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The
The beam trawler
BRIDGET CARMEL motor's into Wicklow bay , she tied up for a short
time at the East Pier.
30/04/09
An Air Corp PC-9
aircraft transit's north over Wicklow harbour
30/04/09
A Schweizer
300C helicopter
transit's south along the Wicklow Coast , l think she migh be
based at Newcastle.
30/04/09
An Ottar swim's in
Wicklow harbour
30/04/09
Digging lug worm for
bait on the Strand
30/04/09
A Robinson R44 over
Wicklow harbour
28/04/09
Wicklow Sailing Club
Yacht's on the moorings
28/04/09
CHALLENGE WALES
The Welsh sail
training vessel CHALLENGE WALES arrive's at Wicklow , this is her
second visit so far this year.
To visit the Yacht's
website click here
Some local 'Gull's'
25/04/09
MASCOTTE
The Bristol Channel
Pilot cutter MASCOTTE at the East Pier. She was built in Newport
in 1904
MASCOTTE sails for
the Welsh port of Bangor
Pilot Cutters
Sailing pilot boats
represented the best performing, fastest and most seaworthy
vessels of their era.
They were used to
carry pilots out to ships approaching the British Isles and
Bristol Channel ports.
These boats were
usually manned by one man and an apprentice in addition to the
pilot, and often went seeking ships hundreds of miles out into the
Atlantic.
Performance
Speed was important;
the nature of the job asked for a fast and seaworthy boat that
could hold its own racing in open competition with other pilots.
Also a boat that could stay at sea in weather that would send most
other vessels scurrying for port. They had an easy motion and
would look after their crews, hoving-to safely and quietly in
extremely heavy seas.
Design
A seaworthy but slow
craft would not have been tolerated by pilots of the Bristol
Channel, whose livelihoods depended on reaching incoming ships
before the competition.
The remarkable thing
about Pilot Cutter design was the way it evolved. Pilots and
builders were constantly experimenting to gain advantage over the
competition, developing by eye and experience a boat that was not
only fast, but could really stand up to the elements.
With their deep
hull, long keel, heavy displacement and powerful gaff cutter rig,
many are of the opinion that ninety years of yacht design have not
produced a better sailing boat than the last of the sailing Pilot
Cutters.
The Pilot Cutter has
always been the benchmark for yacht designers striving for the
most seaworthy of performance boats.
Bristol Channel
Pilotage
The most dangerous
stage of the voyage for merchant shipping was the last part:
closing land and heading for port. The pilots of the Bristol
Channel earned their living by seeking merchant vessels
approaching land and used their detailed knowledge of local
navigation to pilot (guide) them safely into port.
The ship owners and
merchants realised that paying a pilot was a small price for the
safety of their vessel and cargo. This is why the service existed,
and a successful pilot could become a rich man.
The Bristol Channel
pilots became specialised, as there was a lot of shipping entering
the Channel to Barry, Bristol, Cardiff, Newport and Swansea etc.
The dangers to navigation were formidable, with up to 45ft (13.5m)
of tides and currents hitting 7 knots, faster than many of the
ships entering the Channel.
The pilots of the
Bristol Channel worked privately; it was every man for himself.
The Pilot Cutters would race westwards to meet the incoming ships
(hence the pilot crews were known as Westernmen). The pickings
were rich if you could get them, which meant being the first out
to the incoming ship, racing and outwitting the other pilots. The
results were unparalleled seamanship, and the evolution of very
fast, very able boats.
Once alongside the
incoming ship, the boy or apprentice would row the pilot to the
merchant vessel, where the pilot would scramble aboard. It is a
testimony to the design of the punts (clinker rowing boats) that
this could often take place whilst it was “blowing a hooli”.
The Pilot Cutters
were usually crewed by a man and a boy (or apprentice) and the
pilot on the outward journey. Once the pilot was aboard an
incoming ship, the Pilot Cutters would race back to port and pick
up the pilot from wherever the ship berthed. Sometimes the ships
would tow the Pilot Cutters, which was very unpopular with the
crews
For more details click
here
23/04/09
The mussel trawler
WINGS OF THE MORNING at anchor in Wicklow bay
20/04/09
New export
RMS LAAR loads a
cargo of crushed glass , the first export from the port in many
years. 9/04/09
Wicklow RNLI
Wicklow RNLI
Lifeboats on excercise in the bay
Evening at Wicklow
harbour
08/04/09
 
The mussel trawler
MYTILUS leaves Wicklow harbour after a night stopover.
Photo's courtesy of
Ella Dover
08/04/09
UNION PEARL motors
past LE AISLING in Wicklow bay
Photo courtesy Ella
Dover
LE AISLING (P23) at
anchor in Wicklow bay
UNION PEARL arrives
at Wicklow harbour
The 'Capstan' near
the 'Strand'
04/04/09
Sunrise in Wicklow
bay
Photo's courtesy of
Ella Dover
03/04/09
CIL tender GRANUAILE
at anchor in Wicklow bay
02/04/09
 
Wicklow Harbour
02/04/09
Helicopter traffic
over the bay..
A Gulfstream
AA-5B Tiger aircraft over Wicklow bay , operating from the local
Newcastle Aerodrome. 02/04/09
Sunrise seen from
the 'Prom'
Photo's courtesy of
Ella Dover
02/04/09
LE EITHNE transits
South through Wicklow bay , the CIL tender GRANUAILE is visible in
the background working at the Codling landby
Passing Wicklow head
30/03/09
Wicklow RNLI
lifeboat RNLB ANNIE BLAKER launches for a excercise with a Coast
Guard SAR Helicopter in the bay
 
EI-MES and Wicklow
lifeboat
24/03/09
Wicklow bay
Sunrise in Wicklow bay
18/03/09
Photo courtesy of Ella Dover
GRANUAILE off the Black Castle
18/03/09
Fog covers Wicklow harbour
as SCOT MARINER discharges at the Packet pier.
 
Fog at Wicklow Head
19/03/09
The new bridge above the 'Iron bridge' is
starting to take shape
18/03/09
nice Sunrise on Wicklow harbour
Photo courtesy of
Ella Dover
18/03/9
Island Shipping's HUSKY leaves Wicklow port for
the short run South to Arklow
 
Sunrise
18/03/08
A nice selection courtesy of Ella Dover
St
Patrick's Day
St
Patrick's Day as the Sun rises in Wicklow bay
Photo
courtesy Ella Dover
The first BALTIYSKIV type coaster enters Wicklow
harbour
Easing alongside the
Packet Pier
17/03/09
 
The French schooner ETOILLE
DE FRANCE (ex JULIA) heads South past Wicklow harbour bound for
France with a cargo of crushed glass , the sailing ship had
brought French wine to Dublin. The wine Company was promoting
the 'Green' means of transport by sail , the passage from St Malo
took 3 days.
16/03/09
Wicklow Bay
The Tug FORTH HUNTER
with the dredger MANU-PEKKA in tow southbound for Rottterdam .
14/03/09
Wicklow Bay
 
The research vessel
KEARY at work in Wicklow bay
A US
reg (N91TH) Agusta A-109e Power transits north over Wicklow head 06/03/09
Island
Shipping's HUSKY at the North Quay 05/03/09 AQUARIUS
The Lithuanian flagged AQUARIUS southbound out
of Dublin
AQUARIUS
1996
05 - WARBER
She made a number of
calls to Wicklow with coal in the late 1990's as the WARBER.
04/03/09
The Black Castle seen from Travellahawk beach
26/02/09
whelk boats arrive back at Wicklow to land
catches
A trans atlantic Airliner heads West over
Wicklow bay
Wicklow Head seen from the Green hill as the CIL
tender GRANUAILE heads north
A Shag rests on the SARA rock
FRAN LEON III beside FRAN LEON II
21/02/09
Wicklow Harbour
SCOT MARINER sails
from the Packet Pier
17/02/09
An Air Corp
'172' transit's north over Wicklow
The North Quay
The new FRAN
LEON III arrived in the harbour during the week , it's always nice to see new vessels !
18/02/09 Along
the Wicklow Coast
CIL tender GRANUAILE
passes the Arklow Windfarm
GRANUAILE heads
north past Wicklow head to work on a buoy off Greystones
17/02/09
Wicklow Harbour
Wicklow RNLI
Lifeboat RNLB ANNIE BLAKER 16/02/09 The
Welsh Coast
Hello to our Welsh
neighbour's ! , the Welsh Coast visible from Wicklow head 16/02/09
GRANUAILE goes to
anchor in Wicklow bay as darkness falls
11/02/09
The Arklow R Class
coaster ARKLOW RULER heads south past Wicklow harbour
10/02/09
UNION RUBY finish's
discharging her cargo on a blustery evening at Wicklow port
09/02/09 A
busy Saturday at Wicklow harbour
CIL tender GRANUAILE
in Wicklow bay to collect technicans to work on the Codling Lanby
about 14miles off the Coast..
Larne RNLI Lifeboat
RNLB DR JOHN McSPARRAN arrives in Wicklow to refuel and a night
stopover
The Trent Class
Lifeboat was on passage to Ballyhack for a refit.She sailed next
morning.
Island Shipping's
HUSKY at the North Quay
07/02/09
Home again..
HUSKY arrived back
from Limerick after completing work on the new tunnel under the
river.
05/02/09
A snow capped
Sugarloaf is visible in the background
SCOT ISLES seen from
the Greenhill.
SCOT
ISLES
SCOT ISLES motor's
out of Wicklow Harbour
AUSTRIALIAN HIGHWAY
heads south past Wicklow out of Dublin , while RED DUCHESS heads
south possibly for Youghal with round timber from Scotland.
Islay Trader at the
Packet Pier.
'Hern nets at the
East pier'
It's a long
time since l have seen nets drying on the East pier , l thought it would look
good in black and white..
Nice light on the
river and a chance to try out my new camera !
27/01/09
To the rescue
With
the crew alerted by pager the Wicklow lifeboat RNLB ANNIE BLAKER
launches to aid a small fishing vessel with mechanical problems
off the Wicklow Coast. This is the first shout of the new year. 24/01/09
BRIDGET CARMEL passes the coaster JONSEN off
Wicklow head
Brides head 23/0109
BRIDGET CARMEL put's to sea
22/01/09
SCOT MARINER
22/01/09
CIL tender GRANUAILE
A tender brings a technican out to GRANUAILE
20/01/09
At anchor
BEN VARREY is seen at anchor off the Golf Course
shortly before departing on Sunday afternoon.
18/01/09
BEN VARREY was
joined by a containership possibly RHEINTAL ? on Saturday night.
BEN VARREY
The Manx coaster
sheltered in the bay as Gales swept across the Country
17/01/09
MARY KATE and
BRIDGET CARMEL at the North Quay
13/01/09
ZEUS leaves the
harbour.
Photo courtesy Pat
Dover
13/01/09
MARY KATE and
BRIDGET CARMEL at the North Quay
10/01/09
A frosty morning at
Wicklow harbour
08/01/09
UNION SATURN at the
Packet pier
06/01/09
A US reg Bell Jet
Ranger head's north over the Harbour.
03/01/09
A model boat in
Wicklow harbour on New Year'sDay.
The wreaths were
launched into Wicklow bay , this is an annual event to remember
past lifeboat crew and sailors from the town.
Local Clergy prepare
to bless the wreaths and conduct a short Religious ceremony
RNLB ANNIE BLAKER and RNLB SHERINGHAM SHANTYMEN launch for the
Annual Service of Rememberance
01/01/09
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