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Displaying items by tag: HighSeason

Fast-ferry catamaran Stena Lynx III is to resume offpeak sailings on Wednesday (15 September)
on the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead route, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The 'Lynx' had spent the high-season on St. Georges Channel in tandem with conventional
ferry Stena Europe on the Rosslare-Fishguard route. Prior to then the Lynx craft also served Spring
sailings on the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead service as a replacement vessel of the HSS Stena Explorer.

The reasoning for the change of vessels on the central Irish Sea route during the Spring and
forthcoming Autumn /Winter seasons is a cost-cutting measure on behalf of operators Stena Line.
The larger HSS craft is becoming increasingly more expensive to run using fuel thirsty gas-
turbine engines, compared to the smaller capacity Stena Lynx III, which can be used instead
during the quieter months.

Stena Explorer is to be withdrawn with the last round trip sailing tomorrow (14 September)
departing Holyhead at 10.00hrs and arriving at Dun Laoghaire at noon. Correspondingly the HSS departs
the Irish port at 13.15hrs and returns to the Welsh port two hours later.

On the following day (15 September) the Stena Lynx III will make her first outbound departure
from Holyhead at 10.00hrs arriving Dun Laoghaire at 11.50hrs. After a turn-around period in the Irish port
the Lynx departs at 13.15hrs with an arrival to the Anglesey port at 15.05hrs.

Published in Ports & Shipping

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland 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. 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 the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!