The Flying Fifteen Northern Championships will take place in Strangford Lough this weekend and will be hosted by Portaferry Sailing Club. There should be some great racing as up to twenty boats are expected in what is the first regional event of the season.

Favourites will be UK guest helm Charles Apthorp sailing with Alan Green (NYC) but current holders and National champions Dave Gorman & Chris Doorly (NYC) as well as local sailors Shane McCarthy, Andy McCleery, Brian McKee and Brian Willis among others will also be looking to have a say in where the silverware goes.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Flying Fifteen Association of Ireland and its first President and Flying Fifteen stalwart Jim Rodgers will be presenting the prizes to mark the occasion.

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew at Portaferry RNLI responded to a launch request from the coastguard yesterday morning (Saturday 30 April 2016) to assist two men on board a yacht stranded on rocks in Strangford Lough, Co Down.

Portaferry's inshore Atlantic 85 launched at 9.22am and the volunteer crew were quickly on scene at Long Rock, just off East Down Yacht Club, 10 minutes later.

Weather conditions at the time was cloudy with good visibility, a Force 3 north westerly wind and calm sea.

When the RNLI crew arrived, they fixed a line to the 28ft yacht and towed it off the rocks.

Once their yacht was free, the two men on board proceeded to East Down Yacht Club accompanied by the Portaferry lifeboat crew, who remained with the yacht until it was safely returned to the pontoons at the yacht club.

After the callout, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian Bailie said: "It has been a busy few months for the crew in Portaferry and we were delighted to have been able to assist these two men who had run into some difficulty.

"We are now entering our most busy time of year and we would urge everyone taking to the water to make sure that they prepare properly and check that all equipment is tested and in good working order."

The RNLI offers sea safety advice online at RNLI.org/RespectTheWater

#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew were called out yesterday afternoon (Sunday 17 April) to assist a 36ft angling vessel which had run into difficulty north of the South Rock Light Buoy near Portaferry, Co Down.

The alarm was raised just before 12.25pm and the lifeboat was dispatched to the scene, some 10 miles east of the lifeboat station.

The angling boat, with three people on board, had developed engine problems in what were described as calm conditions with a Force 3 wind and a slight sea swell.

When on scene, the lifeboat crew checked everyone was okay before taking the vessel under tow to Portavogie, arriving there at 2pm. The lifeboat was back on station at 2.30pm.

Commenting on the callout, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian Bailie said: "This was a fairly routine callout for the lifeboat crew and we were glad to be able to offer assistance.

"However as we approach the busy season and more people are taking to the water for leisure we would advise the public to make sure they check all their equipment is in proper working order."

The RNLI offers sea safety advice online at RNLI.org/RespectTheWater

The revival of Portaferry in Strangford Narrows as a mid-summer focal point for classic and traditional sail afloat, combined with traditional music and festivities ashore, is set to take place from Thursday June 16th to Sunday June 19th this year with the newly branded and re-vamped Portaferry Sails & Sounds Festival 2016 writes W M Nixon

Time was when the highlight for traditional sailors at Portaferry, where the tides sluice with some strength in and out of Northern Ireland’s saltwater lake of Strangford Lough, was racing by restored Galway hookers - they came north in substantial numbers in late June from their home ports in the greater Dublin area. But it is the new Dublin-Galway motorway – of all things - which has seen numbers of traditional craft around Dublin Bay decline as they migrated back to their newly-accessible true heartlands around Galway Bay, such that now if you want to be sure to see hookers - including many Dublin-owned ones - racing in strength, you need to go Macdara’s Island off Connemara for St MacDara’s Day – July 16th – or to Kinvara at the head of Galway Bay for Cruinniu na mBad, which in 2016 is August 19th to 21st.

Alan and Irene Aston’s Cornish Crabber Golden Nomad in Portaferry Marina, while beyond with bowsprit housed is Joe Pennington’s famous Manx Longliner Master Frank

But there are other places in the Irish Sea where traditional craft and interesting old gaffers are to be found, notably in North Wales and particularly in the Isle of Man, where Joe Pennington has restored the last Ramsey Longliner – Master Frank – into superb sailing conditions, while Mike Clark continues to maintain the Manx nobby White Heather under her classic labour-intensive lugger rig.

Naomh Cronan in Portaferry Marina

As well of course, the big Clondalkin-originated Galway Hooker Naomh Cronan continues to make the Irish Sea her home base, sailing from Poolbeg in Dublin, and there’s an increasing number of classic restored gaff yachts at many centres all round the Irish Sea and the Firth of Clyde, which link together through the Old Gaffers Association. This will provide a real increase in the fleet which this year will make Portaferry a major happening again, the interest further heightened by the presence of Strangford Lough’s fleet of nine-plus Iain Oughtred-designed four-oared skiffs, which have a regular racing programme in the lough.

The Strangford Village Rowing Club’s skiff in action at their home port, with Portaferry just across the narrows. Photo: W M Nixon

Gary Lyons’ ketch Ocean Dove in party mode in Portaferry Marina

Adrian “Stu” Spence, one of the main movers and shakers behind the new-look Portaferry Sail & Sounds 2016 in June.

The two powers in the land who are making sure it all takes off are Garry Lyons of the Northern Ireland Old Gaffers Association, skipper of the vintage ketch Ocean Dove, and another northern sailor, the legendary Adrian “Stu” Spence, who in 2014 finally parted from his incredibly old Pilot Cutter Madcap (she may have dated back as far as 1873), which over many seasons he’d cruised to places as distant and different as Greenland and Spain.

In the Autumn of last year he came into Poolbeg with his new Mediterranean-acquired vessel, a rakishly clipper-bowed Vagabond 47 ketch which Skipper Spence currently refers to as “The Love Boat” – we look forward to learning of the official name in due course. The new ship was in Poolbeg in order to access the specialist talents whom Stu Spence has got to know during his long years with the Old Gaffers, in order to make the big ketch fit for anything before she finally goes on to her home mooring at Ringhaddy in Strangford Lough, and she’ll admirably fulfill the role of one of the flagships for Portaferry Sails and Sounds in June.

Stu Spence currently refers to his newly-acquired Vagabond 47 ketch – seen here in Poolbeg Marina – as “The Love Boat”. Photo: W M Nixon

Run jointly by the Northern Ireland Old Gaffers Association and Portaferry Sailing Club, Portaferry Sails & Sounds 2016 promises the perfect mixture of sport and spectacle, sailing and singing, and dancing and divilment to make the Midsummer Weekend pass merrily in the classic and traditional style.

Mike Clark’s traditionally-rigged Manxy Nobby White Heather from Peel is expected in Portaferry in June

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew at Portaferry RNLI launched yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 8 March) to the aid of two kayakers stranded on an island in Strangford Lough.

The two men were on a camping trip to Boretree Island, just off the coast at Mount Stewart, and had paddled out to set up their tent.

When they returned to where they had landed their kayak, they found that it had drifted off in the tide.

Waving a flag to attract attention, the two men were spotted by walkers on the mainland shore who contacted the coastguard, who subsequently requested Portaferry RNLI to launch to rescue the campers.

Weather conditions at the time were good, slightly cloudy with a slight Force 3 wind. Visibility was good and sea conditions were also fairly calm.

The volunteer crew of the Portaferry lifeboat, an inshore Atlantic 85, launched at 12.40pm and were quickly on scene, where they transferred the two men into the lifeboat. They were then taken safely to shore at Newtownards Sailing Club.

Brian Bailie, lifeboat operations manager for Portaferry RNLI, said: "We are delighted to once again have been able to provide assistance to members of the public who found themselves in trouble at sea.

"With its fast flowing currents and tides, Strangford Lough can at times catch out even the most experienced. The lough has for a long time and will for the foreseeable future be a real draw for water enthusiasts and we at Portaferry RNLI are always ready to provide assistance when required."

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew at Portaferry RNLI launched yesterday evening (Thursday 18 February) to go to the aid of two men on board an angling boat experiencing engine problems off the Co Down coast.

The volunteer crew of Portaferry's Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat launched at 6.45pm having received a launch request from Belfast Coastguard concerning two on board a 36ft angling boat in South Bay, north east of Ballyquinten Point.

The two on board the stricken vessel had been en route to Carrick Marina when they started to lose power and contacted the emergency services for assistance.

Weather conditions at the time were described as clear with a slight sea swell with excellent visibility and a Force 1-2 westerly wind.

The lifeboat crew arrived on scene at 7.10pm. Having assessed the situation and with nobody in immediate danger, the RNLI crew established a towline and brought the casualty vessel in to Portaferry Marina in Strangford Lough, Co Down.

Speaking following the callout, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian Bailie said: "Once again it has been a great outcome and testament to the hard work and training the RNLI volunteers put in to answer calls for help at sea.

"The two men on board the casualty boat took the right decision to call for assistance before their situation could become potentially more serious."

#RNLI - The Volunteer lifeboat crew at Portaferry RNLI launched yesterday (Thursday 12 November) to the aid of three men in kayaks on Strangford Lough.

Portaferry's Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat launched at 12.38pm having received a launch request from the coastguard concerning the three men who found themselves in some difficulty during their kayaking trip on the lough.

One of the men had lost his paddle, subsequently ending up in the water.

At the time there was a Force 7 south south-west wind close to a gale with rough sea conditions and fair visibility.

The volunteer crew were on scene northeast of Limestone Rock at 12.46pm where the three kayakers had formed a 'raft' with their vessels while waiting for the RNLI Lifeboat to arrive.

Coming alongside the trio, the lifeboat crew proceed to load them and their kayaks into the lifeboat before returning to the pontoons at Strangford in Co Down were all were put safely ashore.

Brian Bailie, lifeboat operations manager for Portaferry RNLI, said: "The hard work and dedication of our volunteers has once again resulted in the safe return to shore of three men who had got into some difficulty at sea.

"In what were very tricky weather conditions, the three men had acted promptly and correctly when they realised that they were in trouble.

"Once again we are all delighted with the outcome and urge anyone considering going on the water at this time of year to take all necessary precautions."

An extensive search is being carried out of an area south west of the Isle of Man after an emergency code was received from an unknown aircraft.

UK Coastguard is overseeing the search after the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre at RAF Kinloss called to say that the aircraft had been lost on the radar.

A search between Northern Ireland and the south west of the Isle of Man is being carried out.

Two RNLI boats, one from Newcastle (Northern Ireland) and Port St Mary (Isle of Man), the Irish Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Dublin and two Coastguard Rescue Teams, one from Portaferry (UK Coastguard) and Castletown (IOM Coastguard) are all involved.

Ryan Gray, senior maritime operations officer at the UK Coastguard said: ‘We also issued a Mayday relay in the area which means that other merchant shipping are also keeping a lookout for this aircraft.’

‘This is the first time we’ve worked with the Isle of Man Coastguard since joining the national network.'

The search remains ongoing.

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew at Portaferry RNLI were called out yesterday evening (Thursday 9 July) in response to a call to the emergency services.
 


A member of the public had reported that a small sailing boat, a Topper with two people on board, appeared to be in difficulty in the vicinity of Don O’Neill Island near Killyleagh, Co Down.

The volunteer crew of the Portaferry lifeboat were paged just before 7.00pm and the RNLI lifeboat, an inshore Atlantic 85, was launched at 7.07pm. At the time the weather was fine with good visibility, a gentle swell and slight breeze.
 


The RNLI crew arrived on scene at 7.12pm where the two sailors, an adult woman and a teenage boy, had taken the small sailing boat out of the water on to the island where they were waiting for the tide to turn. Both were unharmed and properly equipped wearing lifejackets and wetsuits.
 


As the wind was starting to pick up strength, the two sailors agreed to return to Portaferry Marina with the volunteer RNLI crew and were subsequently taken onboard the lifeboat with their small boat before being safely put ashore at the marina at 7.38pm. 

#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI has rescued a man who got caught out by the tide yesterday afternoon (Monday 22 December).

The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 2.24pm following a report of person in the water on Strangford Lough.

A kayaker who was in upper parts of the lough at the time raised the alarm after he saw a man waist-deep in the water.

The lifeboat launched and headed towards Rainey Island at the north end of Strangford Lough, arriving on scene at 2.50pm, and the crew began a search of the area around Rainey and Sketrick Islands.

When nothing was found, the lifeboat carried on up into Watson Island on Ardmillan Bay, where the crew located the casualty.

The man, who was a wildfowler, had set off walking to the island earlier in the morning when the tide had been out but then got caught out by the rising tide.

It was when he was attempting to return to the mainland that he was spotted by the kayaker waist deep in the water.

With the water getting deeper the man decided to return to the island for his own safety, where he was waiting when the lifeboat located him.

In what is a muddy area that can be dangerous, the Portaferry crew carefully manoeuvred in shallow water to get to the man and bring him on board the lifeboat.

The casualty, who was cold and fatigued but who didn’t require any further medical attention, was then transported to Ballydorn.

Speaking following the callout, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian Baille commended the kayaker who had raised the alarm.

"The kayaker spotted the casualty, raised the alarm and then stayed with the man until the lifeboat arrived on scene and brought him to safety. Had the alarm been raised later it would have been much trickier to locate the casualty in the dark.

"We would remind anyone planning to go out on the lough to be mindful of the weather and tide times."