Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Sail Training Ireland recently held an awards event to recognise recent trainees who had completed sail training voyages with the support of Dublin Port Company. Seven trainees were presented with their awards by Dublin Port CEO Eamonn O’Reilly. The highlight…

The importance of good and effective communication between all those on the bridge of a ship when working in a port with local harbour pilots has been stressed at a conference in Cork yesterday on the topic of ‘Pilotage today…

The first of the new ISA Junior Sailing Performance Seminars was postponed last month and will now take place at a date to be announced in 2017.  As Afloat.ie reported in September the ISA announced that the seminars were replacing…

It’s indicative of the pace of Irish sailing in 2016 that for anyone taking an overview, it takes a bit of an effort to remember what the weather was like for much of our spring, summer and autumn. Admittedly, here…

Dun Laoghaire's Combined Clubs (DLCC) say in a joint statement that 'Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company lost its application to develop a facility for super-sized cruise ships'. The clubs have 'welcomed' yesterday's decision of An Bord Pleanala to limit any proposed development…

#CruiseBerth - Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company has welcomed the granting of planning permission for a new cruise liner berth. As reported earlier today on Afloat.ie, An Bord Pleanála has given the go-ahead for a scaled-down development, accommodating cruise vessels at…

#MarineScience - A new plan setting out Ireland's Marine Research and Innovation Strategy for the period 2016-2021 is now available for public consultation until Tuesday 22 November. The draft strategy, prepared by the Marine Institute, provides a unified view of…

#RNLI - The RNLI’s festive Reindeer Runs are back in three locations in Cork and Dublin. And the charity that saves lives at sea is encouraging families to come out, get involved and get moving for a great cause. Renowned…

#X-Submarine - A Dutch navy non-nuclear powered submarine built during the Cold War is this afternoon arriving to Cork City for a four-day visit, writes Jehan Ashmore. HNLMS Bruinvis is a diesel electric powered submarine. The 68m submarine is equipped…

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland has launched a public consultation on the management of pike in designated wild brown trout fisheries. It follows the IFI board’s decision to commence a review period of its policies on the management of wild…

#PortAward - The Scottish south-west Port of Ayr, (south of Troon, see ferry report) part of the large UK ports owned group, ABP, won the top accolade at this year’s company chairman’s awards, writes Jehan Ashmore. The award is the ‘Oscars’…

#CruiseBerth - An Bord Pleanála’s long-awaited decision on the proposed new cruise berth for Dun Laoghaire is in — and gives the green light for the cruise liner berth. In a statement on the ruling as seen by Afloat.ie, the…

This Sunday, Irish sailor Enda O'Coineen, will begin his bid to become the first Irish sailor ever to enter and complete one of the toughest sporting challenges on the planet, The Vendée Globe. A gruelling single-handed, non-stop, unassisted race around…

#ISORA - More than half of respondents to the recent Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) fleet survey consider themselves regular offshore racers. The online questionnaire, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, aimed to determine whether ISORA is 'providing the racing…

#Rowing: Neptune Head of the River, scheduled for Saturday, November 5th on Blessington Lakes has been cancelled. The organisers say that the forecast of high winds at the venue meant they could not continue with the event. A big part…

#Soft/HardPorts - The Irish Times writes delegates at the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit held in Dublin yesterday, heard that the UK are unaware of the hurt and anger towards it across EU. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has forecast “vicious” negotiations over…

#PortReOrder – Frank McDonald of the Irish Times writes about plans by Dublin Port to ‘soften the hard edge’ between its Port Centre and the still-developing north Docklands. Dublin Port, for long a nearly enclosed semi-industrial estate at the eastern…

The long-lived boatbuilding name of Tyrrell of Arklow carries a resonance far beyond the shores of Ireland writes W M Nixon. In its impressive history, the dominant figure was Jack Tyrrell himself, whose own experiences of seafaring infused all the…

#PortLinks - Irish Sea and Isle of Man ro-ro operators using Heysham Port, in north-west England, now have a new link road, the Bay Gateway connecting the M6, bypassing congestion in Lancaster, writes Jehan Ashmore. The Bay Gateway opened on…

#Charter - Alpha Marine, formerly Island Shipping, based in Wicklow, has seen the return of one of its wind-farm support vessels following a survey charter in the North Sea, writes Jehan Ashmore. The water-jet propelled Island Panther had been working…