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Displaying items by tag: Facebook

#Viral - A short video demonstrating the importance of weight distribution for boaters with car trailers has gone viral on Dun Laoghaire Marina’s Facebook page.

Since the clip was posted by Dun Laoghaire Marina on Monday evening (3 October), it’s ratcheted up an incredible 455,000-plus shares, as well as 80,000 likes and reactions on the social media platform.

And by noon today (Wednesday 5 October), the video has already had a incredible 20 million views.

Amid all that excitement, it’s easy to forget the important message of the video itself, which shows how easy it is to lose control of a trailer on the road if it's not properly balanced for transport.

You can watch the video below:

Published in News Update

#FACEBOOK – Over 5,000 people now 'like' Afloat magazine on Facebook, the social media site. Thanks to all our friends for your comments, suggestions and interest in Irish boating and sailing.

It's a satisfying number to date because the aim has always been to provide Irish sailing and boating clubs, classes and the wider maritime community with comprehensive and reliable information in a dynamic independent site to promote our great sport to the wide audience only the internet provides.

As well as our popular facebook feed the Afloat digital offering includes a healthy twitter feed (4,000 followers) and the independent and award winning Afloat.ie website at its core. We send out a free daily enews to a growing community of over 6,000 boaters. You can subscribe to it HERE and you can check out back issues HERE.

We also have a separate boats for sale website with over 300 different types of boats for sale. The site has a strong returning readership with around 48% of daily visits being return visitors. In fact over the peak sailing months in 2014, Afloat surpassed its own records for unique (direct) visitors with an average of 52,024 unique visitors a month.

We enjoy bringing you timely updates on Irish boating and sailing, clearly readers like them too! We look forward to seeing more and more of you on our Facebook page. 'Like' Afloat HERE and get daily boating updates on your facebook wall.

We work hard to achieve top Google Search rankings and together with a tightly bound community of readers, Afloat.ie's combination of opinion, hard news and features puts it at the very heart of the national conversation on sailing, boating and maritime affairs.

Thanks to all our readers for your continued support!

Published in News Update
Tagged under

#ANGLING - Northern Ireland river anglers are taking a novel approach to lobbying Stormont over salmon exploitation by harnessing the power of social networking.

According to the News Letter, the NoSalmonNets campaigners "have swapped their fishing rods for laptop computers", using Facebook to attract support for their campaign to bring an end to the offshore netting of wild salmon stocks.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Northern Ireland's Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) has called for a voluntary ban on offshore salmon fishing, following new research that shows a significant drop in their numbers in the North's rivers.

Seamus Donnelly of NoSalmonNets has welcomed DCAL's recent decision to stop issusing licences for commercial salmon nets that may "contravene European law" off Antrim's north coast, made in an effort to protect salmon stocks in the Foyle river system.

Donnelly explained that the campaign was borne from frustration at the apparent inaction by the NI Executive over the protection of salmon.

“One of the keys to our success has to be Facebook," he said. "The internet has an unlimited reach and we took advantage of that.”

The News Letter has more on the story HERE.

Published in Angling

#BLUE MONDAY – Christmas credit card debt? New Year Gloom. Still a month before the boat goes back in the water! According to some mysterious science today is dubbed 'Blue Monday 'aka the saddest day of the year'. Cheer yourself up on this the third Monday in January with an eyeball on our homepage and all the latest Irish boating stories. Better still, sign up for our enews, you're still in time to receive this lunchtime's offering! You can also join us on facebook and twitter with daily updates on Irish sailing and boating news!

Published in News Update
Tagged under

#FACEBOOK – 2,500 people now follow Afloat magazine on Facebook, the social media site. Thanks to all our friends for your comments, suggestion and interest in Irish boating.

facebookfans

We enjoy bringing you timely updates on Irish boating and sailing, clearly readers like them too! We look forward to seeing more and more of you on our Facebook page.  'Like' Afloat here and get daily boating updates on your facebook wall.

 

Published in News Update
Fans of the Tall Ships Races have launched a new Facebook page to campaign for their return to Cork Harbour.
Waterford recently celebrated a successful Tall Ships Race weekend, with thousands turning out to welcome the magnificent fleet.
The campaigners state: "The Tall Ships Race came to Cobh & Cork in 1991, since then it has been to Waterford (twice) and Dublin once and will be back to Dublin in 2012. Cork Harbour should be hosting this event again."
The page, which went up sometime last week, has already attracted 62 'likes', with many relating their fond memories of the previous Tall Ships visit to Cork 20 years ago.

Fans of the Tall Ships Races have launched a new Facebook page to campaign for their return to Cork Harbour

Waterford recently celebrated a successful Tall Ships Race weekend, with thousands turning out to welcome the magnificent fleet.

The campaigners state: "The Tall Ships Race came to Cobh & Cork in 1991, since then it has been to Waterford (twice) and Dublin once and will be back to Dublin in 2012. Cork Harbour should be hosting this event again."

The page, which went up sometime last week, has already attracted 62 'likes', with many relating their fond memories of the previous Tall Ships visit to Cork 20 years ago.

Published in Tall Ships
Elaine 'Shooter' Alexander is set for hero’s welcome this week as she becomes the first woman from Northern Ireland to circumnavigate the island of Ireland by kayak.
The solo paddler is expected to reach the finish line at County Antrim Yacht Club on Wednesday after her 70-plus-day test of endurance.
Shooter began her epic 1,000-mile voyage on 3 May, facing a tough challenge navigating a coastline of cliffs and headlands, strong tides and brutal weather. She has been storm-bound for a total of 21 days, often only with a small tent for shelter.
When asked what home comfort she was most looking forward to, she simply replied: "A proper toilet and some clean clothes."
Shooter embarked on the challenge to raise funds for SHARE, a charity providing outdoor activity programmes that promote the inclusion of disabled and non-disabled people.
“I expected and had trained for the physical challenge but I don’t think you can ever prepare mentally," she commented.
"It has been a real struggle coping with the repetition of paddling, getting changed into wet clothes and packing up a wet tent every day. Especially on the windy days it has been hard just to push on that extra few miles each day.”
But connecting with fans and supporters through social media made a big difference.
“The Facebook page has really been a lifeline," she said. "There is nothing more motivating than coming off the water after a tough day to read so many supportive and funny comments from well wishers."
See below for a map showing Shooter's live position as she edges closer to the finish line.

Elaine 'Shooter' Alexander is set for hero’s welcome this week as she becomes the first woman from Northern Ireland to circumnavigate the island of Ireland by kayak.

The solo paddler is expected to reach the finish line at County Antrim Yacht Club on Wednesday after her 70-plus-day test of endurance.

Shooter began her epic 1,000-mile voyage on 3 May, facing a tough challenge navigating a coastline of cliffs and headlands, strong tides and brutal weather. She has been storm-bound for a total of 21 days, often only with a small tent for shelter. 

When asked what home comfort she was most looking forward to, she simply replied: "A proper toilet and some clean clothes." 

Shooter embarked on the challenge to raise funds for SHARE, a charity providing outdoor activity programmes that promote the inclusion of disabled and non-disabled people. 

“I expected and had trained for the physical challenge but I don’t think you can ever prepare mentally," she commented. 

"It has been a real struggle coping with the repetition of paddling, getting changed into wet clothes and packing up a wet tent every day. Especially on the windy days it has been hard just to push on that extra few miles each day.” 

But connecting with fans and supporters through social media made a big difference. 

The Facebook page has really been a lifeline," she said. "There is nothing more motivating than coming off the water after a tough day to read so many supportive and funny comments from well wishers."

See below for a map showing Shooter's live position as she edges closer to the finish line.

Published in Kayaking
With boats launched and the good weather here to stay (we really hope so) we're re-running our popular facebook competition starting tomorrow (Wednesday) to win 7 x Afloat 2011 Irish boating Almanacs (€36.50) over the next 7 days.....it's easy to enter just click on the Afloat magazine facebook page
Published in News Update
Afloat, in cooperation with Marine Clothing specialists Henri Lloyd, have four backpacks to give away to Afloat.ie readers in yet another Facebook competition.
 
To enter, send an email to [email protected] with your answer to this question in the subject line: When was Henri Lloyd founded?
 
The answer can be found on the Henri Lloyd Facebook page. To win, you must be a fan of both the Henri Lloyd and Afloat Magazine Facebook pages.
 
It's that simple.
Four lucky winners will receive a Henri Lloyd CSL backpack each. The CSL backpack is constructed from ballistic nylon and features a padded 'air flow' back panel to reduce moisture build up. It comes equipped with a sternum strap for added security and comfort and major seams are double sewn and capped with binding tape before being sewn again. High stress areas are reinforced.

Afloat, in cooperation with Marine Clothing specialists Henri Lloyd, have four backpacks to give away to Afloat.ie readers in another exclusive Facebook competition.


To enter, send an email to [email protected] with the answer to this question in the subject line: When was Henri Lloyd founded?
The answer can be found on the Henri Lloyd Facebook page. To win, you must be a fan of both the Henri Lloyd and Afloat Magazine Facebook pages and be over 18 years of age.


Four lucky winners will receive a Henri Lloyd CSL backpack each. 

Henri Lloyd on Facebook: Facebook.com/hlmarine

Afloat Magazine on Facebook: Facebook.com/Afloatmagazine

M55178

 

 

The CSL backpack is constructed from ballistic nylon and features a padded 'air flow' back panel to reduce moisture build up. It comes equipped with a sternum strap for added security and comfort and major seams are double sewn and capped with binding tape before being sewn again. High stress areas are reinforced.

 

www.henrilloyd.com

 

Published in Marketplace
Tagged under
Afloat, in cooperation with Marine Clothing specialists Henri Lloyd, have four backpacks to give away to Afloat.ie readers in yet another Facebook competition.
 
To enter, send an email to [email protected] with your answer to this question in the subject line: When was Henri Lloyd founded?
 
The answer can be found on the Henri Lloyd Facebook page. To win, you must be a fan of both the Henri Lloyd and Afloat Magazine Facebook pages.
 
It's that simple.
Four lucky winners will receive a Henri Lloyd CSL backpack each. The CSL backpack is constructed from ballistic nylon and features a padded 'air flow' back panel to reduce moisture build up. It comes equipped with a sternum strap for added security and comfort and major seams are double sewn and capped with binding tape before being sewn again. High stress areas are reinforced.

Afloat, in cooperation with Marine Clothing specialists Henri Lloyd, have four backpacks to give away to Afloat.ie readers in another exclusive Facebook competition.


To enter, send an email to [email protected] with the answer to this question in the subject line: When was Henri Lloyd founded?
The answer can be found on the Henri Lloyd Facebook page. To win, you must be a fan of both the Henri Lloyd and Afloat Magazine Facebook pages and be over 18 years of age.


Four lucky winners will receive a Henri Lloyd CSL backpack each. 

Henri Lloyd on Facebook: Facebook.com/hlmarine

Afloat Magazine on Facebook: Facebook.com/Afloatmagazine

M55178

 

 

The CSL backpack is constructed from ballistic nylon and features a padded 'air flow' back panel to reduce moisture build up. It comes equipped with a sternum strap for added security and comfort and major seams are double sewn and capped with binding tape before being sewn again. High stress areas are reinforced.

 

www.henrilloyd.com

 

Published in Marketplace

Dublin Bay 21s

An exciting new project to breathe life into six defunct 120-year-old Irish yachts that happen to be the oldest intact one-design keelboat class in the world has captured the imagination of sailors at Ireland's biggest sailing centre. The birthplace of the original Dublin Bay 21 class is getting ready to welcome home the six restored craft after 40 years thanks to an ambitious boat building project was completed on the Shannon Estuary that saved them from completely rotting away.

Dublin Bay 21 FAQs

The Dublin Bay 21 is a vintage one-design wooden yacht designed for sailing in Dublin Bay.

Seven were built between 1903 and 1906.

As of 2020, the yachts are 117 years old.

Alfred Mylne designed the seven yachts.

The total voting population in the Republic's inhabited islands is just over 2,600 people, according to the Department of Housing.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) commissioned the boat to encourage inexpensive one-design racing to recognise the success of the Water Wag one-design dinghy of 1887 and the Colleen keelboat class of 1897.

Estelle built by Hollwey, 1903; Garavogue built by Kelly, 1903; Innisfallen built by Hollwey, 1903.; Maureen built by Hollwey, 1903.; Oola built by Kelly, 1905; Naneen built by Clancy, 1905.

Overall length- 32'-6', Beam- 7'-6", Keel lead- 2 tons Sail area - 600sq.ft

The first race took place on 19 June 1903 in Dublin Bay.

They may be the oldest intact class of racing keelboat yacht in the world. Sailing together in a fleet, they are one of the loveliest sights to be seen on any sailing waters in the world, according to many Dublin Bay aficionados.

In 1964, some of the owners thought that the boats were outdated, and needed a new breath of fresh air. After extensive discussions between all the owners, the gaff rig and timber mast was abandoned in favour of a more fashionable Bermudan rig with an aluminium mast. Unfortunately, this rig put previously unseen loads on the hulls, resulting in some permanent damage.

The fleet was taken out of the water in 1986 after Hurricane Charlie ruined active Dublin Bay 21 fleet racing in August of that year. Two 21s sank in the storm, suffering the same fate as their sister ship Estelle four years earlier. The class then became defunct. In 1988, master shipwright Jack Tyrrell of Arklow inspected the fleet and considered the state of the hulls as vulnerable, describing them as 'still restorable even if some would need a virtual rebuild'. The fleet then lay rotting in a farmyard in Arklow until 2019 and the pioneering project of Dun Laoghaire sailors Fionan De Barra and Hal Sisk who decided to bring them back to their former glory.

Hurricane Charlie finally ruined active Dublin Bay 21 fleet racing in August 1986. Two 21s sank in the storm, suffering the same fate as a sister ship four years earlier; Estelle sank twice, once on her moorings and once in a near-tragic downwind capsize. Despite their collective salvage from the sea bed, the class decided the ancient boats should not be allowed suffer anymore. To avoid further deterioration and risk to the rare craft all seven 21s were put into storage in 1989 under the direction of the naval architect Jack Tyrrell at his yard in Arklow.

While two of the fleet, Garavogue and Geraldine sailed to their current home, the other five, in various states of disrepair, were carried the 50-odd miles to Arklow by road.

To revive the legendary Dublin Bay 21 class, the famous Mylne design of 1902-03. Hal Sisk and Fionan de Barra are developing ideas to retain the class's spirit while making the boats more appropriate to today's needs in Dun Laoghaire harbour, with its many other rival sailing attractions. The Dublin Bay 21-foot class's fate represents far more than the loss of a single class; it is bad news for the Bay's yachting heritage at large. Although Dún Laoghaire turned a blind eye to the plight of the oldest intact one-design keelboat fleet in the world for 30 years or more they are now fully restored.

The Dublin Bay 21 Restoration team includes Steve Morris, James Madigan, Hal Sisk, Fionan de Barra, Fintan Ryan and Dan Mill.

Retaining the pure Mylne-designed hull was essential, but the project has new laminated cold-moulded hulls which are being built inverted but will, when finished and upright, be fitted on the original ballast keels, thereby maintaining the boat’s continuity of existence, the presence of the true spirit of the ship.

It will be a gunter-rigged sloop. It was decided a simpler yet clearly vintage rig was needed for the time-constrained sailors of the 21st Century. So, far from bringing the original and almost-mythical gaff cutter rig with jackyard topsail back to life above a traditionally-constructed hull, the project is content to have an attractive gunter-rigged sloop – “American gaff” some would call it.

The first DB 21 to get the treatment was Naneen, originally built in 1905 by Clancy of Dun Laoghaire for T. Cosby Burrowes, a serial boat owner from Cavan.

On Dublin Bay. Dublin Bay Sailing Club granted a racing start for 2020 Tuesday evening racing starting in 2020, but it was deferred due to COVID-19.
Initially, two Dublin Bay 21s will race then three as the boat building project based in Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary completes the six-boat project.
The restored boats will be welcomed back to the Bay in a special DBSC gun salute from committee boat Mac Lir at the start of the season.
In a recollection for Afloat, well known Dun Laoghaire one-design sailor Roger Bannon said: "They were complete bitches of boats to sail, over-canvassed and fundamentally badly balanced. Their construction and design was also seriously flawed which meant that they constantly leaked and required endless expensive maintenance. They suffered from unbelievable lee helm which led to regular swamping's and indeed several sinkings.

©Afloat 2020