Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Newly-elected Irish President Michael D Higgins has agreed to be the sole patron of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). President Higgins has a long history of supporting environmental causes. In his inaugural speech he referred…
#WATER SAFETY - A 27-year-old Irish tourist had died after drowning in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The tourist and a colleague, who have not yet been named, had reportedly entered the Yarra River in central…
#CARIBBEAN 600 –Four Irish sailors on board a massive super yacht were among an international crew of 21 who took line honours yesterday in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Caribbean 600 race. The crew on the Carbon built maxi included…
#SAILING – An Irish sailing conference has undergone a revamp to boost the sport in Ireland ahead of a season billed as one of the biggest in years. Irish footwear manufacturer Dubarry of Ireland are on board as sponsors for…
#DUBLIN BAY 2012 – Eleven youth sailors have qualified for US Sailing's 2012 Youth World Team, and will receive invitations to represent the United States at the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Dublin, Ireland, from July…
#PORTS & SHIPPING - The Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) and Coastlink are to jointly host Shortsea 12, The European Shortsea Convention at the Mansion House, Dublin on 24th May 2012. This year's event sponsored by the Dublin Port Company,…
#MARITIME LECTURE - This 'Thursday's Night Talk' organised by the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC) is entitled 'Round Ireland 2011 Over Two Months'. Tomorrow's talk starts at 8pm and is to be presented by Gary Owens. None members are…
#LIFEBOAT – Portaferry Lifeboat brought four kayakers to safety when they got into difficulty two miles south east of the entrance to Strangford Lough. The incident, which took place on Thursday (16 February), occurred when one of the kayakers had…
#MARINE JOBS – Cowes Yacht Haven in the UK is seeking a Marketing Administrator with knowledge of the marine and event management industries to fill a new role. The post is part time with flexible hours based at our Cowes…
#MARINAS – Marine Tourism facilities on the North coast get a boost today with the official opening of Portnagree House, Harbour and Marina Visitor Centre at Ballycastle harbour. The new coastal marina facility provides a welcome boost to the local…
#OFFSHORE – George David's RP90 Rambler has a commanding lead in the battle for line honours in the RORC Caribbean 600. The American entry is over 20 miles ahead of the 214ft Ketch Hetairos, even though Rambler is less than…
#OFFSHORE – Commodore Vinnie O'Shea is urging offshore sailors to turn out in good numbers when the 2012 South Coast Offshore Racing (SCORA) programme returns to its more traditional format this season writes Claire Bateman. The Jim Donegan Offshore Championship…
#SPRING CHICKEN – Inspite of winning last Sunday's race Calypso, a Beneteau Oceanis 361 from the Royal St. George Yacht Club, lies 21st overall in the 43-boat DBSC Spring Chicken Series fleet, some 30–points behind overall leader Legally Blonde. Second…
#BOAT NAMES - The Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS) has released its 22nd annual list of the top ten boat names in America, which makes for some amusing reading. “A boat name reflects the life and loves…
#POWER FROM THE SEA - A new marine research lab in Cork Harbour could help Ireland to be a global leader in renewable energy, the Irish Examiner reports. The Beaufort Laboratory, being built on a three-acre site next to the…
#MCIB - The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has called for better safety awareness among leisure boat users in its report into the deaths of two men off Helvick Head in Co Waterford in May 2010. John O'Brien and Pat…
#FROSTBITE – Frank Hamilton and Jennifer Byrne had a great turn of speed in their IDRA 14 dinghy getting on all the tricky harbour shifts and even beating the two RS200s to the finish line last Sunday at the DMYC…
#WEST CORK – Sailing Clubs stand to benefit in an allocation of over €2.6 million to harbour boards across West Cork this year to fund essential remedial works. The State funding has been approved for harbour development works in Skibbereen,…
#CARIBBEAN 600 – Irish crews are reveling in the heavy going at the start of today's RORC 600 race today with four Irish crew on the largest yacht in the 39-boat fleet, the massive ketch Hetairos. There was drama right…
#NEWBUILDS-Two of the latest newbuilds for Arklow Shipping, one built in Spain and the second ship comleted from a South Korean shipyard, both entered service late last year and raises the fleet total to 44 vessels. The northern Spanish built…
