Celtic Mist overhaul

CELTIC Mist, the yacht sailed by the late Charles J Haughey, dropped anchor in Kilrush last July. Since then The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has revealed plans to apply for Leader funding to help with the cost of refitting the yacht.
“We’ve got the one-off costs of the refit,” IWDG Co-ordinator Dr Simon Berrow explained.
“We’re eligible for 75% of funding but we still have to find the other 25%. Then there’s the ongoing running of the boat which is probably more attractive to corporate sponsorship,” he added.
A number of West Clare companies have expressed an interest in getting involved.
“We’ve had a couple of companies locally who have shown a strong interest,” Dr Berrow said.
It is envisaged that the yacht will be refitted over the winter and will be ready to sail early this year. 
“After the application to Leader is gone in, if we’re successful with the funding, we’ll start the work and I’m hoping to have the boat back in the water by next March,” Dr Berrow stated.
The steel yacht, which spent much of its time sea-faring days in Dingle and at Haughey’s Blasket island of Inishvickillane, was offered by the Haughey family as a gift to the IWDG. The 52-foot motor sailor ketch, which has four cabins and six berths, had been on sale on the Isle of Wight since 2010 and Conor Haughey said the IWDG had been invited to take it over for its research in Irish waters.
At the time, the IWDG said there was overwhelming support among its members for the idea and they would have to investigate the possibility of securing sponsorship to support the vessel for research and conservation work. The annual bill to maintain the vessel could be as much as €20,000.
The yacht, which is berthed at Kilrush Marina, will be used for research and surveying for whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife in Ireland. It will also be used for training people to carry out marine surveys including the use of acoustic monitoring with towed hydrophones.