Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The ESB says it “remains committed” to the Oriel Wind Farm project after it was unsuccessful in yesterday’s offshore wind energy auction, as RTÉ News reports. The proposed wind power array in Dundalk Bay — a partnership between the ESB…

The operator of a sea angling business in Wicklow Harbour has spoken out over a faulty storm drain pipe that has been pumping raw sewage into the water next to his berth. Kit Dunne of Wicklow Boat Charters told the…

A small sailboat in distress off the French coast recently had the most unlikely of rescuers in the form of an enormous tall ship. The 47m Götheborg of Sweden was en route to Jersey on Tuesday, 25 April, when it…

Skipper Kevin Escoffier stepped off his jury-rigged boat in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday afternoon (29 April) local time and announced Team Holcim-PRB would abandon Leg 4 of The Ocean Race 2022-23 to focus on being able to rejoin the…

Sail Training Ireland has hailed 2022 as a “record-breaking year” in its latest annual report, published this past week. The charity — which last month was recognised in the Lord Mayor’s Awards for its contributions to youth development and education…

New recruits in the Irish Coast Guard as well as search and rescue teams on loughs Neagh and Foyle are featured in a new four-part Irish-language TV series following the next generation of emergency workers. 999 Faoi Oiliúint debuted on RTÉ…

Some 30 swimmers took to the waters of Larne Lough on Saturday (22 April) in protest over plans to store half a billion cubic metres of natural gas under its bed, according to BBC News. As previously reported on Afloat.ie,…

Co Monaghan is hosting “the Olympics of angling” this weekend (Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 April) with the World Feeder Club Championships, as RTÉ News reports. Lough Muckno is the venue for 28 teams representing 18 countries who will fish…

An Taisce’s Clean Coasts programme and Uisce Éireann have launched their Think Before You Flush campaign for 2023, reminding people to the mindful of what we should and should’t put down our toilets. In Cork city last week, as the…

Vessel owners and operators, masters, skippers, fishers and seafarers are reminded of their responsibilities in relation to carrying out routine tasks and maintenance on board their vessels. The advice from the Department of Transport comes on the foot of two…

The Journal reports that the Defence Forces have confirmed the deployment of a Naval Service vessel to the Mediterranean off North Africa to join an operation targeting arms smugglers in Libya. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the deployment as part…

For less than the price of a modest Dublin home, you might get to own your very own private island on Lough Erne, as BelfastLive reports. Long Island — which lies just minutes by boat from Lough Erne Yacht Club…

The old minesweeper HMS Enterprise has all but submerged in Kilkeel Harbour in Northern Ireland, as Afloat.ie reader Lee Maginnis has shared with his. His recent images of the vessel show a significant degradation from the last update in autumn…

Following Vendée Globe competitor Clarisse Crémer’s “shock” at being dropped by her main sponsor after taking time off to have a baby, the World Sailing Trust was among those who took notice and has now published a set of recommendations…

Fishers in Ireland and conservation groups are keeping a close eye on the supertrawler Margiris, which is currently fishing off Ireland’s West Coast. According to GalwayBeo, the controversial factory ship has been labelled a “vacuum cleaner of the sea” for…

Water quality activists have alleged that people are “getting ill” after swimming at beaches in Northern Ireland, as BelfastLive reports. Campaign group Surfers Against Sewage suggests that the public is being let down by NI’s water testing system, which currently…

Waterford’s local authority has removed a long-abandoned trawler that had become a magnet for fly-tipping and vermin at a scenic pier, as the Irish Examiner reports. The fishing vessel was once part of a fleet of ‘50-footers’ promoted by Bord…

After more than 20 years, United Nations members have agreed on a new framework to protect marine life in international waters, as The Journal reports. The historic treaty was reached late on Saturday night (4 March) at the UN Headquarters…

The Inland Navigations of Ireland Historical Society will hold its annual conference for 2023 on Saturday 25 March at the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland’s (IWAI) Dunrovin building at Coosan Point near Athlone. Topics on the agenda include post-Covid updates…

A public meeting to demand a public pool and improved accessibility at the newly reopened Dun Laoghaire Baths will take place this Thursday 23 February from 7pm at the National Maritime Museum. It follows complaints highlighted last month over access…