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Displaying items by tag: Castletroy, Co Limerick

The National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) has announced the launch of its second annual Seafarers' Conference which is take place on 23 February and be held in Co. Limerick.

This year's theme is 'Thriving Fishing, Thriving Offshore Wind, Thriving Ports' and the hybrid event is to take place in the Castletroy Park Hotel. The venue is situated close to Limerick city and is just minutes off the M7 Dublin motorway.

The conference, sponsored by Simply Blue Group, will once again bring together representatives from Ireland’s maritime industry, supply chain workforce, and training & education institutions to explore the opportunities that exist to support and grow the fishing and offshore wind industries in Ireland in tandem.

Speakers at the event will include Caroline Bocquel, Interim CEO, BIM, Noel Cunniffe, CEO Wind Energy Ireland, Brian Hogan, Chief Surveyor Marine Survey Office, and Norah Parke, Project Coordinator Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation Ltd.

Further speakers will be announced soon.

Among the topics for discussion include what the fishing industry needs to thrive; the policy regime for renewable energy; implementation of the ‘future skills needs report’; the ecosystem impacts of offshore wind farms; and the future for Ireland’s fishing ports.

To register in attending this conference in-person, click HERE or alternatively to attend 'online' visit this LINK.

Published in Ports & Shipping

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.