
Afloat.ie Team
Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.
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Courtown RNLI volunteers invite everyone in the community to their ‘Jingle Mingle’ event this Saturday 9 December. The fundraising committee is hosting the Christmas afternoon from 2pm-5pm on the North Pier in Courtown, Co Wexford. It’s an opportunity to gather…

National Watersports Campus Plans Get a Boost From Top-Up Funding Pot of Over €37M for Major Sports Projects
6th December 2023 Dun Laoghaire Watersports Campus
The proposed National Watersports Campus for Dun Laoghaire has received a major boost in the form of a €410,000-plus top-up grant under the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). Sport Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State Thomas Byrne made the announcement on…

World Sailing Names Belfast Lough's Chris Lindsay as an International Judge for Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition
6th December 2023 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, has announced Belfast Lough's Chris Lindsay as an International Judge and Umpire for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition. Lindsay, who also officiated at Tokyo 2020, is the only Irish appointment in…

Royal St George Yacht Club Dragon 'Jaguar' is Third at Coupe D’ Hiver in Cannes
6th December 2023 Dragon
Royal St George Yacht Club's Jaguar Sailing Team of Martin Byrne, Adam Winkelmann and Rory Byrne took third overall at last weekend's Yacht Club de Cannes, Coupe D’ Hiver des Dragons. 17 Dragons from eight countries competed with victory going…

Royal St. George's Tom Higgins Fights for Semi-Final Place at 2023 International Youth Match Racing Championship
6th December 2023 Match Racing
Royal St. George's Tom Higgins is fighting for a semi-final place at the 2023 International Youth Match Racing Championship in Australia. The Harken-sponsored Championship is hosting some of the World’s best youth match racing talent, with competitors travelling from across…

Close Shave at the DBSC Turkey Shoot as Overall Lead Shared With Two Races Left to Sail
5th December 2023 Turkey Shoot
With two races left to sail at the AIB DBSC Turkey Shoot at the Royal Irish Yacht Club, there are joint overall leaders at the country's biggest winter sailing league. The 1720 Optique and the Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie sit…

Following on from a busy 2023 the Irish RS Aero fleet are looking forward to an exciting 2024 both home and abroad. A full schedule of regional events took place this year at venues across the country. The highlight of…

Dublin City Centre looks magical at night! The INSS.ie RIB Rides and Winter Lights has had a cracking first weekend exploring the river Liffey and Christmas lights. Over 40 participants of all ages joined the crew on passage from Dun…

Round Ireland Race Promoted at Royal Ocean Racing Club Annual Dinner in Mayfair
5th December 2023 RORC
Wicklow Sailing Club's Kyran O'Grady flew the flag for the 2024 Round Ireland Race at last weekend's 2023 Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) Annual Dinner and Prize Giving at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, London. O'Grady was able to brief some…

Hydrogen and Wind-Assisted Propulsion the Focus of New European Maritime Safety Agency Reports
5th December 2023 Ports & Shipping
The potential of wind assisted propulsion systems as a power source in the shipping sector is analysed in a new report released by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). “Even though the total number of ships equipped with wind assisted…

If you had checked the half a dozen forecasting apps, Sunday’s Belfast Lough wind forecast would have ranged from two to five knots from either east or west, and it was going to be very cold, and sure enough, it…

Scotland Tried to Resolve Rockall Difficulties If it Rejoined EU - Guardian Report
4th December 2023 Island News
The Scottish government was keen to do a deal on Rockall if it voted for independence and rejoined the EU, according to confidential documents. As The Guardian reports, confidential letters and other heavily redacted documents about the crisis several years…

Ten teams from four different nations came together for the first official Cape 31 event of the Summer in the South Series. Nine exciting races spanned three days in Table Bay. The Royal Cape Yacht Club took the fleet for…

CH Marine’s digital Christmas brochure for 2023 is out now with a great selection of gift options for everyone across a wide range of products, from gadgets and tools to kayaks and canoes, marine apparel and more. Plus don’t miss…

Metocean Survey and Static Acoustic Monitoring for Rosslare Europort Offshore Wind Hub
4th December 2023 Rosslare Europort
The Department of Transport has been advised that Iarnród Éireann intends to undertake a metocean survey and static acoustic monitoring in the proposed offshore renewable energy hub development area surrounding the existing Rosslare Europort, off the coast of Co Wexford.…

Dun Laoghaire RNLI Crew Member Gary Hayes Is Named Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year
4th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats
Dun Laoghaire RNLI crew member Gary Hayes has been named the Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year for 2023. Hayes picked up the overall honour at the Volunteer Ireland Awards ceremony in Limerick on Saturday night (2 December) after he…

Several fish stocks are improving according to the Marine Institute's annual Stock Book, just published, which provides impartial scientific advice to the Government on the status of 74 key fish stocks of interest to Ireland. Haddock, monkfish, megrim, tuna, and…

Thomas Ruyant Races to New 24 Hour Record in Retour à La Base Solo Race
4th December 2023 Solo Sailing
With more than 2200 nautical miles still to sail and at least two more low-pressure systems due before a timely finish into Lorient expected Saturday, there is still a long, long way to go on the Retour à La Base…

Irish Lights Vacancy for a Systems Performance Lead in Coastal Operations Department
4th December 2023 Jobs
Irish Lights is recruiting a skilled systems/electronic technician to join our Coastal Operations Team as a Systems Performance Lead. The successful candidate will work closely with the team in the management of our software systems to improve workflow, monitoring, reporting,…

The recent Irish Fireball Association agm was a lively affair as the class discussed two thorny issues and reconfirmed its commitment to younger sailors. First, the thorny stuff - there was a lively, sometimes heated discussion around the decision not…