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#COASTAL NOTES - Northern Irish director Terry George has returned to a hero's welcome in his native Co Down following his Oscar win for short film The Shore, the Irish Echo reports.

The film, which was set on Coney Island near Killough on the egde of Strangford Lough, tells the story of a man who returns to his coastal community after 25 years living in the USA.

“It’s great to come home and to visit everyone who made the film possible, the people who were in it, go back and see our neighbors,” said George on landing in Belfast. “You kind of hope that you’ll bring back the awards here to Ireland.”

The Shore is also a family effort, as it was produced by the director's daughter Oonagh George.

Published in Coastal Notes

#DUBLIN BAY NEWS - The annual St Patrick's Day Harbour2Harbour Walk in aid of mental health charity Aware is just a few weeks away.

The 16.2 mile walk around Dublin Bay begins at 10.30am on Saturday 17 March, taking around five hours to complete, and it's your choice whether you begin at Howth Harbour and walk to Dun Laoghaire Harbour or vice versa.

Organisers describe the event as "a great day out for family, friends and individuals, all of whom get a great sense of achievement and a great view of Dublin Bay."

Of course the main aim of the day is to raise funds for Aware, and once registered to take part you will receive a fundraising pack containing letters, information, maps and sponsorship cards. You can also set up your own fundraising page on MyCharity.ie.

The registration fee is €15 per individual or €25 for a group of 2 (children under 16 are free). Advance online registration is now available at the Aware website HERE. Late registration will be available on the morning of the walk itself.

Volunteers are also required to help with late registration on the morning of the walk and act as stewards at various points along the route. If you can help please call 01 661 7211 or e-mail [email protected].

More information about the day can be found at Aware's Harbour2Harbour webpage HERE.

Published in Dublin Bay
Surfing isn't just for extremists - it can be a fun activity for the whole family, and you can even build a holiday around it!
Gary Quinn writes in The Irish Times about family surf lessons in the Fuerteventura, where there's been an explosion in surfing schools and holiday operators in recent years. As such, there's something available for all levels.
And with the Canary Islands already a popular sun-drenched holiday destination, even complete beginners won't feel they're getting in over their heads.
"Surfing is a lifestyle," writes Quinn. "The families and groups around me are absorbed by it. Their clothes, food, internal clocks. Everything swings with the tides and everyone is relaxed."
There's also a handy checklist for families to make sure everyone gets the most out of the experience.
The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Surfing isn't just for extremists - it can be a fun activity for the whole family, and you can even build a holiday around it!

Gary Quinn writes in The Irish Times about family surfing lessons in the Fuerteventura, where there's been an explosion in surf schools and holiday operators in recent years. As such, there's something available for all levels. 

And with the Canary Islands already a popular sun-drenched holiday destination, even complete beginners won't feel they're getting in over their heads.

"Surfing is a lifestyle," writes Quinn. "The families and groups around me are absorbed by it. Their clothes, food, internal clocks. Everything swings with the tides and everyone is relaxed."

There's also a handy checklist for families to make sure everyone gets the most out of the experience.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Surfing

A grateful family presented a cheque to Portrush lifeboat crew in thanks for saving their son this summer.
On 16th May 2010 both Portrush Lifeboats were launched to two separate incidents within one at 0922 hours and one at 0924 hours.
Within minutes two full volunteer crews had assembled and both the All-weather Lifeboat and the Inshore Lifeboat were launched. The Inshore Lifeboat was launched to reports of two young people in the water at Dhu Varren. Karl O'Neill was at the helm supported by Nick Christie and Jonathan Weston. Two youths had gone into the sea after a dog, and were starting to experience real difficulties in getting back to shore. One of the youths Damian Morris had sustained cuts to his arms and legs, was suffering hypothermia and was literally going under the water for the third time when the Portrush Lifeboat arrived on scene. Damian spent several days in hospital as a result of the incident and was delighted to be able to come to the station to meet the crew who had saved him that day.
Damian's uncle and Godfather Raymond Comac and his friend Paul McGuigan, do a lot of charity work in Damian's hometown in Omagh holding fundraisers to raise funds to take motorbikes out to South Africa for use by health care workers in the townships. However this year, they divided the proceeds between their charity and the RNLI, in recognition of the fact that the volunteer crew at Portrush had saved Damian's life.
Damian's parents Liam and Rosemary Morris, Damian himself and his uncle Raymond and friend Paul travelled to Portrush to meet the crew and hand over a cheque for £1000. Both Nick and Karl were overwhelmed by the generosity and stated;
'We don't do this for thanks, but it's so nice to meet someone that you have helped and for this amount to be raised is fantastic for the station'
The family got a tour of the station and had a look at the new Inshore lifeboat 'The David Roulston' which took over from the 'Ken and Mary' the boat that responded to the call that day....one of her last launches.

Cheque_Presentation_Nov_2010_055

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Published in RNLI Lifeboats

The 2024 Vendée Globe Race

A record-sized fleet of 44 skippers are aiming for the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe: the 24,296 nautical miles solo non-stop round-the-world race from Les Sables d’Olonne in France, on Sunday, November 10 2024 and will be expected back in mid-January 2025.

Vendée Globe Race FAQs

Six women (Alexia Barrier, Clarisse Cremer, Isabelle Joschke, Sam Davies, Miranda Merron, Pip Hare).

Nine nations (France, Germany, Japan, Finland, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and Great Britain)

After much speculation following Galway man Enda O’Coineen’s 2016 race debut for Ireland, there were as many as four campaigns proposed at one point, but unfortunately, none have reached the start line.

The Vendée Globe is a sailing race round the world, solo, non-stop and without assistance. It takes place every four years and it is regarded as the Everest of sailing. The event followed in the wake of the Golden Globe which had initiated the first circumnavigation of this type via the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn) in 1968.

The record to beat is Armel Le Cléac’h 74 days 3h 35 minutes 46s set in 2017. Some pundits are saying the boats could beat a sub-60 day time.

The number of theoretical miles to cover is 24,296 miles (45,000 km).

The IMOCA 60 ("Open 60"), is a development class monohull sailing yacht run by the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA). The class pinnacle events are single or two-person ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum and the Vendée Globe.

Zero past winners are competing but two podiums 2017: Alex Thomson second, Jérémie Beyou third. It is also the fifth participation for Jean Le Cam and Alex Thomson, fourth for Arnaud Boissières and Jérémie Beyou.

The youngest on this ninth edition of the race is Alan Roura, 27 years old.

The oldest on this ninth edition is Jean Le Cam, 61 years old.

Over half the fleet are debutantes, totalling 18 first-timers.

The start procedure begins 8 minutes before the gun fires with the warning signal. At 4 minutes before, for the preparatory signal, the skipper must be alone on board, follow the countdown and take the line at the start signal at 13:02hrs local time. If an IMOCA crosses the line too early, it incurs a penalty of 5 hours which they will have to complete on the course before the latitude 38 ° 40 N (just north of Lisbon latitude). For safety reasons, there is no opportunity to turn back and recross the line. A competitor who has not crossed the starting line 60 minutes after the signal will be considered as not starting. They will have to wait until a time indicated by the race committee to start again. No departure will be given after November 18, 2020, at 1:02 p.m when the line closes.

The first boat could be home in sixty days. Expect the leaders from January 7th 2021 but to beat the 2017 race record they need to finish by January 19 2021.

Today, building a brand new IMOCA generally costs between 4.2 and €4.7million, without the sails but second-hand boats that are in short supply can be got for around €1m.

©Afloat 2020

Vendee Globe 2024 Key Figures

  • 10th edition
  • Six women (vs six in 2020)
  • 16 international skippers (vs 12 in 2020)
  • 11 nationalities represented: France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Japan, China, USA, New Zealand (vs 9 in 2020)
  • 18 rookies (vs 20 in 2020)
  • 30 causes supported
  • 14 new IMOCAs (vs 9 in 2020)
  • Two 'handisport' skippers

At A Glance - Vendee Globe 2024

The 10th edition will leave from Les Sables d’Olonne on November 10, 2024

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