Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
New for 2018, Henri Lloyd has designed and developed a new collection of waterproof luggage known as the Dri Pac collection. The collection features a 5L, 20L and 40L dry bag and also a 25L rucksack version. These durable and…
#Rowing: The Irish Open, scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled. The forecast was not good and the organisers decided not to continue with the event. The official announcement said that “in the interest of safety and fairness” Rowing Ireland…
Sailing Coach Spots 'Shark' in Skerries Harbour, County Dublin (VIDEO)
12th October 2017 Marine Wildlife
Sailing instructor Kerri-Ann Boylan was out coaching kids in Optimist sailing dinghies at the weekend when she spotted a fin in the water in Skerries Harbour in North County Dublin. 'As I brought the kids into land and about to…
In an exciting days racing in a strong westerly wind Flying Fifteen class Captain John O’Sullivan with UK guest crew Ben Longstaff stunned the fleet in Race 2 with a fantastic win to record his first ever race victory. It…
The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) Kildare will return again to Naas Harbour to celebrate the Naas Canal Festival which runs from Friday October 27th to Monday October 30th. This year’s Festival is a very special event as 2017…
Secure Your Boat: High Winds on Monday Due to Predicted Track of Cat 1 Hurricane Ophelia
12th October 2017 Weather
There is a risk of severe gales or storm force winds developing across Ireland nearly next week as the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia tracks north from the Azores toward Ireland. As a result, Dun Laoghaire Marina has issued a caution…
#CorkHarbour - Crosshaven Boatyard manager Matt Foley has confirmed to Afloat.ie that the Cork Harbour facility is for sale as a going concern only, and not with vacant possession as advertised by the auctioneers and in the Irish Examiner. Foley…
#FrenchFriday- A flotilla from the French Navy are all scheduled to have arrived to Dublin Port this Friday and in the capital the French embassy will on Saturday take part in 'Open House Dublin' this weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore. Originally a…
Tom Dolan Holds 12th Place as Mini Transat Fleet Finally Reaches Las Palmas
12th October 2017 Tom Dolan
At 00.57.20 this morning UTC, Ireland’s Tom Dolan finally crossed the finish line in Las Palmas in the Canaries in 12th place at the end at the end of a mostly slow 1,350 mile Stage 1 of the Mini-Transat from…
#ferrynews - Plans to overhaul ferry services between Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man have been dropped writes BBC News after a three-week public consultation. The Steam Packet Company had considered re-routing sailings (as previously reported on Afloat) to…
Irish National Sailing School Viking Ship Plan for Dun Laoghaire Harbour
12th October 2017 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
Go–ahead Irish Sailing School, the INSS, are planning to moor a 50–foot Viking Ship in front of their Dun Laoghaire Harbour premises at the West Pier in Dun Laoghaire. In August, School Principal Kenneth Rumball co-ordinated a 'Battle of Dun…
The RORC has instigated a new format to include the Commodores' Cup, a Corinthian team-based event within an IRC fleet racing championship which is open to amateurs and professionals. Ireland has twice won the Cup under the burgee of the…
A Native Oyster Workshop has drawn on heritage and science to highlight the importance and future of the Native Oyster fisheries across Ireland during the Clarinbridge Oyster Festival. Cuan Beo, a recently formed community based organization established with a mission…
Clifden Lifeboats Rescue Six After Boat Breaks Down Off Connemara Coast
11th October 2017 RNLI Lifeboats
#RNLI - Clifden RNLI’s all-weather and inshore lifeboats were launched shortly before 1pm on Sunday 8 October when a boat with six on board got into difficulty in the Killary Harbour area. The location of the craft was unclear in…
Marine Notice: Rock Placement Works & Survey On Kinsale Head Gas Export Pipeline
11th October 2017 News Update
#MarineNotice - PSE Kinsale Energy Limited advises that rock placement works will take place with an associated survey on the Kinsale Head Gas Export Pipeline off the South West Coast of Ireland from today (Wednesday 11 October). The objective of…
Arklow 'R' Class Cargoships Differ in Design As Does Changing Quay Relationships Of Dublin's Docklands
11th October 2017 Dublin Port
#DublinDocklands - Afloat recently reported of Arklow Shipping's latest acquisition, Arklow Dawn that brings the fleet to 52, the majority of these cargoships comprising 13 in total are of the remaining R class sisters however there are differences between them,…
Irish On Deck & Behind The Scenes Keep Things Green In Latest Volvo Ocean Race
11th October 2017 Ocean Race
#VOR - With the clock ticking to the start of the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race as the race village opens in Alicante later today (Wednesday 11 October), it’s time to take a closer look at the significant Irish presence in…
Historic Ketch Ilen’s Busy Workshop in Limerick Keeps the Baltimore Show on the Road
11th October 2017 Ilen
Many people have dropped by the Old Cornstore on the riverside at Oldcourt in West Cork to see work progressing on the restoration of the 1926 Conor O’Brien ketch Ilen writes WM Nixon. And naturally they’ll have the impression that…
Tom Dolan Battles for Place in Top Twelve as leaders in Mini Transat Continue Slow Pace Towards Las Palmas
11th October 2017 Tom Dolan
They’d optimistically talked of “a week and a day” when the 54 solo sailors in the Production Class set out on 1st October in the 1350 miles La Rochelle to Las Palmas Stage 1 of the Mini Transat 2017 writes…
Hello and you’re welcome to the weekly MacSweeney Podcast… The procedures and practices involved in the naming of ships once appeared to be the product of evolution and tradition, then became the choice of politicians – at least as far…