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Displaying items by tag: UK Royal Visit

The Commissioners of Irish Lights were also delighted to welcome The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday to the Baily Lighthouse, Howth Peninsula (see story: Marine Institute) as part of the UK Royal couple's first official visit to Ireland which concludes today.

According to CIL, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met with Kieran Crowley, Chairman and Yvonne Shields O’Connor, CEO, Irish Lights at the Baily Lighthouse (marking the northern approaches to Dublin Bay). They discussed the long-standing historic relationship between Irish Lights and their General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) partners in the United Kingdom, Trinity House and Northern Lighthouse Board. 

This active partnership sees the three authorities co-operating on a daily basis to deliver a range of services to ensure safe navigation around the Irish and UK coasts, meeting the Irish and UK governments’ obligations under the Safety of Life at Sea Convention.

Yvonne Shields O’Connor, CEO, Irish Lights said: "It is an honour to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and to acknowledge the close working partnership that exists between Irish Lights and our colleagues in Trinity House and the Northern Lighthouse Board. For over 150 years we have worked in close collaboration to ensure safety at sea for mariners through our network of lighthouses, buoys and electronic aids to navigation. We recognise the hugely valuable work Their Royal Highnesses are doing in relation to climate change and marine conservation, which is very relevant to the service that we provide.”

Afloat adds the visit follows less than a year ago when Princess Anne in April 2019 also visited the Baily Lighthouse in addition to CIL's headquarters in Dun Laoghaire Harbour and boarded the ILV Granuaile (named after the 16th century Irish Pirate Queen from Mayo). Grace O'Malley who was regarded as a rebel, pirate and had 'disloyal' activities sailed to London to meet Queen Elizabeth I at Greenwich Palace in 1593.

Role on to the present day as Princess Anne, The Princess Royal is Master of The Corporation of Trinity House, a position held since May 2011. It was in that same month and year when Queen Elizabeth II made a historic first visit to Ireland.

Trinity House as one of the trio of GLA partners is responsble for the waters off England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, while Northern Lighthouse Board has the seas off Scotland and the Isle of Man. As for the remaining partner, Irish Lights whose mission is the safe navigation at sea and as a maritime organisation delivering essential 24/7 safety and navigation services around the coast to include N. Ireland. 

Published in Lighthouses

Tricentenary 'Cork 300' Celebrations at Royal Cork Yacht Club

Cork 300 is the overall name for a series of events which will be held in Cork Harbour and further afield in 2020 to celebrate the tricentenary of Royal Cork Yacht Club.

300 years earlier, 25 individuals came together and created what is now the oldest yacht club in the world (where it all began). Today, there are thousands of yacht clubs across the globe with a collective membership running into the millions.

Cork, its harbour and its communities will proudly celebrate all that is on offer to visitors to Irelands Maritime Paradise with a series of events throughout the year. Register your interest here.

The lead events will be as follows:

July – The Great Gathering (Keelboats)
August – The Three Championship Weeks (Dinghies)
August – The Club At Home Regatta (Keelboats & Dinghies)

Events include…

AIB 1720 Southern Championships 28th-30th August
Sadly, the 1720 Europeans scheduled to take place as part of Volvo Cork Week fell victim to the covid 19 pandemic. The Royal Cork Yacht Club is instead hosting the AIB 1720 Southern Championships 2020 as part of their Tricentenary At Home Regatta weekend. The 1720 class originated from an idea generated by some committed racing members of the Royal Cork Yacht Club with the first prototype taking to the water in 1994. Designed by Tony Castro, they have been delighting many a competitive sailor since.

Tricentenary at Home Regatta, 28th - 30th August:
The AIB Tricentenary at Home Regatta will be the biggest sailing event of the year in the Royal Cork calendar. Racing will be available for all classes both dinghy and keelboat with many visitors expected from up and down the Irish South Coast. The National 18 Southern Championships will also feature as part of the racing over the weekend.

Maritime Parade 29th August
A maritime parade, originally scheduled for July, will now take place during the Tricentenary Regatta on the 29th August, with the support of the Irish Naval Services and Port of Cork. The Admiral of the Royal Cork and other dignitaries will review the parade from one of the Irish Naval Service vessels which will be anchored in the vicinity of Haulbowline.

1720s Race from Haulbowline to Crosshaven, 29th August
Following the Maritime Parade, a race will take place between all of the 1720s boats from the Naval Signal Tower back to the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven. The National 18 Class will also be participating.

RCYC Exhibition at the Sirius, 29th August to 19th December
A RCYC Exhibition will be launched at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh on August 29th following the day's events. The Sirius was the Royal Cork Club House from 1854 to 1966, and the Exhibition will take a look at what life was like at the yacht club during its time there.

Fastnet Challenge, 29th August
The Fastnet Powerboat Challenge originally scheduled for the last week of July has now been moved to the last weekend of August (Weather permitting). This will see the UIM Long Distance Cork-Fastnet-Cork World Record attempt competed for.

Cork300 Family Race to the City, 12-13 September
In conjunction with Cove Sailing Club's annual Cobh to Blackrock race, Yachts and craft from across Cork Harbour will take part in a race to Blackrock Castle, following on from which, they will continue to the city Quays where they will remain overnight and provide a spectacle of sail within the City environs.

AIB National 18 Championships, 12-13 September
The AIB National 18 Championships for adult sailors in the UK and Ireland will take place from 12-13 September in Crosshaven this year as part of the Cork300 celebrations.

AIB Cork300 Autumn League, 27 September-25 October
The premier yacht racing event on the South Coast this year, the AIB Cork300 Autumn League, will be held over 5 weekends leading up to the October Bank Holiday weekend. This is expected to be the largest yacht racing event on the South Coast of Ireland this year.

AIB Irish Team Racing National Championships 2020, 21-22 November
Sailing teams from across the country will compete in Cork Harbour for the title of AIB Irish Team Racing National Champion 2020

All races will be governed by the COVID-19 guidelines as laid out by Irish Sailing and organising clubs.

At A Glance – Royal Cork Tricentenary

Founded in 1720, by a group of 25 pioneering individuals, the Royal Cork Yacht Club is the oldest yacht club in the world, and its tricentenary celebrations will take a look back at the origins of ‘where it all began’, which is attracting significant international interest from thousands of yacht clubs across the globe

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