Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: European Seaway

#ReliefFerry - European Seaway, one of five Dover-Calais ships serving P&O Ferries premier short-sea route arrived to Larne for the first time this morning so to provide refit cover, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 22,988 gross tonnage ‘Super-Freighter’ class freight-ferry had sailed through the English Channel direct from Calais on a repositioning voyage to the North Channel.

On completion of berthing trials, the 124 x 15m freight unit capacity vessel is to begin covering crossings on the Larne-Cairnryan route as previously reported.  This will allow a pair of ropax ships to be refitted on Merseyside.

During the two-month deployment of the Strait of Dover vessel, the ropax European Causeway (20,646gt) and European Highlander (21,188gt) are to take turns dry-docked at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead.

Each of the almost identical sisters with a 418 passenger capacity are to undergo an 18-day period of refit work. The first such work since 2015. Refit work will involve hull repairs, blast and paint jobs and steel deck renewals in addition to improvements made to passenger facilities.

For information on sailing schedule click here.

The £1.2m contract for the refits had also included P&O Ferries central corridor Dublin-Liverpool route ropax sisters, that began in March firstly with Norbay followed by Norbank. This saw sailings covered by the chartered car-carrier Neptune Aegli.

Published in Ferry

The Round Britain & Ireland Race

The 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race will feature a wide variety of yachts racing under the IRC rating rule as well as one design and open classes, such as IMOCA, Class40 and Multihulls. The majority of the fleet will race fully crewed, but with the popularity of the Two-Handed class in recent years, the race is expected to have a record entry.

The Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race starts on Sunday 7th August 2022 from Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK.

The 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is organised by The Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with The Royal Yacht Squadron.

It is run every four years. There have been nine editions of the Round Britain and Ireland Race which started in 1976 Sevenstar has sponsored the race four times - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and has committed to a longterm partnership with the RORC

The 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is a fully crewed non-stop race covering 1,805 nautical miles and is open to IRC, IRC Two Handed, IMOCA 60s, Class40s, Volvo 65s and Multihulls that will race around Britain and Ireland, starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes on the Isle of Wight starting after Cowes Week on Sunday 7 August 2022

The last edition of the race in 2018 attracted 28 teams with crews from 18 nations. Giles Redpath's British Lombard 46 saw over victory and Phil Sharp's Class40 Imerys Clean Energy established a new world record for 40ft and under, completing the course in 8 days 4 hrs 14 mins 49 secs.

The 1,805nm course will take competitors around some of the busiest and most tactically challenging sailing waters in the world. It attracts a diverse range of yachts and crew, most of which are enticed by the challenge it offers as well as the diversity and beauty of the route around Britain and Ireland with spectacular scenery and wildlife.

Most sailors agree that this race is one of the toughest tests as it is nearly as long as an Atlantic crossing, but the changes of direction at headlands will mean constant breaks in the watch system for sail changes and sail trim

Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race Records:

  • Outright - OMA07 Musandam-Oman Sail, MOD 70, Sidney Gavignet, 2014: 3 days 03:32:36
  • Monohull - Azzam Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, VO 65, Ian Walker, 2014: 4 days 13:10:28
  • Monohull All-Female - Team SCA, VO 65, Samantha Davies, 2014: 4 days 21:00:39
  • Monohull 60ft or less - Artemis Team Endeavour, IMOCA 60, Brian Thompson/Artemis Ocean Racing, 2014: 5 days 14:00:54
  • Monohull 40ft or less – Imerys Clean Energy, Class40, Phil Sharp, 2018: 8 days 4:14:49