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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Bundoran inshore RNLI lifeboat
Four people had to be rescued by the Bundoran RNLI over the weekend after getting caught in rip currents off Main Beach. In two separate incidents, three teenagers and a man were plucked from the water and brought to safety by…
European Sea Ports Organisation welcomes the aim of Commission’s Green Deal Industrial Plan to ensure the EU can become an important player in production and supply of net-zero products
The European SeaPorts Organisation (ESPO) welcomes the aim of the Commission’s Green Deal Industrial Plan to ensure that the European Union can become an important player in the production and supply of net-zero products and technologies and a competitive player…
Sport NI has reported record engagement with the 2023 Get Wet Stay Safe Programme. Now in its second year, the scheme, which aims to raise awareness about water safety, has seen 729 people participate in training sessions across NI since May 2023, and over 1,300 since the campaign began
Sport Northern Ireland has announced that the 2023 Get Wet Stay Safe Programme has achieved record engagement this year. The initiative, now in its second year, aims to raise awareness about water safety and has seen over 1,300 people participate…
Unitised trade (Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo) in the form of trailers and containers accounted for 81% of all cargo volumes at Dublin Port in the first half of the year
Dublin Port Company has today reported trade figures for the first half of 2023. Volumes declined by 3.6% to end June as the war in Ukraine, global inflation and a slower than expected recovery in China from Covid-19 lockdown dampened…
A lot of clubs and training centres have asked for the option of sailing craft that is suitable for disabled access such as the RS Venture Connect
Sports Capital Grants 2023 - Is your club or training centre looking for a boat to provide disabled access to sailing? With deadlines due at the end of the week, there is still time to get your quote from Marine…
Autumn League yacht racing returns to Cork Harbour next month with  Royal Cork Yacht Club's Autumn League on October 1
The Royal Cork's Autumn League will start on Sunday, October 1 and continue for four further Sundays to the end of the month. Eight races are planned over the five Sundays, varying between one and two on different days. The…
Dublin Port Harbourmaster Michael McKenna with An Garda Síochána, the HSE, Customs and Revenue and representatives from the seven founding Dublin Safe Port terminal operators, Dublin Ferryport Terminals, Doyle Shipping Group, Irish Ferries, P&O Ferries, Peel Ports Group (MTL), Seatruck Ferries and Stena Line at the launch of ‘Dublin SafePort Ten Golden Rules’
Dublin Port has published SafePort Golden Rules today, a set of 10 rules designed to enable Port Management and the seven Terminal Operators to engage with employees and visitors on Dublin Port sites safely. The publication follows the introduction of…
Drogheda Port ships
Drogheda Port is Ireland’s premier regional port. Established under the Harbours Act 1996, this commercial semi-State multi-modal port has a tonnage throughput of circa 1.5m tonnes and 800 ship movements per annum. Vessels are typically in the range of 4,000-5,500dwt.…
Seven Irish crews including Margaret Cremen (above) were in action on the second day of the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia
Seven Irish crews were afloat for the second day of the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, with impressive performances across multiple events. The women's pair of Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh secured a place in the repechage after…
File image of an offshore wind farm
The ESB and Shannon Foynes Port have announced a funding collaboration for a €250k study at MaREI — the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine at University College Cork (UCC) — in the latest step towards helping Ireland to…
Leader Hugo Dahllene sailing Upwind at South Arklow on Stage two of the La Solitaire du Figaro
Irish sailor Tom Dolan battles strong tides and light winds to climb up the leaderboard on the second stage of the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro, the famous French offshore sailing race. Dolan, the winner of stage 1, is currently…
Commodore Peter Darragh, (L) with 2023 Flying Fifteen National Champions Niall (L) and Ronan O’Briain, Flying Fifteen Chonamara
A very successful Flying Fifteen National Championship with 24 boats concluded on Sunday 3rd September in Belfast Lough with a win for the cousins Niall & Ronan O’Briain (4092) from Flying Fifteens Chonamara, after they affected a 10-point swing in…
Underwater cameras are increasingly being used to manage fish welfare when sustainably farming seafood. The technology can monitor features including feeding activity, fish behaviour, size, growth and maturation
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s seafood development agency, is set to host a conference aimed at positioning the country as the centre of excellence for aquatech. The event, scheduled for Thursday, October 19th, will also mark the announcement of the…
Wychcraft racing - Gerry Reilly and Jordan Conway winners, with  number seven, sailed by the Rogers family, number nine Master McGrath, Oliver and Sean Curran,  number eight sailed by John and James Murray
One thousand stainless steel screws and then more. That is what it took to restore Oliver Curran’s Wychcraft dinghy. They’re used to building boats in strange locations on either side of the Strangford Narrows in Co Down, with Billy Brown’s…
Booterstown Nature Reserve on Dublin Bay is a unique home to many protected species Photo: Wikicommons
Birdwatch Ireland is seeking volunteers to participate in its Irish Wetland Bird Survey, which informs waterbird conservation and management in Ireland. Individuals with a telescope and good bird identification skills are encouraged to volunteer, as there are a number of…
The broken mast of Harlingen lying across its foredeck
The Dutch Safety Board says its final report into another fatal marine accident involving wood rot on a traditional craft is due to be issued shortly. The board initiated an investigation last year after a fatal incident on August 31st,…
Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI of the Royal Irish Yacht Club Dun Laoghaire is the 2023 ISORA champion after a 19-race series
Despite placing fourth and a strong final challenge from Welsh yachts in Saturday's end-of-season ISORA cross-channel race, Paul O'Higgins's Rockabill VI of Dun Laoghaire maintained her overall advantage and was crowned 2023 ISORA champion by a 3.1 points difference. In the…
Wicklow RNLI Inshore lifeboat approach the kayakers baulked by the tide
Two kayakers were rescued by the Wicklow RNLI Inshore lifeboat volunteers on Sunday afternoon, 3rd September, after they got into trouble near Wicklow Head. The Inshore lifeboat was launched shortly after 4 pm after a member of the public walking…
A fleet of around 40 boats and three Galway hookers set sail yesterday morning on the 30-nautical mile course of the Cong-Galway Race
A Catapult Catamaran sailed by Gary Mangan took first place in the dinghy class in this year’s Cong-Galway race across Lough Corrib and down the river into the city. A 420 helmed by Cumann Seoltóireachta an Spidéil’s (CSS) Rob Talbot…
Chris Johnston from the National Yacht Club successfully defended his Beneteau 31.7 title on Dublin Bay
With three wins in a five-race series, defending Beneteau 31.7 champion Chris Johnston sailing Prospect was the clear winner at the Royal St. George hosted 2023 National Championships on Dublin Bay on Sunday.  Racing in light sea breezes of up…

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