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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
On World Maritime Day, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the landmark treaty to prevent pollution from ships, the Marpol Convention. Let’s build on its legacy and work towards a more sustainable future for the maritime sector and a safer future for humanity.
This year sees the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the primary global treaty for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from intentional, operational or…
Conor Doyle's XP 50 Freya from Kinsale Yacht Club in County Cork returns to the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October
Conor Doyle's XP 50 Freya from Kinsale Yacht Club in County Cork returns to the Rolex Middle Sea Race next month as the sole Irish entrant in the 606 nautical mile classic that features entrants from 25 countries. Plans for a second Irish…
30 GP14s are expected for this weekend's Autumn 'Hot Toddy' Event on Belfast Lough
The first of the annual GP14 Hot Toddy events listed in the class calendar will be held this weekend (30th September -1st October) at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. The event originates at East Antrim…
The starting time for the rescheduled DMYC Kish Race this Sunday (October 1st) is at 11.00 at the West Pier, Dun Laoghaire Harbour
After the disappointment of not getting sailing last Sunday, and with Storm Agnes passing through on Wednesday afternoon, the Weather Gods are looking more favourable for DMYC's rescheduled Kish Race on Dublin Bay on Sunday, 1st October. The starting time…
Cushla Dromgool-Regan, Explorers strategic education and communications manager, launches the ‘Turtle Talk with Sea Turtles’ educational resource pack
The Marine Institute’s Explorers Education Programme team recently took part in the launch of a series of new primary-school education resources, Explorers: Turtle Talk with Sea Turtles, at their recent team training held in Laois. Patricia Orme, corporate services director…
A seafarers trade union, Nautilus International says that industrial action is 'increasingly likely' at the Isle of Man Steam Packet which operates out of Douglas Harbour where the company’s newbuild flagship Manxman is arriving.
Workers at the Isle of Man Steam Packet could go on strike after being threatened with ‘fire and rehire’ if they do not accept changes from the ferry operator’s working conditions. According to the union, Nautilus has branded the ferry…
Baltimore RNLI lifeboats on call during Storm Agnes in West Cork
The Baltimore RNLI lifeboat crew carried out a rescue mission during storm Agnes on September 27th. The Irish Coast Guard called for assistance to rescue a yacht in trouble in the Ilen River in West Cork. At 3.48 pm, the Baltimore…
The participants at the International Canoe Federation Women in Sport Symposium at the Grand Hotel Malahide in Dublin
The International Canoe Federation Women’s Symposium, on its second day, hosted fruitful discussions on how individuals can make a positive impact on the global environment for women in paddlesports. The speakers called for a shift in the attitude towards women in…
The bulk carrier cargo ship MV Matthew, which was heading into international waters, did not stop when ordered by Naval Service officers on board the LÉ William Butler Yeats, which led to the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) firing warning shots. The 189m long Matthew was escorted into Cork Harbour and is berthed at the former IFI plant at Marino Point, upriver from Cobh
A bulk carrier cargo ship which sailed from the Caribbean was boarded by members of the Army Ranger Wing and gardaí, as the Panamanian flagged vessel was suspected of containing a large quantity of illegal drugs, berthed at the Port…
A file photo of Clifden RNLI lifeboat
A solo sailor who sought assistance off the west coast in Storm Agnes is being towed to safety. RNLI lifeboats from Achill and Clifden responded to the alert when the yacht, believed to be Norwegian, reported being in difficulty ten…
Dublin Port’s heritage director Lar Joye spoke to Wavelengths (below) about the background to the port's substation and about exhibitions planned for the redbrick building with its two distinctive portholes
How did Dublin’s East Wall get its name, and where did Dublin City once stop and the port begin? These and other interesting questions were answered at last week’s opening of the renovated 18th-century Dublin Port Substation by the Minister…
JJohn McShane, Ron Schippers, Mark O'Callaghan, Cormac Nott of the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 118 helicopter base in Sligo appear in TG4's Tarrthálaithe na hÉireann TV series
The work of the Irish Coast Guard, mountain rescue and community rescue boat teams is profiled in a new series filmed last autumn for TG4. Tarrthálaithe na hÉireann, an eight-part series, was made by Big Mountain Productions and starts on…
With unprecedented access to Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) the BBC get behind the scenes with a second series of Britain’s largest domestic ferry fleet, operating to Scotland’s west coast islands and serving communities.
Following the success of BBC's eight-part T.V. documentary about Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), the ferry operator is delighted to confirm a second series of ‘Island Crossings’ has been commissioned. The first series which went behind the scenes, as Afloat reported, focused…
The Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, on a recent visit to the Belfast shipyard. Work has begun to improve existing fabrication halls to enable increased efficiency during Team Resolute’s Fleet Solid Support (FSS) £1.6 billion contract from the UK MoD for three replenishment vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to service the Royal Navy.
The historic shipyard of Harland & Wolff recently announced that work has begun to improve the existing fabrication halls at its Belfast facility, home to one of the largest deep-water dockyards in Europe. The upgrades according to Harland & Wolff Group,…
Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel and Founder Pearse Flynn. The offshore survey company has been named as one of the top 10 emerging companies in Ireland by LinkedIn
Green Rebel, an offshore survey company based in Cork Harbour, has recently been named one of Ireland's top 10 emerging companies by LinkedIn. The company, which was founded in March 2021, is actively seeking Geophysical Data Processors, Data Software Engineers,…
Brendan Byrne of the IFPEA (left) with Aodh O'Donnell of the IFPO at the European Commission's office in Brussels last week. EU coastal states are losing out to non-EU members in fishing rights because the European Commission’s scientifically informed approach to quotas is subject to abuse by rogue Nordic players.  That’s according to Aodh O Donnell of the Irish Fish Producers Association (IFPO), who says the EU is losing its share of mackerel and blue whiting as a result
The Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation has called for co-operation and collaboration collaboration to tackle “the current and growing imbalance between EU and non-EU Members fishing rights. The Chief Executive of the IFPO, Aodh O’Donnell, who is in London today for…
Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee from Greystones Harbour (left) with co-skipper Tiphaine Ragueneau from France are taking on the Transat Jacques Vabre Transatlantic race this October
Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee has secured €40k in sponsorship from Ireland-France ferry operator DFDS/Brittany Ferries for her Class40 project as she prepares to set sail for the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic sailing race in October. Lee will skipper one…
Mensun Bound returns to the Shackleton Autumn School next month
Mensun Bound, who was director of exploration when the Discovery was discovered in the Antarctic, returns to the Shackleton Autumn School next month. “The Endurance: conception, construction, destruction and reconstruction” is the title of Bound’s talk on October 22nd. He…
An RS21 keelboat startline
Are you an avid sailor or boat enthusiast looking to upgrade your RS class sail(s)? If so, mark your calendars because the deadline for the RS Sailing Sail & Cover Pre-Order 2023-24 is fast approaching! Take advantage of this exclusive…
Triathletes, masters and open water swimmers may benefit from a skills and training session which Swim Ireland is running
Triathletes, masters and open water swimmers may benefit from a skills and training session which Swim Ireland is running this weekend in the University of Limerick pool. The two-hour session will be held with one of Ireland's top performance coaches,…

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