Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Waterways Ireland is encouraging the public to explore its more than 350km of waterside trails on National Walking Day this Sunday, 27 September. First held last year, National Walking Day is taking place on trails, towpaths and beaches as well…

Waterways Ireland advises all masters and users of the Royal Canal that canoe polo events will take place in the vicinity of the harbour in Mullingar this weekend, 27-28 September and the following Sunday, 4 October. Boat movements in the…

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels and water users on Lough Derg to proceed with caution moving in or out of Mountshannon as the green navigation marker for the western side of Cribby Island is currently off station. Lough…

Users of the Erne System have been advised to expect reduced water levels throughout the navigation from Thursday 1 October. This is when water levels on Lower Lough Erne are expected to be drawn down by DfI Waters to a…

Waterways Ireland advises that emergency works on the Royal Canal embankment in Westmeath will continue until the end of this month. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the inland waterway between the 34th and 35th locks, at Balroe and Ballynacarrigy respectively,…

A new interactive outdoor experience along the Royal Canal hopes to bring to life the experience of famine emigrants who walked from Strokestown to Dublin at the height of An Gorta Mór. The National Famine Way was launched last Thursday…

Cruiser hire firms on the River Shannon have experienced a boom in business from ‘staycationers’ as holidays abroad this year were cancelled in droves, according to RTÉ News. While some operators felt the brunt of coronavirus restrictions in the spring…

The Leitrim Observer reports on the rescue of four people from a Shannon cruiser that caught fire on Sunday 6 September. Firefighters were called to the indecent at noon on Sunday on the Jamestown Canal close to Albert Lock. Those…

The Iniscealtra Sailing Club annual Gortmore Bell Race took place on Lough Derg on Saturday, 5th September. With a forecast of 15 to 20 knots westerly and sunshine, it promised to be a good day sailing for the 28-boat fleet.…

A number of vessels seized and removed from Shannon Harbour by Waterways Ireland will be disposed of in a sale this month. All vessels available will be sold as seen, in individual lots, to the highest acceptable tender price. Completed…

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that Lock C7 on the Grand Canal at Portobello is temporarily closed for essential maintenance. Passage through the lock will not be possible until repairs are completed on Monday 7 September.

Waterways Ireland has issued notice that it plans to remove vessels in contravention of bye-laws from the Grand Canal in the area between Hazelhatch and Sallins in Co Kildare later this month. Vessels that appear abandoned or have no no…

Reigning all Ireland Junior sailing champion Chris Bateman swapped his local waters of Cork Harbour for Lough Ree Yacht Club's 'Double Ree' double-handed dinghy regatta last weekend and provides this report for Afloat On the last weekend of August 2020, Lough…

Waterways Ireland advises masters and users of vessels on the Royal Canal that the inland waterway is closed between Balroe and Ballynacarrigy in Co Westmeath. Navigation will be prohibited between the 34th and 35th locks for the next two weeks…

"The seas is for sailing and the lakes are for fishing". Quite. It's a gross over-simplification to put any analysis of the Irish public perception of our use of waterways into such crude terms. But we didn't get where we…

Water-skiing is just about the only waterborne activity for which the Afloat.ie style-book permits the use of exclamation marks (or screamers as we call them in the trade, and there are much rougher words with crude canine associations, but we…