Craft for crossing the Irish Sea

Neil3030

Hi all, if anyone could help me with the following questions, I'd greatly appreciate it:

- Could a RIB cross the Irish Sea? Say something like a BRIG 650 Eagle: http://www.ribeye.co.uk/used-ribs/brig-650-eagle with a 2.5m beam. Are there rules on how far out certain vessels can go? Where can I read up more on this?

- What sort of marine licenses/exams would I need to pass? Again, where can I get more info?

- What sort of fuel consumption would I expect from ~100Hp engine (as on the above), and what sort of range on a full tank?

- Are there taxes/duties to be paid entering/exiting British/Irish waters? Can one just come and go as one pleases or announce/declare your entry somehow?

- Assuming a budget of ~£20k would there be an alternative type of craft than a RIB, that would offer decent speed but stability to cross the Irish Sea, if any?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Jayop

Could a post sound any more like a drug/arms importer asking for advice?? :pac:

Neil3030

Jayop wrote: »

Could a post sound any more like a drug/arms importer asking for advice?? :pac:

Haha!

Well I suppose I could have asked for a craft best suited to travel at night, with minimal radar detection

But alas, I am far less interesting than that - I merely ferry back and forth from North Wales quite often.

fergal.b

Hi Neil3030 and welcome.

To start with the rib would do it no problem, no rules as such just common sense.

You don't need a licenses but you should do your powerboat course up to advance along with the VHF and navigation courses http://www.powerboatschool.ie/level_1_2_national_powerboat_certificate.php there are a few places around Ireland so just look up one near you.

100 hp burns about 10 gallons per hour if you don't have a big enough tank you will have to carry cans.

When you are coming into a harbour you will need to call the harbour master/ marina on the VHF to let them know you are coming, there might be a small mooring fee.

The rib would be the lightest so less full burn and faster but any of the sport cruisers would also do the trip.
Some of the others might have more up to date info as it's been a while since I made the trip.

Neil3030

fergal.b wrote: »

Hi Neil3030 and welcome.

To start with the rib would do it no problem, no rules as such just common sense.

You don't need a licenses but you should do your powerboat course up to advance along with the VHF and navigation courses http://www.powerboatschool.ie/level_1_2_national_powerboat_certificate.php there are a few places around Ireland so just look up one near you.

100 hp burns about 10 gallons per hour if you don't have a big enough tank you will have to carry cans.

When you are coming into a harbour you will need to call the harbour master/ marina on the VHF to let them know you are coming, there might be a small mooring fee.

The rib would be the lightest so less full burn and faster but any of the sport cruisers would also do the trip.
Some of the others might have more up to date info as it's been a while since I made the trip.

Fantastic Fergal, thanks so much!

What seas would you shy away from on a RIB that size? I know the Swift won't go in seas higher than 3m, would that be a pretty decent rule of thumb? (Just to get gauge how frequently the crossing would even be possible throughout the year).

HeidiHeidi

Neil3030 wrote: »

Hi all, if anyone could help me with the following questions, I'd greatly appreciate it:

- Could a RIB cross the Irish Sea? Say something like a BRIG 650 Eagle: http://www.ribeye.co.uk/used-ribs/brig-650-eagle with a 2.5m beam. Are there rules on how far out certain vessels can go? Where can I read up more on this?

- What sort of marine licenses/exams would I need to pass? Again, where can I get more info?

- What sort of fuel consumption would I expect from ~100Hp engine (as on the above), and what sort of range on a full tank?

- Are there taxes/duties to be paid entering/exiting British/Irish waters? Can one just come and go as one pleases or announce/declare your entry somehow?

- Assuming a budget of ~£20k would there be an alternative type of craft than a RIB, that would offer decent speed but stability to cross the Irish Sea, if any?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Well, a fella I know crossed the Atlantic in a RIB before (twice, as far as I know, once a tad more successfully than the other attempt)

But the closest anyone's come to a solo RIB crossing was Enda O'Coineen, when he helmed the 5.5m Zodiac RIB Kilcullen III from Halifax in Nova Scotia to Dunmore East in the mid 1980s – a voyage recounted in his book The Unsinkable Kilcullen.

So it's certainly possible! (as an aside, if anyone comes across a copy of that book for purchase or could lend it to me, could they let me know please??)

The scary thing is that if you decided in the morning to go on an inflatable lilo with a wooden spoon as a paddle, nobody could stop you. There's no licensing or restriction on leisure boating here. Obviously it's advisable to have experience and/or qualifications before taking on a trip like across the Irish Sea though, but I think you probably know that.

I'm a sailor rather than a motor boater, so I won't express an opinion on the boat you've mentioned, or the fuel consumption question, but there will be plenty of folk along soon who'll know all about that end of things.

You would be advised to look into doing a Yachtmaster Coastal qualification, both theory and practical, if you were going to undertake a trip like that - the theory end would cover tides, weather, chartwork, passage planning - and the practical would cover.... well, the practical end of things. Consult www.sailing.ie for further details of course providers. Oh, and a VHF course.

When you land in the UK you'll declare yourself to whatever harbour/marina you arrive at - I've never seen any passports required or any further details taken - but then I've usually only arrived in order to leave the following day so haven't actually "entered the country" so to speak.

fergal.b

Neil3030 wrote: »

Fantastic Fergal, thanks so much!

What seas would you shy away from on a RIB that size? I know the Swift won't go in seas higher than 3m, would that be a pretty decent rule of thumb? (Just to get gauge how frequently the crossing would even be possible throughout the year).

The ribs are categorised

Ocean, 4m and above.

Offshore, up to 4m

Inshore up to 2m

Sheltered waters up to 0.5

A lot might also depend on how well your back holds up hitting the waves




.

LordSutch

Ireland to Britain by Jetski ?

I guess it would be possible from NI to Scotland (12 miles), but what about Dublin to Holyhead, or Rosslare to Fishguard? would a jetski hold enough fuel?

Obviously this is just a 'challenge' scenario, but I wonder?

Neil3030

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Well, a fella I know crossed the Atlantic in a RIB before (twice, as far as I know, once a tad more successfully than the other attempt)

Well that certainly gives me a bit of confidence!

The scary thing is that if you decided in the morning to go on an inflatable lilo with a wooden spoon as a paddle, nobody could stop you. There's no licensing or restriction on leisure boating here. Obviously it's advisable to have experience and/or qualifications before taking on a trip like across the Irish Sea though, but I think you probably know that.

Absolutely. Wouldn't go near the crossing before completing some type of formal training and clocking up a fair few hours in and around the shore.

You would be advised to look into doing a Yachtmaster Coastal qualification, both theory and practical, if you were going to undertake a trip like that - the theory end would cover tides, weather, chartwork, passage planning - and the practical would cover.... well, the practical end of things. Consult www.sailing.ie for further details of course providers. Oh, and a VHF course.

Thanks, certainly sounds like the sort of things I'd want to familiarise myself with.

When you land in the UK you'll declare yourself to whatever harbour/marina you arrive at - I've never seen any passports required or any further details taken - but then I've usually only arrived in order to leave the following day so haven't actually "entered the country" so to speak.

Thanks Heidi, I'll actually be based in the UK, landing in Bangor if possible.

JamesM

I know Enda quite well because I advertised in Afloat for years. I never read the book, but as far as I remember, Enda was on some kind of sailing inflatable the first time, not a rib. It could not stay inflated and finally capsized. I'm not sure what happened the second time. He could never have carried enough fuel for the trip.

If you have €20k and you travel for business, take the ferry and buy yourself a fun boat to use at home - whichever side of the Irish Sea that is.
If you have to be on one side or the other, the ferry is the most reliable form of transport.
I sailed it 3 times on a 20'/18' sailing cat and the weather was completely different to that forecast on either side of the Irish Sea.
Jim.

pedroeibar1

Do the math - fuel, mooring fees, depreciation, hotel nights in HH when the weather is wrong,.........
Reminds me of the time years ago when I was doing yacht deliveries and the QE2 was on the transatlantic run. A wealthy petrol head used to leave his marina on the Hamble on a Friday night for a weekend in France. He’d wait in his motor yacht off the IoW for her to pass. Lit up like a Christmas tree she was not hard to miss and he’d tuck in behind and follow her to Le Havre. Mondays he’d do the same in reverse. One night a storm got up, visibility closed in, he could not maintain speed and, bang in the middle of the world’s busiest shipping lane he was totally lost, with a panicked wife, terrified kids and all seasick. RAF Manston (?) had to scramble a chopper and winch down a crew to bring them home. He never left the marina again.

fergal.b

[QUOTE= if anyone comes across a copy of that book for purchase or could lend it to me, could they let me know please??)[/QUOTE]




http://www.ebay.ie/sch/sis.html?_nkw=ENDA%20OCOINEEN%20THE%20UNSINKABLE%20KILCULLEN%20ACROSS%20THE%20ATLANTIC%20BY%20INFLATABLE%20HB%2087&_itemId=380858402320

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unsinkable-Kilcullen-Atlantic-Inflatable/dp/0370311191

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Unsinkable-Kilcullen-Across-Atlantic-Inflatable-Ways/8902549463/bd

HeidiHeidi

fergal.b wrote: »

http://www.ebay.ie/sch/sis.html?_nkw=ENDA%20OCOINEEN%20THE%20UNSINKABLE%20KILCULLEN%20ACROSS%20THE%20ATLANTIC%20BY%20INFLATABLE%20HB%2087&_itemId=380858402320

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unsinkable-Kilcullen-Atlantic-Inflatable/dp/0370311191

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Unsinkable-Kilcullen-Across-Atlantic-Inflatable-Ways/8902549463/bd

Nice one!!

Just ordered it online from Kenny's in Galway (cutting out the unspeakable middleman, Amazon) for under a fiver.

Cheers

(I had googled it, honestly! - but mostly found expired ads and dead links)

HeidiHeidi

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Do the math - fuel, mooring fees, depreciation, hotel nights in HH when the weather is wrong,.........
Reminds me of the time years ago when I was doing yacht deliveries and the QE2 was on the transatlantic run. A wealthy petrol head used to leave his marina on the Hamble on a Friday night for a weekend in France. He’d wait in his motor yacht off the IoW for her to pass. Lit up like a Christmas tree she was not hard to miss and he’d tuck in behind and follow her to Le Havre. Mondays he’d do the same in reverse. One night a storm got up, visibility closed in, he could not maintain speed and, bang in the middle of the world’s busiest shipping lane he was totally lost, with a panicked wife, terrified kids and all seasick. RAF Manston (?) had to scramble a chopper and winch down a crew to bring them home. He never left the marina again.

That's the best watery story I've heard in ages!!