Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
It was a grey start but a nonetheless bright new beginning on Dublin bay yesterday afternoon (Thursday) as all four waterfront yacht clubs joined together for the first gun of the inaugural Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. Organised in just six…
If solo sailor Larry Hynes (38) can make it to Dun Laoghaire for tea-time this evening (Friday) he will break the Round Ireland single handed speed record, but early this morning (Friday) after seven nights at sea the prospect of…
Afloat magazine has obtained documents relating to the fatal drowning of Jack Sweeney when his Baltic lifejacket failed to operate in August 2003.The documents, one from lifejacket manufacturer Baltic and the other from the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, specify the…
The debate of what things are intolerably unlucky aboard a seagoing vessel has resurfaced again online, and one of Ireland's top offshore racers is being held up as the ultimate debunker of superstition. Green paint jobs are mortally unlucky, it…
A necklace of safe harbours and marinas around the coast is essential to begin realising the true economic potential of the marine sector, according to a new paper on the issue by the Irish Marine Federation.
It's a return to warmer climes for inveterate RStGYC cruiser Michael Holland, whose Dubois-designed 72-foot ketch is the only Irish-registered yacht taking part in Antigua Sailing Week. Holland and crew spent several weeks at the beginning of 2008 cruising Antarctica,…
All credit to the RNLI - not just for their trojan rescue work, but for some innovative marketing. The good folks at Lifeboats HQ have come up with a way for you to keep track of what boats are launching…
A near gale ushered a nine-boat fleet out of Dun Laoghaire last weekend as the seasons first Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) race got underway.ISORA chairman, Peter Ryan, said the turn-out was very encouraging and expressed hope that the…
As in previous years, Afloat magazine is asking the public to decide who should be crowned Ireland’s Sailor of the Year for 2010. The overall national award will be presented to the person who, in the judge’s opinion, achieved the…
The widow of a man drowned by a faulty lifejacket was awarded more than 519,000 in damages last Friday. Ella Sweeney (69) watched helplessly from the shore as her husband Jack (64) struggled and drowned after falling out of a…
The Irish Sailing Association (ISA) launched a National Small Craft register at the Boat Show in Dublin this week but industry body, the Irish Marine Federation (IMF) says it is not the single system required for identifying recreational vessels in…
Ireland's two entrants in the ISAF 2009 Team Racing Worlds have been selected after an intense one-day qualification regatta. George Knights, veterans of three world championships already, and college champions Dublin Institute of Technology, emerged on top and will travel…
Afloat magazine, Ireland's sailing and motorboating magazine, wants YOUR news. Our new web portal means we can bring you the freshest news and views as they happen. If your club, company or class have event news, an exciting new marine…
Buoyant times remain for the Irish Marine industry following sales worth over ten million euro worth reported yesterday at the biennial Onthewater boat show in Malahide, Co. Dublin. 5,000 people attended the four-day show run by the Irish Marine Federation…
Government inaction is frustrating Irelands massive marine potential, according to the Irish Marine Federation. The federation, which represents the marine industry in Ireland, says that our greatest natural resource is going to waste as a result. A statement released by…
More than 35million of polished marine hardware will be on display from tomorrow when the doors open at the second Lombard On The Water Boat Show at Malahide Marina. The show has grown considerably since the first edition two years…
If there's one Class One event on the Eurolymp calendar where Ireland's top dinghy sailors can count on there being breeze - it's Hyeres. And the first two days of this year's competition didn't disappoint, with winds up to 30…
Ireland's big-wave surfers took another step towards safety last week with a full course in jet-ski rescue. The course, the first of its kind in this country, put Irish surfers through their paces when trying to launch and rescue surfers…
Galway County Council has published draft legislation banning jet skis from within 200 metres of 21 Galway beaches. The legislation bans kiteboards from Loughrea lake, and also places several restrictions on surfers, windsurfers, kayakers and other boat users near swimmers.
Afloat publishes its official guide to this month's Lombard On-the-Water boat show. The 144 page bumper issue contains boating news from around the coast. Click below the fold for a list of this issue's highlights.
