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Dublin Bay Boating News and Information

Displaying items by tag: Beijing Television

#clippperrace – UK based Clipper Ventures, organisers of the 40,000 mile Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has signed its first comprehensive Chinese broadcast deal today with Beijing Television.

Beijing Television (BTV) will follow the Chinese team in the 2015-16, tenth edition of the unique biennial event established by British yachting legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and aimed at complete novices who are trained to take on the world's most challenging oceans under the command of professional skippers.

The Clipper Race already produces generic sports and human adventure programming distributed by BBC Worldwide, but is developing additional territory specific co-production partnerships to focus on individual national teams and participants.

"It is the first time we have embarked upon a co-production of this scale to produce a comprehensive Chinese language documentary series, news, sports and online coverage about the Clipper Race which will focus on the entry from the former Beijing 2008 Olympics sailing city of Qingdao," explained Clipper Ventures Global Business and Communications Director Jonathan Levy.

In the 2013-14 edition of the Clipper Race the Beijing Television Documentary Channel followed crew member Vicky (Kun) Song as she became the first Chinese woman to sail around the world, in a highly acclaimed documentary series. Building on the success of this collaboration, the new partnership will follow every twist and turn of the Chinese crew's adventure as their tough global challenge unfolds across the BTV network over the year-long ocean odyssey, culminating in the 'behind-the-scenes' real life documentary series.

BTV Documentary Channel Director Mr Chen Dali signed the agreement with Clipper Ventures at today's ceremony at the Beijing International Film Festival Documentary Section: "This is a very exciting partnership with the organisers of this remarkable event. We will be able to follow the human story of this unique challenge as the Chinese crew complete their training and embark on this life-changing experience.

"We will not only have our own cameraman aboard the Qingdao yacht for the whole race but we will also have rights to access all the official race footage from a range of fixed and manned cameras on Qingdao and all the other competing boats, in addition to helicopter, on-water and land based cameras."

BTV is available nationally on its satellite channels and on-line as well as a rapidly growing cable/IPTV distribution across China, especially in major urban centres such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, ChangChun, Harbin, Jinan, Chengdu and Kunming, etc.

New innovative services are also being pioneered in China by BTV. They have established Beijing Internet Broadcasting Station Work Base, which incorporates web, IPTV, mobile terminal services and Weibo/Wechat social media platforms.

Mr Levy added: "I am looking forward to working with Beijing Television on this ground breaking Chinese production partnership. I am confident it will generate a compelling multi-channel viewing experience culminating in a high quality real life adventure series."

A BTV cameraman is already undergoing training in the UK with some of the Chinese crew. The Clipper 2015-16 Race will start from the UK at the end of August and take six months to reach Qingdao, China. The race route visits ports in Brazil, South Africa, Australia and South East Asia before arriving in China. It will then head across the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of the USA, through the Panama Canal to the east coast of the USA before returning to Europe, Northern Ireland, The Netherlands and back to the UK in summer 2016.

Published in Clipper Race

Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay on the east coast of Ireland stretches over seven kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine.

The biggest boating centre is at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Bay's south shore that is home to over 1,500 pleasure craft, four waterfront yacht clubs and Ireland's largest marina.

The bay is rather shallow with many sandbanks and rocky outcrops, and was notorious in the past for shipwrecks, especially when the wind was from the east. Until modern times, many ships and their passengers were lost along the treacherous coastline from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, less than a kilometre from shore.

The Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea and is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sandbanks lie, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

Dublin Bay FAQs

There are approximately ten beaches and bathing spots around Dublin Bay: Dollymount Strand; Forty Foot Bathing Place; Half Moon bathing spot; Merrion Strand; Bull Wall; Sandycove Beach; Sandymount Strand; Seapoint; Shelley Banks; Sutton, Burrow Beach

There are slipways on the north side of Dublin Bay at Clontarf, Sutton and on the southside at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and in Dalkey at Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours.

Dublin Bay is administered by a number of Government Departments, three local authorities and several statutory agencies. Dublin Port Company is in charge of navigation on the Bay.

Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the southside of the Bay has an East and West Pier, each one kilometre long; this is one of the largest human-made harbours in the world. There also piers or walls at the entrance to the River Liffey at Dublin city known as the Great North and South Walls. Other harbours on the Bay include Bulloch Harbour and Coliemore Harbours both at Dalkey.

There are two marinas on Dublin Bay. Ireland's largest marina with over 800 berths is on the southern shore at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The other is at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey close to Dublin City.

Car and passenger Ferries operate from Dublin Port to the UK, Isle of Man and France. A passenger ferry operates from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Howth as well as providing tourist voyages around the bay.

Dublin Bay has two Islands. Bull Island at Clontarf and Dalkey Island on the southern shore of the Bay.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city and into the Bay. Its tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

Dollymount, Burrow and Seapoint beaches

Approximately 1,500 boats from small dinghies to motorboats to ocean-going yachts. The vast majority, over 1,000, are moored at Dun Laoghaire Harbour which is Ireland's boating capital.

In 1981, UNESCO recognised the importance of Dublin Bay by designating North Bull Island as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development, UNESCO’s concept of a Biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but also the areas around them and the communities that live and work within these areas. There have since been additional international and national designations, covering much of Dublin Bay, to ensure the protection of its water quality and biodiversity. To fulfil these broader management aims for the ecosystem, the Biosphere was expanded in 2015. The Biosphere now covers Dublin Bay, reflecting its significant environmental, economic, cultural and tourism importance, and extends to over 300km² to include the bay, the shore and nearby residential areas.

On the Southside at Dun Laoghaire, there is the National Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as Dublin Bay Sailing Club. In the city centre, there is Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club. On the Northside of Dublin, there is Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club and Sutton Dinghy Club. While not on Dublin Bay, Howth Yacht Club is the major north Dublin Sailing centre.

© Afloat 2020