Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Nick Craig has won his sixth OK Dinghy World Championship after a tight week of racing at the 2024 Tan Lines OK Dinghy World Championship, hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, in Brisbane. Despite a tough last day, there was…
New Irish-Language TV Series Follows Epic Kayaking Adventure Along North Coast
2nd March 2024 Kayaking
A new TV series as Gaeilge follows presenters Tessa Fleming and Irial Ó Ceallaigh as they embark on an epic adventure paddling their way along the North Coast. Together with kayaking expert John Hubbocks, the novice kayakers brave the unpredictable…
The scale of poaching in some Irish rivers is so great that anglers are being driven away from the sport, the Seanad has heard. Senator Garret Ahearn raised concerns from the angling community amid a decline in the rate of…
National Yacht Club to Host Second Annual Student Match Racing Invitational This Month
2nd March 2024 Match Racing
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the National Yacht Club will host the second Student Match Racing Invitational in Dun Laoghaire on the weekend of 23–24 March. The meet — comprising round robins, a knockout series and finals…
Royal St. George Melges 15 Crew in the Mix After Day One of the Cascais Winter Series
2nd March 2024 Melges 15
Portugal's Paulo Manso and Luis Pinheiro are currently leading the first stage of the Melges 15 Cascais Winter Series. The sailors from Madeira Island had a consistent day, scoring a second and two firsts. John Sheehy and his niece, Katie,…
Irish 49er Skiff Sailors Gear up for 49er Class World Championship and Olympic Selection Trials
2nd March 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
Irish 49er skiff sailors are set to compete in the 49er class world championship in Lanzarote, Canary Islands from March 4th to March 10th, 2024. With less than five months left before the Paris 2024 Olympics, this event marks an…
MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2024 ” Award Jointly To National YC & Ruffian 23 Association In Celebration Of Family & Friendship In Sailing
2nd March 2024 W M Nixon
Friendship, family and sailing enjoyment expressed enthusiastically through quietly efficient organisations - that was the warm theme which dominated Thursday evening’s convivial gathering in the National Yacht Club on Dun Laoghaire waterfront. The successful hosting club and the Golden Jubilee-celebrating…
Greystones Harbour Marina Bids Farewell to Retiring Marina Manager Alan Corr
1st March 2024 BJ Marine
After a decade of dedicated service, Alan Corr, the marina manager of Greystones Harbour Marina in County Wicklow, retired at the end of February. Alan has been a vital part of the marina's success story since January 2014, bringing his…
Greystones Sailing Club ex-pat Sean Cleary was in the top ten of the OK world championships at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane, Australia, but a DSQ originally reported initially as a fourth (before protest) has proved unfortunate. Nick…
The Irish Coast Guard has said it is “closely monitoring developments” after the Sikorsky S-92A crash in Norway earlier this week which claimed one life. A woman in her sixties died and five people were injured when the helicopter crashed…
Dunmore East RNLI in County Waterford has announced the appointment of David Murray as its new full-time Station Mechanic. David, who has been a volunteer with the lifeboat station since 2013, has made significant contributions to the team and the…
Firth of Clyde’s Arran Service Sees No New Support after Latest CalMac Ferry 'Shambles'
1st March 2024 Ferry
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) has provided no new support for the Firth of Clyde’s Arran route in a shake-up of services after the biggest and oldest vessels in Scotland's ageing lifeline ferry network were sidelined for nearly three months.…
European Ombusdman Calls for Independent Inquiry Into Large Number of Mediterranean Deaths
1st March 2024 Rescue
A European Ombudsman inquiry into Frontex’s role in search and rescue operations says that the current rules leave the EU’s border and coast guard agency unable fully to fulfil its fundamental rights obligations. The inquiry says Frontex has no internal…
Incident Where Fishing Crew Survived Asphyxiation Could Have Been "Far More Serious" - MCIB Report
1st March 2024 MCIB
An incident where two crew members of a fishing vessel were asphyxiated during a fish tank cleaning operation could have had a “far more serious outcome” but for a number of factors, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has said.…
The day after second placed Thomas Coville’s finished in the Ultim Challenge round the world race, attention is now focused on the Maxi Banque Populaire XI which is expected to finish on Sunday. In the South Atlantic, Anthony Marchand (4th)…
Five trails on two offshore islands are among 62 new walking routes announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys. The five new island routes are on the Aran island of Inis Meáin and Oileán Chléire/Cape Clear island…
The £80m flagship of the Isle of Man Steam Company the Manxman will be out of commission for four days in the coming months. According to the IOMSPCo. the ferry which operates the Douglas-Heysham route will undergo planned servicing of…
Andy Thompson of East Antrim BC is “Sailor of the Month (Worlds)” for February
1st March 2024 Sailor of the Month
We’ve become accustomed to veteran dinghy racing superstar Andy Thompson of Larne suddenly emerging into the spotlight again at some world championship, and he has already made his annual mark for 2024 by brilliantly crewing for Tom Gillard at Geelong…
Ed Wheeler of County Down is Afloat.ie “Sailor of the Month (Voyaging & Services to Sailing)” for February
1st March 2024 Sailor of the Month
Ed Wheeler’s extraordinary career in sailing has ranged from racing the first International Cadet dinghy to be seen on Belfast Lough in the early 1950s (he won Ballyholme YC’s famous Lufra Cup for the big-fleet end-of-season pursuit race) to solo…
Colin Leonard of Strangford Lough and Ballyholme is “Sailor of the Month (International & Cruising)” for February
1st March 2024 Sailor of the Month
There seem to be two Colin Leonards prominent in the sailing scene in the north, but in fact, it’s one and the same man making the best of several possibilities. Colin Leonard of Ballyholme was tops in the medal stakes…