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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
The epitome of a community lifeboat – Crosshaven RNLI in action on Cork Harbour
We’ve become so accustomed to the RNLI’s Yellow Wellies being used as receptacles for Lifeboat Fund-Raisers – with silent donations much preferred, and usually generously given - that we can easily forget they’re practical items of footwear. But Crosshaven Lifeboat…
The Rowing Ireland initiative, called
Rowing Ireland, the governing body for rowing in Ireland, has launched an exciting new initiative to engage schools and clubs across the country in the world of rowing ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The initiative, called…
Masterplan in well in progress with construction at Rosslare Europort, where Stena Vision, one of two ferries serving the Swedish operator’s route connecting Europe through Cherbourg, France. The Irish south-east port which has seen a dramatic surge in Brexit-bypass freight directly to the continent, has a dominant 41% market share of the ro-ro traffic. On a recent visit, Afloat observed the construction of several port infrastructure buildings taking shape at Co. Wexford port estate.
Construction work is well underway at Rosslare Europort to develop the south-east port’s masterplan and follows the massive surge in Brexit bypass freight trade traffic to and from the continent, writes Jehan Ashmore. Each week the strategically located south-east port,…
Robert and Elaine Hayes, owners of seafood business Naughton’s Yard in Kilkee with their vintage 1968 American Airstream trailer which has been converted into a food truck
A Co Clare couple have invested €850,000 to transform a derelict site in the centre of Kilkee into a seafood destination. Robert and Elaine Hayes recently opened Naughton’s Yard, a development which includes apartments, a café, an art gallery and…
Fireballs arrive at a mark at the Monkstown Bay Sailing Club hosted Munster Championships in Cork Harbour
The 2024 Fireball Munster Championships were held on April 20th/21st at Monkstown Bay Sailing Club (MBSC) in stunning weather conditions writes the club's Chris Bateman It had seemed like a long time coming, but alas, the wait was finally over,…
The indicative map of the first Marine National Park announced on the Kerry coastline
Government ministers have announced Ireland’s first marine national park involving some 70,000 acres of Kerry’s land and sea. The new park, Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, is centred around Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry and includes the Conor Pass, the…
The 32-metre high-performance superyacht Sorceress
The 32-metre high-performance superyacht Sorceress berthed in Dun Laoghaire on Monday, April 22nd, following a voyage to Ireland from Spain.  The Marshall Island flagged yacht was the first of a new series of cruisers launched by Southern Wind in May 2017. …
An Admiral's Cup race start. For the 2025 event teams of two boats may enter representing a club or country. There will be no limitation on professional crew or crew nationality. There will be two classes with teams having one boat in each class
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has published the 2025 Admiral’s Cup Notice of Race, setting out the conditions under which the prestigious regatta will be run. Expressions of interest have been received from 14 different countries (including Ireland), with…
Transat CIC route
The Transat CIC is set to bring solo ocean racing’s biggest, most modern IMOCA and Class40 fleet to the very heart of New York City. The city of New York is inextricably linked to the long history of solo ocean…
Source Galileo project managers Shane Liddy (left) and Sarah Gibson with Rosslare Europort director Glenn Carr
Rosslare Europort and Souce Galileo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the aim of achieving the common goal of developing the port as a key facilitator in the delivery of large-scale offshore wind farm projects in Irish coastal…
One of hundreds of dead fish found in the Kings River near Ballingarry, Co Tipperary
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it is continuing to investigate a significant fish kill near Ballingarry, Co Tipperary in which up to 500 fish may have died. The pollution incident occurred on the upper reaches of the Kings River, a…
Liffey Descent 2024 banner
The 2024 edition of the iconic Liffey Descent will take place on Saturday 11 May. Racing the classic 32km route, tackling 10 weirs and taking in the stunning scenery that the counties of Kildare and Dublin have to offer, the…
The 2024 DBSC racing marks chart
The ever-changing need for compliance has forced Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) to position seven high-tech marks, and some changes in colour requested by members have meant that the familiar old chart of the bay needs a refresh. To identify the…
The Viking Venus cruise liner anchored off Dun Laoghaire Harbour
This morning, the Viking Venus cruise liner anchored off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, marking the beginning of the 2024 cruise season that runs from April to October. The season includes 80 visits by cruise liners to the south Dublin town. The…
The start of the first ILCA 7 race at French Olympic Week 2024 in which Ireland has two sailors competing, Ewan McMahon of Howth and Finn Lynch from Dun Laoghaire
French Olympic Week kicked off on Monday, 22nd April 2024, at Hyères (Cote D'Azur). More than 800 sailors from 90 nations competed, including a full Irish squad just months before the Olympic regatta. The week-long event is the last major…
Maiden arrives at Cowes on Tuesday 16 April after more than 150 days racing offshore in the Ocean Globe race
Maiden has won the McIntyre Ocean Globe Race, taking first in IRC handicap rankings against a 14-strong fleet of very experienced and committed sailors. And Maiden’s sailors have also been written into the history books as the first ever all-women…
Adrian Harkin on Lough Foyle in a double kayak paddled by his eldest daughter Jessica on Saturday 20 April
After being diagnosed two years ago with motor neurone disease, which has taken away much of his physical ability, experienced kayaking and outdoor “legend” Adrian Harkin turned his attentions to supporting crucial medical research into the condition. The culmination of…
File image of Ireland’s Eye
A tourist was rescued from the waters off Howth in North Co Dublin at the weekend after attempting to swim from Burrow Beach to Ireland’s Eye. As RTÉ News reports, the man in his 20s was discovered clinging to a…
Irish lawyer Michael Kingston
“The families of those who died in the Whiddy Island Disaster, are steadfast in their pursuit of justice and are not going away,” the Irish solicitor who represents the French/Irish Association of Relatives and Friends of the Betelgeuse has told…
Ireland’s first new Marine National Park (Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara) of 70,000 acres on the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula in west Kerry has been welcomed by Irish Lights with its inclusion of the Inishtearaght and Skellig Michael lighthouses.
Ireland’s inaugural Marine National Park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara,Ciarraí, has been unveiled today and Irish Lights is delighted to announce the inclusion of Inishtearaght and Skellig Michael lighthouses, which have been in operation since the early 1800’s. The significant announcement…

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