Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
National Yacht Club's J112e 'ValenTina' Debuts On Dublin Bay With DBSC Cruisers Zero Win
29th June 2023 DBSC
John Treanor's new J112e "ValenTina" from the National Yacht Club debuted on the Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) race track last night and won her Cruisers Zero IRC division. Four boats raced in the light air Thursday night fixture –…
Racing resumed in Europe for the eight high-performance owner-driver one design RC44s on Thursday, with the opening rounds of the 44Cup Marstrand and Irish crews are in the mix. Donaghdee's Oisin McClelland and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle are one point…
Race seven of the National Squib Keelboat Championships in Weymouth was in total contrast to the previous races. The wind blew off the shore between 4 and 12 knots and shifted to sixty degrees. Of the 65 competitors, Ireland's ‘Femme…
Transport Minister Urges Accelerating Delivery of Offshore Wind Energy in Ireland
29th June 2023 Power From the Sea
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan opened the first Offshore Facilitation Forum in Dublin on Thursday (29 June), where he underlined the vital role of ports in delivering the Government’s targets of 5GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. The minister…
After racing around the world and overcoming challenge after challenge, 11th Hour Racing Team was confirmed as winners of The Ocean Race 2022-23 on Thursday morning (29 June). While the team celebrated ashore and afloat, they would need to wait…
Vessel Found in Search for Missing Cork-Bound Sailor as Family Appeal for Information
29th June 2023 Solo Sailing
A vessel has been found in the search for a solo sailor who went missing last week while en route to West Cork. However, there is still no sign of its skipper, whose family have issued an appeal for any…
Annual figures at Belfast Harbour show robust financial results for 2022, with a yearly turnover and profits in line with expectations, despite a challenging global trading environment. In what was a milestone year, marking the 175th anniversary of the formation of…
Tim Pearson's Little Tern was Wednesday evening's Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Water Wag race winner at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The fixture was a handicap race with seven staggered starts run by Race Officer Brian Mathews. The wind was variable, with…
A scientist researching orca attacks on yachts off the Iberian coast says they are doing it for the “adrenaline shot”. As The Evening Standard reports, marine biologist Renaud de Stephanis said he believed the whales were ramming boats for fun,…
Fair Seas Estimates Cost of Ireland Fulfilling Marine Protected Areas 2030 Target at 55 Million Euro
29th June 2023 Marine Planning
Ireland will need to spend about €55 million between 2024 and 2030 to reach its targets of protecting 30% of seas and oceans, according to the Fair Seas coalition. A report published by Fair Seas, a coalition of environmental non-governmental…
If you could bottle the energy, enthusiasm and excitement of the 24 ladies who took advantage of East Down Yacht Club’s day set aside for women to learn how to handle a big boat, then a fortune is to be…
Local Sailors Win Gold and Silver at 2023 E-Boat National Championships on Skerries Bay
29th June 2023 Racing
The E-Boat National Championships were hosted by Skerries Sailing Club over the weekend of 24 and 25 June, as part of the Club’s Annual Regatta. With the Club also hosting the Fireball Leinster Championships, there was quite a medley of…
After a lengthy break since early March, the 2023 44Cup resumes today in Marstrand, Sweden and three Irish sailors are competing. As previously highlighted by Afloat, Donaghdee's Oisin McClelland and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle are on board Aleph Racing, and…
Calculating the Weather - Met Éireann's Recently Retired Evelyn Cusack
29th June 2023 Wavelength Podcast
Did you know that Met Éireann calculates the weather every 2.5 kilometres, whereas the global models accessible on mobile phones are calculated every nine or every twelve kilometres? The one exception to that is the Norwegian forecasting service, used by…
The frequently misquoted ‘if you build it, he will come’ is often used to inspire and motivate people to follow their instincts in respect of unthinkable events and dreams, but it seemed like destiny for the oldest one-design racing keelboat…
Former National Yacht Club (NYC) Commodore Brían Barry of Killiney, County Dublin, has died. Brian was a Member of the NYC for over 50 years. He came into sailing through Glenans, and with his wife Anne, he continued introducing people to…
RORC Lyver Race from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire is Start of Royal Dee Offshore Championship Series
28th June 2023 ISORA
Saturday's Lyver Trophy Race Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Offshore Race marks the arrival of competitors from across the Irish Sea for next week's big one, the 350-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. With a declared entry of 18 boats, the weekend…
Three Fishermen in Vessel with Fouled Propellor are Rescued by Wicklow RNLI
28th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats
Three fishermen were brought to safety by Wicklow RNLI on Tuesday afternoon (27 June), after their 14-metre vessel got into difficulties ten miles northeast of Wicklow harbour. The RNLI relief fleet all-weather lifeboat RNLB Ruth and David Arthur put to…
Kinsale's Travers and O’Riordan in ‘Outlaw’ are Lead Irish Boat at Weymouth Squib National Championships
28th June 2023 Squib
There was an improvement in scores for Irish boats at the UK and Ireland Squib National Championships. The leading Irish boat, in 22nd place after six races sailed, is Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan in ‘Outlaw’ from Kinsale Yacht Club. The…
It was a demanding second day for Baltimore Sailing Club's Cliodhna Connolly and the rest of the 47 Melges 24 World Championship fleet in Middelfart, Denmark on Wednesday. 1720 sailor, Connolly, who is sailing on Italian entry Altea with Andrea Racchelli,…
