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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Irish Fireballers Mark the Close of the Season with Prizegiving Dinner
The Irish Fireball Class Association marked the close of the summer season with their annual prize-giving dinner at the National Yacht Club on Friday 30th November. There was a good turnout for the dinner with a combination of young and…
Azura in Tallinn, Estonia on June 12, 2016.
#Cruiseliners - A captain of a cruise ship found to be burning fuel with excessive sulphur levels has been fined €100,000 (£88,500) in a Marseille court, the first such ruling in France. The prosecution writes The Guardian was intended to…
DMYC Frostbite Co-ordinator, Neil Colin presides over today’s prize-giving
The fifth round of the DMYC-hosted Frostbites provided the fleet with the most challenging conditions yet and even then what was forecast didn’t really materialise. On Friday at the Fireball dinner and prize-giving the speculation was that we mightn’t get…
On the second round of the course, the fleet negotiate no.7 buoy
With one race left to sail, Kieran Collins's Olson 30 Coracle IV of the host club has moved into the overall lead of the O'Leary Insurances sponsored  Royal Cork Yacht Club League in Cork Harbour writes Bob Bateman. After five races…
The new all–white Red Bay RIB bound for County Kerry. With 1200Lt Fuel Tanks the RIB has a 400–mile range
John Brennan of Dromquinna Manor in County Kerry took delivery of a new 11.5 metre rib from Irish RIB manufacturer Red Bay Boats last month. On its maiden voyage, it travelled 440 miles from the boat builders yard in County…
Mojito co-skippers Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop receiving the Wolf’s Head Trophy from Peter Ryan of ISORA at the annual awards ceremony in the National YC in November
The annual November awards ceremony of the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association is a highlight of sailing’s social calendar, a convivial gathering of friendly rivalry from both sides of the Irish Sea. But though 2018’s was staged with the usual…
Oisin van Gelderen performing in the Luderitz Speed Canal. As it’s on the edge of the desert, the air is exceptionally dry, and though anemometers may be recording winds of Force 9, they don’t exert the same destructive pressure as a dense-aired Force 9 in Ireland’s damp climate
Oisin van Gelderen is the Afloat.ie/Irish Sailing “Sailor of the Month” for November after twice breaking the Irish sailing speed record at the three week Luderitz World Speed Sailing Challenge in Namibia. The veteran National Windsurfing Champion from Loughshinny in…
Rob Dickson (left) and An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sean Waddilove
If it wasn’t for their habit of appearing in national media reports following major competition success over the past few years, one might think that Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove’s sailing campaigns have been deliberately shrouded in secrecy to protect…
Carrick on Shannon
#Rowing: The weather held up well for both the Muckross Head of the River and the Head of the Shannon at Carrick on Shannon today.  Shandon’s men’s intermediate eight topped the Muckross provisional rankings at the National Rowing Centre, while…
Irish Water Safety deputy chief executive and marketing manager Roger Sweeney with the IWAI’s John Dolan and Kay Baxter, and Minister of State Sean Canney
The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) was honoured this week at the Irish Water Safety National Awards. The Community and Social Responsibility Award was in recognition of the work by the association and its members in supporting Irish Water…
Product Warning Over Mooring Ropes (UPDATED)
The Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport has issued a product warning for potential risk with the use of a mooring rope of non-European origin. The rope, under the Marina Maxi brand of Axiom Cordages based in Mumbai, India, does…
Connemara Airport is Aer Arann Islands’ base on the mainland
#IslandNews - Air service between the Aran Islands and the mainland has been saved for two more weeks after a short-term tender was agreed, as The Irish Times reports. Aer Arann Islands gave notice in June that it would terminate…
Bulloch Harbour in Dalkey, marks a Bicentenary this year since construction began in 1818 by the Ballast Board (now Dublin Port Company) and to celebrate a series of talks will be held in the Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre. Sadly the harbour hewn out of local granite suffered structural damage, not from the recent ravages of Storm Diana, but mostly attributed to Storm Emma in March. The area is unsafe for public use and access according to DPC which issued on Thursday an updated Notice to Mariners No. 31 (see below). Fortunately, repair works began last month involving lifting of tonnes of displaced granite blocks onto the main pier breakwater where works will continue to January 2019. Afloat highlights the area has been cordoned off on this breakwater, battered the most given the exposure of Dublin Bay.
#Bullock200 - The scenic south Dublin Bay harbour at Bulloch, Dalkey, is where construction on the stone-cut structure began in the winter 1818/19 and to celebrate the 200th anniversary a series of talks as Afloat previously highlighted will continue to…
Could it be one of the Blaskets? Or maybe a southern island of the Outer Hebrides? Not so. This is the Big One – Cape Horn on a good day. It was 94 years ago this Sunday that Conor O’Brien of Limerick achieved the remarkable “first” of crossing the Southern Ocean directly from New Zealand and rounding Cape Horn with his 42ft Baltimore-built ketch Saoirse
On most coastlines in the world, you’ll invariably hear of some challenging nearby headland being referred to as “the local Cape Horn” writes W M Nixon No other promontory worldwide has the same global image. It tells us much about…
Gerard Kelly of Outdoor Ranger with international fly-tyer Owen Trill, Minister Sean Canney, Pat Gorman of Inland Fisheries Ireland and Outdoor Ranger’s Damien Kelly
#Angling - The Outdoor Ranger Tuam Angling Education Programme provides information sessions, skills workshops and fishing excursions to young people who may be interested in trying out the pursuit. Sean Canney TD, Minister of State with responsibility for inland fisheries,…
Atlantic mackerel comprise Ireland's single most valuable fishery
#Fishing - The European Union, Norway and the Faroe Islands have agreed to a 20% reduction in mackerel quotas in the North East Atlantic for 2019. The news for Ireland’s single most valuable fishery was the outcome of international fisheries…
Rock armour arrives into Dublin Bay by barge
A consignment of huge granite boulders has arrived into Dun Laoghaire by barge to be used as rock armour to protect Dun Laoghaire's new jetty from erosion. The new Scotsman's Bay quay, as Afloat.ie previously reported, which has taken shape this…
Jeanneau's Sunfast 3600 design is proving a popular boat for offshore with a third joining the ISORA fleet next season
With the publication of the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) ambitious 16-race 2019 calendar, Chairman Peter Ryan warns that future fleet growth is contingent on the repair of Holyhead's 450–berth marina writes David O'Brien in this morning's Irish Times…
A Squib start on Lough Derg
At the recent Dublin Bay Squib fleet AGM which was well attended by active members, the following decisions were taken: Members of the Squib fleet will ensure that the turn out of Squibs at Dublin Bay Sailing Club Thursday and…
Gordon Maguire (left) and Chris Nicholson at the Doyle Lake Macquarie Loft
Gordon Maguire, 57 years old, who hails from Howth Yacht Club in County Dublin and now lives in Lake Macquarie, Australia has joined Doyle Sails. Maguire, who has been a professional sailor for 32 years has competed in five Whitbread/Volvo…

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