Displaying items by tag: ORE

8th May 2024

Doyle Shipping Group Pulls Out of Plans to Develop Offshore Wind Energy Hub in Cork Harbour

Plans to develop an offshore wind energy hub in Cork Harbour have been shelved as Doyle Shipping Group has pulled out of the scheme.

As reported on Afloat.ie just three months ago, the 15-hectare Cork Dockyard facility at Rushbrooke had been earmarked for redevelopment as an infrastructure hub for offshore renewable energy (ORE) projects.

But according to the Irish Examiner on Wednesday (8 May), the family-owned Doyle Shipping Group has withdrawn from any involvement in ORE.

And the Business Post says the Port of Cork has now been left with a €70 million funding gap for its development plans.

Planning permission for what would have been the Cork Dockyard Rejuvenation Project expires at the end of this year, piling further pressure on the Port of Cork Company as it seeks a commercial partner for the necessary investment.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

Published in Cork Harbour

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Enterprise Ireland Hosting Third Offshore Wind Forum Next Week

Enterprise Ireland will host the third Enterprise Ireland Offshore Wind Forum in Croke Park next Tuesday (28 November), featuring an address from Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

This one-day knowledge and networking event will convene the Irish offshore wind supply chain with industry stakeholders from across the Irish, UK and global offshore wind markets.

The forum will include updates on both the Irish and UK offshore wind markets, with key contributions from project developers and industry experts.

It will assess the timelines, opportunities and challenges facing the offshore wind industry and will examine how the supply chain can help facilitate continued growth.

While the main focus is on Ireland and the UK, attendees will also receive updates from European markets, including France, Germany and Italy.

Attendees will also hear from EirGrid on their supply chain support needs, and the forum will take a look at the Irish technology and innovation that is working to advance floating offshore wind.

See the full forum agenda and register to attend via the Enterprise Ireland website.

Published in Power From the Sea

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The Kingstown to Queenstown Yacht Race or 'K2Q', previously the Fastnet 450

The Organising Authority ("OA") are ISORA & SCORA in association with The National Yacht Club & The Royal Cork Yacht Club.

The Kingstown to Queenstown Race (K2Q Race) is a 260-mile offshore race that will start in Dun Laoghaire (formerly Kingstown), around the famous Fastnet Rock and finish in Cork Harbour at Cobh (formerly Queenstown).

The K2Q race follows from the successful inaugural 'Fastnet 450 Race' that ran in 2020 when Ireland was in the middle of the COVID Pandemic. It was run by the National Yacht Club, and the Royal cork Yacht Club were both celebrating significant anniversaries. The clubs combined forces to mark the 150th anniversary of the National Yacht Club and the 300th (Tricentenary) of the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Of course, this race has some deeper roots. In 1860 the first-ever ocean yacht race on Irish Waters was held from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (now Cobh).

It is reported that the winner of the race was paid a prize of £15 at the time, and all competing boats got a bursary of 10/6 each. The first race winner was a Schooner Kingfisher owned by Cooper Penrose Esq. The race was held on July 14th 1860, and had sixteen boats racing.

In 2022, the winning boat will be awarded the first prize of a cheque for €15 mounted and framed and a Trophy provided by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world.

The 2022 race will differ from the original course because it will be via the Fastnet Rock, so it is a c. 260m race, a race distance approved by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club as an AZAB qualifier.

A link to an Afloat article written by WM Nixon for some history on this original race is here.

The aim is to develop the race similarly to the Dun Laoghaire–Dingle Race that runs in alternate years.

Fastnet 450 in 2020

The South Coast of Ireland Racing Association, in association with the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay and the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork, staged the first edition of this race from Dun Laoghaire to Cork Harbour via the Fastnet Rock on August 22nd 2020.

The IRC race started in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday, August 22nd 2020. It passed the Muglin, Tuscar, Conningbeg and Fastnet Lighthouses to Starboard before returning to Cork Harbour and passing the Cork Buoy to Port, finishing when Roches's Point bears due East. The course was specifically designed to be of sufficient length to qualify skippers and crew for the RORC Fastnet Race 2021.