Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine

New Study Considers Recreation Value of Grand Canal in Dublin’s South Central Area
29th January 2023 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland and Dublin City Council have launched a new study that considers the outdoor recreation opportunities of the Grand Canal and its towpaths and land resources in Dublin’s south central area. The jointly commissioned report by Irish Leisure Consultants,…

Golden Globe Race Leader Simon Curwen Has 'Major Windvane Failure'
28th January 2023 Golden Globe Race
At 1815 UTC on 27th January, 1200 miles Northwest of Cape Horn, Simon Curwen contacted Golden Globe Race control to advise of the total failure of his Hydrovane steering gear in the solo non-stop race round the world. He had weathered…

Quarry Operator Fined €3,000 for Polluting and Damaging Salmon Spawning Beds in Mallow
28th January 2023 Angling
Lagan Materials Ltd in Bweeng, Mallow, Co Cork, now trading as Breedon Ireland, were convicted and fined €3,000 at Mallow District Court on Monday 9 January following a prosecution taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). The defendants did not appear before…
Promoted

Meet the X-Yachts team in Fredericia at Boat Show Denmark which takes place over the weekends of 24-26 February and 2-5 March. Boat Show Denmark is the largest indoor boat exhibition in Denmark. The show is held every two years…

Chef Neven Maguire Explores the Royal Canal for ’Neven’s Greenway Food Trails’
28th January 2023 Inland Waterways
On the next episode of Neven’s Greenway Food Trails on RTÉ One, chef Neven Maguire cycles the Royal Canal Greenway west of Maynooth to take in the attractions — culinary and otherwise — along the way. His journey begins at…

The Ocean Race’s IMOCA Sailors Pick Their Slot to Line Up for Doldrums Crossing
28th January 2023 Ocean Race
Stakes are high as The Ocean Race fleet begins to settle into position for crossing the equator and passing through the doldrums (officially the Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ). As one can imagine, this area of what Wikipedia describes as…
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Skipper a Yacht on Holiday this Summer - Here’s how the Irish National Sailing and Powerboat School can help inspire you with 2023 travel ideas and tempt you with something to look forward to. The Irish National Sailing & Powerboat…

Has Ireland’s “Clash Of The Sailing Fixtures” Become Part Of The Programme?
28th January 2023 W M Nixon
There are cruiser-racing enthusiasts in Ireland who dream of living in a world of non-stop activity in 2023, making the most of a dedicated traditional schedule in which they swing into action with the Scottish Series - back on Loch…

Host Venues Lined Up for 2023 and 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships
27th January 2023 Youth Sailing
World Sailing has announced that the host venue of the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships will be the coastal resort town of Armação dos Búzios in Brazil, while the 2024 edition is being planned for Italy’s Lake Garda. The 2023…

Eve McMahon Will Be Driven to Success in New Mercedes-Benz Van for Irish Olympic Sailing Team
27th January 2023 Eve McMahon
Ireland’s Olympic sailing team has started the New Year with a fair wind in its sails, having welcomed a new addition to its fleet of commercial vehicles in the shape of a new Mercedes-Benz Vito van. The second of its…

Lighter conditions doesn’t mean easier racing in Leg 2 of The Ocean Race 2022-23 as the IMOCA fleet finds itself constantly shifting gears, making sail changes and gybing as the teams zig-zag southwest towards the equator and the doldrums. Every…

SailGP's 10-strong fleet of one-design F50s is set to reshuffle ahead of racing in Sydney after New Zealand's lightning-struck F50 known as Amokura was deemed unable to compete. The Kiwis' boat was being towed back to the Tech Site shortly…

Applications Open for the Marine Institute’s Summer Bursary Scholarship Programme 2023
27th January 2023 Marine Science
The Marine Institute continues to invest in the next generation of ocean professionals through the 2023 Summer Bursary Scholarship Programme, which provides third-level students with work experience across several marine areas. The Bursary Scholarship Programme has been running for more…

44Cup Returns to Mainland Spain for 16th Season as 2023's Five Event Calendar is Published
27th January 2023 44Cup
The 2023 season of the 44Cup has been unveiled, with five events scheduled for the 16th season of racing between the high-performance owner-driver one-design monohulls. The fleet size will kick off with nine entries for the first event and, over…

The Aran islands’ “TedFest” has sold out several months before it kicks off on Inis Mór in early March. Organisers of the celebration of one of Ireland’s best-loved television shows advise people not to travel to Inis Mór unless they…

Ireland Referred to EU Court of Justice Over Water Framework Directive
27th January 2023 Marine Wildlife
Ireland has been referred to the European Court of Justice for failing to transpose the Water Framework directive into national law correctly. The directive provides a framework for protecting inland and coastal waters and groundwater by preventing pollution and protecting…

Urgent Calls to Remove At Risk Capsized Former Aran Islands Ferry from Dublin Dry-Dock
27th January 2023 Historic Boats
There have been calls to "urgently remove" a capsized former Galway-Aran Islands passenger and freight ferry that was left to rot in a Dublin dry-dock reports Dublin Live. As Afloat reported earlier the veteran vessel had taken in water ingress during the…

Spanish Fishing Vessel Detained By Naval Service in Irish EEZ Took Several Days to Haul Gear
27th January 2023 Navy
A German-registered Spanish vessel which was involved in a confrontation off the Scottish coast over two years ago has been detained by the Naval Service off the southwest coast. The 26m Pesorsa Dos was detained last Saturday (January 21) by…

The Ocean Race IMOCA Fleet Slowly Siding South After Tense First Night of Leg 2
26th January 2023 Ocean Race
It was a tense first night in Leg 2 of The Ocean Race 2022-23 as the IMOCA fleet has sailed south, away from Mindelo and towards the uncertainty of the Doldrums. It was an exciting start, despite the light conditions,…

Marine Notice: Deployment of Marine Acoustic Devices for North Celtic Sea and South Irish Sea Offshore Wind Projects
26th January 2023 Power From the Sea
Energia intends to deploy marine acoustic monitoring equipment off the coasts of Co Waterford and Co Wexford between now and 24 February, subject to weather and operational constraints. The deployments are part of works for Energia’s North Celtic Sea and…