Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Maurice 'Prof' O'Connell has been appointed J Boats dealer for Ireland, a new role for the established sailor who also works with North Sails.  Key Yachting Ltd, the sole agent and distributor of boats by J Boats and Grand Soleil…

With a good selection of excellent sailing weather once the summer had finally set in, 2013 defied economic recession to produce a memorable season in Ireland, with a strong emphasis on World Championships and other high profile events. W M…

Jan O' Sullivan, TD, Minister for Housing & Planning, today launched a major strategic plan for the future development and management of marine-related industry and tourism along Ireland's largest estuary, the Shannon Estuary. The launch of the Strategic Integrated Framework…

#Cruising - Yachting Monthly reports on an online questionnaire launched by the BBC to gauge the audience of the Shipping Forecast for the waters around Britain and Ireland. The daily broadcast is a Radio 4 institution, but its future is…

Following recent reports in the media regarding the use of Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport wishes to clarify the position regarding the approval and use of EPIRBs in Ireland. Fishing vessels in…

#MarineWildlife - Arklow RNLI were involved in the rescue of two seals caught in fishing gear close to the lifeboat station. Volunteer crew at the Wicklow-based station were made aware yesterday afternoon (21 November) that the seals were apparently trapped…

#Safety - The factor of a malfunctioning radio beacon in the deaths of three fishermen in Tramore Bay this summer prompted the recent Marine Notice urging tests of such devices. According to RTÉ News, the Australian manufacturer of the EPIRB…

#kitesurfing – The skies of Bo'ao, Hainan, China have never looked so busy after two days of solid racing as 140 plus sailors from 45 countries compete at the Kiteboard Racing World Championships.Irish Sailor Jade O'Connor moved up the rankings…

#BelfastCairnryan – Today Stena Line marks the second anniversary in opening the Belfast-Cairnryan route. The £200m investment in new port facilities and a pair of Superfast sisters have proven to be very popular with tourist and freight customers. The introduction…

#GP14 - A fundraising effort at the recent Craftinsure GP14 Championship of Ireland has helped raise more than €4,000 for Make-A-Wish Ireland. Last Thursday 14 November a cheque for €4,218 was presented to the charity's representative Martina Madden by Sutton…

#IrishShipping - The eagerly awaited publication 'Irish Shipping Ltd-A Fleet History' which traces every ship of the former state-owned shipping company, will be celebrated with an inaugural book launch this Friday in Rosslare Harbour, writes Jehan Ashmore. The launch of…

#LoughNeagh - The Belfast Telegraph reveals that a report by a special working group into the future of Lough Neagh has sat on the shelf at Stormont for almost 12 months - and it's feared that its recommendations will never…

#MarineWildlife - TheJournal.ie has published the first image of an amazing undersea world discovered recently off the Irish coast. Afloat.ie reported over the summer on the discovery of exotic new marine wildlife in the Whittard Canyon on the Irish Atlantic…

#RNLI - Olympic gold medallist and son of Arklow, Ronnie Delaney, will be on hand this Friday 22 November for the official launch of a new book that charts the history of the Wexford town's lifeboat station. As previously reported…

#AmbitiousVoyage - Irish Ferries and the story of its involvement in the development of passenger and freight ferry services between Ireland, UK and Continental Europe is the subject of a new book entitled 'Irish Ferries – An Ambitious Voyage' .…

#EUtransTEN - The EU Parliament gave its final agreement on the European budget envelope for 2014-2020, the Trans European Network (TEN-T) and for financial Regulation, the Connecting Europe Facility. EPSO, the European Seaports Organisation welcomed the Parliament's vote. This decision…

#dbsc – The Fast 42 African Challenge is the overall leader after three races in the Rathfarnham Ford sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot for cruisers on Dublin Bay. Second is a Beneteau design, the First 50, Mermaid IV. Joint third is the…

#BrittanyBaltic – Stena Line are to introduce a larger ro-pax vessel on the Karlskrona-Gdynia route next week with Stena Baltica II, the Brittany Ferries former freight-ferry Cotentin (2007/19,909gt), writes Jehan Ashmore. The 2,188 lane metre ro-pax Stena Baltica II which…

#Surfing - Bundoran-based Peter Craig currently tops the voting among six unlucky surfing enthusiasts shortlisted for Surfer magazine's ignoble 'Worst Wipeout' award, as BreakingNews.ie reports. When the recent giant swells hit Ireland's northwest coast, veteran waverider Craig was out there…

#Diving - The Irish Times' Lorna Siggins profiles the Irish Underwater Council (CFT) as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. The organisation has certainly come a long way since founder member Michael Moriarty first plunged into the depths with little more…