Displaying items by tag: Spirit of Oysterhaven

4th September 2013

Mediterranean Voyage of 'Spirit of Oysterhaven' Schooner

#tallships – Ireland's largest sail training vessel, the 70 foot schooner "Spirit of Oysterhaven", has recently completed her crossing of Biscay to Spain with a crew of seven under skipper Tom O'Leary. An intense high pressure system delivered 15 to 20 knots for the start of the voyage before dying to a windless calm, with Spirit quietly motoring through fields of phosphorescence at night and joined by dolphins on the bow-wave by day. Then by the
time she passed Cape Finisterre of the North West tip of Spain she was running at 9 knots before a force 7.

She is currently making her way down the Portuguese coast prior to rounding the Straits and then heading for Barcelona where she is due to participate in the Mediterranean Tall Ships Regatta at the end of September. "This is a very exciting event for us", commented owner Oliver Hart, " as we were invited to participate following our involvement in Dublin Tall Ships in 2012. We still have a few berths available on both voyages, and we are
looking for delivery crew to help us bring Spirit back to Alicante after the event."

The Mediterranean Tall Ships Regatta is a chance to join the Spirit of Oysterhaven for an unforgettable cruise in the company of a fleet of Tall Ships from Barcelona in Spain on Sunday 22nd September to Toulon in France and finishing in La Spezia in Italy on Sunday 6th October.

Published in Tall Ships

Tagged under

Sail Training Opportunities on the Spirit of Oysterhaven Schooner

#tallships – A new venture for Oysterhaven Activity Centre in County Cork is its offering of adventure sail training on board the classic schooner Spirit of Oysterhaven. These 5 day voyages, designed either for youths (16 - 20 yrs olds) or adults start in Glandore and cruise the spectacular south coast, anchoring overnight in idyllic harbours of West Cork such as Castletownsend, Baltimore, Schull and Crookhaven.

Centre principal Oliver Hart says it is a great opportunity for aspiring sailors to get to know the ropes and sail on board the 70–foot classic schooner.

Crew members can expect to be fully involved in the sailing of the ship, from hoisting sails, to grinding winches to steering a course.

A highlight of previous voyages this summer has been rounding the Fastnet and a night sail back to Oysterhaven. As well as sailing the boat crew members will work together to produce meals, wash -up and keep the boat ship shape - useful skills to bring home!

Skipper Tom O'Leary is an experienced Yachtmaster Instructor and ensures that during the voyage crew members put into practice all the essential elements of sailing theory, from passage planning, to studying the weather, predicting tides and navigating to the desired destination.
August 12 - 16th and August 19 - 23rd
Cost € 450

Mediterranean Regatta
The Mediterranean Tall Ships Regatta is a chance to join the Spirit of Oysterhaven Trust Ltd for an unforgettable cruise in the company of a fleet of Tall Ships from Barcelona in Spain to Toulon in France and finishing in La Spezia in Italy.

With our focus on providing opportunities for disabled sailors to share the experience of sailing we have reserved two berths on each of the voyages. Funding is available for some crew members under the Sultan of Oman Bursaries, please contact for details.

Voyage 1 Sat 21st Sept - Friday 27th Sept. Barcelona - Toulon
After a festive Tall Ships event in Barcelona from September 21st to 23rd, the fleet sails for Toulon in France on Tuesday 24th September, arriving in Toulon on Friday 27th to enjoy a couple of days of French hospitality.
Voyage 2. Sat 28th Sept - Fri 4th Oct Toulon - La Spezia
Departing Toulon on Monday 30th September the fleet sails for Italy, arriving on the 4th October for a festive week-end in La Spezia.
Rates € 700 per person per voyage (€1,000 for 2 voyages)
Note that these voyages are run under the auspices of the Spirit of Oysterhaven Trust Ltd, a "not - for -profit" company established to promote education through sail training for young people of all abilities and social backgrounds. See http://www.spiritofoysterhavensailing.ie/spirit-of-oysterhaven-schooner-cork/spirit-trust

Milebuilding Voyage

Candidates considering doing their Yachtmaster exam any time soon may like the opportunity of logging some qualifying miles on a shared expenses basis. Spirit of Oysterhaven will be heading down to Portugal in late August. This 10–day voyage will give crewmembers the full experience of offshore sailing and ocean navigating. After the crossing of the Bay of Biscay Spirit will make a brief stop in Baiona, Spain before heading on down to Lagos in Portugal. This 1,000 mile 10 day voyage starts on August 28th and ends on 6th September.

Mid September Spirit sets out from the Algarve for a sunshine delivery cruise to Barcelona, with a brief stopover off at the Balearics - Mallorca and Minorca. This voyage is 750–miles and will involve more stops along the Spanish coast. Starts 12th September and ends in Barcelona on the 21st. Crewmembers may join for shorter sections of this passage.

Published in Tall Ships

Tagged under

Spirit of Oysterhaven Schooner Provides Disabled Sailing Opportunity

#disabledsailing – A new initiative from sailing instructors at Oysterhaven Activity Centre in Cork aims to provide sailing opportunities for young people with disabilities on board the 70–foot schooner Spirit of Oysterhaven.

Spokesman Shane Dwyer described how last month the club members crewed the "Spirit" to the Cobh Traditional Sailing Regatta in Cork Harbour providing crewing opportunities for six young people who were restricted as a result of either sight impairment, cerebral palsy or height restriction.

The Spirit of Oysterhaven Trust is a youth initiative led and managed by young people from Oysterhaven Activity Centre, facilitated through the Léargas programme of funding for youth led initiatives.

The mission of the Trust is to provide an opportunity for those with an intellectual or physical disability the chance to experience sailing.

Dwyer explained, "The objective of the project is for us as crewmembers to develop our sailing and interpersonal skills while meeting the needs of the disabled sailors in our crew.

This is a challenge for both the able bodied members of our crew as well as the disabled members as we all learn to adjust to life aboard Spirit. "

The next event in the calendar is Glandore Classic Regatta where the crew of the Trust plans to participate in the Parade of Sail on Sunday 21st July after sailing down from Oysterhaven on the Friday evening.

You can follow progress on Twitter page @OysterhavenCrew and contact them by email [email protected]

Published in Tall Ships

Tagged under

Spirit of Oysterhaven

Start
Prev
1
2
Next
End

Page 2 of 2

About the Golden Globe Race

The Golden Globe Race is the original round the world yacht race. In 1968, while man was preparing to take his first steps on the moon, a mild mannered and modest young man was setting out on his own record breaking voyage of discovery. Off shore yacht racing changed forever with adventurers and sailors, inspired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, following in his pioneering wake. Nine men started the first solo non-stop sailing race around the World. Only one finished. History was made. Navigating with a sextant, paper charts and an accurate and reliable time piece, Sir Robin navigated around the world. In 2018, to celebrate 50 years since that first record breaking achievement, the Golden Globe Race was resurrected. It instantly caught the attention of the worlds media as well as adventures, captivated by the spirit and opportunity. The original race is back.

The Golden Globe Race: Stepping back to the golden age of solo sailing

Like the original Sunday Times event back in 1968/9, the 2018 Golden Globe Race was very simple. Depart Les Sables d'Olonne, France on July 1st 2018 and sail solo, non-stop around the world, via the five Great Capes and return to Les Sables d'Olonne. Entrants are limited to use the same type of yachts and equipment that were available to Robin Knox-Johnston in that first race. That means sailing without modern technology or benefit of satellite-based navigation aids.

Competitors must sail in production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall (9.75 10.97m) designed prior to 1988 and having a full-length keel with rudder attached to their trailing edge. These yachts will be heavily built, strong and steady, similar in concept to Robin's 32ft vessel Suhaili.

In contrast to the current professional world of elite ocean racing, this edition travels back to a time known as the 'Golden Age' of solo sailing. Suhaili was a slow and steady 32ft double-ended ketch based on a William Atkins ERIC design. She is heavily built of teak and carried no computers, GPS, satellite phone nor water-maker, and Robin completed the challenge without the aid of modern-day shore-based weather routing advice. He had only a wind-up chronometer and a barograph to face the world alone, and caught rainwater to survive, but was at one with the ocean, able to contemplate and absorb all that this epic voyage had to offer.

This anniversary edition of the Golden Globe Race is a celebration of the original event, the winner, his boat and that significant world-first achievement. Competitors in this race will be sailing simple boats using basic equipment to guarantee a satisfying and personal experience. The challenge is pure and very raw, placing the adventure ahead of winning at all costs. It is for 'those who dare', just as it was for Knox-Johnston.

They will be navigating with sextant on paper charts, without electronic instruments or autopilots. They will hand-write their logs and determine the weather for themselves.

Only occasionally will they talk to loved ones and the outside world when long-range high frequency and ham radios allow.

It is now possible to race a monohull solo around the world in under 80 days, but sailors entered in this race will spend around 300 days at sea, challenging themselves and each other. The 2018 Golden Globe Race was a fitting tribute to the first edition and it's winner, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Background on Don McIntyre (61) Race Founder

Don is an inveterate sailor and recognised as one of Australia s greatest explorers. Passionate about all forms of adventure and inspiring others, his desire is to recreate the Golden Age of solo sailing. Don finished 2nd in class in the 1990-91 BOC Challenge solo around the world yacht race. In 2010, he led the 4-man Talisker Bounty Boat challenge to re-enact the Mutiny on the Bounty voyage from Tonga to West Timor, in a simil