Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Manxman Officially Joins Isle of Man Steam Packet Fleet at Shipyard Handover Ceremony in South Korea
12th May 2023 Shipyards
Manxman the newbuild flagship of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has officially joined the fleet during a transfer of ownership ceremony that took place in a shipyard in South Korea. At a ceremony held at the Hyundai Mipo…
Most of Ireland’s tested bathing water locations meet or exceed minimum standards, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says. The EPA Bathing Water Quality in Ireland report for 2022 shows that water quality at the majority of Ireland’s bathing waters “meets…
Irish Mainport Holdings, Cork marine services company, has appointed the former Head of the Defences Forces, retired Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, as its Strategic Director. "With over 40 years working in the Maritime Sector, Mark will bring new knowledge and fresh…
Ferry for £1m-a-Month Emergency Relief Role Finally Sets Sail in Scotland after Weeks of Delays
12th May 2023 Ferry
A 430 passenger /98 car carrying catamaran, chartered by CalMac for £9m, which is to ease the strain on their Forth of Clyde ferry link to the Isle of Arran has set sail on Friday after weeks of delays. The…
The current Commanding Officer of the Naval Service ship, L.E. James Joyce, Paul Hegarty, has been appointed the new Head of the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) at Ringaskiddy in Cork Harbour. He has extensive experience in the Naval…
Cork based Irish Mainport Holdings held a naming ceremony at a shipyard in Turkey from where their tug Celtic Treaty is to join the fleet of one of their subsidiaries. Also at the ceremony according to Robban.Assafina was Med Marine…
Kinsale Yacht Club will host the “O’Leary Life South Coast Dragon Championships” from the 26th – 28th of May. The event, which is the first regional event on the Irish Dragon class calendar, will mark the start of an exciting…
National Yacht Club's Gorman and Doorly Go Left to Win DBSC Thursday Flying Fifteen Race
12th May 2023 Flying Fifteen
On a day that started with grey skies and torrential rain showers in my part of the world, the latter part of the day presented an evening of sunshine and light winds for a fifteen-boat fleet of Flying Fifteens in…
The ‘spatial squeeze’ is an issue that has been coming increasingly to the fore in recent months as more concern is expressed about the pressure being exerted by offshore wind farm developers for planning approval of their proposals. There are…
Guy O’Leary Is Back in the Water Swimming a Mile a Day in May for Cancer Research
12th May 2023 Sea Swim
Dublin Bay sailor Guy O’Leary is already a third of the way into his MileADayInMay fundraiser, in which he’s challenging himself to swim a mile each day during the month of May in aid of cancer research. And this year…
Four Successful Offshore Wind Projects Expected to Proceed with Planning Applications
12th May 2023 Power From the Sea
Four offshore wind projects which were successful in the State’s auction results this week are expected to pursue their respective planning approvals. The four projects – three on the east coast and one on the West – are predicted to…
Bill King's Galway Blazer Circumnavigation Will Have 50th Anniversary Celebrated On May 23rd
12th May 2023 Galway Harbour
Following this week's Mariners Memorial gathering on Monday at Galway Bay Sailing Club, which featured - among other significant west coast maritime memorabilia - some key items relating to the area's own global-circumnavigating Bill King of Galway Blazer II fame,…
Lindsay Casey's J97 Windjammer took the gun in Cruisers Two IRC in the third Thursday race of Dublin Bay Sailing Club's 2023 summer series on May 11th. In a good class turnout of seven boats, the Royal St. George crew beat clubmates Brendan…
Skipper Paul Meilhat and his Biotherm team had a long wait to get to the Leg 4 finish on Thursday morning (11 May) in Newport, Rhode Island. With an initial ETA of 0530 local time, the light overnight winds nearly…
In Scotland, ministers of the Government intend to return the troubled shipyard of Ferguson Marine to the private sector, a senior Scottish National Party minister has confirmed. The SNP minister Neil Gray and Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work…
Minister Ryan Welcomes Hugely Positive Results of First Offshore Wind Auction
11th May 2023 Power From the Sea
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has today welcomed the provisional results of the first offshore wind auction under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1). The results mark a breakthrough moment for Ireland’s offshore wind…
Owners of Irish Ferries Calls for Brexit Easements on Freight Using UK-Ireland Routes
11th May 2023 Irish Ferries
The Irish Continental Group (ICG) which is the parent company and owner of Irish Ferries has called for ‘green lanes’ for freight on UK-Ireland routes, for goods destined for Northern Ireland. On Thursday, ICG used a trading update in regards…
Codling Wind Park is Successful in Ireland’s First Ever Offshore Wind Energy Auction
11th May 2023 Power From the Sea
EDF Renewables and Fred Olsen Seawind have welcomed Codling Wind Park’s success in Ireland’s first offshore wind energy auction. Codling Wind Park is a 50:50 joint venture between EDF Renewables and Fred. Olsen Seawind. With an expected capacity of up…
While the top prize in the Rolex Fastnet Race is the Fastnet Challenge Cup for the winner of IRC Overall, considerable kudos comes with finishing first on the water. This will be especially true for the monohull line honours winner…
Esri Ireland, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) operator, has created a digital map highlighting the flight paths of a number of migratory birds which have returned to Ireland’s shores after having flown south for the winter. The maps are to…
