Galway must feel like it has just given a child up for adoption. All that Volvo Ocean Race fuss, partying and being the centre of attention, and now *zip* it's all gone. Just like that. Bye bye. Still, though, what…
Regardless of what place Ian Walker's team finishes the Boston-Galway transat on May 23, Green Dragon and the other Irish owned entry, Ger O'Rourke's Delta Lloyd, will be welcomed home with open arms. When the VOR comes to Galway, a…
The keepers of sailing's worst-kept secret have finally put their hands up and come clean. As the Volvo Ocean Race prepares to set out from Boston today, en route to Galway and the first every Irish stopover, the Irish team…
In a year that sees the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) publishing boating advice for local authorities, another county council has taken the step to ban recreational craft from its beaches. Fifteen councils have now published bye-laws restricting access to their…
Nothing's more embarrassing than a premature obituary. So we in the sailing media should probably apologise to the dinghy family, which is, apparently, alive and well. Two events over the Easter break drew masses of dinghy sailors to Cork, proving…
All right folks, nothing to see here, move along. That's the message that's coming from the Green Dragon camp, if you care to read between the lines. Missives from the Irish-Chinese entry are increasingly downbeat, with little to show for…
The first Irish Times yachting columnist didn’t exactly push the boat out to uncover a story this time 150 years ago. The first edition of the newspaper carried the less than provocative opening line: “There is but little stirring at…
It is almost 12 months since the Irish Marine Federation called for the immediate introduction of a National Marine Policy for Ireland. To date, there has been almost no progress to report. The European Union has requested each coastal member…
Just over a year ago, consultants were pointing to the fact that leisure craft berths needed to triple in Dun Laoghaire harbour to cater for extra demand. It was obvious to the watersports community at that time, but Dun Laoghaire…
Asgard sank, and so did the economy. The doomsayers are taking to the lifeboats but the Taoiseach says we can't afford to "wallow in a sea of doubt". It's not the most auspicious start to the 2009 Allianz Boat Show…
When the media showed up in the RDS I did not hesitate to tell them in my role as Marine Federation Chairman that the marine sector could develop jobs. I called it a 'potential gold mine'. A wise man I…
In the last month or so, it has become much harder to take out our wallets without feeling guilty. No one in authority has told us not to spend. But people are scared, and that fear is showing up in…
Not many of us will need to be reminded that 2008 represented the toughest set of business circumstances in decades. Few will be sorry to see the back of it. Senior members have make the point that that these times…
Until this summer, feeling the pinch was something you did upwind if you weren't paying attention. But nowadays, even posh yotties have to admit they're tightening their belts, so here at Afloat HQ, we're talking money. We've put a question…
We picked up on a new blog out there this last week, belonging to one Mike Perham, who's trying to become the youngest ever person to circumnavigate the globe non-stop. He's writing daily(ish) missives from his nav station, and the…
Those of us who get to look at the back-end cogs and wheels of the machine that is Afloat.ie get an interesting view of the website. One thing that certainly grabs attention is when a reader poll goes nuts all…
