Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

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: World Junior Championships

#Rowing: Ireland’s Molly Curry and Rhiannon O’Donoghue finished fifth in the junior double at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Tokyo. The race was won by the outstanding Lisa Bruijnincx and Jacobien van Westreenen of the Netherlands. The Dutch pushed China into second. Behind them Germany lost out to Lithuania in the battle for bronze.

 Curry and O’Donoghue initially fought it out with Greece for fifth. They won this battle and made up metres on Germany, but could not quite push into the battle for medals.  

World Rowing Junior Championships, Tokyo, Day Five (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – A Final: 1 Germany 6:32.41, 2 South Africa 6:32.71, 3 China 6:33.90; 4 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:34.82.

Women

Junior Double Sculls – A Final: 1 Netherlands 7:25.50, 2 China 7:27.66, 3 Lithuania 7:30.23; 5 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:38.08

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s junior men’s coxed four took fourth place at the World Junior Championships in Tokyo this morning.

 The Ireland crew of James O’Donovan, Matthew Gallagher, Jack Dorney, John Kearney and cox Leah O’Regan came in just under a second short of the bronze medal slot.

 Germany judged the race best of all. China, Ireland and South Africa were the top crews to the 1,000 metres, with China taking over a slim lead from their two rivals. Even as the Chinese tried to extend their advantage, Germany closed on all three crews. They produced a remarkable final 500 metres to sweep into the lead. South Africa took the silver and China just held out to take the bronze.  

World Rowing Junior Championships, Tokyo (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – A Final: 1 Germany 6:32.41, 2 South Africa 6:32.71, 3 China 6:33.90; 4 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:34.82.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Rhiannon O’Donoghue and Molly Curry will compete in the A Final of the junior double sculls at the the World Junior Championships in Tokyo on Sunday. The Ireland crew took a clear third place in their semi-final this morning.

 The Netherlands were impressive winners, while Lithuania raced well to take second. Ireland pulled clear of Belgium to sit in a qualification spot at 1500 metres. Italy pushed hard coming to the line, but they could not overhaul the Killorglin and Coleraine Grammar School girls.

 China were the best crew in the first semi-final and look to the be the key challengers to Lisa Bruijnincx and Jacobien van Westreenen of the Netherlands. Germany were second to China and Greece won a contest with Britain to take third.  

World Rowing Junior Championships, Day Four (Irish interest):

Women

Junior DoubleSemi-Final Two (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Netherlands 7:06.94, 2 Lithuania 7:12.66, 3 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:13.46; 4 Italy 7:15.71.

Semi-Final One: 1 China 7:09.41, 2 Germany 7:12.26, 3 Greece 7:14.12.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Molly Curry and Rhiannon O’Donoghue won their repechage and qualified for the A/B semi-finals at the World Junior Championships in Tokyo.

 The Ireland junior women’s double overhauled Hungary in an impressive move. With 300 metres to go they were down; they drew level at 1750 and then motored clear to win by just over a length.

 Ireland’s junior men’s coxed four had earlier qualified for their A Final by taking second in their heat.

World Rowing Junior Championships, Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – Heat One (First Two to A Final; rest to Repechage):  1 China 6:18.13, 2 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:18.29; 3 South Africa 6:18.87.

Women

Junior Double Sculls – Repechage One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:10.06, 2 Hungary 7:13.17.

 

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The junior men’s coxed four gave Ireland its first A finalist at the World Junior Championships this morning. In a thrilling finish to their heat, they took the second qualifying spot behind China.

 Three boats had charged for the line, covered by less than a second. China had held a small lead over Ireland through half way and managed to stay just ahead despite a good charge by the crew of James O’Donovan, Matt Gallagher, Jack Dorney, John Kearney and cox Leah O’Regan. South Africa closed on both, but missed out.

World Rowing Junior Championships, Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – Heat One (First Two to A Final; rest to Repechage):  1 China 6:18.13, 2 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:18.29; 3 South Africa 6:18.87.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Molly Curry and Rhiannon O’Donoghue finished second in their heat of the junior double sculls at the World Junior Championships in Tokyo this morning.

 There was just one direct qualification spot for the A/B Semi-Finals, and the Netherlands were outstanding winners of this race. Lisa Bruijnincx and Jacobien van Westreenen made strong claims for being the best crew in this class with a big win.

 Curry and O’Donoghue fought an exciting battle with Italy in the second half and won this by a length and a third. Greece, China and Belgium were the other heat winners.

 Because of a worry about adverse weather, racing was run at five minute intervals, which brought forward the time of this heat.

World Rowing Junior Championships, Tokyo, Day One (Irish interest)

Women

Junior Double Sculls – Heat Four (Winner to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Netherlands 7:08.18; 2 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:16.55, 3 Italy 7:19.59.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s junior men’s coxed four took fifth in their B Final, 11th overall, at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic. The Ireland crew of Conor Mulready, James O’Donovan, Fintan O’Driscoll, Eoin Gaffney and cox Eoin Finnegan had a reasonably good start and were right up with the leaders, Canada, at 500 metres. From there the race was all about the Canadians, who tore away. They led by one length at the 750 metres and went on to win. Croatia took over in second. South Africa, Russia and Ireland vied for the next spot until the final 500 metres, when Ireland fell back to fifth.

 The Ireland junior women’s pair of Eliza O’Reilly also took fifth in their B Final. Hungary, Britain and Germany fought it out at the head of the field and finished in that order. Ireland were competitive behind them, but Romania annexed the fourth spot. South Africa threatened to push Ireland back to last, but McGirr and O’Reilly finished well.

World Junior Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed –B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Canada 6:25.93; 5 Ireland (C Mulready, J O’Donovan, F O’Driscoll, E Gaffney; cox: E Finnegan) 6:41.91.  

Women

Junior Pair – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Hungary 7:35.92; 5 Ireland (G McGirr, E O’Reilly) 7:41.40.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland finished second in the C Final of the junior men’s quadruple at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Racice in the Czech Republic. This placed the crew of Luke Hayes Nally, Alex Byrne, Jack Dorney and Jack Keating 14th overall. Italy led early, and Ireland were their only consistent challengers. By the 1500-metre mark Italy were one and a quarter lengths clear of the Irish. Ukraine tried hard to unseat the Ireland crew, but they held on, finishing just over a length down on winners Italy.

 The Ireland junior women’s double took fourth in their C Final, 16th overall. At the head of the race, Croatia produced an excellent finish in the final metres to overhaul long-term leaders Lithuania. Austria took the next spot, with Ireland’s Ciara Moynihan and Ciara Browne next through.

World Junior Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – A/B Semi-Final: 1 Italy 6:23.40, 2 Australia 6:25.34, 3 Czech Republic 6:26.32; 6 Ireland (C Mulready, J O’Donovan, F O’Driscoll, E Gaffney; cox: E Finnegan) 6:34.84.

Junior Quadruple – C/D Semi-Final: 1 Ireland (L Hayes Nally, A Byrne, J Dorney, J Keating) 6:12.77, 2 Lithuania 6:16.01, 3 Norway 6:19.17.  C Final (places 13 to 18): 2 Ireland 6:00.95.

Women

Junior Pair – A/B Semi-Final: 1 Greece 7:15.53, France 7:29.98, 23 Canada 7:31.25; 4 Ireland (G McGirr, E O’Reilly) 7:34.52

Junior Double – C/D Semi-Final (First Three to C Final, rest to D Final): 1 Ireland (C Moynihan, C Browne) 7:42.52, 2 Croatia 7:48.16, 3 Serbia 7:50.41. C Final: 4 Ireland 7:23.79.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Eliza O’Reilly and Gill McGirr took fourth in their semi-final, just missing out on an A Final place at the World Junior Championships this morning. The junior pairs race featured an extraordinary performance by Maria Kyridou and Christina Bourmpou of Greece. They set a new best time for the World Junior Championships of seven minutes 15.53 seconds – racing virtually entirely on their own, well clear of the five other crews. The contest for second and third, and qualification for the top six, saw France and Canada swap places through the middle of the race. McGirr and O’Reilly moved with purpose after half way and gained on these two. They fell short by 3.27 seconds of catching Canada, who took third.

 The Ireland junior men’s coxed four finished sixth in their A/B semi-final. The crew of Conor Mulready, James O’Donovan, Fintan O’Driscoll, Eoin Gaffney and cox Eoin Finnegan were in touch at 500 metres, but by half way had dropped back to sixth and did not look in serious contention for a top-three place from there. Italy, Australia and the Czech Republic took the A Final places.

 The Ireland junior men’s coxed four and women’s pair will compete in B Finals, while the junior men’s quadruple and junior women’s double – both of which won their C/D semi-finals – will race in C Finals.  

World Junior Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – A/B Semi-Final: 1 Italy 6:23.40, 2 Australia 6:25.34, 3 Czech Republic 6:26.32; 6 Ireland (C Mulready, J O’Donovan, F O’Driscoll, E Gaffney; cox: E Finnegan) 6:34.84.

Junior Quadruple – C/D Semi-Final: 1 Ireland (L Hayes Nally, A Byrne, J Dorney, J Keating) 6:12.77, 2 Lithuania 6:16.01, 3 Norway 6:19.17.

Women

Junior Pair – A/B Semi-Final: 1 Greece 7:15.53, France 7:29.98, 23 Canada 7:31.25; 4 Ireland (G McGirr, E O’Reilly) 7:34.52

Junior Double – C/D Semi-Final (First Three to C Final, rest to D Final): 1 Ireland (C Moynihan, C Browne) 7:42.52, 2 Croatia 7:48.16, 3 Serbia 7:50.41.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland had two impressive wins in their first races on Saturday at the World Junior Championships in Racice in the Czech Republic.

 The Ireland junior men’s quadruple looked like they were out to make a point in their C/D semi-final. They started well, established an early lead and never showed any sign of letting it go. They will now have one of the favoured lanes in the C Final for places 13 to 18.

 Ciara Moynihan and Ciara Browne will also compete in the C Final after their semi-final win. The two girls from Workmen’s also led through the race. Croatia had an overlap for much of the 2,000 metres, but Moynihan and Browne moved clear in the final quarter.   

World Junior Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Quadruple – C/D Semi-Final: 1 Ireland (L Hayes Nally, A Byrne, J Dorney, J Keating) 6:12.77, 2 Lithuania 6:16.01, 3 Norway 6:19.17.

Women

Junior Double – C/D Semi-Final (First Three to C Final, rest to D Final): 1 Ireland (C Moynihan, C Browne) 7:42.52, 2 Croatia 7:48.16, 3 Serbia 7:50.41.

Published in Rowing
Page 1 of 3

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.”