Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Two Northern Ireland Boats Will Compete in ISORA's Holyhead to Strangford Lough Race
10th August 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Two Northern Ireland boats are entered into the ISORA race from Holyhead to Strangford Lough, which starts on Friday at 19.30 hrs. Ross Boyd’s Elan 40 Evenstar from Royal Ulster Yacht Club (RUYC) on Belfast Lough, Quoile YC on Strangford…
The pinnacle of the 44Cup’s 2023 season sets sail on Thursday (10 August) with the opening races of the 44Cup Cowes World Championship, and Irish Fastnet Race winner Cian Guilfoyle is competing on Frecnh entry Aleph. The Solent, one of…
The Moneley Oyster Pearl Dinghy Regatta in Carlingford Lough between Co Down and Co Louth was held last weekend, with racing on a windward/leeward course on both days. So close was the racing that Diarmuid and Aine Gorman, in their…
Dickson is Lough Ree Yacht Club Shannon One Design Weekend Series Winner
10th August 2023 Shannon One Design
With four race wins, David Dickson finished top on a 32-boat Shannon One Design fleet to win the Lough Ree Yacht Club Weekend Series at Athlone in County Westmeath. After six races sailed, Dickson was nine points clear of Andrew Mannion on 15…
Lough Erne's J24 Crazy Horse is 2023 Oyster Pearl Trophy Winner at Carlingford
10th August 2023 Racing
The long trail for the crew of the J24 Crazy Horse from the western county of Fermanagh to Carlingford Lough in the east between County Down and County Louth was worthwhile as they went home with the top prize in…
West Cork Fog Proves No Obstacle to Calves Week as Fleet Prepares to Round Fastnet Rock on Thursday
9th August 2023 Calves Week
The race around the Fastnet Rock is confirmed as Thursday's CD Environmental Calves Week fixture as the regatta passes its half stage. No wind and dense fog in West Cork greeted the 72-competing boats on Wednesday morning in Schull Harbour as…
Protected Designation of Origin for Achill Island Sea Salt Moves One Step Closer With EU-Wide Consultation
9th August 2023 Island News
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has welcomed the European Commission’s recent publication for a three-month member state/third country opposition procedure of the application for a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Achill Island Sea Salt. Achill…
Enniskillen RNLI’s inshore lifeboat John and Jean Lewis was launched at the request of Belfast Coastguard on Wednesday afternoon (9 August) to assess a boat breakdown near Portoa Lock. The Shetland cruiser with two people onboard had reported encountering mechanical…
Just hours after the conclusion of their station’s open day on Sunday (6 August), Wicklow RNLI’s volunteer crew members responded to the first of two call-outs in 24 hours. Pagers sounded just after 9.30pm on Sunday night and within 10…
Royal St. George's Tim and Gillian Pearson sailing Little Tern took the gun out of 18 starters in a nice 6 to 8 breeze in Wednesday night's DBSC Water Wag race staged inside Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Overall, Puffin, sailed by…
Shipyard group Harland & Wolff has opened a new company in Scotland which will service the thriving energy sector in the UK’s energy capital, Aberdeen on the North Sea. The new subsidiary company, Harland & Wolff Technologies will focus on…
Pembroke Dock Redevelopment Works Pave the Way for Low Carbon Future
9th August 2023 Ports & Shipping
In south Wales is where significant progress at Pembroke Dock is being made to create a multi-purpose and future energy-ready port in Pembrokeshire that will create a bright and prosperous outlook for current and future generations. Physical works on the…
Flying Fifteen Quest for One of Sailing’s 'Holy Grails' is Stymied by the West Cork Weather!
9th August 2023 Flying Fifteen
Like many sports, sailing has a number of “Holy Grails” that participants in the sport aspire to achieve. Among the more prominent longstanding ones on the international calendar are the Fastnet Race and the Sydney to Hobart Race, and for…
The Rankin Class “big event of the season” is scheduled to be raced this Saturday at Cove Sailing Club – the Rankin Brothers Regatta Cup. First Gun will be at 2.30 pm. The revival of the traditional, historic Rankin Class…
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club Set New September Date for 'At Home' in Cork Harbour
9th August 2023 Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour has re-set its annual 'At Home' for Sunday. September 10. Bad weather forced cancellation in July. The At Home will incorporate the Optimist and Feva Club Championships. It will be a dinghy-only event…
New Ship Fender Installation Underway at Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Carlisle Pier
9th August 2023 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
New ship fender installation is underway at Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Carlisle Pier. The installation of nine new fenders supported on tubular piles will increase the capacity and flexibility of the quay for berthing a range of vessels which moor at the…
Light Winds Get West Cork's Calves Week Regatta Underway in Schull Harbour (Photo Gallery here!)
9th August 2023 Calves Week
Calves Week Regatta 2023 kicked off with a misty start and a light breeze in Schull, West Cork, after heavy overnight rain, but Race Officer Alan Crosbie managed to get class zero off on time for the CD Environmental-sponsored event…
Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that Dromod Harbour in Co Leitrim will be without power supply on Wednesday 9 August due to a notified ESB power supply interruption from 9.30am to 4pm. This planned…
Ireland’s latest superyacht arrival is the 49m Reef Chief, which moored at Belfast Harbour on Tuesday afternoon (8 August), as the Belfast Telegraph reports. The €23m vessel is owned by multi-millionaire industrialist and art collector James Dicke, and takes its…
Tragedy was averted this August Bank Holiday weekend when a grandfather and his grandson were rescued from the sea after their kayak capsized off White Strand in Co Kerry. As the Kerryman reports, emergency services including the Irish Coast Guard’s…