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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Minister Charlie McConalogue with Michael Mannion, Director of Ward and Burke (Contractors), at the sod-turning event for the new Deep Water Quay Development at the Rossaveal Fishery Harbour Centre. (Forbairt Ché Dhomhain, Lárionad Chuan Iascaigh Ros An Mhíl) in February
Work has stopped on the extension to Ros-a-Mhíl fishery harbour in south Connemara, following a legal challenge. As The Irish Independent reports, the 200 metre deepwater quay to facilitate floating offshore wind is three-quarters complete. The 30 million euro project,…
With nearly 50 boats already moored, With nearly 50 boats already moored, the organisers hope that up to 100 boats will attend the Jamestown Heritage Festival
The Village of Jamestown in County Leitrim is holding its Third Heritage Festival from May 24 to June 2. Members of the Heritage Boat Association and Inland Waterways Association of Ireland will visit Jamestown Harbour. With nearly 50 boats already…
Southern Corridor: The news follows an uncertain winter for both services across the St. Georges Channel, operated by Irish Ferris and Stena Line, but will now be enhanced heading into the busier summer.
St. Georges Channel ferry routes between Fishguard and Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, and Rosslare in Co. Wexford look set to sail into calmer waters this summer. Operator Irish Ferries has announced that an existing Dover-Calais cruise ferry, the Isle of Innisfree,…
Crosshaven Lifeboat's Yellow Wellies, on the last of their Sunday-Morning-in-May-2024 outings tip a nod to the Beatles Abbey Road image with (left to right) Kline Pennefather, Darryl Hughes, Maeve Leonard, Stormy Stan), Aisling Ryan and Hugh Tully
Time was - and it's not so very long ago - that if you wanted to see the nearest set of traffic lights and other road control paraphernalia to Crosshaven, then you'd have to go well into Cork City. Not…
Lough Ree Yacht Club - the home of Double Ree, a festival of youth Double-handed sailing
The age-old issue of what boat to progress into after Optimists is often answered by opting for another single-handed boat, writes John McGonigle of Lough Ree. And why not? The skills learned in an Optimist dinghy can be easily carried over…
Overall winners Alex Barry, Richard Leonard and Kieran O'Connell sailing 'Howlin' Mad' (IRL 407) lead the one day 2024 National 18 Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club
Counting three race wins but bouncing back from a disqualification in the third race of five sailed, Alex Barry, Richard Leonard and Kieran O'Connell sailing 'Howlin' Mad' won the National 18 Irish Championship crown at Royal Cork Yacht Club on…
Helen Boland, Manager of the Dublin Bay Birds Project and Eamon McElroy, Port Engineer at Dublin Port Company, at the purpose-built platform for common and arctic terns running alongside Dublin's iconic Great South Wall
Dublin Port Company (DPC) is welcoming back its breeding terns for the summer months. Among these returning birds is likely an Arctic Tern that was first ringed in Dublin Port in the year 2000 and has been flying back and…
The Blaskets are included in the new park, Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, that is centred around Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry and includes the Conor Pass, the Owenmore River catchment, lands at Mount Brandon and the sand dune system at Inch Peninsula
Marine expert Dr Kevin Flannery has criticised the Government over its lack of adequate consultation with local fishers in advance of announcing the State’s first marine national park. The new park, Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, involves some 70,000 acres…
File image of Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat
HM Coastguard requested the launch of Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat on Friday evening (24 May) to assist a 35ft yacht which was making slow progress after having suffered engine failure eight miles to the north-east of Strangford Bar in Northern…
Alison Blake at the helm of the Hanse 371, a White Sails competitor in the 2024 Women at the Helm Regatta hosted by the National Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire
The Royal Irish Yacht Club White Sails Cruiser team of Just Jasmin (Joan Sheffield), Shearwater (Catherine Day) and Great Escape (Katherine Sheehan) were the winners of the Roy Family Perpetual Trophy for the best team performance at the Women At The Helm 2024 regatta…
Synchronised leppin'....Colm Bermingham (third from right) and his crew from Wave Regatta's overall winner Bite the Bullet, showing they're as much a team in celebrating ashore as they are when afloat and racing to more success
Colm Bermingham and his Elan 333 Bite the Bullet have been such steady performers in the front of the fleet for so long at Howth, that it is difficult to imagine a significant series without the crew of BTB (don't…
File image of one of the platforms used by breeding terns in Dublin Port
Dublin Port’s resident colony of terns is “thriving”, according to the wildlife charity that has been monitoring their progress for over 10 years. Helen Boland, manager of BirdWatch Ireland’s Dublin Bay Birds Project tells RTÉ News: “The numbers have been…
Attending the RNLI 200 garden party were volunteer crew from Dun Laoghaire RNLI (from left): helm Nathan Burke, station mechanic and coxswain Kieran ‘Colley’ O’Connell and helm Gary Hayes
Volunteers from Irish lifeboat stations including Dun Laoghaire, Arklow and Union Hall were among the 2,500 guests at a special garden party at Buckingham Palace last Thursday (23 May) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution…
Sigmatic (right) and the Belfast Lough entry Paul Prentice's Squawk racing in the Sigma 33 division of the 2024 Jura Scottish Series Regatta
On a day when the IRC and the CYCA Scottish Series fleet raced around Inch Island in Loch Fyne, the overnight leader in IRC 1, John Stamp’s Corby 33 Jacob VII (CCC) lost out to the J109 Ben Shelley’s Mocking…
The Big Yin is The People’s Choice . The enthusiastically-sailed First 50 Checkmate XX (Nigel Biggs & Dave Cullen, Howth YC) is the popular overall winner of the Lambay Lady, top trophy in Howth YC’s Wave Regatta
It started on Friday May 24th in Winter. Nobody would argue with that. But then on Saturday 25th - Lambay Day - Howth’s Wave Regatta barely paused in Spring before leaping straight into sunlit High Summer, with a magic racing…
Naval Service vessel LÉ Róisín at Rockall conducting routine maritime security patrols in October 2012
A deal between Ireland and Scotland to allow Irish fishing vessels to return to Rockall has been vetoed by British foreign secretary, David Cameron. As The Irish Times reports, the agreement would have allowed Irish fishing vessels to fish for…
Built by Safehaven Marine, 'SOLAS' is a cutting-edge 'Interceptor 48' model, measuring 15 meters in length and capable of accommodating seven pilots and crew members
The Port of Cork Company proudly announced the official arrival and unveiling of its new state-of-the-art pilot boat, 'SOLAS'. The vessel, a symbol of the port's commitment to safety, innovation, and sustainability, was introduced in a special ceremony at the…
Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy took bronze in the World Cup II Lightweight Men's Double
Irish rowers rounded out World Cup II with four medals: one gold, one silver, and two bronze. After a long week in Lucerne between the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and World Cup II, it's finally time for the high-performance team…
William Lacy’s Dufour 40 racing through Lambay Sound. Until you go up and sail round it, you don’t fully appreciate that Lambay – less than 15 miles from Dublin city centre – has some of the most unspoilt coastline in Ireland
It’s not widely known that when the Danes of Howth were being pressurised to become Christians, being Vikings they had a side deal to the effect that, forever afterwards, when the Annual Fete in late Spring at the new church…
The potent downwind performer J125 Jackknife was the ISORA Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire race winner
Strong and gusty southeasterly winds on the Irish Sea swept Andrew and Sam Hall's Welsh J125 Jackknife to victory by almost 20 minutes on corrected time in Saturday's 12-hour ISORA race from Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire. Despite an entry of 18, 11 boats…

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