Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
#RMSconnaught - In 2018 is the centenary of the sinking of mail-boat RMS Leinster off the Kish Light by a German U-Boat in WWI, what is less well known is the sinking of sister RMS Connaught on 3 March 1917.…
Afloat.ie has received an 'urgent' appeal for Tall Ship enthusiasts to help with a sunken 100–foot schooner in Portaferry Harbour. William Mulhall says he wants to return the 1935–built vessel to her 'former glory' but is seeking the assistance of a…
The first salmon of 2017 has been caught in the Careysville Fishery on the Munster Blackwater on the opening day of the river, according to Inland Fisheries Ireland. Angler Ronan O’Connor caught a fresh run salmon on Wednesday, 1st of…
The fat lady hadn’t sung……….or the sailing equivalent! In truth, that storyline is only one of a number of possible headlines that I contemplated before writing this Fireball report writes Cormac Bradley. Last week I wrote of the vagaries of…
Ship Voyage Sample: Irish Flagged Bulk Carrier Completes Voyage to Iceland
6th February 2017 Shannon Estuary
#Ireland-Iceland – It is pleasing to pick up on an Irish flagged ship from previous years of reporting for Afloat, on this occasion a bulk-carrier that has completed an Ireland-Iceland voyage this morning, writes Jehan Ashmore. The ship Arklow Mill…
#RNLI - Red Bay RNLI’s lifeboat was launched yesterday afternoon (Sunday 5 February) to locate and rescue three people on board a 13ft boat off Glenarm Bay. The lifeboat crew located the vessel, which had suffered engine failure, three miles…
The RS 200 fleet enjoyed great conditions at the Royal St George YC at the weekend. Olympian Saskia Tidey – just back from racing at Miami Olympic Classes Regatta – gave an intensive weekend's coaching. Tidey, now the team GBR 49erFX…
Mirpuri A Step Closer to Portugal's First Volvo Ocean Race Entry Thanks to Green Dragon
6th February 2017 Ocean Race
Paulo Mirpuri got a step closer to realising Portugal's first entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2020 thanks to Ireland's Green Dragon VOR 70 now a training boat for Mirpuri's campaign. As Afloat.ie reported in January, the Portuguese crew made a successful ocean…
Topper Winter Champs at Royal Cork Yacht Club Dominated By Northern Ireland Sailors (Photo Gallery Here!)
5th February 2017 Topper
Erin McIlwaine from Newcastle in Co Down leapfrogged overnight leader Conor Horgan of Royal Cork Yacht Club to take the win at the inaugural Topper Winter Championships held at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour this weekend writes Bob Bateman. Erin also…
29 hardy entrants in 3 fleets were on the start line today for the first day of the Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Series kindly sponsored by Osean74 writes Michelle Kennelly. The marina was white with frost as the Squibbers slid…
Ireland’s Six Fishery Harbour Centres & Small Harbours Get €28m In Funding For Capital Projects
5th February 2017 Coastal Notes
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, today announced details of a €28m Capital Investment Package for the ongoing development of Ireland’s Local Authority owned small harbour network. (see Table 1 below for details)In announcing the…
Salmon Angling Drought Finally Ends As Ireland Sees First Catch-Free January On Record
5th February 2017 Angling
#Angling - Angling enthusiasts fear for the health of Ireland’s salmon stocks after the first ever catch-less January since records began, according to the Belfast Telegraph. Dubliner Ronan O’Connor landed Ireland’s first salmon of 2017, a seven-pounder, on the Blackwater…
#ThunderChild - Storm Doris’s high winds on Thursday (2 February) made the perfect conditions for testing Safehaven Marine’s latest state-of-the-art naval patrol vessel in Cork Harbour, as the Irish Examiner reports. Test pilot Ciaran Monks was at the helm of…
#Rescue - Shannon’s Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter airlifted an injured woman to hospital from the shores of Lough Gur yesterday evening (Saturday 4 February). As BreakingNews.ie reports, the woman had been walking with family next to the Co Limerick…
Ferry Enters Second Decade Down South As Northern Newbuild Finally Begins Service
5th February 2017 Ferry
#Old&New – Fresh from annual dry-docking is Isle of Inishmore of Irish Ferries, that recently resumed Rosslare-Pembroke duties, writes Jehan Ashmore. The 34,000 gross tonnage cruiseferry had undergone routine maintenance work at A&P Falmouth, Cornwall. This year marks 20 years…
Dun Laoghaire Bicentenary Sailing Regatta Takes on Interesting New Acts
4th February 2017 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
With some visionary thinking by Cathy MacAleavey in her capacity as chief of the sub-committee organising the Classics, Traditional and Old Gaffers section of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta & Harbour Bicentenary Festival from June 6th to 9th, the scope…
This year’s Irish Cruiser Racing Association Annual Conference will take place at the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick on Saturday 4th March from 10.30. Under the heading ‘We Must Talk about Cruiser Racing’ this year’s conference promises to be an…
#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) details the proper hi-line protocols when receiving assistance from a search and rescue helicopter. The notice follows the findings of last year’s MCIB report into…
#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland is seeking submissions from angling enthusiasts and other interested parties in relation to a proposal to introduce a byelaw to: Introduce a minimum takeable size limit for trout of 30cm (12”). Introduce a bag limit…
#Diving - Planning permission is being sought for a new hyperbaric therapy centre in Galway city centre, as Galway Bay FM reports. Regularly used for the treatment of damaged body tissues, hyperbaric facilities are also key to the treatment of…
