The Jeanie won't be used as a replacement for Asgard II, instead we'll use Creidne,which was originally used as a stop gap for when Asgard II was being built and a Norwegian ship Christian Raddich. Apparently it costs too much to crew her, if i remember correctly not all of the crew are on a big wage in fact for the work they do do its actually pittance.
I find this quite annoying and frustrating, yes Jeanie needs double the crew but she also takes 28 trainees, has water tight doors and is sadly tied up along Custom House Quay. Trust the Irish to put money elsewhere when we need it to stay in the country now more than ever. I have no vices with Christian Raddich she is a fine ship and anyone privileged enough to sail her should make the most of any opportunity, but why? Surely we'd be "killing two birds with one stone" so to speak, Irish is back sail training and Jeanie is back where she belongs.
Another argument given was "that Jeanie cant participate in races", who says she cant? Obviously she is slower in the water than Asgard II but given the right wind she can move, believe me, I know. She has only ever had one chance in the Tall Ships Races, in 2005 and yes maybe she didn't fair too well but at the end of the day the wind just wasn't strong enough to get her moving. Of course Jeanie can participate, probably just not as competitively as Asgard II could, she could move, she could glide along the water with grace leaving those behind her in awe of her wake. Take about kicking a dog when he's down, why not give her a chance? Why not let her see if she can do it? There's one thing about sailing in the tall ships and how amazing an experience it is but there's another feeling when you're sailing aboard your own Irish tall ship, you feel pride and passion, an immense sense of achievement. Christian Raddich will provide people with an amazing experience but the only thing lacking will be that she's not Irish, she's not our own.
What do we do to save our sail training? We just use Creidne, a 48 ft bermudan ketch also coincidentally built in Norway in 1967 instead. She is in refit now hoping to be ready for May. Creidne can only take 8 trainees and will be definitely an entirely different taster of sail training for the trainees. moving from 20 to 8 is quite a jump and Asgard II already had quite a large demand, what do they expect to do with all the people who miss out? Yes Creidne will stay in Irish waters and yes Jeanie cant fit into the same size ports as Asgard II could but she can sail around Ireland and has and I hope will do this again. In reality Creidne is a yacht, she is not a square rigger, these two cannot be compared, it is surely a step backwards we've taken? One step forwards two steps backwards. I'm afraid fro Irish sail training. I don't know the solution, maybe if times weren't so "bleak" things would be easier, but that's just an easy excuse a get off of jail free card for the minister. He never seemed to care about our beloved Asgard II.
But I know we can do better than this. In my eyes the only ship which should be used now, as a temporary replacement, as we try in earnest to solve to woes of Irish sail training is the Jeanie.
For the sake of sail training in this nation I hope that Capt. Colm Newport's efforts to salvage Asgard II yield dividends. Surely a refurbishment or new build would help the country? Jobs, raised spirits, belief that the government can get something right, restore what little faith we have.
I cannot stress enough the benefits of sail training to the youth and not so young of the nation. People gain confidence, become free, work in a team environment relying on others, learn how every action has a consequence, believe in themselves, believe that they can achieve, believe that they can do what they want, they learn to believe. Learning to sail is an added interesting bonus, learning to trust a ship and people you've just met, well that's a challenge. And we all love a challenge don't we?
CMulrooney
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