Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Northern Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir met with members of the Northern Ireland Fishing Harbour Authority (NIFHA) and local fishers during a visit to Portavogie Harbour in Co Down this week. The visit on Wednesday…
Waterways Ireland Announces New Sale of Craft Removed from Navigations
24th February 2024 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland proposes to dispose, by public tender, of a number of vessels removed from the inland waterways under its purview. Sixteen vessels are presently stored by Waterways Ireland at Shannon Harbour, Co Offaly on the Grand Canal. All vessels…
EU Project Launched to Help Reduce Bycatch of Protected and Endangered Atlantic Species
24th February 2024 Marine Wildlife
A major new European project aims to improve our understanding of how the bycatch of fisheries impacts protected, endangered and threatened species (PETS) in the Atlantic Ocean, and develop methods for better monitoring and mitigating these impacts. Funded by the…
National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch Earns Bronze Medal at European ILCA 7 Championships in Athens
24th February 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
With a final day turn of speed, the National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch won the bronze medal at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Athens today (Friday, 23rd February 2024) after a three-race final day that ended the weather-hit event.…
Back in the day, Bangor Grammar School was seen by a small but significant sector of its pupils as a sailing school with a grammar problem. This was in a time when it was an establishment of friendly size, located…
The fourth day of the RORC Caribbean 600, Thursday 22 February, decided the class winners for IRC Zero in the early hours, the Class40 division in the afternoon, and just before midnight the IRC One champions crossed the finish line.…
Earl ‘Open to Options’ Regarding Future of Lough Neagh as Toxic Blue-Green Algae Returns
23rd February 2024 Environment
The owner of Lough Neagh’s lakebed has said he is “open to exploring options” amid reports of the return of toxic blue-green algae blooms. But as BBC News reports, the Earl of Shaftesbury has refused to budge on suggestions that…
Nineteen-year-old Eve McMahon concluded the weather-hit ILCA 6 class European Championships in 15th place overall. Already qualified for Paris, the Howth Olympic debutante will compete at the forthcoming French Olympic Week in Hyeres as her final major competition before the Olympics.…
ILCA 6 Helm Hannah Snellgrove Selected as the 11th Sailor for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
23rd February 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
Lymington sailor Hannah Snellgrove has been selected as the 11th sailor for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced on Tuesday. The 33-year-old will be competing in the women's dinghy class sailing the…
Royal Cork Yacht Club's Grattan Roberts is the latest Irish sailor to join the ranks of the high-performance owner-driver one-design racing R44 fleet. Donaghdee's Oisin McClelland and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle are on board Aleph Racing, Wicklow's Simon Johnson is on…
Ireland Launches National Seafood Development Programme with €258.4m Fund
23rd February 2024 Fishing
Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue T.D has launched Ireland's National Seafood Development Programme under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund 2012-2027 (EMFAF). The programme, which had multiple stakeholder consultations and environmental assessments, secured funding of €258.4 million for the new…
Operator CalMac Sees Firth of Clyde Ferry Sidelined as £5m Repairs for Over Seven Months Is Due to 'Rust'
23rd February 2024 Ferry
CalMac which is a Scottish Government-owned ferry operator, has been landed with a £5m repair bill as one of its oldest ferries built in 1993 has been side-lined until at least July due to rust. The west coast ferry operator,…
Promoted
North Sails Congratulates the Swuzzlebubble Team on Winning the ICRA Boat of the Year Award!
23rd February 2024 North Sails Ireland
North Sails Ireland is thrilled to congratulate the Swuzzlebubble team, led by the father and son duo of David and James Dwyer, on winning the prestigious ICRA Boat of the Year Award for the 2023 season! This remarkable achievement is…
Fáilte Ireland has announced the development of a Cork harbour tourism plan to “ enhance the visitor experience” and “unlock” its tourism potential. The plan, developed in partnership with Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Port of Cork, aims…
McMahon Trails Lynch By Just Four Points Going into Final Races of ILCA7 Euros
23rd February 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
Friday's final day of the second Irish Olympic trial for Paris 2024 in the men's ILCA 7 will be a tight contest at the European Championships in Athens. Trials leader Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) is in 14th place, with…
Eve McMahon Lying 14th at Women's ILCA 6 European Championships
23rd February 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
Eve McMahon (Howth YC) improved her overall position in the Women's ILCA 6 European championships in Athens, Greece where she lies 14th overall going into the final day of racing. McMahon – already selected for the Paris 2024 Olympics –…
Ultim Challenge race leader Charles Caudrelier and the ULTIM Maxi Edmond de Rothschild have been in the Azores port of Horta since Wednesday morning, waiting for storm Louis to leave the Bay of Biscay and a weather window to open…
Leopard 3 is Declared Overall Winner of the 2024 RORC Caribbean 600
22nd February 2024 Caribbean 600
As indicated by Afloat on Thursday lunchtime, the Farr 100 Leopard 3 (MON), skippered by Joost Schuijff, and with Royal Cork's Tom McWilliam on the crew has now been officially announced as the overall winner of the 2024 RORC Caribbean 600.…
Baltimore RNLI Evacuates Woman from Cape Clear Island in Choppy Seas
22nd February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
A woman living on Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork was evacuated by the Baltimore RNLI on Wednesday night. The Irish Coast Guard had requested the medical evacuation, and the volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat…
Maritime & Port Industry Welcome IMCO Vote on UCC Reform to Urge for a Further Secure, Smart, Safe Competitive Customs Union
22nd February 2024 Ports & Shipping
The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee (IMCO) has today adopted its report on the reform of the Union Customs Code (UCC). This core economic legislation determines the efficiency, resilience and competitiveness of the EU’s external border for trade. More than…