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A Harbour Seal photographed at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinnipeds, they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas. Photo: AfloatA photograph of a Harbour Seal taken at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, this species can be found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They are the most widely distributed species of pinnipeds and can be found in the coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Baltic and North Seas. Photo: Afloat

Displaying items by tag: Cannes Yachting Festival

BJ Marine are delighted to confirm exciting line-ups of Beneteau sailboats for both the Cannes and Southampton boat shows this autumn.

First up is the Cannes Yachting Festival from 12-17 September where there Beneteau will have six boats on display.

Of particular interest will be the world premiere of the new Oceanis 37.1, while the First 44 will also be on the water after making its world debut ashore at boot Düsseldorf earlier this year.

Others on show in Cannes include the Oceanis 51.1, Oceanis Yacht 54, Oceanis Yacht 60 and First 53.

Cannes is always an incredibly busy show, so it’s best to make appointments to view the boats. James Kirwan will be in attendance for the duration so please contact him on 087 771 2223 or [email protected].

The First 44 will be on the water in Cannes and will also be on show in Southampton next month after making its world debut ashore at boot Düsseldorf earlier this year | Credit: BeneteauThe First 44 will be on the water in Cannes and will also be on show in Southampton next month after making its world debut ashore at boot Düsseldorf earlier this year | Credit: Beneteau

Next up is the Southampton International Boat Show from 15-24 September and again, a stunning line-up awaits those who travel.

The full BJ Marine team will be in attendance from our Greystones, Bangor, Cardiff and Pwllheli offices. Get in touch at [email protected] if you’re paying a visit and we will make it easier for you to get on the boats.

Southampton’s scheduled line-up includes the Oceanis 30.1, 34.1, 40.1 and 46.1 alongside the First 44 and First 36 — which was put through its paces in the Fastnet Race last month.

If you can’t travel to a show but are interested in a new sailboat, please let us know and we will look at other options to get you aboard! We have excellent trade in opportunities for orders this autumn.

Published in BJ Marine

X-Yachts returns to the Cannes Yachting Festival for 2022 with a bevvy of new and improved models on display from 6-11 September.
 
Experience the stylish power of the X-Power 33C — X-Yachts’ first foray into the powerboat market following its acquisition of HOC Yachts in late 2019 — at stand QSP141 in Cannes Vieux Port – Quai Saint Pierre.

And at stand Sail 197 in Cannes Port Canto, you’ll have the opportunity to jump onboard the Pure X flagship X5⁶, the family-friendly X4⁹ or the new-look X4³.

X-Yachts at Cannes Yachting Festival 2022 banner
 
If you can’t make it to the south of France, you’ll have another chance to get up close with some of the newest additions to the X-Yachts range at the Southampton International Boat Show from 16 September.

Published in X-Yachts GB & IRL

Cannes Yachting Festival, possibly the biggest boat show in Europe for yachts, will be exhibiting some top models from the Key Yachting Stable next month, including the new Grand Soleil 40, the new Grand Soleil 72, Nautitech 44 and J 45.

It's only one month to go until Cannes Yachting Festival begins!

It’s an easy and quick flight from Dublin to Nice, so why not use the opportunity to view some lovey yachts at this great venue?

The Key Yachting team will be there with a number of boats on show with all four of our brands; Nautitech Catamarans, Grand Soleil, J Boats and Tofinou.

Grand Soleil will premiere both the new Grand Soleil 40 and Grand Soleil 72.

The new J 45 will be on display along with the popular J/99.

The very impressive Nautitech 44 Catamaran, complete with new workroom, will also be on display, among others.

If you'd like to book an appointment, contact Irish Key Yachting agent Mark Mansfield at [email protected] or at 00 353 87 250 6838

To read more about the boats, we are exhibiting, and our guide to Cannes click here 

Published in J Boats & Grand Soleil

Leading motor yacht brand Prestige will make a double world debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival next month — presenting the Prestige X60 and M48 to the public for the first time at the show from 6-11 September.
 
The Prestige X60 comes with a design guided by the core concepts of voluminous living spaces, natural light and easy flow of movement onboard. 
 
The result is a yacht that offers an exceptional level of comfort, with multiple areas for relaxation and an entirely open ‘infinity cockpit’ that affords incredible views of the ocean and creates easy access through a large electric sliding door to the saloon.

The Prestige M48 is the first power catamaran from the leading motor yacht brand | Credit: Prestige Motor YachtsThe Prestige M48 is the first power catamaran from the leading motor yacht brand | Credit: Prestige Motor Yachts
 
The Prestige M48, meanwhile, is the first power catamaran from Prestige Yachts. Taller than other power cats on the market, the M48 has a deep bridge deck linking the two hulls, promoting a similar look and feel as a monohull below deck, creating generous, brightly lit refined living spaces and full beam cabins, affording the ultimate in comfort.
 
Twin 320hp Volvo Penta D4s give the Prestige M48 a maximum speed of 20 knots with the reduced wet surface area of this multihull design making it 20% more efficient than a similar-sized monohull — giving a range of 250nm at 18 knots or 600nm at 8 knots from the 1,200-litre tank.

Both will make their public debut at Cannes alongside other Prestige motor yachts on display, namely the 420F, 460F, 520F and 590F. For more details get in touch with Prestige’s Irish agents MGM Boats at mgmboats.com.

Published in MGM Boats

The Dufour Yachts Shipyard is delighted to announce the launch of a new model, the Dufour 37.

This unique, high-performance and spacious sailing boat will be on display afloat for her world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival from 6-11 September 2022, with a press launch preceding the festival from 5pm local time on Monday 5 September at the Radisson Blu 1835 Hôtel.

Continuing on in the line of other recent models in the range, this boat was designed as a collaboration between the Dufour design team and Umberto Felci.

“We are extremely proud of this new project because the new Dufour 37 represent a new point of arrival reached after an intense work of rethinking and redesigning the whole complexity of a modern 10m yacht,” the Italian designer said.

The Dufour DNA
The Dufour 37 has a modern and stable hull as can be seen on offshore racing boats, but with a slightly rounded lower hull that favours her passage through the water and improve marine performance.

The Dufour 37 has a modern and stable hullThe Dufour 37 has a modern and stable hull

True Plaisir During Every Navigation
On board the Dufour 37, there are large outdoor living spaces. This new model has a larger cockpit than other yachts of this size for even greater comfort on board.

There are larger outdoor living spaces for even greater comfort on boardThere are large outdoor living spaces for even greater comfort on board

An Optimised Bow Area
The bow area of the Dufour 37 also offers a real relaxation area with her inflatable sundeck, a real innovation on this new model.

The bow area offers real relaxationThe bow area offers real relaxation

A Large Saloon and Cabins, Bathed in Light
The Dufour 37, in her two or three cabins version, has an owner’s cabin whose size and comfort is rarely found on a yacht of this length and even more light into the convivial living space of the saloon.

Light is a major feature of the living space insideLight is a major feature of the living space inside

Don’t miss your chance to see the new Dufour 37 up close in Cannes this September — and for more, get in touch with Dufour’s Irish agents at Crosshaven Boatyard, Hugh Mockler or Donal McClement at 021 483 1161 or [email protected].

Dufour 37 at sunset

Published in Crosshaven Boatyard

Key Yachting is already looking forward to September and the exclusive world premiere of the new Grand Soleil 40 at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival.

A fast and responsive boat that reflects its sporting personality in its performance on the water, the new Grand Soleil 40 has all the credentials to replicate the great success of the GS 44 — winner of the last ORC World Championship — while maintaining the feeling of style, elegance and safety seen throughout the range.

Available in both Performance and Race versions, the design once again bears the signature of Matteo Polli.

Key Yachting’s Irish agent Mark Mansfield notes that this new design is following in footsteps of previous successful Grand Soleil 40s such as Nieulargo, winner of ICRA Boat of the Year for 2021 and the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race.

The lines of the hull and the naval architecture of the GS 40 maintain the strong vocation for performance, without sacrificing volume to the advantage of space and comfort on board. A boat easy to use, luxurious and at the same time competitive and a thrill to sail.

In collaboration with the Nauta Design studio, the layout maximises the volume with fine finishes and timeless design. Below deck, the spaces have been optimised to ensure maximum comfort onboard for the owner and their guests.

As well as the Race and Performance design options, the GS 40 has a three-cabin, one-heads layout and an optional three-cabin, two-heads configuration.

“The design brief for the new Grand Soleil 40 was very similar to that of the GS 44, but with the request to further raise the bar, given the smaller size,” naval architect Matteo Polli says.

“The overall length of 40 feet, one of the most common on the market, presents a great challenge in finding a compromise between internal volumes and sporting characteristics.

“Thanks to the experience gained on the 44 and a well-established team of designers, it was possible to find the perfect combination of performance and comfort.”

Find out more about the new Grand Soleil 40 from Key Yachting HERE. And contact Mark Mansfield at [email protected] or at 00353 872506838.

Published in J Boats & Grand Soleil

Following a two-year absence, the Cannes Yachting Festival closed on Sunday 12 September following six days of the exhibition. It was buoyed by energy and enthusiasm shared by all the exhibitors, visitors, service providers and organisers.

The Yachting Festival was the first boat show in Europe to reopen its doors and was particularly well attended. It brought together 575 exhibitors, 620 boats (including 141 world previews) and 54,400 visitors, 50% from abroad, who came to admire the best there is in French and international motor, sailing, monohull or multihull boats. There was Irish interest too with a good attendance according to some key trade insiders. 

As Afloat previously reported, one of the Irish firms attending, MGM Boats of Dun Laoghaire signed an important deal with Zodiac, the French RIB and Inflatable manufacturer for a new line in electric boats for next season.

Significantly, in figures released by show organisers, the 2021 edition visitor numbers to Cannes are identical to those of the 2019 edition, which was a record year.

The Festival managed to be successfully built in a difficult context throughout the year and offer a wealth of content in terms of the number of brands, new products and types of boat, products and services. Despite the travel restrictions the current health situation imposed for certain countries, the Festival not only welcomed clients from Europe, but visitors from all over the world.

The Yachting Festival was distributed between both of Cannes’ ports for the second time, the Vieux Port and Port Canto, and kept all its promises.

“Our – ambitious – aim for the Festival which was prepared while Covid is still here was to do as well as the 2019 edition in terms of the number of exhibitors, boats and visitors. If the total number of exhibitors (-7%) and boats (-4%) was slightly down on 2019, the number of boats presented as world previews was up by 10% and the number of visitors was the same which is very positive during this time. We are proud of and happy with these results. This edition represented a real challenge at each stage of its organisation. We constantly took new organisation constraints into account as the legislation developed and we worked closely and efficiently with the Alpes-Maritimes prefect, the Grasse subprefect and their departments, whom I thank. The more the opening date approached, the more we felt the motivation, enthusiasm, and growing impatience of our exhibitors and visitors to meet up in Cannes again. This edition was an incredible one to prepare and experience, as much for them as for my team and myself. My memory of this edition will be that it was an incredible human experience. 2021 will remain unforgettable in many ways”!

concludes Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Yachting Festival.

Published in Marine Trade

Dun Laoghaire yacht broker MGM Boats be exhibiting on the Prestige Yachts, Lagoon Catamarans and Jeanneau Sail & Powerboat stands for the full duration of the show from 7-12 September.

Gerry Salmon, Ross O’Leary and Joss Walsh will be available to show over a host of new models for 2022 at the event, which will cover two exhibition spaces at the Vieux Port and Port Canto.

As the Cannes boat show promises as usual to be a very busy boat sales event, the MGM Boats team advises making a prior appointment to view your choice of boat:

  • Prestige: 420, 520, 590, 460 S, 690 X70
  • Lagoon: Seventy7, Sixty5, 55, 46, 42, 40
  • Jeanneau Sail: Sun Odyssey 410, Sun Odyssey 440, Sun Odyssey, 490, 54, 60
  • Jeanneau Power: Leader 36, Merry Fisher 1095 Fly, Cap Camarat 12.5 WA, NC 37, Merry Fisher 10.95, Cap Caramat 10.5 WA

To make an appointment or if you would like to receive further information on the boats displayed, contact the sales team at [email protected]

Published in MGM Boats

MGM Boats have a busy September ahead with full sales teams attending the Cannes and Southampton boat shows.

The Dun Laoghaire international yacht brokers will be at the Southampton International Boat Show from next Friday 13 to Sunday 22 September, exhibiting on the Prestige Yachts and Jeanneau’s sail and powerboat stands for the full 10 days.

Interested buyers are invited to book a viewing appointment before you travel — a list of boats on display is available HERE.

MGM Boats will also have their brokerage stand in the usual spot (E096) where they will be exhibiting their full range of brokerage listings.

If you have a boat to sell, get in touch with [email protected] so MGM Boats can prepare the specification for display.

MGM Boats Soton Brokerage Stand

Ahead of Southampton, MGM Boats will attend the Cannes Yachting Festival from next Tuesday 10 to Sunday 15 September for the first show of the yachting season.

The brokers are exhibiting on the Prestige Yachts stand, with Jeanneau’s sail and powerboats, and on the Lagoon Catamarans stand. The full range for viewing can be found HERE.

Gerry Salmon, Ross O’Leary and Joss Walsh will be available to show you over a host of new models for 2020.

Cannes is a very busy event so many making an advance appointment is highly recommended for your choice of boat.

To make a viewing appointment or for further information on the boats displayed, contact [email protected]

Published in MGM Boats

After two years of development, Beneteau’s First Yacht 53 will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Yachting Festival this September, followed by autumn boat shows in Genoa, Barcelona and in the US at Annapolis.

The 17-metre yacht — with a hull designed by America’s Cup veteran Roberto Biscontini and interior/exterior stylings by Lorenzo Argento — is a performance-ready vessel that aims for excellence in fast, comfortable sailing to meet the expectations of the most demanding sailors, according to the French luxury yacht marque.

Featuring a full plumb bow and a maximum beam further aft, the twin rudders promise perfect feedback to control the highly responsive hull.

The 2.5m or 3m draught (with lead bulb), as well as an optional carbon mast, are intended to give the First Yacht 53 the competitive advantage to clock up miles quickly.

“To achieve maximum thrills at the helm, we focused on balancing weight and balance under sail when we designed the boat,” Beneteau explains.

“We worked hard to optimise the position of the centre of buoyancy in relation to the centre of effort, guaranteeing a lively yacht under sail, responding quickly to the helm.”

Beneath asked “the best outfitters” to provide their top-performing products: North Sails for the sails, Harken for the deck gear, Lorima for the mast and Lemer for the keel. All were involved on the recent design of the Figaro Beneteau 3 with foils.

Upgrades for this newest in the First range include improved deck circulation with a layout emphasising the experience above deck, and a hull built using the infusion process.

“I have always looked for performance on the boats that I sail and build. The First Yacht 53 is a lot like me!” Biscontini says.

Beneteau yachts are distributed in Ireland by BJ Marine, which will be at Cannes to see the launch of the French marque’s other new arrival, the ‘Smart Luxury’ generation Monte Carlo 52.

Published in BJ Marine

For all you need on the Marine Environment - covering the latest news and updates on marine science and wildlife, weather and climate, power from the sea and Ireland's coastal regions and communities - the place to be is Afloat.ie.

Coastal Notes

The Coastal Notes category covers a broad range of stories, events and developments that have an impact on Ireland's coastal regions and communities, whose lives and livelihoods are directly linked with the sea and Ireland's coastal waters.

Topics covered in Coastal Notes can be as varied as the rare finding of sea-life creatures, an historic shipwreck with secrets to tell, or even a trawler's net caught hauling much more than just fish.

Other angles focusing the attention of Coastal Notes are Ireland's maritime museums, which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of our nautical heritage, and those who harvest the sea using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety pose an issue, plying their trade along the rugged wild western seaboard.

Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied as the environment they come from, and which shape people's interaction with the natural world and our relationship with the sea.

Marine Wildlife

One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with Marine Wildlife. It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. And as boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify, even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat. Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse, it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to our location in the North Atlantic, there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe. From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals, the Marine Wildlife category documents the most interesting accounts around our shores. And we're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and video clips, too!

Also valuable is the unique perspective of all those who go afloat, from coastal sailing to sea angling to inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing, as what they encounter can be of great importance to organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). Thanks to their work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. But as impressive as the list is, the experts believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves, keep a sharp look out!

Weather

As an island in the North Atlantic, Ireland's fate is decided by Weather more so than many other European countries. When storm-force winds race across the Irish Sea, ferry and shipping services are cut off, disrupting our economy. When swollen waves crash on our shores, communities are flooded and fishermen brace for impact - both to their vessels and to their livelihoods.

Keeping abreast of the weather, therefore, is as important to leisure cruisers and fishing crews alike - for whom a small craft warning can mean the difference between life and death - as it is to the communities lining the coast, where timely weather alerts can help protect homes and lives.

Weather affects us all, and Afloat.ie will keep you informed on the hows and the whys.

Marine Science

Perhaps it's the work of the Irish research vessels RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of Marine Science for the future growth of Ireland's emerging 'blue economy'.

From marine research to development and sustainable management, Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. Whether it's Wavebob ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration, the Marine Science category documents the work of Irish marine scientists and researchers and how they have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.

Power From The Sea

The message from the experts is clear: offshore wind and wave energy is the future. And as Ireland looks towards the potential of the renewable energy sector, generating Power From The Sea will become a greater priority in the State's 'blue growth' strategy.

Developments and activities in existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector, and those of the energy exploration industry, point to the future of energy requirements for the whole world, not just in Ireland. And that's not to mention the supplementary industries that sea power projects can support in coastal communities.

Irish ports are already in a good position to capitalise on investments in offshore renewable energy services. And Power From The Sea can even be good for marine wildlife if done properly.

Aside from the green sector, our coastal waters also hold a wealth of oil and gas resources that numerous prospectors are hoping to exploit, even if people in coastal and island areas are as yet unsure of the potential benefits or pitfalls for their communities.

Changing Ocean Climate

Our ocean and climate are inextricably linked - the ocean plays a crucial role in the global climate system in a number of ways. These include absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere and absorbing 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity. But our marine ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure due to climate change.

The Marine Institute, with its national and international partners, works to observe and understand how our ocean is changing and analyses, models and projects the impacts of our changing oceans. Advice and forecasting projections of our changing oceans and climate are essential to create effective policies and management decisions to safeguard our ocean.

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, said, “Our ocean is fundamental to life on earth and affects so many facets of our everyday activities. One of the greatest challenges we face as a society is that of our changing climate. The strong international collaborations that the Marine Institute has built up over decades facilitates a shared focusing on our changing ocean climate and developing new and enhanced ways of monitoring it and tracking changes over time.

“Our knowledge and services help us to observe these patterns of change and identify the steps to safeguard our marine ecosystems for future generations.”

The Marine Institute’s annual ocean climate research survey, which has been running since 2004, facilitates long term monitoring of the deep water environment to the west of Ireland. This repeat survey, which takes place on board RV Celtic Explorer, enables scientists to establish baseline oceanic conditions in Irish waters that can be used as a benchmark for future changes.

Scientists collect data on temperature, salinity, water currents, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the Atlantic Ocean. This high quality oceanographic data contributes to the Atlantic Ocean Observing System. Physical oceanographic data from the survey is submitted to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and, in addition, the survey contributes to national research such as the VOCAB ocean acidification and biogeochemistry project, the ‘Clean Atlantic’ project on marine litter and the A4 marine climate change project.

Dr Caroline Cusack, who co-ordinates scientific activities on board the RV Celtic Explorer for the annual survey, said, “The generation of long-term series to monitor ocean climate is vital to allow us understand the likely impact of future changes in ocean climate on ecosystems and other marine resources.”

Other activities during the survey in 2019 included the deployment of oceanographic gliders, two Argo floats (Ireland’s contribution to EuroArgo) and four surface drifters (Interreg Atlantic Area Clean Atlantic project). The new Argo floats have the capacity to measure dissolved ocean and biogeochemical parameters from the ocean surface down to a depth of 2,000 metres continuously for up to four years, providing important information as to the health of our oceans.

During the 2019 survey, the RV Celtic Explorer retrieved a string of oceanographic sensors from the deep ocean at an adjacent subsurface moored station and deployed a replacement M6 weather buoy, as part of the Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network (IMDBON).

Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the IMDBON is managed by the Marine Institute in collaboration with Met Éireann and is designed to improve weather forecasts and safety at sea around Ireland. The data buoys have instruments which collect weather and ocean data including wind speed and direction, pressure, air and sea surface temperature and wave statistics. This data provides vital information for weather forecasts, shipping bulletins, gale and swell warnings as well as data for general public information and research.

“It is only in the last 20 years, meteorologists and climatologists have really began to understood the pivotal role the ocean plays in determining our climate and weather,” said Evelyn Cusack, Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann. “The real-time information provided by the Irish data buoy network is particularly important for our mariners and rescue services. The M6 data buoy in the Atlantic provides vital information on swell waves generated by Atlantic storms. Even though the weather and winds may be calm around our shores, there could be some very high swells coming in from Atlantic storms.”