Andrew Shine, Celtic Mist officer, has seen first-hand how the research vessel is inspiring young scientists and students. There is a great interest amongst younger people,” Fiacc says. “There seems to be a lot more students in the third-level marine area than there were a few years ago, which is fantastic to see. The courses in our universities have improved enormously too, and become much more accessible. It’s very promising for the future.”

When we finally sailed into Crosshaven that night, it was already dark, which made it slightly harder to navigate into the marina. However, it was beautiful to see the harbour lit up and some friends of the crew kindly met us there to take our ropes and welcome us to Cork. The following morning, we made our final passage to Kinsale harbour, detouring to some of the whale and dolphin hotspots along the way. Unfortunately, due to some bad weather, there were no sightings that day. But, the overriding sense of accomplishment when we finally stepped foot in Kinsale, paired with the beautiful scenery and wildlife we had encountered for the past 6 days was enough to keep everyone in great form. We ate well that night and it seemed like all of a sudden, the morning had arrived and it was time to part ways. I remember when I was a kid, it was often said there were no dolphins in Ireland. That was the common consensus for a long time, because there was nobody looking for them in our oceans, nobody reporting on them,” reflects Fiacc O’Brolchain, a Director of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). Conor Haughey is expected to accompany Fiacc Ó Brolcháin for the whale and dolphin group on the delivery run to the Waterford coast in time for the Tall Ships race, which starts at the end of this month. Keen hurler Daragh McLaughlin the youngest member of the crew has always been interested in marine life and when he came across this voyage immediately joined as a member of the IWDG. He was surprised to see so much marine life and particularly enjoyed observing the large numbers of Common Dolphins and Minke Whales. Finally we all reconvened that evening for a large dinner made by Pearse, with help from Hélène, that was apparently a secret family recipe which manifested itself as Pearse shouting “don’t look! Close your eyes!” Every time anyone came down the ladder to pass through the galley. Pat joked that he only wanted us not to look so we wouldn’t see him being passed some take away boxes through the porthole. Despite the teasing the dinner was a big success and the perfect final meal together as a crew since most people were departing the next day. We finished the night off with some more Murphy’s ice cream that myself Emer and Hélène had braved the wind and rain to retrieve before playing some card games that got us just as riled up as the days before due to our undying competitive natures.Ron Holland a disarmingly frank New Zealander has a remarkable record as a yacht designer. Soon after his arrival in Ireland he had designed and built ``Golden Apple'' for the late Hugh Coveney and John McWilliam, the noted sail maker, and later secured a worldwide reputation after his designs won a number of prestigious international regattas. The crew was excited to finally set sail on Monday morning, and after some rather exhilarating rope throwing attempts while trying to moor to refuel, we were ready to get to open waters. Throughout the day we were joined by many groups of bottlenose dolphins who swam alongside us as we made our way by the Maherees to Brandon where we would stay for the night. Sightings were difficult with the weather still being far from ideal and white caps were spread as far as the eye could see. This made it even harder to differentiate what was a splash of the waves and what was an actual marine mammal. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s (IWDG) recently relaunched research vessel the RV Celtic Mist has recorded an impressive 11 cetacean species on its maiden research and training voyage, including the elusive blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus). The other great bonus of a venture like Floating Classroom, which opens Celtic Mist up to the general public, is that it has introduced plenty of new faces to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. The nation didn't bat an eyelid of course and besides we were were in a nautical mood ourselves. The Whitbread Round the World Race started in September 1989 setting out from Portsmouth, headed for Uraguay, Australia and New Zealand on the outward leg of an eight month jaunt.

This years surveys onboard Celtic Mist will run for seven days, departing from a variety of locations throughout Ireland from April – September 2023. The Field Biologist will work closely with IWDG’s Science Officer to manage and deliver a new data collection programme onboard Celtic Mist, collecting vital information on cetaceans in Irish waters. They will be responsible for training members in marine mammal survey techniques, managing the data collection and communicating the project through our social media channels.This comprised essential maintanance and beautifying the interior which had become somewhat careworn since Celtic Mist was built in the mid 60s. This day we ventured out to the Magharee Islands after gaining permission from the owner to land on one them. By the time we arrived and took the inflatable to land on the shore of Illauntannig (the largest of the islands) the combination of intense sunshine and virgin sand would have convinced anyone we had landed in the Caribbean.

Despite the breathtaking seascapes like this that Celtic Mist travels through on a regular basis, however, it’s actually what happens inside the yacht that makes it so special. Celtic Mist - sleeps 6 Celtic Mist in Carbis Bay, Cornwall sleeps 6 people in 3 bedrooms. With turquoise water and a sheltered sandy stretch, Carbis Bay is a dream holiday destination on the south coast of Cornwall, where days are spent in complete relaxation either soaking up the sunshine on the beach or relishing a refreshing paddle in the Atlantic’s crystal-clear surf.

From 30,000 acorns to mighty oaks — with luck and a little help

Skipper Pat Hartigan began his experience nearly 30 years ago learning about the sea out on fishing boats, completed the yacht master exams in the nineties and owned his own boat. An experienced yacht master instructor and twelve years frontline service with the Coast Guard Pat first skippered the Celtic Mist in 2016. Built in 1974 this 57-foot Ketch, formerly owned by Charles Haughey, was gifted to the IWDG in 2011. He was pleased with the performance of the boat and delighted to get a little bit of sailing during the week despite very little wind. Describing us as an eclectic mix Pat was happy with the crew which worked as a great team. When Dermot Desmond asked him in 1990 if he would like to oversee the refit of the Haughey family's latest aquisition he readily agreed even though the request was something akin to asking Ron Dennis of McLaren if he would get his boys on the Formula 1 pit crew to change the points and plugs on a family saloon. After a long but successful day, with arguably the most beautiful scenery we had seen so far on the trip, we sailed past Hook Lighthouse (one of the oldest lighthouses in Europe, or so I was told) and into Dunmore East. Manage the robust data collection and storage of error corrected survey data on board Celtic Mist under the supervision of IWDG’s Science Officer.

Celtic Mist was donated to the IWDG in 2011, by the family of Ireland’s former Taoiseach, Charles J. Haughey. At 17m, Celtic Mist has become IWDG’s flagship vessel, equipped to accommodate eight people. Celtic Mist has surveyed Irish inshore and offshore waters since 2012, successfully circum-navigating Ireland on several occasions, including in 2022. The last time Waterford hosted the race start, three Irish vessels represented the State in the sail past down the estuary to Dunmore East – theDunbrody.The State sail training brigantine Asgard II sank off the French coast in 2008, while neither of the other tall ships has been entered. Mr Desmond had become close to NCB's designer Ron Holland and suggested he might oversee the project. In fact, as the group’s CEO Dr Simon Berrow points out, when the IWDG first started out it was quite radical for the Irish general public to conceive of even one dolphin in our waters — nevermind the hundreds that we know of today. “In 1990 we formed the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, and it was around this time that word about a Dingle Dolphin was spreading,” he remembers. “Indeed I think to most people Fungie was the ONLY dolphin in Ireland!”