerful people are the only types allowed on our boat.
Topics: Sailing | 1 Comment »