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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Speakers at yesterday’s information session on what Horizon 2020 and blue growth mean for Ireland’s marine and maritime sector
#Horizon2020 - This week’s information day on Horizon 2020 as a key investment driver for the marine sector highlighted the importance of ‘blue growth’ as an important opportunity for marine research in Ireland. Since 2014, 27 Irish marine participating organisations…
When her restoration is completed and the rigging installed, the 56ft ketch Ilen will be an impressive traditional workboat.
When we recall the exposed conditions in which some coastal boat and ship-builders had to work in the days when life and labour were cheap, and health and safety were considered more important for thoroughbred animals than for workers, then…
Clare Guinness has been appointed as the new CEO at Warrenpoint Port, Co. Down, the first female head of any port on the island of Ireland. Afloat adds the above container handling operations of the lo-lo Vanquish which in 2015 launched Cronus Logistics Irish Sea feeder services linking Dublin, Cardiff, Avonmouth and Bristol. These services are now operated by Greta which was renamed last month having been the Saga.
#Ports&Shipping-  Clare Guinness has been appointed as the new chief executive officer by the Warrenpoint Harbour Authority, the first female head of any port on the island of Ireland. She joins from Fane Valley Group, where she held the position,…
Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari contemplates her team’s bold break north ahead of the storm system
#VOR - Faced with the tough decision of whether to take on the impending storm by diving south on a quicker but more risky route or escaping the worst of the weather to the north, each of the seven teams…
The irrepressible and always entertaining Enda O Coineen talks to the world from his Imoca 60 Kicullen Voyager during the Vendee Globe, which he plans to complete early next year after being dismasted off New Zealand. He’ll be spilling the beans on everything that happened, and what happens next, in Westport on Wednesday December 20th.
Vendee Globe solo hero Enda O’Coineen will share the stage in Westport in Mayo in a week’s time, on Wednesday December 20th, in a double-bill with local star Joan Mulloy, who is carving her own career in the Figaro Solo…
Fishing boats in Howth and elsewhere on the East Coast will be boosted by significant increases in quotas for cod and haddock in the Irish Sea
#Fishing - Following two days of intensive negotiations at the EU Fisheries Council which ended at 7.30am this morning (Wednesday 13 December), Marine Minster Michael Creed secured a total package of fish quotas worth €266 million for Irish fishermen for…
The Government has given approval for a large-scale kelp harvesting project in Bantry Bay despite strong opposition from local residents. The above image is a scene across Bantry Bay to Caha Mountains from Goat's Pass.
#BantryBay - A final approval from the Government has been given for a contentious large-scale kelp harvesting project in Bantry Bay despite strong opposition from local residents. As the Green News.ie writes the license granted to Tralee-based biotechnology company BioAtlantis covers…
Afloat has researched into one of Commodore Shipping previous freight ro-ro vessels, the Pride of Portsmouth which entered service in 1990, a year that saw the long established Channel Islands operator switch from Lo-Lo operations to Ro-Ro. In 1991 the freight ferry was renamed Norman Commodore to reflect the ship's charter-owners. The 1972 built ferry launched as Anu for Finnish owners, had among its career prior to Commodore carried out several charters on the Irish Sea which included B+I Line between Dublin-Holyhead in 1981 when the ship was renamed Lady Catherine.
#Condor70th - A UK-Channel Islands freight operator, Commodore Shipping reached a major milestone this year as the company celebrated seven decades of providing lifeline freight services from the mainland. Now known as Condor Freight, Commodore first appeared on the horizon…
Victory: Eric de Turckheim's French Nivelt-Muratet 54 Teasing Machine take the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Trophy
Eric de Turckheim's French Nivelt-Muratet 54 Teasing Machine is the overall winner of the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race. Whilst many of the record 23–yacht fleet are still racing, none of them can better Teasing Machine's corrected time under IRC. Teasing…
The view from on board Sanya Serenity Coast, currently jockeying for the lead in the Tasman Sea with new frontrunners Qingdao
#ClipperRace - It’s been another busy day on Tuesday (12 December) for the Clipper Race fleet as teams zigzag north to the Sydney finish line trying to avoid the wind holes, with some teams far more fortunate in the game…
Belfast's Sally Bell gets a clear start at the Youth Worlds in China
Still best of the Irish after four races sailed at the 2017 Youth Sailing World Championships in Sanya, China is Rush Sailing Club's Conor Quinn in the boys Laser radial class who is in the top half of his fleet, now lying 25th overall out of…
Minister Sean Kyne with local landowner Pat Ward, viewing the Grange River developments at the launch of funding for community-based angling conservation projects
#Angling - Sean Kyne, Minister with responsibility for the inland fisheries sector, has welcomed the award of funding to the value of €2.2m by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to 115 angling development and conservation initiatives as part of its National Strategy…
The cottage at Newcomen Bridge in Dublin’s North Strand will be used by The Adventure Project for therapy programmes
#RoyalCanal - In news you may have missed from this year, the first lock house on the Royal Canal in Dublin is set for a new lease of life. A familiar sight for locals and commuters in the city’s North…
 The Morrison designed "Ultra" division was launched in 2015 following an ambitious modernisation program. The Ultra fleet is growing quickly with five new boats currently on order taking the 2018 UK and IRL fleet size to twenty six boats
The National 18ft Class scored big last weekend finally making the breakthrough everyone knew was possible with a new Morrison designed National 18 winning the Datchet leg of the GJW Direct Sailjuice Winter Series in the UK. This mixed dinghy…
#IrelandMax - Containerships currently under construction in China of the 'Ireland' Max class for BG Freight Line, a subsidiary of the Peel Ports Group in the UK are due to enter service next year, writes Jehan Ashmore. BG Diamond is…
Gerry and Barbara Sargent aboard Aldebaran during the evaluation test when it was agreed that this was the boat which Pat and Olivia Murphy should buy for their proposed global circumnavigation
The death of Barbara Sargent of Howth after a short illness has taken from among us a much-loved and vivacious personality, whose warm family life was a heartening example of how the sea and sailing can be comfortably intertwined with…
#Rowing: Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan have been nominated for the Team of the Year at the RTÉ Sports Awards for 2017. The world champions in the lightweight pair could take over from Paul O’Donovan and Gary O’Donovan, who won…
Ireland's Conor Quinn scored 11th in race two at the Youth World Sailing Championships in Sanya
Today was the first day of competition for 374 of the world's best youth sailors, from 60 nations, racing across nine classes on Chinese waters at the World Youth Sailing Championshps in which Ireland is contesting three classes and hoping…
Ted and Tom Crosbie in the X-302, No Excuse was the RCYC Winter League IRC winner
There was a ding dong battle for overall prizes at Royal Cork Yacht Club's O'Leary Insurances Winter League in Cork Harbour on Sunday won out by Ted and Tom Crosbie in the X-302, No Excuse writes Bob Bateman. A festive…
Noel Butler (pictured above) & Marie Barry  in Fireball 15061 lead the fast PY fleet at the DMYC Frostbites
It was most probably a combination of the weather forecast, the actual weather or the time of year (two Sundays before Christmas), but yesterday’s Frostbite fleet was considerably reduced and only two Fireballs answered the starter’s call writes Cormac Bradley.…

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