Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine

Bernard Lucas Calls for Reinvestigation into Death of His Wife & Irish Coast Guard Volunteer Caitriona Lucas
31st January 2021 Coastguard
Irish Coast Guard volunteer Bernard Lucas has called for a re-investigation into the cause of his wife Caitriona’s death off the Clare coast in 2016. In an interview with today’s Sunday Independent, Mr Lucas says he finds as “shocking” the…

Eight Boats Finish Vendee Globe Round the World Race in 24 hours, Ten in 35
31st January 2021 Vendee Globe
Day 84 - Bringing the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe to an incredible crescendo eight competitors arrived back in Les Sables d’Olonne within 23 hours and 44 minutes. With a record entry of 33 boats and an atypical sequence…

Big Dublin Bay Waves Reveal What Sir Roger Casement Will Confront at Dun Laoghaire Baths
31st January 2021 Dublin Bay
Getting into situations over his head rarely fazed Sir Roger Casement, so a new Dublin Bay seafront home should present no difficulties for the statue of the Sandycove man at the refurbished Dun Laoghaire Baths site. Saturday's north-easterly gale flooded the…

Irish Flying Fifteens Invited to the Clyde for UK National Championships
31st January 2021 Scottish Waters
Scottish club Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club is keen to recruit Irish Flying Fifteen entries for its staging of the UK National Championships from 24th - 27th June 2021. Ireland has a strong tradition of attending the UK event, particularly when…

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Rescue Windsurfer 1km Offshore Near Old Head of Kinsale
31st January 2021 RNLI Lifeboats
The Courtmacsherry All-Weather Trent Class RNLI Lifeboat was called out this afternoon at 4.10 pm at to go to the immediate aid of a windsurfer who got into difficulty over one kilometre from shore off Garrylucas Strand near the Old…

The otters of Cork get a tribute in a new documentary that gets its online premiere this Tuesday 2 February at 7pm. Made by the Cork Nature Network with funds from The Heritage Council among others, Cork Otters explores the…

An Irish free diver in Egypt who last year sought public support for his competitive efforts is paying it forward with a plan to walk for 24 hours straight in aid of Pieta House. Dave McGowan tells the Irish Examiner…

Stormy Seas Face Ferryport of Holyhead While Offshore Cargoships Ride Out the Weather
30th January 2021 Ports & Shipping
As stormy seas hit the commercial reality of a post-Brexit Holyhead ferryport, the UK Met Office marine forecast for the Irish Sea was up to severe gale force 9, with ships today riding out bad weather off Anglesey, writes Jehan Ashmore…

Operator Stena Line Furlough Quarter of Dockers at Holyhead Port due to Brexit & Covid Hit
30th January 2021 Ferry
Ferry operator Stena Line has placed a quarter if its dock workers at Holyhead on furlough as Covid and Brexit hit demand for services. The ferry giant, reports NorthWalesLive, has seen a slump in trade since January 1 due to…

The European Parliament has adopted the report on the revision of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) guidelines (2019/2192(INI)) with a large majority. With the adoption of the own-initiative report last week, the Parliament set out its position on the upcoming…

Up to 20 Bursaries Offered in Marine Institute & SMART Research Vessel Call for 2021
30th January 2021 Marine Science
The call is now open for Marine Institute SMART Research Vessel Bursaries 2021 — but applicants must act fast, as the closing date for the first survey is this coming Tuesday 2 February. This year up to 20 bursaries are…

Dublin and its Port. The City and the Sea. The Culture and the Commerce. The Buzz and the Business. The sense of real working and creative life, with the romance of the ocean and the hint of salty far horizons,…

Donaghadee Harbour 200th Birthday Celebrations Set for August
30th January 2021 Northern Ireland Waters
Plans are afoot to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the building of the present harbour at Donaghadee, a small port on the north coast of County Down, but unearthing the Time Capsule, buried 24 feet below the pier during construction,…

Pitch Perfect Italian Luna Ross Crew Go Through to the Prada Cup Final
30th January 2021 America's Cup
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli finally got the redemption they were looking for and, scoring four points in a row, win the PRADA Cup Semi-Final. The Italians started firmly in the driver's seat ahead of the day’s races and needed only…

Government Criticised for Pushing Offshore Wind Ahead of Marine Protected Areas
30th January 2021 Power From the Sea
An environmental group has expressed fears that the Government is prioritising industry-funded offshore wind and wave energy projects over its international commitments on marine protected areas. As The Times reports, the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has questioned why legislation is…

Ryan to Undertake "Fundamental Review" of Structures for Marine Investigations
30th January 2021 MCIB
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan says he plans a review of how marine accidents are investigated which should take “several months”. Addressing an Oireachtas Transport and Networks Communications committee on Friday (Jan 29), Mr Ryan said that the the “fundamental…

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat in Callout to Person Requesting Assistance on Boat in Clonakilty Harbour
29th January 2021 RNLI Lifeboats
The Courtmacsherry All-Weather Trent Class RNLI Lifeboat was called out this Friday evening to assist a man who was in difficulty on board a boat in Ring Harbour near Clonakilty, West Cork. The Courtmacsherry Lifeboat under Coxswain Sean O'Farrell and…

With Palma in the Balance, Hopes Are That Final Olympic 49er Berths for Tokyo Can Be Settled on the Water
29th January 2021 Tokyo 2020
The hope is that racing will decide the final Olympic berths in the 49er class in which Ireland is one of four countries hoping to progress to Tokyo but uncertainty surrounds this as COVID threatens to cancel the Princesa Trofeo…

DFDS Introduce Larger Freight Ferry At Rosslare As Europort Continues By-Passing Brexit
29th January 2021 Ferry
Ferry changes yet again took place at Rosslare Europort as the ropax Drotten made a first arrival from Dunkirk, France, the bypass Brexit route that DFDS only launched this month, writes Jehan Ashmore. Afloat first became aware of the Drotten…

The first day of the PRADA Cup Semi-Final went smooth as silk for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli which scored the first two points on the leader board against New York Yacht Club American Magic that, against all the odds, managed…