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Displaying items by tag: North of Disko

#arcticcircle – The Galway to Greenland Expedition 'North of Disko' has started its return journey from high in the Arctic Circle along the west Greenland coast. The team, lead by Jamie Young aboard the 49ft Killary Flyer yacht, set sail from Galway on the 14th June and have spent the past six weeks exploring the spectacular coastline by kayak, climbing and sail, as well as through film and photography.

The expedition, run by Killary Adventure Expeditions, aims to document this changing coastline and produce a comprehensive art photography exhibition showcasing the fragile nature of the Arctic environment as well as climbing and kayaking guides to the west Greenland coast. Art photographer Daragh Muldowney of Dulra Photography is one of the crewmembers and has managed to capture some incredible images of the ice from the ice cap and glaciers to icebergs. The expedition has also been filmed along the way with the aim of producing a short documentary on the experience.

The crew are currently on their way south to the town of Sisimuit, still inside the Arctic Circle, where they will prepare the boat for their return journey across the Atlantic. They aim to arrive back in Killary Harbour on approximately the 20th August.

"The expedition so far has been hugely rewarding" according to Jamie. "We've been lucky enough to have been welcomed into the Inuit communities we've visited and it's been very interesting to hear about the social, environmental and political challenges faced by them at present".

The crew encountered three significant storms on the initial Atlantic crossing so are hoping for a less turbulent return journey. You can follow their progress through daily blogs from the crew at www.northofdisko.com or view a selection of images from the trip so far on their facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Killary-Adventure-Expeditions. You can see examples of Daragh's previous work at www.dulra.com

Published in Cruising

Every Year Ireland's Search & Rescue Services deliver emergency life saving work on our seas, lakes and rivers.

Ireland's Water Safety Agencies work hard to provide us with the information we need to keep safe, while enjoying all manner of water based activities.

There's no better fun than getting out on the water but being afloat is a responsibility we all need to take seriously.

These pages detail the work of the rescue agencies. We also aim to promote safety standards among pleasure boaters, and by doing so, prevent, as far as possible, the loss of life at sea and on inland waters. If you have ideas for our pages we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]

Think Before You Sink - Wear a Lifejacket

Accidents can happen fast on water and there may not be time to reach for a lifejacket in an emergency therefore don't just carry a lifejacket - wear it; if it's not on you, it can't save your life.

Irish Water Safety's Safe Boating Alert:

Check condition of boat and equipment, hull, engine, fuel, tools, torch.

Check the weather forecast for the area.

Check locally concerning dangerous currents and strong tides.

Do not drink alcohol while setting out or during your trip.

Carry an alternative means of propulsion e.g. sails and oars or motor and oars.

Carry a first aid kit on board and distress signals (at least two parachute distress rockets, two red hand flares).

Carry a fire extinguisher, a hand bailer or bucket with lanyard and an anchor with rope attached.

Carry marine radio or some means of communication with shore.

Do not overload the boat - this will make it unstable.

Do not set out unless accompanied by an experienced person.

Leave details of your planned trip with someone ashore - including departure and arrival times, description of boat, names of persons on board, etc.

Wear a Lifejacket at all times.

Keep an eye on the weather - seek shelter in good time.

In Marine Emergencies, call 999 or 112 and ask for Marine Rescue.

Lifejackets Checklist

Ensure Cartridges have not been punctured and are secured firmly.

Ensure all zips, buckles, fasteners and webbing straps are functioning correctly and adjusted to fit the user.

Check that fitted lights are operating correctly.

Ensure that Automatic Inflation devices are fully serviced and in date.

Check that the valve or lifejacket is not leaking.