Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine

By-Pass Brexit Sees Brittany Ferries Plan for 'Another' Ireland-France Freight Route
28th January 2021 Ferry
With fallout of post-Brexit, demand from hauliers for direct ro-ro freight routes has led to 20 interventions by shipping companies notably between Ireland-France and another new route may be added to the fast-changing ferry scene, writes Jehan Ashmore. According to…

Dublin Port Welcomes Samskip’s First Direct Container Sailing Between Amsterdam & Ireland
28th January 2021 Dublin Port
Dublin Port today welcomed Samskip’s first direct container sailing between Amsterdam and Ireland, with RMS Veritas arriving into Dublin Port at lunchtime, marking the start of a new weekly shortsea container freight service between Dublin and North Continental Europe, while…

Inland & Coastal Marina Systems Install New Berth for Dunmore East RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat
28th January 2021 RNLI Lifeboats
Working for the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine, Dunmore East Fishery Harbour Centre and liaising closely with the RNLI, Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) has designed, manufactured and installed a new berth for Dunmore East RNLI’s all-weather Trent…

Dun Laoghaire Optimist Group 'DOGs' Prepare Youth Sailors for Irish Trials at Royal St. George Yacht Club
28th January 2021 RStGYC
Former Optimist dinghy champion Peter Fagan is coaching the 'Dun Laoghaire Optimist Group' (DOGs) for May's Irish trials hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club and here Fagan outlines how he aims to prepare the sailors for the demands of competing…

“We’ll always give our best, treat every incident as if it is one of our own.... and try our utmost to get a missing family member back to their loved one.....” The words of Lieut Stephen Stack, head of the…

Less than a week after Irish Sailing said it was 'proceeding as planned' with its Youth Sailing Nationals event in April at Royal Cork Yacht Club, the national governing body announced yesterday it was shelving its Easter date for Cork…

Yannick Bestaven, the 48-year-old French skipper of Maître Coq IV, is the overall winner of the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe. Although he actually took the gun for third place off Les Sables d’Olonne, France at 03hrs 19mins 46…

German Skipper Boris Herrmann In Collision With Fishing Boat in Closing Stage of Vendée Globe Race
27th January 2021 Vendee Globe
At 1950 hrs UTC this evening while racing in third place, some 90 miles from the Vendée Globe finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne, German skipper Boris Herrmann (SeaExplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco) came into collision with a fishing boat. He…

After an immaculately executed race, at 20h 35m 47s UTC this evening, 80 days 6hrs 15 mins 47 secs since the start on Sunday 8th November, French skipper Charlie Dalin emerged from a damp, misty Bay of Biscay to break…

Lanzarote's Lighter Winds Frustrate Irish Olympic Sailors on Penultimate Day of Winter Series
27th January 2021 Tokyo 2020
Annalise Murphy has dropped to fourth overall in the ILCA 6 class after a penultimate day of lighter wind conditions at the Olympic classes Lanzarote Winter Series in the Canary Islands. The 2016 Irish Olympic silver medalist had overhauled regatta leader Anne…

Coastguard Issues Warning After Surfer Close to Belfast Lough Ferry Prompts Rescue Attempt
27th January 2021 Belfast Lough
Bangor Coastguard has issued a warning after a surfer was spotted close to an inbound Stena ferry in Belfast Lough on Monday (25 January) as Afloat reported earlier here. As the Belfast Telegraph reports, a team from Bangor Coastguard kept…

Marine Ireland Industry Network Launch Website With Online Event (Thursday, 28 January)
27th January 2021 News Update
The Marine Ireland Industry Network which represents and promotes interests of members working in Ireland's blue economy is tomorrow (Thursday) to hold an online event featuring case studies from three MIIN companies and much more. The trio of companies are…

Appeal for Donations of Old Dinghy Sails to Upcycle for Schools Litter Picking Project
27th January 2021 Coastal Notes
Primary pupils in Ireland are taking a stand against litter in their area via a unique schools-based programme that makes used of upcycled sail cloth. And organisers are appealing for donations of used dinghy sails to transform into specialised bags…

Plans for Isle of Man Newbuild 'Manxman' Design Progressing Well Says Steam-Packet
27th January 2021 Ferry
As Afloat previously reported plans for a newbuild ferry to be named Manxman and due for delivery in 2023 replacing Ben-my-Chree, are progressing well according to the Isle of Man Steam Packet. The detailed design of both the external and internal features…

Closest Ever Vendee Globe Finish, the Clock Starts Ticking When Leader Dalin Crosses the Finish Line
27th January 2021 Vendee Globe
With less than 80 miles to the finish line of the Vendée Globe solo non-stop round the world race the leader Charlie Dalin (APIVIA) is expected to complete his race around 1800-1900hrs UTC. French skipper Dalin, 36, who was one…

Shell Returns to Irish Energy Market after Corrib With Offshore Wind Partnership With Simply Blue Energy
27th January 2021 Power From the Sea
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has welcomed Irish offshore energy Simply Blue’s deal with multinational Shell to develop its floating wind farm in the Celtic Sea. Simply Blue Energy and Shell confirmed today that the multinational is acquiring a…

Electric Foiling Workboat Concept Unveiled By Artemis Technologies
27th January 2021 Northern Ireland Waters
Belfast Lough based Artemis Technologies has moved to the next phase in the development of its Artemis eFoilerTM electric propulsion system, announcing plans to launch a technology demonstrator in 2021. Announced by Artemis Technologies COO, Prof. Mark Gillan, during a…

Ongoing Restrictions Means Clyde Cruising Club to Discuss May's 2021 Scottish Series Regatta - 95 Boats Already Entered
27th January 2021 Scottish Waters
Following the earliest ever opening of registration for the Clyde Cruising Club's Scottish Series 2021, ninety-five boats had entered by Monday last for the event scheduled for 28th till 31st May at Tarbert on Loch Fyne in South West Argyll,…

Royal Cork Yacht Club Admiral Says 'Volunteerism' is The Heart of Club Spirit
27th January 2021 Royal Cork YC
It is time to look at renewing club memberships. With lockdown continuing and no certainty about when the country will "re-open", renewals are easy to forget. But clubs need them and many saw a reduction and slowness in paying those…

Norwegian divers have discovered a 300-year-old shipwreck of an Irish sailing ship on the sea bottom outside Mandal in Southern Norway. The Irish ship, named "The Providentz", sunk in November 1720. It is reported by the Norwegian NRK journalist, Siv Kristin…