Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
MGM Boats €32,000 Bayliner 'Starter' Motorboat Aims to Get Families Afloat
29th March 2018 MGM Boats
Boat Sales Company MGM Boats in Dun Laoghaire have put together a "Get You Started Pack" on the new Bayliner Element 5 motoboat this Easter weekend, just in time for the 2018 Irish boating season. What's more, the package has…
Fastferry Dublin and Belfast Seasonal Services Resume to Isle of Man In Advance of Easter Break
29th March 2018 Ferry
#FerryNews - This morning the first Dublin-Isle of Man sailing for season 2018 began with fastferry Manannan departing on time at 10.45 in advance of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore. The fast ferry service taking 2hrs 55mins…
Royal Cork's David Kenefick Knocking on the Door of Top Ten at Moth Worlds (UPDATED)
29th March 2018 Moth
Royal Cork foiling helmsman David Kenefick is knocking on the door of the top ten overall at the Bacardi Moth World Championship this week after an exhilarating three days of strong winds in Bermuda. 11th place Kenefick, who was Ireland's top…
#FerryNews - Of all the stories that have come out of Brexit and Wales, the impact or otherwise on the country's port links with Ireland has been one of the biggest. Wales so writes BBC News, has three ports that…
Irish Olympic Sailing Hopes in 49er, Laser, Radial & Finn Ready for Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta
29th March 2018 Tokyo 2020
Irish Olympic sailing hopes are well represented in the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta in Palma tomorrow, a warm-up before the all important World Sailing Championships in August where Tokyo Olympic berths are up for grabs. The Irish 49er and Laser teams…
Volvo Ocean Race Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag Issue Timeline of Events Leading to Loss of John Fisher
29th March 2018 Ocean Race
The crew of Volvo Ocean Race entry Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag has put together a timeline of events to ensure accurate reporting on the incident and it follows here: On Monday 26 March, Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag lost John…
Important dredging work at Hafan Pwllheli marina in North Wales has been scheduled for 2018. The plan to dredge the harbour entrance and the main channel to maintain its design depth has already been agreed. Work on clearing the entrance…
North Sails 'Sail Trim Simulator' Will Go On Show at the ICRA Nationals in Galway
28th March 2018 North Sails Ireland
A North Sails Ireland 'Sail Trim simulator' will be used during post race de–briefings at the ICRA Nationals this August in Galway. The new tool helps to 'make sense of sail trim, fundamentals of sail shape, and understand how these variables impact…
The restoration of the 56ft ketch trading ketch Ilen (1926) and the re-build of world-girdling 42ft Saoirse (1922) at Oldcourt in West Cork has become a focal point of interest of what might seem to an outsider to be a…
#NavalVisits - At this stage of the UK’s Royal Navy University Boat Squadron tour the last visit was to Kinsale Harbour and followed calls to Cork, Waterford and Dublin, where the flotilla is to return for the Easter Weekend, writes…
Shellfish Stock Review Warns Over ‘Unexpected Changes’ In Some Species Numbers
28th March 2018 Fishing
Shellfish landings — particularly brown crab and whelk — saw a significant boom in 2016 compared to previous years, with a value of €56 million to the economy. But species such as lobster and periwinkle saw “unexpected changes in volumes”…
#Diving - As Limerick-raised entrepreneur Greg Wixted prepares to open the first of a new chain of diving resorts in Gran Canaria, he tells the Limerick Post that he hopes to someday bring the business to the Wild Atlantic Way.…
Setback for Foiler Rory Fitzpatrick in Race Two of Moth Worlds, David Kenefick Lying 14th
28th March 2018 Moth
Dublin foiling supremo Rory Fitzpatrick did not start the second race of the Bacardi Moth World Championship in Bermuda yesterday when 30–knot gusts hit the 33–boat fleet. It means the National Yacht Club and Royal Irish Yacht Club sailor now…
In recent years, asymmetric sails have become much more popular. If you have a boat with a sprit you will likely have 100% asymmetric downwind sails. If you have a boat with a pole, it is likely you will (or…
#CoastalNotes - During Afloat's visit to Wicklow Port this day last week, seemingly Sammy the Seal made a fleeting appearance when alongside a departing cargoship, writes Jehan Ashmore. The departure that afternoon of Burhou-I involved the curious 'Sammy' or a…
#VOR - Six crews in the Volvo Ocean Race fleet are facing challenging conditions as they race towards Cape Horn, still 900 miles and two days away. The seventh team, Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, is working to recover from the tragic…
Vasilij Žbogar Joins Irish Sailing’s High Performance Squad As Laser Coach
27th March 2018 Tokyo 2020
#Tokyo2020 - Three-time Olympic medallist Vasilij Žbogar has joined Irish Sailing’s high performance squad to coach the men’s Laser team. Žbogar will take over coaching for Finn Lynch and Liam Glynn’s Tokyo 2020 aspirations on a team set to be…
Volvo Round Ireland Has 37 Entries Already, But Early Bird Discount Ends on Friday
27th March 2018 Round Ireland
With just over 13 weeks to go to the start of the 2018 edition of the Volvo Round Ireland Yacht race, 37 boats have already taken advantage of the Early Bird entry rates writes W M Nixon. But the Early…
#FerryNews - A first for P&O Ferrymasters as the logistics supplies-chain operator opened a warehouse facility in the UK located in the Port of Liverpool. According to MultiModal, P&O Ferrymasters has further expanded its supply chain network by opening the…
Welcome to my weekly podcast…. That question – where is sailing going? - has been in my mind since Emirates Team New Zealand media information came to me this week about the yacht they intend to race at the next Americas…
