Ireland Brief

Ireland Luxury Yacht Charter & Superyacht News

Greystones Harbour Marina in Ireland to open on April 1

March 29, 2013

Positioned in Ireland, the Greystones Harbour Marina will be open and ready for its berth holders on April 1, 2013. Following BJ Marinas appointment as marina operators in December 2012, the company has been working around the clock to ensure they meet their target of being open for the seasons start on April 1st.

Greystones Harbour Marina in the lovely yacht charter destination - Ireland

Greystones Harbour Marina in the lovely yacht charter destination - Ireland

At the announcement of this venture, Managing Director Bernard Gallagher said: “We’re delighted to be appointed as harbour and marina operators for Greystones. It’s a unique and stunning site and we’re looking forward to opening this new marine leisure facility next April in time for the 2013 boating season.”

The sister company BJ Marine Ltd is one of the most successful boat sales and service firms in Ireland established over 35 years. The firm represents some of the biggest names in global boating brands including French yacht manufacturing giant Beneteau for over 20 years. The firm also represents American power boat firm Sea Ray and British luxury motorboat manufacturer Fairline. In 2012 BJ Marine imported the first production hybrid diesel electric boat, the Slovenian built Greenline 33, into Ireland.

The bookings started to be taken in late January, with a steady stream of commitment from berth holders since then. There will be 100 berths initially ranging from 6 to 30 metres. Once the demand is there, the marina can be extended to a capacity of 230 berths.

Rob Doyle Design – newly launched luxury yacht design studio

March 27, 2013

The newly formed Irish design studio, Rob Doyle Design, has taken over the Kinsale design office and staff that were previously managed by acclaimed yacht designer Ron Holland, who has recently moved to Vancouver in Canada. Rob Doyle Design, with its own clients, is also the company Ron Holland Design contracts to for all its design, engineering as well as consulting work.

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Rob Doyle Design represents a yacht design, naval architecture & engineering company that leans on the 20+ years of principal Rob Doyle‘s own experience in the design, engineering and project management of large sail and power boat builds, including the 75m sailing yacht M5 (ex Mirabella V), the world’s largest sloop.

Clipper 11-12: Race 13 – Nova Scotia to Derry – Londonderry – Day 3

June 18, 2012

Another eventful 24 hours of the Clipper Round The World Race have seen the strong fleet competing in the challenging ocean race across the North Atlantic.

CLIPPER 11-12- RACE 13 - NOVA SCOTIA TO DERRY-LONDONDERRY DAY 3 - Image credit to On Edition

CLIPPER 11-12- RACE 13 - NOVA SCOTIA TO DERRY-LONDONDERRY DAY 3 - Image credit to On Edition


While the winds have eased off slightly along with the spur of sea sickness, thoughts have turned to tactics overnight. The ten yacht entries are considering when to head north towards the optional Scoring Gate, which could give them vital additional points in these final stages of the world’s longest ocean race.

Visit Finland’s skipper, Olly Osborne says, “As the weather changes over the next couple of days it will not only provide respite from the choppy upwind sailing, but should see the fleet turning northward toward the rhumb line route. This will hopefully be a chance for us to take advantage of our northerly position, and to get a head start in the dash for the Scoring Gate. But only time will tell who the weather will favour in this notoriously unpredictable region, and for the meantime it’s still best course to windward.”

The Finnish entry has slipped back into second place, with only one mile separating them and first-place Gold Coast Australia who remains in a more southerly position with the majority of the fleet.

Singapore has moved back up the leader board in third place ahead of Welcome to Yorkshire, currently in fourth. “We now have a couple of days of lighter wind up ahead of us and how we play the taking angles will be essential if we are to pop out the other side and get moving to the north again before our rivals,” says Singapore skipper, Ben Bowley.

The Clipper Race fleet is set to arrive into Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland between 29 June and 1 July.

Clipper 11-12: Race 13 – Nova Scotia to Derry – Londonderry – Day 2

June 17, 2012

The fleet of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has been battling the wind  for the past 24 hours in the North Atlantic, adapting to the everyday challenges of the ocean racing once again.

Clipper 11-12- Race 13 - Nova Scotia to Derry - Londonderry - Day 2

Clipper 11-12- Race 13 - Nova Scotia to Derry - Londonderry - Day 2

“It’s been a bouncy, wet and uncomfortable day on Welcome to Yorkshire today. Racing close-hauled at over 20 degrees of heel, on port tack in over 25 knots of true wind, has brought a dose of reality to all on board after the warm flat conditions of the past three races.

“Every movement and action takes not only planning, but three times the effort that it did before,” says Welcome to Yorkshire skipper, Rupert Dean.

The rough conditions have caused a lot of the crew members, who have swapped their day jobs for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sail around the world, to be hit with sea sickness as they are re-adjusting to life on board.

In the last 24 hours the fleet has also split into two groups – a northerly and a southerly, with Visit Finland and New York opting to stay to the north of their other eight competitors, closer to the way point.

“We are hoping that our northerly route will allow us to stay above the fleet as we all tack for the way point, and essentially sail less miles. But a lot will depend on how the wind changes over the next couple of days and it will be interesting to see how things work out,” says Visit Finland skipper, Olly Osborne.

The Finnish entry has taken the lead overnight, while Gold Coast Australia has slipped into second and Welcome to Yorkshire is currently in third place.

The Clipper Race fleet still has more than 2000 miles to conquer, before arriving into Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland between 29 June and 1 July.

Clipper 11-12: Race 13 – Nova Scotia to Derry – Londonderry – Day 1

June 16, 2012

Following a short stopover in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the ten teams racing in the world’s longest ocean race have taken off for Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland taking part in the Race 13 of the 15 race, 40,000 mile circumnavigation – the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race.

CLIPPER 11-12- RACE 13 - NOVA SCOTIA TO DERRY-LONDONDERRY - DAY 1 - image credit OnEdition

CLIPPER 11-12- RACE 13 - NOVA SCOTIA TO DERRY-LONDONDERRY - DAY 1 - image credit OnEdition

It was an exciting start to the 2,350-mile Atlantic crossing as the teams yesterday afternoon (GMT) lined up at the inshore start line with only minutes to spare. Aided by steady winds, as the gun sounded, all ten teams crossed together in a tightly packed charge out of the harbour with only metres between each yacht.

Jostling for position over competitors, each team has been using almost every sail in its wardrobe over the last 18 hours and as they head further into the Atlantic, choosing the right sail plan opens up the potential for some very fast sailing.

If you look at the Race Viewer on the Clipper Race website you can see the fleet is still packed with only seven miles separating the front and back runners. Gold Coast Australia is currently in the lead while Visit Finland is second and Singapore is in third place.

With the Clipper Race crew getting back into the routine of rough ocean racing, on board Derry-Londonderry, skipper Mark Light reports that the mind-set on board is focused on achieving its first win, and the first home port win in the race series.

“We are all fired up to get the most important result that we can. A first place, a yellow pennant, a home port win – a victory would be an amazing achievement. We will do everything that we possibly can to make the city proud on our journey across and it will be absolutely fantastic to sight the shores of Northern Ireland ahead of our arrival. We are most definitely coming home.”

The fleet is expected to arrive in Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland between 29 June and 1 July, where the UK City of Culture for 2013 will host a Clipper Race homecoming festival on behalf of the fleet from 29 June – 8 July.

New 11m Aesun Open Yacht Tender by Stansfeld Marine

February 15, 2012

The 11m Aesun Open yacht tender is the first vessel created by the Irish yard, Stansfeld Marine. The Aesun Open yacht is a fast, comfortable and capable cruiser, designed and developed in 3D by Brilliant Boats.

New 11m Aesun Open Yacht Tender by Stansfeld Marine

New 11m Aesun Open Yacht Tender by Stansfeld Marine

The Aesun Open yacht represents a proven fast and responsive hull-form created for offshore powerboat racing and refined through several military applications to offer a safe, stable platform at very high speeds, but with significantly lower fuel consumption at lower “loitering” speeds.

The semi-stepped bottom geometry provides the pleasure boat owner with a unique mixture of capabilities. A yacht that will keep up with the very fastest vessels available on the market as well as one that can be run at lower cruising speeds providing fuel economy and range far in excess of other vessels in her class.

The Aesun Open Yacht - front view

The Aesun Open Yacht - front view

The Aesun Open yacht is structurally optimized using FEA methods (Finite Element Analysis) created for the aircraft industry.

Technical Specifications of the Aesun Open yacht tender by Stansfeld Marine:

LOA: 11.17m
B: 3m
T: 0.87m
Fuel Cap: 1000lts
Max Speed: 60 + knots

ISAF Youth Worlds Sailors

December 05, 2011

At the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships many of the sailors on show have come through the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships, which will celebrate its 42nd edition at Dublin, Ireland from 12-21 July 2012.

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Ben Ainslie (GBR), Robert Scheidt (BRA) and Alessandra Sensini (ITA) started their glittery careers at the ISAF Youth Worlds and have gone on to achieve World Championship and Olympic glory in their respective classes.

Following the 2011 edition in Zadar, Croatia a new breed of sailors are coming to the forefront and aiming to qualify their country for the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition.

For Puerto Rico’s Raul Rios he is sailing at his first ISAF Worlds in the Men’s 470 and with three ISAF Youth Worlds under his belt he was somewhat of a veteran in Croatia. But the youngster is not fazed by the move from the 420 to the 470 and from youth to senior sailing.

“There’s a big difference here in Perth, especially moving from youth to Olympic classes,” said Rios. “Here we have professional sailors and they are some of the best in the world.”

Rios was part of the Athlete Participation Programme in 2010 and 2011 and was guided through the championship under the World Youth Sailing Trust Coach, “Seeing different points of view from different coaches really helped me a lot. I gained information from everyone bit by bit and that helped me decide what I wanted for my boat.”

“The 2011 coach, Huge Styles, sailed catamarans, so he helped me a lot even though we sail 420s and we were able to sail at maximum speed at every angle.”

At this year’s Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Rios is not alone as the only APP athlete from the 2011 Youth Worlds. Joining him is compatriot Ramon Gonzalez who will be sailing the Laser, RS:X Boys gold medallist Cho Wonwoo (KOR) will be on the Men’s RS:X starting line, as will Matias Caseco Bazo (PER).

Since its introduction in 2002, APP has helped over 150 sailors and has proven to be a great success with sailors from previous years slowly moving up the ranks. At just 14 years old Pavlos Kontides (CYP) received funding at the 2004 edition in Gdynia, Poland. He has since sailed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and worked his way to World #6 in the Laser.

And like Kontides, Rios has his own dream of competing at an Olympic Sailing Competition, “Our goal is to qualify for London 2012. I’ve been sailing Snipes up until the end of October because I was at the Pan American Games so now it is full 470 and try here in Perth or in Barcelona to qualify for London.”

APP has enabled new countries to compete at ISAF Youth Worlds for the first time and with Kontides showcasing the success be prepared to see Rios, Wonwoo and Bazo at the top of their ISAF World Rankings in the near future.

The Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships website will bring the results, tracking, live updates and all the latest news both on and off the water.

Transas Marine selects Hatteland Display

March 06, 2011

Transas Marine has selected Hatteland Display AS as a supplier of the dedicated hardware for the new generation of the Transas ECDIS system. Hatteland Display will present a product concept based on the state-of-the-art technology and design.

Hatteland Display reaches agreement with Transas Marine International AB

Hatteland Display reaches agreement with Transas Marine International AB

“We have been working with Hatteland Display for many years and we value the quality of the Hatteland Display products. Transas has always been committed to the setting the high standard in the marine navigation market and now we have a right partner with whom we can work to advance the quality of our products and create the optimal package for mariners worldwide,” says Anders Rydlinger, Director Product Management navigation Business Unit Transas Marine International AB.

“We are excited about this opportunity to further strengthen our partnership with Transas Marine International as one of the leading global providers of ECDIS systems. I am confident that the combination of Transas Marine International’s deep market understanding and SW expertise, together with Hatteland Display’s strong hardware capabilities will result in a very successful product package”, comments Trond K. Johannessen, President & CEO of Hatteland Display AS.

About Transas Marine International

Transas is a world-leading developer and supplier of a wide range of software, integrated solutions and hardware technologies for the marine and aviation industry, including both onboard and shore-based applications.

About Hatteland Display

Hatteland Display is the leading technology provider of specialized display and computer products, delivering high quality, unique and customized solutions to the international maritime and industrial markets.

The company represents innovation and quality to the system integrators world wide. Effective quality assurance and investment in sophisticated in-house manufacturing methods and facilities enable us to deliver Type Approved and Mil tested products.

Our customer oriented approach, technical knowledge and dedication to R&D, makes us a trusted and preferred supplier of approved solutions, which are backed up by a strong service network.

Seaview appoints Interform Marine

January 21, 2011

One of the world’s leading manufacturers of mounting solutions for marine electronics, Seaview, has appointed Interform Marine as its distributor for the UK and Ireland.

Interform Dome Mount

Interform Dome Mount

Based in High Wycombe, Interform will supply the full range of Seaview mounts for both new build, custom fit and retrofit projects. Seaview has been established for many years as the high quality manufacturer of mounts which offer the optimal positioning of all radar, satdome, thermal imaging cameras and other antennas. To ensure the maximum performance is obtained from the electronics equipment, Seaview undertakes meticulous manufacturing techniques to achieve unmatched strength and durability in an elegant design which enhances the vessel.

James Wetherell of Interform Marine commented, “We already manufacture the Marine Pod, a helm position mounting system, here at our UK factory. So the addition of the Seaview range of products really enhances our ability to provide owners and builders with a full service when it comes to mounting electronics antennas. We will not only be handling the leisure market but also the growing commercial sector which demands the robust structure and reliability that Seaview builds into its products.” 

Interform Marine will create a dealership network throughout the UK and will work closely with Seaview Europe based in France. James Wetherell continued, “We intend to offer an unprecedented service by holding a substantial stock of the Seaview product range in the UK. By also establishing a close relationship with our colleagues in France we are able to supply any mount needed to satisfy virtually any application within a few days, plus we have a special customised service for those customers with a unique requirement.”

John Merricks II finishes the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland

September 01, 2010

Frustration for John Merricks II as painfully light winds prolonged their final charge to the finish. British Keelboat Academy’s TP52, John Merricks II, finish in an elapsed time of 8 Days -11:49:23.

On monday the British Keelboat Academy’s crew on board John Merricks II thought they might have finished their epic Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race journey by now however, the TP52 has been hampered by painfully light winds over the past 24 hours putting paid to the prospect of finishing the race during daylight hours today. Just short of 50nm off the Royal Yacht Squadron finish line, grinder and crew physical fitness champion, Hamish Macdonald reported the crew blog.

John Merricks II Sailing - Image credit to Paul Wyeth

“The last 24 hours have been a bit of a mix really. We were just off the Scilly Isles and it all looked good as we were on the final run into home this time yesterday but as usual the western approaches of the English Channel turned round to bite us and we ended up stuck in absolutely no wind off Lands End for about 12 hours, literally not moving. It was pretty painful to go down off watch and come back three hours later to see we hadn’t moved at all especially when we got the update saying our main competition seemed to be doing 10 Knots at the time!”

“We weren’t just sitting there watching the sails flap – we were sending people up the rig looking for the next wind shift to tap into. Eventually we hooked into a little bit of wind which developed and developed and we ended up on 10-11 knots. We’ve held ever since really and it’s just been a long beat up The Channel now 50 miles off Bembridge and closing in fairly quick.”

He continued: “It’s definitely been a massively physically demanding race – I’ve been quite surprised. The first few days were really tough, the spinnaker run out of the Solent we were burning grinders every 15-20 mins and if that had kept up I thought we were going to have quite a lot of issues. As it turned out we did have 30 plus knots for three or four days and I was just really happy with how the guys coped with it – maybe they have been doing my gym programmes after all! We’ve not really had any crew issues due to lack of fitness and I’d like think that’s one of the reason we have done better than people expected us to on this boat because we are quite a fit crew and we’ve been able to muscle our way through where perhaps others haven’t.”

John Merricks II - Image credit to Paul Wyeth

“I think the highlight of the race for me so far has been when we went on starboard tack for the first time rounding Muckle Flugga and I finally got my water maker running. I’ve been in charge of that and without water we wouldn’t have been able race for very long. Because of the design of the boat and where all the water intakes are I couldn’t make any water for the first few days. Getting that started was just immense relief really as I essentially had the race in my hands and I started to have nightmares about us dropping out because I had made a bit of a mistake in organising that to put it lightly.”

“We can’t wait to finish – these last 24 hours have been pretty frustrating,” he concluded.

John Merricks II crew for the 2010 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race:

Skipper– Luke McCarthy (from Brighton, now lives Southampton)
Helm/trimmer – Chris Noble (from Glasgow, now lives Hamble)
Helm/trimmer – Jo Coad (from Hertfordshire, now lives Southampton)
Helm/trimmer – Phil Johnston (Bangor, Northern Ireland, now lives Cardiff)
Helm/trimmer – Nick Cherry (Solihull, now lives Southampton)
Bow/trimmer – Phil Miller (from Effingham, now lives London)
Pit/trimmer –Peter Knight (Guernsey)
Bow – Chris Dorey (Plymouth)
Navigator – Aaron Cooper (from Walton-on-Thames, now lives Southampton)
Pit/trimmer – Becky Scott (from Wakefield, now lives Fleet)
Pit/trimmer – Sally Olsen (from Newton Ferrers, Devon, now lives Southampton)
Mast/grind/trim – Hamish Macdonald (from Glasgow/Leeds, now lives Oxford)
Trim – Steve Aiken (Southampton)
Trim – Sam Matson (Exmouth)

John Merricks II is second in IRC Super Zero and currently fourth in IRC overall.

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