Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Celebrating UN World Oceans Day 2024: The Marine Institute Emphasises the Importance of Ocean Conservation
7th June 2024 Marine Science
The Marine Institute is proud highlighting the importance of the ocean surrounding our shores by celebrating UN World Oceans Day on Saturday, 8th June 2024. The United Nations World Oceans Day takes places on 8th June each year, and raises…
Royal St George 'Phantom' Trio Lead Dragon Easterns at Kinsale (Photo Gallery Here!)
7th June 2024 Dragon
Royal St. George Yacht Club trio Neil Hegarty, David Williams and Conor Byrne in Phantom (IRL225) lead the Zurich Dragon East Coast Championships after two races sailed off Kinsale, Co. Cork. The Dublin Bay boat has the same five points tally…
French Skipper Charlie Dalin Set to Secure Victory in New York Vendée Les Sables d’Olonne Solo Race
7th June 2024 Vendee Globe
After leading the New York Vendée Les Sables d’Olonne solo race across the Atlantic since Monday morning, top French skipper Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) is expected to cross the finish line during Saturday night to take a resounding victory…
Initial Challenge to Race Officer Overcome to Produce Excellent DBSC Flying Fifteen Race
7th June 2024 Flying Fifteen
Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Race Officer John McNeilly certainly had a challenge on his hands on Thursday night past as Mother Nature decided she initially wasn’t going to play ball with his plans for the one-design fleet, SB20s, Flying…
Irish Ferries Announce New Names for Ireland-UK/France Routes Ferry and Strait of Dover Ship
7th June 2024 Irish Ferries
Irish Ferries chartered cruise-ferry Oscar Wilde, currently operating Rosslare-Pembroke on a temporary basis, is later this month to return to Dublin-based routes to Holyhead and Cherbourg, France, but under a new name. The ferry company has a proud tradition of…
Disruption on Strait of Dover as Ferry Services at Calais Affected by Strike Action
7th June 2024 Ferry
Ferries operating from Calais to Dover, the busy France-UK short-sea link, have been disrupted due to strike action taking place at the northern French port. All three ferry companies serving on the Strait of Dover route, DFDS, Irish Ferries, and…
One of the Naval Service’s offshore patrol vessels (OPV) is to be open to the public tours when berthed in Killybegs Harbour tomorrow, 8 June. The LÉ William Butler Yeats (P63) as the naval pennant number indicates, is the third…
Promoted
Kenny Rumball of the Irish National Sailing and Powerboat School is holding a Sea Survival Course on Tuesday, 11th June, from 6-9 pm and Sunday, 16th June, from 9.30 am-5 pm. Experience what it is like to board a liferaft…
The Dragon Eastern Championships witnessed a first for host club Kinsale Yacht Club on Friday (June 7th), when the club deployed robotic marks for the first time for the three-day event. The move to the new marks follows their success…
Eight of the 13 M15 dinghies made it to the start line for the first-ever Melges15 race last night at Howth Yacht Club. Race Officer David Sargent ran two races for the new fleet alongside the other HYC dinghies in…
This year’s TT Races is set to see the second-highest number of visitors travelling by ferry in the past four decades, according to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Figures reveal an 11% increase on the 2023 figure, which…
Rare 143-Year-Old Wooden Boat 'Barnabas' Embarks on Historic Voyage to Crosshaven Traditional Sail Festival
7th June 2024 Tom MacSweeney
A 143-year-old, unique wooden boat, the only one of its kind in the world, is heading for the Crosshaven Traditional Sail festival. Maintaining traditional boats is demanding, and when it’s the only one of its kind in the world, the…
Last Test Before Round Ireland: 15-Boat ISORA Fleet Musters for Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Race
7th June 2024 ISORA
Despite the absence of some top Dublin Bay performers, Saturday's ISORA race ten from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire will still provide a strong test in the last offshore fixture before the season highlight of the 700-mile Round Ireland Race in…
Largs Yacht Haven Makes Changes to Meet Growing Demand for Larger Vessels
7th June 2024 Scottish Waters
Largs Yacht Haven in western Scotland is increasing its capacity for vessel up to 20 metres in length, according to Marine Industry News. The North Ayrshire marina, which is the largest in Scottish waters and celebrating 40 years in operation,…
A search operation is under way off Connemara for a sailor reported missing after attempting to retrieve a small dinghy, as RTÉ News reports. A mayday call was issued from Oileán Máisean, off Carna, before 6pm on Thursday evening (6…
JPK 10.80 'Rockabill VI' Takes Fourth DBSC Thursday Win of AIB Summer Series on Dublin Bay
6th June 2024 DBSC
Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI is now five points clear at the top of the Dublin Bay Sailing Club AIB Thursday Summer Series IRC Zero division leaderboard after scoring his fourth win last night on Dublin Bay. The Royal Irish yacht finished in a…
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it is continuing to investigate a fish kill in Co Donegal on Thursday (6 June) in which early indications suggest up to 250 fish may have died. The pollution incident occurred on a tributary of…
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that Jons Civil Engineering will be carrying out works on Carrick-on-Shannon bridge on Friday 7 and Monday 10 June. Navigation will be restricted to one arch of…
At 5:15 pm today, while in fourth position in the New York – Vendée race, the sailboat Vulnerable, skippered by British sailor Sam Goodchild, was dismasted, bringing an end to his transatlantic race bid. While the IMOCA monohull was dismasted,…
World Sailing Championship Splits Format for First Time; Valencia and Gdynia Both Selected to Host 2026-2027 Event
6th June 2024 World Sailing
World Sailing has selected the cities of Valencia in Spain and Gdynia in Poland to host the 2026-2027 World Sailing Championships as the event moves to a split format for the first time. Real Club Náutico Valencia (RCNV) will stage…