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Displaying items by tag: Seabourn Cruises

#COBH CRUISE CALL – The sleek profile of Seabourn Sojourn, the cruiseship whose godmother is Twiggy, the English fashion icon and actress, called at Cobh Cruise Terminal this morning, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The ultra-luxurious vessel is the second of a pair of 32,000 tonnes sisters built for Seabourn Cruises by Italian shipyard T. Marrioti in Genoa. She was launched into the Ligurian Sea in 2010 and unusually for a cruiseship she has twin funnels that skilfully merge into the superstructure's appearance.

In the same year the 197m vessel made a promotional visit to London where she was christened by Twiggy at a ceremony held on the Thames.

Seabourn Cruises operate in the top end of the cruise market and have won prestigious travel awards over the years. Likewise to competitor Silverseas Cruise whose Silver Whisper is visiting Killybegs today having made a port of call to Foynes yesterday.

The 450 guest capacity Seabourn Sejourn is also in the same league with her rivals in that she only has suites in terms of accommodation type, where within there is a choice of six categories.

She has 225 ocean view suites measuring 295 to 1,682 sq ft, 90% with private verandas. This includes five Owner's Suites measuring up to 1,062 sq ft (including the veranda) and four two-bedroom Grand Suites with up to 1,682 sq ft of private living space.

In addition there are 22 Penthouse Suites on the uppermost decks, each featuring up to 534 sq ft feet of space. To browse a virtual tour of these very spacious suites on Deck 11 click HERE.

As for facilities she sports the largest spa on any ultra-luxury ship, at 11,400 sq ft encompassing an indoor and outdoor space laid out over two decks. There are also six whirlpools and two swimming pools, including the pool patio, with a pair of large whirlpool spas and a "beach" style pool, a casual patio grill and the patio bar.

On the sun deck above sits Seabourn's popular open-air Sky Bar located high atop on deck 11 is a Sun Terrace with 36 tiered double sun beds. Just aft of that is The Retreat, with shuffleboard courts and a nine-hole putting green.

The panoramic Observation Bar on Deck 10 offers 270 degree forward views over the sea. There is the Club for dancing and the larger Grand Salon is also used for dancing as well as lectures, production vocal shows, cabaret performances and classical recitals.

Other facilities can be viewed through the virtual tour HERE

Published in Cruise Liners

Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

© Afloat 2020