Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Last of Giant Cranes from China Arrive At Irish Sea's Newest Container Terminal
12th October 2016 Ports & Shipping
#GiantCranes - The last batch of giant cranes for the Irish Sea's newest container terminal, the £400m Liverpool2 deep-water port development arrived by sea from China onto the River Mersey in recent days. In May, Afloat reported on the first delivery…
Controversial Irish Challenger Inducted Into America’s Cup 'Hall Of Fame' – After 121 Years
12th October 2016 America's Cup
The two America’s Cup Challenges made through the Royal Yacht Squadron by Lord Dunraven of Adare in County Limerick in 1893 and 1895 both had elements of controversy writes W M Nixon. And such serious ill-feeling emerged after his challenge…
Lough Swilly RNLI Groom’s Wedding Speech Interrupted By Lifeboat Launch
12th October 2016 RNLI Lifeboats
#RNLI - Buncrana man Francy Burns wed his sweetheart, Carndonagh woman Helen McFarland, last Saturday 8 October in a wedding attended by their family, friends and the volunteers with Lough Swilly RNLI. But it wasn’t all plain sailing, as after…
Ever wanted to rent a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) for a blast on Dublin Bay? Here's your chance. The Irish National Sailing School's 4.5m RIBTECs fitted with Yamaha 40hp engines are ideal for trips around the capital's waters. Included in the price of…
Over the last 18 months there has been a significant increase in the number of small outboard engines reported stolen to An Garda Síochána nationwide. Most of these engines are stolen while unattended at remote locations on the main Rivers…
It is, in my experience, an awful thing to board your boat and see the damage which has been done to it by thieves who have broken-in. That happened to me a few years ago on my mooring at Crosshaven…
While cuts to USC, pension increases and a Public Sector pay rise are among the main components of Budget 2017 anounced today, the Marine Sector came in for special mention with a new income tax credit that recognises the difficult nature…
#FishKill - Accidental discharge from a water treatment works is to blame for a major fish kill incident on a Co Down river at the weekend, as the Belfast Telegraph reports. Angling enthusiasts have expressed dismay over the deaths of…
#Rescue - A German national clad in only shorts, a fleece and a hat was rescued from the English Channel seven miles off the British coast on Sunday morning (9 October). But according to BreakingNews.ie, there have been conflicting reports…
Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Rescues 40–foot Sailing Sloop off Kinsale
11th October 2016 RNLI Lifeboats
The Courtmacsherry RNLI All Weather Lifeboat was called out at 12.30pm this afternoon to go to the aid of a 40–foot Sailing Sloop 'in trouble' eight miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in West Cork. Coxswain Sean O'Farrell and…
#Angling - Pollution and poaching are a growing concern for anglers in the Carlingford and Lough Foyle areas, as Derek Evans reports in his latest Angling Notes for The Irish Times. New figures from the Loughs Agency reveal a significant…
#Drones - Remote-piloted aircraft or ‘drones’ could revolutionise search and rescue operations around the Irish coast, as the Southern Star reports. Following a demonstration by Civil Defence Ireland to West Cork emergency services last week, the Irish Coast Guard and…
#Angling - Judge Marie Keane has convicted Belfast man John Beales of illegal fishing and obstruction of fisheries officers over an incident on the Clare River in Claregalway on 13 July 2015. Beales was convicted for failure to attach a…
#Fishing - A small fishing vessel had a close call in West Cork this week when a much larger trawler powered past from Castletownbere with barely any room to spare. According to the Irish Examiner, the crew of the Celtic…
Two Irish dinghy sailors travelled to Malcesine, Lake Garda, Italy for the RS AeroCup in late September. Thirty eight competitors from twelve countries raced in superb conditions of a steady 12-16 knots, enjoying this exciting new single hander design. As…
The 70th Anniversary of the IDRA 14ft OD dinghy class has been marked in spectacular style throughout the 2016 season writes W M Nixon, with the latest newly-built classic clinker boat (no 166) being launched in June, a well-supported and…
Hollywood Star Brendan Gleeson Attends RNLI Ladies Lunch in aid of Howth RNLI
11th October 2016 RNLI Lifeboats
North Dublin actor Brendan Gleeson was at Howth Yacht Club last Thursday (6 Oct 2016) for the annual RNLI Ladies Lunch in aid of Howth RNLI. The sold-out charity event was attended by 150 local ladies and raised over €8,000.…
The Royal Irish Yacht Club is hosting this year's Dublin Bay Sailing Club Turkey Shoot Sailing Series from Sunday 6th November to Sunday December 18th. Entry forms and the NOR is downloadable below. A series of seven races to be…
The Volvo Ocean Race is making a major rule change to give world-class female sailors a much clearer pathway to compete at the highest level of offshore sailing in the 2017-18 edition. In the first of a series of ten…
Read Afloat's e–news below with all the latest sailing and boating highlights including: Dublin bids ‘bon voyage’ to @teamirelandvg; Conor Clarke on US #Melges24 2nd, tributes to Emergency veteran Des & Car shipper routes to come full circle? Find the…