Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#FoylePort – Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners have announced that shipping through the port increased by 27% over the past year leading to before tax profits of over £1.2m. Chairman of Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioner Mr Garvan O'Doherty announced…

#circumnavigation – Having completed a nine year sailing circumnavigation Pat and Olivia Murphy of Howth Yacht Club have been giving talks to clubs, groups and organisations throughout the country. These have proven to be very popular and always result in…

#minitransat – The small business that is the Mini does not recognise the crisis. Once more the race for these boats of just 6.50 meters was refuelled, on 30 August, with 84 competitors admitted who had met the full requirements…

#FarewellEMER – Dublin Port is to bid farewell to L.E. Emer (P21) on her final visit to the capital today.  Under command of Lt. Cdr. Alan O'Regan she is to resume her last patrol prior to de-commissioning on 20 September,…

#CruiseLiners – Dublin Port has two cruiseship callers today, Thomson Spirit (1983/33,930grt) and Ocean Princess (1999/30,277grt) both are approximately the same in tonnage terms, yet they are starkly different in design, writes Jehan Ashmore. Thomson Spirit had sailed from Belfast…

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI carried out a medical evacuation of an unwell man from a survey vessel off the Wicklow coast in the early hours of yesterday morning (2 September). The alarm was raised after the man was suspected to…

#lasereuro2013 – Local favourite Annalise Murphy keeps her impressive form on her home waters as she leads the Women's Laser Radial European Championship by five clear points tonight. With four qualifying races sailed at the Laser European & World Championships on Dublin…

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI carried out a search of Wicklow Bay on Saturday night (31 August) after the Irish Coast Guard received a 999 call to report a distress flare sighting. Both Wicklow's all-weather and inshore lifeboats were requested and launched…

#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI had a busy start to the weekend with two call-outs last Friday (30 August). The first call was received just before 3pm from a 5m Shetland open-top fishing vessel with two men and one child on…

#Swimming - Open-water swimmer Carol Cashell became the first person to swim around Bere Island when she completed her gruelling charity challenge on Saturday morning (31 August). As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Cork city resident had plenty of experience…

#MarineNotice - The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has been advised that rock placement works will commence along the pipeline/umbilical route at the Corrib Gas Field development off Co Mayo. Work will commence in mid-September and is expected to…

#Jellyfish - In less welcome jellyfish news, the Irish Independent reports that a female diver was airlifted to hospital after being stung in the face by a jellyfish off Skerries at the weekend. The injured woman had been diving yesterday…

#athy – Athy's waterways have seen a renewed interest over recent years and are now home to an ever increasing range of activities and annual events, including the Tri Athy Triathlon which attracts thousands of visitors to the heritage town…

#FarewellEMER – L.E. Emer (P21) has completed a four-hour farewell patrol 'cruise' in Dublin Bay today for former crew members of the 1978 built vessel, writes Jehan Ashmore. The Naval Service offshore patrol vessel (OPV) had on board both members…

The Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) are celebrating the launch of the first ever all-Ireland lighthouse tourism trail with Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar and Arlene Foster MLA, Minister for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investement.…

#CruiseLiners – German cruise operator, Passet Kreuzfahrten's Delphin (16,214grt) is visiting Dublin Port today, the small former Soviet cruiseship is berthed just short of the East-Link Toll Lift bridge, writes Jehan Ashmore. The cruise set off from Oban and terminates…

#seabed – A British government decision to slash 75 per cent of a proposed network of marine conservation zones (MCZs) intended to save seabeds and estuaries in England from being damaged by commercial and recreational activities, has been criticised by…

#FrenchNavy - The French Navy 'Tripartite' class mine warfare vessel Croix du Sud (M646) which has a hull constructed of composite polyester resin is to visit Dublin Port today, writes Jehan Ashmore. The Tripartite class is a design collaboration of…

#greystonesharbourmarina – With 68 entrants and a host of visiting boats, the inaugural Greystones Harbour cruiser regatta made a wonderful spectacle for Greystones Sailing Club and the newly opened Greystones Harbour marina when it was staged yesterday in sunny weather off…

#clipperroundtheworldrace – London waved off the crews of the world's longest ocean race as they started their 40,000 mile adventure from Tower Bridge. Crowds estimated in excess of 120,000 lined the banks of the Thames to cheer on the colourful…