Afloat.ie Team
Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.
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A Co Clare couple have invested €850,000 to transform a derelict site in the centre of Kilkee into a seafood destination. Robert and Elaine Hayes recently opened Naughton’s Yard, a development which includes apartments, a café, an art gallery and…
Royal Ocean Racing Club Publish 2025 Admiral’s Cup Notice of Race (Downloadable here!)
23rd April 2024 Admiral’s Cup
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has published the 2025 Admiral’s Cup Notice of Race, setting out the conditions under which the prestigious regatta will be run. Expressions of interest have been received from 14 different countries (including Ireland), with…
Viking Venus Anchors in Dublin Bay as Dun Laoghaire Welcomes First Cruise Liner of the Season
23rd April 2024 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
This morning, the Viking Venus cruise liner anchored off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, marking the beginning of the 2024 cruise season that runs from April to October. The season includes 80 visits by cruise liners to the south Dublin town. The…
The 2024 edition of the iconic Liffey Descent will take place on Saturday 11 May. Racing the classic 32km route, tackling 10 weirs and taking in the stunning scenery that the counties of Kildare and Dublin have to offer, the…
Mixed Results for Irish Sailors on the Opening Day of French Olympic Week
22nd April 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
French Olympic Week kicked off on Monday, 22nd April 2024, at Hyères (Cote D'Azur). More than 800 sailors from 90 nations competed, including a full Irish squad just months before the Olympic regatta. The week-long event is the last major…
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it is continuing to investigate a significant fish kill near Ballingarry, Co Tipperary in which up to 500 fish may have died. The pollution incident occurred on the upper reaches of the Kings River, a…
Rosslare Europort and Source Galileo Sign Memorandum of Understanding
23rd April 2024 Power From the Sea
Rosslare Europort and Souce Galileo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the aim of achieving the common goal of developing the port as a key facilitator in the delivery of large-scale offshore wind farm projects in Irish coastal…
Transat CIC Is Coming to America With Race Finish Set for Heart of New York City
23rd April 2024 Class40
The Transat CIC is set to bring solo ocean racing’s biggest, most modern IMOCA and Class40 fleet to the very heart of New York City. The city of New York is inextricably linked to the long history of solo ocean…
Maiden has won the McIntyre Ocean Globe Race, taking first in IRC handicap rankings against a 14-strong fleet of very experienced and committed sailors. And Maiden’s sailors have also been written into the history books as the first ever all-women…
Emotions Run High as ‘Legend’ Kayaker With Motor Neurone Disease Completes Nationwide Challenge
22nd April 2024 Kayaking
After being diagnosed two years ago with motor neurone disease, which has taken away much of his physical ability, experienced kayaking and outdoor “legend” Adrian Harkin turned his attentions to supporting crucial medical research into the condition. The culmination of…
Tourist Rescued From Cold Waters After Attempting to Swim from Howth Head to Ireland’s Eye
22nd April 2024 Rescue
A tourist was rescued from the waters off Howth in North Co Dublin at the weekend after attempting to swim from Burrow Beach to Ireland’s Eye. As RTÉ News reports, the man in his 20s was discovered clinging to a…
Not content to bask in its 140th-anniversary glory, Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) will experiment with using the latest yacht race technology this season to deliver the largest racing programme in Ireland. DBSC Commodore and Race Officer Ed Totterdell, who…
The 32-metre high-performance superyacht Sorceress berthed in Dun Laoghaire on Monday, April 22nd, following a voyage to Ireland from Spain. The Marshall Island flagged yacht was the first of a new series of cruisers launched by Southern Wind in May 2017. …
RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole reported glorious conditions for the Cervantes Trophy race start off the Squadron Line with 14 knots from the north west giving a fast downwind sail through the Western Solent. The 110-mile race to Le Havre…
The ever-changing need for compliance has forced Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) to position seven high-tech marks, and some changes in colour requested by members have meant that the familiar old chart of the bay needs a refresh. To identify the…
Kinsale Yacht Club Clinch Inaugural Irish Sailing League Title on Dublin Bay
22nd April 2024 Irish Sailing League
Kinsale Yacht Club emerged as the winner of the inaugural Irish Sailing League 2024 after 20 races sailed off Dun Laoghaire on Sunday. The light wind league was hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club and organised by Kenny Rumball and…
Farewell LE Orla (P41) and LE Ciara (P42) as Navy Vessels Depart Cork Harbour for Scrapping
22nd April 2024 Navy
On Sunday afternoon, Cork Harbour was poignantly reminded of passing times as the now decommissioned LE Orla (P41) and LE Ciara (P42) were led out of their home port for the last time, heading overseas for disposal at a scrap…
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club Pair Take Munster Fireball Dinghy Title in Cork Harbour (Photo Gallery Here!)
22nd April 2024 Fireball
Ewen Barry and Sandy Rimmington of the host club are the 2024 Fireball Munster Champions after a six-race regatta held at Monkstown Bay Sailing Club (MBSC) in Cork Harbour. A bumper 24-boat fleet contested the light to medium wind championships that…
European Union (Safe Loading and Unloading of Bulk Carriers) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
21st April 2024 Ports & Shipping
The European Communities (Safe Loading and Unloading of Bulk Carriers) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI No 110 of 2024) entered into force on 27 March 2024. Changes to the regulations for the safe loading and unloading of bulk carriers now apply…
Drone Captures Rare Sight of Bottlenose Dolphin Giving Birth Off West Cork
21st April 2024 Marine Wildlife
A rare sight was caught on camera this past week with the birth of a bottlenose dolphin in Glandore Harbour. Following reports on Monday (15 April) to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) of a large gathering near Mizen…