Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
#Rowing: Damian Browne has completed the Atlantic Challenge Rowing race. The big Galway man, a former professional rugby player, took 63 days to row from the Canary Islands to Antigua. He suffered through storms and capsizes and posted Facebook videos…
The Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Winner, a top Dublin Bay J109 as well as a leading overseas entry hve sign up for Howth Yacht Club's June Bank Holiday Wave Regatta. As entries for the inaugural event continue to build,…
#Tokyo2020 - Mercedes-Benz has extended its involvement in sailing with its support of Howth Yacht Club’s Aoife Hopkins as she prepares her challenge to qualify for Ireland’s team at the forthcoming 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The arrangement sees Mercedes-Benz…
#Fishing - Marine wildlife worldwide continues to fall victim to ‘ghost fishing’, trapped in lost or abandoned fishing gear. The situation prompted a group of experienced divers, who often come across discarded nets and other debris, to form the Ghost…
#INSS - Owing to a late cancellation, the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School is overing a discounted rate for two remaining places on its Competent Crew course setting sail next Monday 19 February. Normally priced at €699, the last…
Hundreds Of Young People Took Up Angling In 2017 Through IFI’s Dublin Initiative
15th February 2018 Angling
#Angling - Over 420 children and young people from the Greater Dublin Area have taken up angling in the past year, according to Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Dublin Angling Initiative. The programme which aims to promote, develop and improve angling in…
Conor Fogerty Credits North Sails In His Award-Winning Offshore Success
14th February 2018 North Sails Ireland
#NorthSails - New Volvo Irish Sailor of the Year Conor Fogerty has hailed North Sails Ireland’s role in his offshore success. Following his award win last Friday, the Howth Yacht Club stalwart said: “North Sails have been a part of…
Record Entry for the 10th RORC Caribbean 600, Including Ireland's Sailor of the Year
15th February 2018 Caribbean 600
The Afloat.ie sailor of the year Conor Fogerty is among Irish crews in a record entry of 88 yachts has entered the tenth edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 which has grown both in stature and entries since the race…
Fastnet Rock Lighthouse’s Proposed Power Reduction Causes Concern in West Cork
15th February 2018 West Cork
The Fastnet Rock and its lighthouse – the most southerly part of Ireland - make up one of the best-recognised maritime structures in the world writes W M Nixon. Symbol, icon, emblem, signpost of the ocean – you name it,…
#Rowing: Kevin Neville competed in two semi-finals at the New Zealand Rowing Championships on Thursday. The NUIG man, competing for Wairau, finished sixth in the senior single sculls and fifth in the senior double. He is set to compete in…
NZ-Bound Volvo Ocean Race Fleet Lines Up North To South Approaching The Doldrums
14th February 2018 Ocean Race
#VOR - With the Volvo Ocean Race fleet racing south in trade wind conditions on Wednesday 14 February, Team AkzoNobel leads the charge towards the doldrums, still some 600 miles away. The fleet is becoming more aligned from north to…
Whale-Watching Season Begins With St. Valentine's Cruise to 'Northern Lights' in Norway
14th February 2018 Cruise Liners
#CruiseLiners - On this Valentine’s Day the yacht-like cruiseship Saga Pearl II is due to depart Portsmouth International Port (PIP) at 17.00 this afternoon to see the Northern Lights in Norway. It won’t just be guests on board hoping to see…
#PortofCork - An expert on regional economics has said that balanced development cannot be achieved and trying to achieve it would be counter-productive for national prosperity. As The Irish Examiner reports, Economics lecturer at University College Cork (UCC), Frank Crowley…
#ClipperRace - The two Chinese teams in the 2017-18 Clipper Race continue to lead the race to their home country on Day 15 of Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race to Sanya. Shifting winds have meant that many in…
‘National Watersport Centre’ For Dun Laoghaire Back On Agenda With Launch Of Market Consultation
14th February 2018 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
#Watersport - Proposals for a national watersport centre in Dun Laoghaire Harbour have been revived with the launch of a preliminary market consultation. Afloat.ie previously reported on plans in 2015 for a ‘National Watersports Academy’ on the site of the…
#FerryNews - The ferry industry in the UK according to a recent report is gearing up for growth with more than £1 billion pounds worth of new investments planned in the next four years. Portsmouth International Port has long realised…
#DublinPort - "Overdependence" on Dublin Port for trade traffic raises significant supply security issues in the context of Brexit, the Irish Academy of Engineering has argued. As The Independent writes, Dublin Port's share of Ireland's roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) traffic has…
Shannon Estuary Cutter Sally O’Keeffe Brings Focus to Loop Head Peninsula
14th February 2018 Shannon Estuary
Though it may not look it on a map which emphasises the extensive low water limits, at high water the Loop Head Peninsula in southwest County Clare is almost an island writes W M Nixon. Only a couple of small…
Optimist Squad Incident Report Criticises Irish Sailing Coaching Systems – Full Report Here
14th February 2018 ISA
#Optimist - An independent report into an incident involving Irish Sailing’s junior Optimist squad last year, during which almost half the dinghy fleet sustained significant damage, has criticised the organisation’s coaching systems. Scroll down the page to download the full…
#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan, in the Premier (open weight) single sculls, and the Skibbereen four both made it to A Finals at the New Zealand Rowing Championships. O’Donovan won in a repechage to join some of the top heavyweight single scullers…
