Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
#WorldFerryFirst - A World first in the ferry industry as this month of March marks the methanol fuelled, Stena Germanica back into service. On 26 March, the 2001 built ferry re-entered on the Gothenberg-Kiel service after a couple of months'…
#HSStoCruiseScene - Had Stena Line retained running HSS Stena Explorer this year on the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead route, this would have been her 20th year and with sailings scheduled to have begun last week, writes Jehan Ashmore. However, the final chapter…
#MarineWildlife - How do whales, dolphins and porpoises hunt for fish? By using 'sound searchlights', according to Danish marine researchers. As BBC News reports, the team of marine scientists at Aarhus University used underwater microphones to study the hunting behaviour…
#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) last week confirmed it is in contract negotiations with Delphi Adventure Resort to manage Aasleagh Lodge and fisheries at Killary Harbour, Co Mayo. The operator has agreed in principle to accept the licence to…
#Angling - The fishing season opens tomorrow (Wednesday 1 April) at the upgraded Mellon Beat in Co Tyrone, with angling opportunities for salmon and wild brown trout amid one of the most relaxing and picturesque spots in the island of…
#vor – New dramatic footage of Damian Foxall's stricken Volvo Ocean Race men on the dismasted Dongfeng has emerged with crew man Kevin Escoffier up the mast cutting away the damage as the crew make the necessary sacrifices to stabilise the situation…
Strangford's Horse Mussels Threatened By Stormont Inaction Says Audit
31st March 2015 Marine Wildlife
#MarineWildlife - Northern Ireland acted too slowly to protect endangered horse mussels in Strangford Lough, according to a new report. The findings by the Northern Ireland Audit Office, as the News Letter reports, have damned Stormont's failure to ensure proper…
#CoastalNotes - Online video channel IrishTV has turned its cameras on Dunmore East for the latest edition of Waterford County Matters – going out on the water with the local RNLI lifeboat for a training exercise, discussing seasonal trade with…
#CoastalNotes - Works have begun on replacing the boardwalk in Youghal on the East Cork coast that was destroyed in last year's winter storms, as the Irish Examiner reports. The original timber-framed 'eco-boardwalk' at Claycastle beach was open less than…
World's Largest Fleet of Matched Ocean Racers to Debut in Round the Island Race
31st March 2015 Clipper Race
#rtir – Three months from now, the world's largest fleet of matched ocean racers will make its debut on the start line of the 84th JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race (RTI) against 1,600 competitors. It will be…
#annalisemurphy – The National Yacht Club's Annalise Murphy dealt well with the demanding conditions in the Bay of Palma yesterday in the opening rounds of the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia in Mallorca. In the Radial, experienced sailors Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR), Alison…
#RNLI - Red Bay RNLI's lifeboat crew went to the aid of a lone yachtsman some 1.5 miles off Glenarm in Co Antrim yesterday evening (Sunday 29 March). The volunteer lifeboat crew launched at 6.10pm to assist the 25-foot yacht, which was…
#WaterSafety - RNLI lifeguards will be making a welcome return to a number of selected beaches on the Causeway Coast and in Co Down next weekend ahead of the Easter holidays. After undergoing intensive training in preparation, the charity’s lifeguards…
#Rescue - BreakingNews.ie reports that a French tourist was rescued after a fall near the Cliffs of Moher yesterday afternoon (Sunday 29 March). The woman had been walking with her family south of the famous Clare coastal spot when she…
#CruiseConcerns- An objection from businesses in Dun Laoghaire are to be lodged over the proposed development of the harbour into a cruise ship facility, reports the Herald.ie. The Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Ratepayers' Association will make a submission outlining concerns about…
#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 5.10pm on Saturday (28 March) to assist a kitesurfer in difficulty off Potters Point, south of Wicklow Head. The kitesurfer was unable to get ashore after leaving the beach at Jack’s Hole.…
#clipper – One year after an MOB in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, during the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race, in which a crew member was successfully rescued after 100 minutes in the water, organisers have revealed…
#fireball – The 44th hosting of the Frostbites by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club was brought to a close yesterday with the prize-giving for the Series taking place in the clubhouse. Racing had been programmed for the day, but an…
#vor – Damian Foxall's Dongfeng Race Team has broken its mast early this morning in the Southern Ocean leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Reports from onboard the yacht say nobody has been injured and there is no immediate danger to…
#springafloat – Spring Afloat hits the newsstands with all the latest news and views on the Irish sailing and boating scene. To celebrate the arrival of the Tall Ships to Belfast in July, the German sailing ship Alexander von Humboldt…
