Gardian 8

"Arklow Marine Services has today revealed its new 20-metre aluminum catamaran, which has been designed and built specifically for servicing offshore wind farms in the UK. The catamaran cost stg£1.7m to create and created 10 new jobs in the Wicklow region during the build and fit out."

I stole that quote off the Internet. Actually the boat has had its sea trials and has been handed over to the new owners. She is up out of the water for final hull inspection. I saw her out at sea a few days ago and wondered what I was looking at. All I could see was a small dark spot followed by a huge plume of water. Speaking to the "driver" on Tuesday, he told me they were doing 30 knots out there. That's flying!

Once upon a time Arklow was a haven for boatbuilders. Alas, there is only one yard still in production but as you can see they haven't lost the knack.