Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
The Department of Transport advises that it has re-established a panel of surveyors to conduct surveys of small fishing vessels of less than 15 metres in length, to check for compliance with the department’s Code of Practice for such vessels.…
Shannon Navigation: Clarendon Lock Closure for Planned ESB Outage
25th February 2024 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that Clarendon Lock in Knockvicar, Co Roscommon will be closed this Wednesday 28 February from 9am to 5pm due to a planned ESB power outage in…
RYANI Discussing Options for Safe Disposal of Out-of-Date Flares
25th February 2024 RYA Northern Ireland
RYA Northern Ireland says it has been in discussions with British Marine and other stakeholders regarding the safe disposal of out-of-date flares. Marine flares have become increasingly difficult to dispose of in Northern Ireland in recent years, which RYANI recognises…
Funding for a study to identify risks from coastal flooding in south Galway has been approved by Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Patrick O’Donovan. A sum of €108,000 has been approved for conducting a study…
Industrial Strategy for Offshore Renewable Energy Due Shortly - Coveney
25th February 2024 Power From the Sea
Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney has said he intends to publish an offshore renewable energy (ORE) industrial strategy very shortly. A draft of the strategy was due to be presented to Cabinet this week, he told the third annual national…
Irish Match Racing Association Established and May National Championship Date Announced
25th February 2024 Match Racing
The Irish Match Racing Association (IMRA) has been established with a clear mission: to promote and cultivate match racing across Ireland. Match racing has been gaining popularity in Dun Laoghaire and other local clubs, but IMRA aims to broaden the…
National Yacht Club Salutes Its 2023 Outstanding Sailing Achievements
25th February 2024 National YC
The National Yacht Club's annual Sailing Awards Dinner was held at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Saturday night. The event saw the presentation of fifteen awards for outstanding sailing achievements. The club's Commodore, Peter Sherry, awarded the prizes to several deserving…
Kinsale Yacht Club has cancelled racing on Sunday, 25th February, due to the adverse weather forecast. KYC Race Officer John Stallard will run the next Frostbite races for Squibs and dinghies sailing on Sunday, March 3rd. Easterly winds are expected…
Wicklow RNLI Rescues Three Fishermen After Mechanical Failure at Sea
24th February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
Three fishermen were rescued by the Wicklow RNLI on Thursday afternoon, February 22. The fishermen were brought to safety after their vessel developed mechanical problems three miles southeast of Wicklow Head. The lifeboat, RNLB Bridie O’Shea, was dispatched from the…
Caudrelier is Back on Track for Ultim Challenge Finish on Monday or Tuesday
24th February 2024 Ultim Challenge
Charles Caudrelier, skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, race leader of the Ultim Challenge left his Azores weather stopover at 0945hrs UTC this morning, according to race direction. He has just over 1,100 miles to go to the race finish…
There will be “no hierarchy” of access to Ireland’s sea areas under its new maritime licensing system, the head of the new Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) has said. MARA chief executive officer Laura Brien was speaking at the third…
Ultim Challenge Leader Caudrelier Expected to Restart from the Azores Today
24th February 2024 Ultim Challenge
Sheltered in the Azores since last Wednesday, the leader of the Ultim Challenge Race Charles Caudrelier should leave today which could see him cross the finish line between Monday noon and Tuesday noon according to Race Direction. In second Thomas Coville…
Northern Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir met with members of the Northern Ireland Fishing Harbour Authority (NIFHA) and local fishers during a visit to Portavogie Harbour in Co Down this week. The visit on Wednesday…
Waterways Ireland Announces New Sale of Craft Removed from Navigations
24th February 2024 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland proposes to dispose, by public tender, of a number of vessels removed from the inland waterways under its purview. Sixteen vessels are presently stored by Waterways Ireland at Shannon Harbour, Co Offaly on the Grand Canal. All vessels…
EU Project Launched to Help Reduce Bycatch of Protected and Endangered Atlantic Species
24th February 2024 Marine Wildlife
A major new European project aims to improve our understanding of how the bycatch of fisheries impacts protected, endangered and threatened species (PETS) in the Atlantic Ocean, and develop methods for better monitoring and mitigating these impacts. Funded by the…
National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch Earns Bronze Medal at European ILCA 7 Championships in Athens
24th February 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
With a final day turn of speed, the National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch won the bronze medal at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Athens today (Friday, 23rd February 2024) after a three-race final day that ended the weather-hit event.…
Back in the day, Bangor Grammar School was seen by a small but significant sector of its pupils as a sailing school with a grammar problem. This was in a time when it was an establishment of friendly size, located…
The fourth day of the RORC Caribbean 600, Thursday 22 February, decided the class winners for IRC Zero in the early hours, the Class40 division in the afternoon, and just before midnight the IRC One champions crossed the finish line.…
Earl ‘Open to Options’ Regarding Future of Lough Neagh as Toxic Blue-Green Algae Returns
23rd February 2024 Environment
The owner of Lough Neagh’s lakebed has said he is “open to exploring options” amid reports of the return of toxic blue-green algae blooms. But as BBC News reports, the Earl of Shaftesbury has refused to budge on suggestions that…
Nineteen-year-old Eve McMahon concluded the weather-hit ILCA 6 class European Championships in 15th place overall. Already qualified for Paris, the Howth Olympic debutante will compete at the forthcoming French Olympic Week in Hyeres as her final major competition before the Olympics.…