Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Strangford Sailing Club enjoys a stunning location on the northern shore of Strangford Lough Narrows in the Castleward Estate and has occupied that site for about 40 years. After the long layoff due to COVID 19, members have been back…

Last Thursday and Friday were busy days for Bangor Coastguard on Belfast Lough with an incident on both days. On Thursday evening the Coastguard and the Police Service investigated reports of concern for a kayaker seen the Ballywalter area in…

The Island of Rathlin in the Sea of Moyle off Ballycastle is now open to resident and visiting boat owners and overnighting is allowed. The ferry is also operating. This popular destination is six miles long, one mile wide, "L"…

Northern Ireland’s coastline is dotted with cold water swimmers who go out no matter what the weather or temperature. The group who swim near Jenny Watts Cave just past Wilson’s Point at Bangor on Belfast Lough are known as the…

The opening up of Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough has been long-awaited and tomorrow (Friday 3rd July) is the big day. During the past week bar and waiting staff have undergone training on the new way of working.…

The rescue services were so busy over the weekend that they have related several incidents together. A jetskier needed medical assistance after coming off his jetski. Donaghadee Lifeboat brought the casualty from Millisle into Donaghadee harbour and was met by…

Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough was a casualty of COVID-19 this year, (in fact the regatta would have been on the water last week), but a 2021 date has now been set for Thursday 24th till Sunday 27th June.…

Kevin Baird, Harbour Master and Marina Manager in Bangor, has posted a substantial update to the state of harbour and marina opening dates in the North of Ireland and beyond. The situation continues to be fluid. Among the notable changes…

Ballyholme Yacht Club is planning to form a Sub Committee to ensure members who are interested in Standup Paddleboarding, Sea Swimming, Kayaking and Windsurfing have a voice. Before the Lockdown the club had plans in place for a new Social…

This morning Newcastle RNLI were tasked along with their colleagues from Newcastle and Kilkeel Coastguard to assist a casualty who had trapped his foot under the vehicle with an incoming tide while in the process of trying to launch their…

Women on Water became Women online for a festival which should have been held at Carrickfergus Sailing Club but had to be redesigned due to COVID 19. The festival brought together like-minded women who have been involved in sailing from…

Answering what was the Bangor Coastguard Rescue Team’s third shout of the day yesterday (Sat 20th), after a telephone call from former Lifeboat Operations Manager Kevin Byers, a volunteer RNLI crew was tasked with rescuing three kayakers in Ballyholme Bay…

Members of the Larne club will welcome its General Committee’s decision to make the most of the lockdown easing, for hot on the heels of RYA NI advice that Step 2 of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Pathway to Recovery has…

On 15th June the Northern Ireland Executive announced further relaxations to the Coronavirus Regulations and subsequently Bangor Marina updated its information yesterday on Northern Ireland Marinas and Harbours. These developments make some changes to the information here. From 26th June,…

A new £6.6M ship-to-shore container handling crane is Belfast Harbour’s largest-ever investment in a single piece of port equipment. The installation is part of a £40M upgrade of its Victoria Terminal 3 (VT3) container terminal. The new fully electric crane…

Many sailors are slowly returning to the water as the lockdown eases, but they have kept in touch by taking part in RYA Northern Ireland’s virtual forums, learning more about support, opportunities for funding and other important updates. The club…

The second Northern Ireland entry for August's Round Ireland Race is, as Afloat previously reported, the Belfast Lough IMX 38 eXcession entered by owners Ruan O'Tiarnaigh from Ballyholme YC, John Harrington (Royal Ulster) and Johnny Mulholland, also from Bangor. Joining…

Adam Fernor is a junior member of Strangford Lough Yacht Club and having not been able to sail his Laser dinghy during Lockdown, he joined a community of 8,000 volunteers, through 3D Crowd UK, who are using their 3D printers…

Foyle Port Marina in the North West of Ireland is now open to visitors; however, the self-Isolating restrictions introduced on Monday 8th June by the Government will apply to vessels visiting from outside the UK and Ireland. These can be…

The situation around the opening of marinas and harbours in Northern Ireland in COVID-19 appears fluid but the latest news is good for those wanting to relax, sail and visit. Bangor Harbour Master Kevin Baird says that Bangor, Carrickfergus, and…