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Displaying items by tag: Historic Boats

#BronzeAgeBoat - Dover's replica Bronze Age boat has been moved to a secure location after being vandalised, according to Kent Online.

It's reported that a tent covering the vessel on the port town's Roman Lawn was damaged, and saw marks were made on one side.

The incident comes just days ahead of the launch of a campaign to fund works on the historic boat - a half-size replica of one built some 3,500 years ago - to make it seaworthy after it sank in the Dover docks last year.

A similar project in Cornwall saw the fruit of its own restoration work this past March, when their 50ft Bronze Age boat was set afloat in Falmouth.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Cornish boat is crafted from two giant oak logs and using tools similar to what boat builders of the time world have used in the post-Neolithic era.

Published in Historic Boats

#ClassicShip – It won't be all about vessels under sail as the veteran T.S.M.V. Cill Airne, which served as a trans-Atlantic passenger liner tender in Cobh, will be open to the public as part of the inaugural Dublin Port River Festival (1-3 June), writes Jehan Ashmore.

Throughout the three-day festival, the Cill Airne will have an Open Day between 11am to 6pm.

Since 2006, the Cill Airne has been moored as a static restaurant and bar venue along Dublin's North Wall Quay.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie,  last year she celebrated a major milestone, having been built 50 years ago at the nearby old Liffey Dockyard.

To celebrate her half-century, the Irish branch of the World Ship Society (WSS) based in Cobh held a special luncheon on board in the beautiful timber surroundings of the Quay 16 Restaurant.

The 500 tonnes vessel is also unique in that she is the last ship built from the yard.

Research has indicated that she along with her sister Blarna were built with rivetted hulls, this was a political one, designed to ensure employment of the last riveting crews at the dockyard.

This made Cill Airne unique to Dublin's maritime industrial heritage but also significant in that this outdated shipbuilding technique was still in practise in a European shipyard.

Why not come on board during the festival and explore this rare example of a surviving Irish built vessel.

In addition the upper decks will provide an opportunity to gain a higher elevation of the myriad of boating traffic and with Tallships berthed either side along the quays.

On Saturday the Howth 17's, the world's oldest one-design keelboat class still racing will indeed be doing just that!...and on Sunday the Old Gaffers 'Parade of Sail'.

Published in Historic Boats
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Esailing & Virtual Sailing information

The concept of e-sailing, or virtual sailing, is based on a computer game sailing challenge that has been around for more than a decade.

The research and development of software over this time means its popularity has taken off to the extent that it has now become a part of the sailing seascape and now allows people to take an 'active part' in some of the most famous regattas across the world such as the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, Sydney Hobart, Volvo Ocean Race, America’s Cup and some Olympic venues too, all from the comfort of their armchair.

The most popular model is the 'eSailing World Championship'. It is an annual esports competition, first held in 2018 and officially recognised by World Sailing, the sports governing body.

The eSailing World Championship is a yearly competition for virtual sailors competing on the Virtual Regatta Inshore game.

The contract to run the event was given to a private company, Virtual Regatta that had amassed tens of thousands of sailors playing offshore sailing routing game following major offshore races in real-time.

In April 2020, the company says on its website that it has 35,000 active players and 500,000 regattas sailed.

Virtual Regatta started in 2010 as a small team of passionate designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs gathered around the idea that virtual sailing sports games can mix with real races and real skippers.