Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Visitors can discover a treasure trove of free activities at this weekend’s Belfast Maritime Festival on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September. Taking place along the city’s Maritime Mile, with entertainment stretching across Queen’s Quay to HMS Caroline in the…

Groomsport is a small village on the North Down coast about two miles east of Bangor but in no way overshadowed by the larger town. It and its inhabitants have always had strong maritime links. The original Gaelic name for…

The Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Steve Baker, showed his sailing skills on (August 22nd) on a visit to Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. On a previous visit to Bangor, the Minister heard first-hand about the exciting regeneration…

On Monday, as the international squads arrived at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough in Northern Ireland, the IODAI Development Squad - who are the newest sailors in the Main Fleet - took to the water with Head Coach Adam…

Two Ballyholme Yacht Club Cadets have been praised for their quick action in helping a kayaker in trouble in Ballyholme Bay on Belfast Lough in Northern Ireland last Tuesday. Hunter Reddy and Joseph Robinson could see on the Club webcam…

Three people were rescued by the Bangor RNLI lifeboat after their 28ft yacht ran aground on Cockle Island, Groomsport. The incident occurred on Thursday evening, August 10th. The RNLI received a request from Belfast Coastguard to assist with the recovery…

Ireland’s latest superyacht arrival is the 49m Reef Chief, which moored at Belfast Harbour on Tuesday afternoon (8 August), as the Belfast Telegraph reports. The €23m vessel is owned by multi-millionaire industrialist and art collector James Dicke, and takes its…

In the late hours of Friday, August 4th, 2024, the volunteer crew of the Donaghadee RNLI lifeboat station in Northern Ireland received a call from HM Coastguard. The Coastguard reported an emergency medical issue involving a female passenger on a…

Two second places in the final races of the 2023 Ruffian 23 National Championships at the National Yacht Club handed overall victory to Stephen Penney's Hot Orange from Carrickfergus Sailing Club on Belfast Lough. Royal St. George's Shannagh (S. Gill & P. MacDiarmada)…

Two Belfast Lough sailors are racing in the 50th Anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race, which starts on Saturday from Cowes on the Isle of Wight and finishes in Cherbourg. Ewan Finlay is racing as foredeck crew on Mark Emerson’s A13 Phosphorus II,…

On Monday last (17th), several search and rescue teams held a very active training session out of the village of Groomsport on the North Down coast. Taking part alongside Lagan Search and Rescue’s Ribcraft Class 1 Lifeboat were Bangor Atlantic…

On July 7th, the TS State of Maine, the current training ship of the Maine Maritime Academy, docked at the Gotto Wharf in the Herdman Channel in the Port of Belfast. She was formerly in the United States Navy service…

It was a challenging, very windy two days at Ballyholme on Belfast Lough for the ILCA Ulster Championships last weekend. The big fleet in three divisions, ILCA 4, 6 and 7, attracted 47 competitors from as far away as Glandore…

A man rescued near Cairnryan in western Scotland after going overboard from a ferry from Belfast Lough on Saturday evening (1 July) has died in hospital, as BelfastLive reports. The Stena Line Superfast VIII ferry’s own rescue craft was deployed…

Annual figures at Belfast Harbour show robust financial results for 2022, with a yearly turnover and profits in line with expectations, despite a challenging global trading environment. In what was a milestone year, marking the 175th anniversary of the formation of…

The RC35/IRC event at Royal Ulster on Belfast Lough last weekend came about because of a chance suggestion by a club member. Although it attracted a small fleet of eight, it did include the very welcome visitors, Ben Shelley in…