Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
According to new Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures, Irish Ports handled a total of 46.4 million metric tons of goods last year. This figure was a fall of 13% in 2022, according to the CSO’s Statistics of Port Traffic Q4 and Year…
The Shanahan Cup is set to return in an enlarged format for the 2024/25 winter season. The event, organised by Gonzaga College and the INSS and sponsored by the Shanahan family, is a team racing series open to all schools in the Dublin…
Partnership Sees Brittany Ferries, Wärtsilä and Incat Sign Deal on Zero-Emissions Ferry Project
28th May 2024 Brittany Ferries
Ferry operator Brittany Ferries, marine power/technology firm Wärtsilä, and shipbuilder, Incat have signed a partnership deal to explore the design and technical requirements for a 137m zero-emissions craft. The project comes as Brittany Ferries nears completion of the biggest fleet…
Plans Announced for First ‘Green Shipping Corridor’ Between UK and Ireland
28th May 2024 Ports & Shipping
The UK’s second-largest port owner, Peel Ports Group, and renewable energy and maritime specialists, NatPower Marine, have announced plans to establish the first “green shipping corridors” between Britain and Ireland. The ground-breaking collaboration could provide a blueprint to drastically cut…
Passenger ferry figures for those booked on the Isle of Man Steam Packet sailings for the annual TT are up this year. This will be the first year for visitors traveling for the motorsport fortnight (May 27–June 8) when coming…
National Yacht Club's MacCarthy and McNally Reign as Irish Flying Fifteens Go West
28th May 2024 Flying Fifteen
The first provincial regatta of the 2024 Irish Flying Fifteen season saw the fleet congregate in what has become, in a very short space of time, a very popular venue. In 2022, a small group of Dun Laoghaire Flying Fifteens…
The Squib Northern Championship went right down to the wire last weekend when the far travelled Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan in Atomic from Kinsale Yacht Club won the final of five races to knock Dick Batt and Gordy Wright,…
The final race of the Schull Harbour Sailing Club May Series was run on Sunday in West Cork following cancellation due to inclement weather on the previous day. The fleet started in the harbour in a fresh 22 knots westerly…
Limbo 6.6 'FA2' Leads as Antrim Boat Club’s Summer Series Gets Underway on Lough Neagh
28th May 2024 Northern Ireland Waters
Antrim Boat Club’s Summer Series returned on 25th May. Eight races, in round-the-can style, are scheduled for Thursday evenings. A good entry of 12 boats will race in the northwest corner of Lough Neagh. As in the Winter Series, the…
Work Halted At 30 Million Euro Ros-A-Mhíl Harbour Project After Legal Challenge
27th May 2024 Irish Harbours
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,…
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: 'Enormously Positive' News for Pembrokeshire-Ireland Ferry Services
27th May 2024 Ferry
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Government Criticised Over Lack of Consultation Before Announcing Marine Park
27th May 2024 Marine Planning
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…
Portaferry Lifeboat Crew Break From Dedication Evening to Assist 35ft Yacht With Engine Failure
27th May 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
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…
Royal Irish Yacht Club Trio are Roy Trophy Winners at the 2024 Women at the Helm Regatta (Photo Galleries Below)
27th May 2024 National YC
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…
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…