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Displaying items by tag: Andrew Malcolm

#MARINE WILDLIFE - A "feeding frenzy" involving a pod of fin whales was spotted off Hook Head in Co Wexford last week, The Irish Times reports.

And according to Andrew Malcolm of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), two of the whales were in the same location almost exactly a year ago.

Malcolm, who was with a group on board the Rebecca C, used photographs of the whale's dorsal fins to compare records for the confirmation.

The pod of six fin whales was seen feeding some 3km southeast of Hook Head, attracted by the herring spawning grounds in the area.

More than 30 other cetaceans, including common dolphins, porpoises and a minke whale, were sighted on the trip.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Marine Wildlife
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has reported the sighting of a humpback whale new to Irish waters.
Andrew Malcolm of the IWDG along with Martin Colfer spotted the whale just west of Dunmore East - a year after the first sightings of 'Hooky' who gave whale-watchers a treat in the early part of 2010.
Malcolm confirmed that this humpback was indeed a new addition to the Irish catalogue. He described it as behaving "in a very co-operative manner" and noted that it "regularly 'fluked' in front of the boat."
Click HERE for more on the story, including some spectaular images.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has reported the sighting of a humpback whale new to Irish waters.

Andrew Malcolm of the IWDG along with Martin Colfer spotted the whale just west of Dunmore East - a year after the first sightings of 'Hooky' who gave whale-watchers a treat in the early part of 2010.

Malcolm confirmed that this humpback was indeed a new addition to the Irish catalogue. He described it as behaving "in a very co-operative manner" and noted that it "regularly 'fluked' in front of the boat".

Click HERE for more on the story, including some spectaular images.

Published in Marine Wildlife

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.