Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
A massive fire in in Arklow has engulfed and destroyed what most people thought was a large warehouse beside the old Inner Dock writes W M Nixon. But it was in this “warehouse” in the late 1970s and early ’80s…
For the first time ever in the non-stop solo round the world Vendée Globe race's history, a competitor has gone through Bass Strait to avoid a storm in the Southern Ocean. Frenchman Jean Pierre Dick (St Michel-Virbac) is the first…
Historic First Cruiseship Caller to Drogheda Port to Undergo Major Works to Extend Career
14th December 2016 Cruise Liners
#MajorUpgrade - Polar small cruiseship operator, Quark Expeditions’ whose Sea Adventurer under another guise made a historic first but only cruise call visit to Drogheda Port is to undergo a major renovation, writes Jehan Ashmore. The former Clipper Adventurer then…
Fireball Worlds Mossel Bay, South Africa Day 3 – A Day of Relative Calm!
14th December 2016 Fireball
Day 3 of the Fireball Worlds in Mossel Bay, South Africa, saw the competitors treated to a more genteel 10 knots southerly that built during the day to 17 to 20 knots for the third race. Sea conditions were reported…
#Decommissioning - For many UK ports writes EnergyVoice, developing the facilities needed for large-scale decommissioning projects is a quest they are just embarking on. But for the Belfast based Harland and Wolff (H&W) shipyard, the asset it describes as the…
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today secured 233,500 tonnes of quotas worth €280 million for Irish fishermen for 2017. This represents an increase of 17,390 tonnes over 2016. The Minister secured the deal in…
In my last Podcast, I expressed the opinion that it is strange how things happen. This was again underlined for me as I prepared the new edition of my maritime programme which you can listen to below. Galway Port Company…
The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has responded to a UK Sport Funding announcement for sailing, which will underpin the sport's World Class Programme there for the 2017-2020 Olympic cycle. As a multi medal-winning sport for the fifth consecutive Olympic Games…
#Coastguard - Coastguard volunteers are calling for the service to be designated as a ‘standalone primary response agency’, as the Irish Examiner reports. A four-person delegation representing some 1,000 volunteers with the Irish Coast Guard pleaded their case with front…
Creed Talks Concerns Over Quota Cuts Before Annual EU Fisheries Negotiations
13th December 2016 Fishing
#Fishing - Marine Minister Michael Creed expressed his concern at the potential impact on Irelands’ whitefish fleet, ahead of the annual EU fisheries negotiations in Brussels, scheduled to conclude today (Tuesday 13 December). “If the commission’s quota proposals remain unchanged,…
#EuropeAward - The Irish Defences Forces were presented The European of the Year award writes The Irish Times. The award was given by the European Movement Ireland in recognition of the Defence Forces’ contribution to international peacekeeping and humanitarian work.…
The big breeze of Day 1 was still around for the second day of the Fireball Worlds in Mossel Bay, South Africa. The Facebook site for the regatta reports that the fleet launched into a stiff south-westerly accompanied by a…
Moth Sailor Rory Fitzpatrick from Dun Laoghaire enjoyed a great end fo a great season in his foiling dinghy when he placed tenth overall at the MS Amlin International Moth Regatta in Bermuda last week. The National Yacht Club sailor…
1720 Sportsboats occupy two of the top three places overall with one race to go in the Rathfarnham Ford DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Dublin Bay. The 1720 Zelus on 49 nett points tops the 74–boat fleet leading the Beneteau…
The final day of racing in the O’Leary Insurance Group Winter league at Royal Cork Yacht Club was shrouded in a thick blanket of fog. The Race Officer Clem McElligott postponed the start of the race by one hour in…
Short-Sea Operator Acquires New Leader to Fleet of Regular Wicklow Port Callers
13th December 2016 Ports & Shipping
#NewcomerShip – Short-sea operator Scotline have acquired Odertal this month and renamed as Scot Leader joined the company fleet that are regular Wicklow Port callers, writes Jehan Ashmore. The 90m general cargoship Odertal registered in Antigua and Barbuda underwent drydocking…
Looking back over the past season, two things stand out for me – the success of our Olympic sailors and the ISA’s Try Sailing initiative. Our Olympic sailors gave us marvellous inspiration this summer and showed our young sailors what…
The 121-year-old Howth Yacht Club, which has one of the largest yacht or sailing club memberships in the country, saw Joe McPeake succeed Berchmans Gannon unopposed as Commodore at a very well-attended Annual General Meeting in the club on Thursday…
The penultimate Sunday of Series 1 of the DMYC’s Frostbite Series 2016/17 saw a mirror-like appearance on the inner reaches of Dun Laoghaire harbour and the light air nature of the day was confirmed as the” keelers”, sailing their Turkey…
Yesterday's penultimate DBSC Turkey Shoot race was completed but only after Race Officers chased the wind across Dublin Bay. After a wait for wind yesterday morning the DBSC flagship was moved from the outfall buoy off Dun Laoghaire's West Pier…
