Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#FerryFrance – It may only be the first month of 2014, yet two new direct Ireland-France ferry routes are launched. Irish Ferries Dublin-Cherbourg route which opens today and LD Lines Rosslare-St. Nazaire-Gijon (Spain) services which began last weekend, writes Jehan…

#Fracking - Northern Ireland's inland and coastal waterways could be at risk from contamination by fracking activity, warns an environmental group. The Belfast Telegraph reports on Friends of the Earth's poor assessment of Stormont's regulatory powers, with the group citing…

#WhiddyIsland - Thirty-five years on from the disaster at the Whiddy Island oil terminal in Bantry Bay, one of those who survived the incident has told The Irish Times how the tragedy still resonates throughout West Cork. "The joy of…

#LondonBoatShow - The UK's domestic boat sales market is heading back towards pre-recession levels, according to marine leisure industry body the British Marine Federation. Releasing its latest data to coincide with last week's London Boat Show, the BMF points out…

#oga –  For the first time in its 50 years, the Old Gaffers Association has an Irish President. W M Nixon profiles Sean Walsh as he begins a three year term heading up this increasingly international organisation, which raised its…

#opti – The Optimist fleet heads for Baltimore Sailing Club from Saturday the 15th until Friday the 21st of February with up to 161 children participating in a popular mid–term winter training programme.  The IODAI have 16 coaches, both international and…

#Lecture – Tonight a lecture "The Loss of USS Indianapolis in 1945" is to be held in the Stella Maris Seafarers Club (at 8pm) close to Busaras bus station in Dublin. The lecture presented by Terry Cummins, secretary of the…

#ferry – This weekend (Saturday, 18th January 2014), Irish Ferries will inaugurate its new direct weekend car ferry service between Dublin and the French port of Cherbourg. As previously reported, the new 19-hours service will be operated by the passenger…

#dbsc – The National Yacht Club will host Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Spring Chicken series starting on 2nd February and running until March 9th. It follows the 70–boat Turkey shoot that ran up to Christmas. Both series are being sponsored by Rathfarnham…

#Diving - Did you know that Dublin Bay alone has at least eight wreck diving sites, from the Marlay to the Vanguard? That's just the tip of what's available to explore beneath the surface along the capital's coastline, according to…

#Dolphins - Marine photographer Myles Carroll snapped some beautiful shots of a dolphin pup frolicking in the waves off Hook Head last weekend, as TheJournal.ie reports. The baby was just one of a near 40-strong dolphin pod sighted off the…

#annalisemurphy – If she were a car, she'd be a Ferrari because they're fast and they look good! That's just one of a number of responses from Ireland's sailing star Annalise Murphy to questions posed by the Olympic Council of…

#Robots - Co Galway will play host to what could be the future of sailing later this year in the shape of the World Robotic Sailing Championships, as The Irish Times reports. While on the surface the idea might seem…

#rorc – Former Green Dragon skipper Ian Walker's Volvo Ocean 65 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing was quick off the mark to confirm its participation with Azzam (Determination) in the RORC's toughest race of the year - The Sevenstar Round Britain…

#cby – Brokerage sales for Cork harbour yacht broker Crosshaven Boatyard (CBY) in 2013 was steady with some boats going abroad but thankfully the majority staying in Ireland. Recent boat sales for CBY include a 2006 Jeanneau Merry Fisher 925,…

#DublinSwift- Ulysses departed Birkenhead fresh from annual maintenance today in readiness to resume a sailing from Holyhead in the early hours of tomorrow to Dublin Port, writes Jehan Ashmore. During the dry-docking at Cammell Laird shipyard, the operators Rosslare-Pembroke Dock…

#topper – The International Topper Class Association and Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club have announced that local chandlery company, Firmhelm are supporting the World Championship 2014. Over 700 sailors, coaches and their families are expected to visit Pwllheli for this championship that…

#Storm - A special report on the extent of damage caused by the recent storms in Galway City has estimated the cost of repairs at more than three-quarters of a million euro, according to Galway Bay FM. The figure includes…

#Canals - In welcoming Waterways Ireland's draft Corporate Plan for 2014-2016, the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) has urged its members to participate on the public consultation on the introduction of new canal bye-laws. As previously reported on Afloat.ie,…

#CoastalHeritage - The recent storms have proven an unexpected boon for archaeologists as the high winds and wave action on Connemara's coast have exposed remains dating back 6,000 years. According to The Irish Times, parts of a Neolithic bog, along…