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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Lymington sailor Hannah Snellgrove will sail the ILCA 6 for Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Lymington sailor Hannah Snellgrove has been selected as the 11th sailor for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced on Tuesday. The 33-year-old will be competing in the women's dinghy class sailing the…
Donaghdee's Oisin McClelland and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle are on board French entry Aleph Racing for the 2024 44Cup
Royal Cork Yacht Club's Grattan Roberts is the latest Irish sailor to join the ranks of the high-performance owner-driver one-design racing R44 fleet. Donaghdee's Oisin McClelland and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle are on board Aleph Racing, Wicklow's Simon Johnson is on…
Minister for the Marine Charlie McConalogue launches European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund 2021-2027
Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue T.D has launched Ireland's National Seafood Development Programme under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund 2012-2027 (EMFAF). The programme, which had multiple stakeholder consultations and environmental assessments, secured funding of €258.4 million for the new…
Scottish state-owned ferry operator, CalMac has to fork-out a £5m repair bill as the main ferry on the Firth of Clyde Arran route, MV Caledonian Isles is undergoing steelwork due to the rusting 31 year-old vessel.
CalMac which is a Scottish Government-owned ferry operator, has been landed with a £5m repair bill as one of its oldest ferries built in 1993 has been side-lined until at least July due to rust. The west coast ferry operator,…
North Sails Ireland is proud to have been a part of Swuzzlebubble's journey in winning the ICRA Boat of the Year Award!
North Sails Ireland is thrilled to congratulate the Swuzzlebubble team, led by the father and son duo of David and James Dwyer, on winning the prestigious ICRA Boat of the Year Award for the 2023 season! This remarkable achievement is…
Fáilte Ireland has announced the development of a new plan to transform the visitor experience in Cork Harbour
Fáilte Ireland has announced the development of a Cork harbour tourism plan to “ enhance the visitor experience” and “unlock” its tourism potential. The plan, developed in partnership with Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Port of Cork, aims…
Finn Lynch leads into the final day of the second Irish Olympic trial for Paris 2024 in the men's ILCA 7 at the European Championships in Athens
Friday's final day of the second Irish Olympic trial for Paris 2024 in the men's ILCA 7 will be a tight contest at the European Championships in Athens. Trials leader Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) is in 14th place, with…
Maria Erdi from Hungary, the reigning 2023 World champion, leads going into the final day of the Women's ILCA 6 European Championships in Athens
Eve McMahon (Howth YC) improved her overall position in the Women's ILCA 6 European championships in Athens, Greece where she lies 14th overall going into the final day of racing. McMahon – already selected for the Paris 2024 Olympics –…
Ultim Challenge race leader Charles Caudrelier and the ULTIM Maxi Edmond de Rothschild have been in the Azores port of Horta since Wednesday morning
Ultim Challenge race leader Charles Caudrelier and the ULTIM Maxi Edmond de Rothschild have been in the Azores port of Horta since Wednesday morning, waiting for storm Louis to leave the Bay of Biscay and a weather window to open…
As indicated by Afloat on Thursday lunchtime, the Farr 100 Leopard 3 (MON), skippered by Joost Schuijff, and with Royal Cork's Tom McWilliam on the crew has now been officially announced as the overall winner of the 2024 RORC Caribbean 600.…
A file photo of Baltimore RNLI on a night time medevac
A woman living on Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork was evacuated by the Baltimore RNLI on Wednesday night. The Irish Coast Guard had requested the medical evacuation, and the volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat…
Stakeholders in the Maritime and Port Industry today welcome the EU parliament (IMCO) vote to adopting its report on the reform of the Union Customs Code (UCC).
The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee (IMCO) has today adopted its report on the reform of the Union Customs Code (UCC). This core economic legislation determines the efficiency, resilience and competitiveness of the EU’s external border for trade. More than…
Merseyside is where The River Explorer Cruise has seen a boost in popularity and which is operated by the MV Snowdrop, with its bold ‘dazzle’ paint effect by Sir Peter Blake. The veteran ferry dating to 1960 is seen with the backdrop of Liverpool’s landmarks including the iconic ‘Three Graces’ an ensemble of buildings from the early 1900’s, including the former Cunard Line building.
On Merseyside, ticket sales for the River Explorer Cruise have passed those of pre-pandemic levels during the summer of 2023, the ferry operator of the popular excursions have unveiled. During the period, sales at the north-west England tourist attraction run…
To connect offshore wind energy to the grid, EirGrid must build new electricity substations and associated undersea electricity
EirGrid, the Irish company responsible for operating and developing the electricity grid and market, spoke at the National Maritime College of Ireland Seafarers' Conference 2024 today about its plans to connect offshore wind energy to the grid and its ongoing…
Govan’s good news as the shipping industry on the Clyde, at Govan Drydock No 1 downriver of Glasgow, has been granted a Change of Use Planning Consent, to allow the previously derelict drydock re-open as a ship repair and maintenance facility. This will enable continuation of ongoing repair and restoration work of the iconic turbine-steamer, TS Queen Mary. The drydocks built in the late 19th century by the Clyde Navigation Trust, at the time, could accommodate some the largest ships in the world.
A green light for the re-opening of Govan Drydock Limited, located approximately two miles west of the heart of Glasgow city centre, was granted in recent weeks. Glasgow City Council had granted a Change of Use Planning Consent, which will…
The National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development 2030 was launched by the Marine Minister at the IFA conference
Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue T.D launched the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development 2030 at the IFA Annual Aquaculture Conference today. The strategic plan outlines a vision for the Irish aquaculture industry in 2030. During his keynote address, the…
James McHugh’s Class40 Tquila in action in the RORC Caribbean 600
In what is being hailed as one of the most thrilling finishes in recent memory, the RORC Caribbean 600 Class40 division is set for a nail-biting finale. At 0900 AST on Thursday, 22 February, six of the 11-strong Class40s were…
Much up-dated since she first appeared in 2007, the Farr Super-Maxi Leopard 3 has shown that the RORC Caribbean 600 tends to favour bigger boats
Update 12:45 Thursday, Feb 22: In previewing the RORC Caribbean 600 2024, we made the point that in its 15 years of annual staging, no boat under 50ft LOA had ever emerged as the overall winner, and the smallest top…
Freshly painted and overhauled is the St. Bridget, high and dry at Howth Boatyard, however the passenger sight-seeing vessel was back in the water this morning having made a repositioning passage across Dublin Bay, where cruises will take place ‘from’ the St. Patrick’s Weekend.
Operator Dublin Bay Cruises excursion vessel St. Bridget has completed an annual overhaul at Howth Boatyard and returned to the capital’s Grand Canal Dock this morning in preparation for the forthcoming season, writes Jehan Ashmore. St. Bridget was observed off…
Poet Keith Payne
Currachs and naomhógs are among the only sea craft built upside down, and the expertise dates back generations. Poet Keith Payne learned all this and much more when he found himself working on a Dunfanaghy currach over 16 weeks. He…

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