Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#Coastguard - The Irish Examiner reports on an Irish Coast Guard callout to rescue two men who got into difficulty on Howth Head yesterday evening (Friday 27 March). One of the men in their 20s had apparently fallen on the…

#Sailbot - The Canadian engineers behind the latest robotic boat challenger to cross the Atlantic unaided have told The Sunday Times' Gabrielle Monaghan about their hopes for the project this summer. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the team from the…

#vdlr – The "suburban sailfest" which is the biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta this year (Thursday July 9th – Sunday 12th July) is marking its tenth anniversary with the sixth edition. It's a classic Irish mix of sailing sport at…

#MarineScience - Three Transition Year students recently completed placements hosted by INFOMAR at the Marine Institute. Jack Lillis, Aoife Muldoon and Emily Egan learned how seabed mapping can improve safety at sea, how it relates to the fishing industry, and…

#Seafood - Marine Minister Simon Coveney today (Friday 27 March) announced plans for a new €241-million development programme for the seafood sector for the period up to 2020. The new programme will be co-funded by the EU through the European…

#vor – The Volvo Ocean Race fleet reached the halfway point of their nine-month marathon – midway through the fifth leg of nine – on Friday and were still glued together in some of the closest racing in the event's…

#lifeboat – A new research project being run by the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is exploring attitudes towards risk and safety, and the various ways in which yacht sailors participate in their sport. Over 620 recreational sailors were rescued by…

#CruiseBelfast – Belfast Harbour is to play host to almost 115,000 cruise visitors in 2015, with the first cruiseship Voyager having arrived earlier this morning from Iceland, writes Jehan Ashmore. The Voyages of Discovery 540 passenger cruiseship opened the season…

#annalisemurphy – Laser helmswoman Annalise Murphy was among twenty top athletes to benefit to the tune of €40,000 in Sports Council funding yesterday in an overall allocation for 2015 totalling some €1,571,000. Murphy topped the list of nine sailors who earned government funding…

#tallshipsbelfast – Sailing and maritime charities are to raise cash from the big summer Tall Ships Spectacular in Belfast this July. The Tall Ships Company Ltd has appointed five key charities who will benefit from the event, according to the Belfast…

#portofcorkengineer – The Port of Cork has advertised for a Project and Development Engineer to mange its engineering services. The position requires a leader with a civil engineering degree and ten years post graduate experience. The role is advertised intoday's Irish…

#Harland&Wolff - A £6million refit of Stena Line's fleet of North Irish Sea ferries finishes with the upgrade of Stena Precision at Belfast's Harland & Wolff shipyard over the Easter period. Seven ships have been upgraded by Stena Line over…

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, today marked the commemoration of 100 years of services at the Irish Coast Guard Valentia Marine Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC). A plaque unveiled by Minister Donohoe pays tribute to all the…

#coastguard – Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe T.D has opened the newly-built Coast Guard Station in Doolin, Co Clare. As one of the busiest Coast Guard Units in the country, this new facility provides the local Volunteer…

#marinescience – Minister of State with responsibility for Natural Resources at the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Joe McHugh T.D., today formally commissioned the INFOMAR Programme's new survey vessel, naming her the RV TONN at the Poolbeg Yacht,…

#TourismRise – Central Statistics Office data released today shows the number of overseas visits to Ireland between December 2014 and February 2015 increased by 10.3% compared to the corresponding period of 2013/2014. Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Paschal Donohoe…

#lusitania – An exhibition opening at Merseyside Maritime Museum on 27 March called Lusitania: life, loss, legacy will highlight little-known data that changes the commonly used figures of the last 100 years, when referencing the crew and passengers on Lusitania's…

#dlharbour – Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company has unveiled a proposed €18m plan to facilitate some of the world's biggest cruise liners inside the harbour walls. A Public consultation will open on the plans for the new cruise berth facility next Monday.…

#foreshore – The Irish Marine Federation (IMF) has given a cautious welcome to much heralded changes to the foreshore bill that is designed to streamline the development consent process. The government has published its Legislation Programme for Spring/Summer 2015 and the Maritime…

#d2d – The canting-keel Cookson 50 Lee Overlay Partners skippered by Dun Laoghaire's Adrian Lee is the latest high profile entry into this June's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race. The Royal St. George yacht is a proven offshore winner, taking…