Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
A search and recovery operation is being conducted from Banagher bridge downstream towards Meelick Lock. A number of vessels are involved including a dive vessel and a sonar search craft. Waterways Ireland request masters of vessels to proceed at slow…
As ferry-passengers departed Dublin Port this morning, a flotilla of naval-ships would of been seen as they arrived off the Baily Lighthouse in Dublin Bay bound for the capital, writes Jehan Ashmore. Leading the flotilla of the four European naval…
The Naval Service's Sailing Training Vessel Creidne cuts a great pose sailing in Cork Harbour on page three of the Autumn issue of Afloat. The refurbished 47-footer is now in full use by the Naval Service as a training vessel…
Ireland's aquatic sports are way off target for qualification for next summer's Olympic Games, according to performance heads. “The reality is we’re no better than a 50-50 chance of qualifying a crew," said Rowing Ireland performance director Martin McElroy, who…
The National Maritime College of Ireland, Europe's only purpose built Maritime Education facility, will host an Open Day on Tuesday next, October 25th from 10am to 3pm. Situated on the shores of Cork Harbour this magnificent facility has both a…
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has announced two new reports of whale spottings off the Irish coast in recent days. http://www.iwdg.ie/article.asp?id=2493 On 14 October the east coast rescue helicopter spotted a group of at least five lunge-feeding whales…
Environmentalists have welcomed the decision by the Minister for the Marine to refuse a permit for commercial sea bass fishing in the Celtic Sea, The Irish Times reports. http://www.afloat.ie/port-news/fishing/ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1019/1224306074351.html The Friends of the Irish Environment hailed Minister Simon Coveney's…
It's that time of the year again as the Maritime Institute of Ireland embark with their winter lecture series held in the Stella Maris Seafarers' Club, close to Busaras, Dublin city-centre. The first talk will be about the Vasa, Fifty…
Howth SB3 Sailors Ben Duncan, Brian Moran and Joe Turner areamong the teams competing for the Rodion Luka Friendship regatta in Odessa on the Black Sea this Saturday. Event Sponsor Transbunker has offered $30,000 prize money for the event to…
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has announced Brewin Dolphin as the new Title Sponsor for the 11th Commodores' Cup sailing championship, which is run, with the support of the Royal Yacht Squadron, between Saturday 21st and Saturday 28th July…
This Saturday's inaugural RS400 & RS200 Sprint Trophy hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club, sees the regular contenders face off in this season's finale against some formidable additions to these growing classes. In the RS200 class National Champions…
Northern Ireland's sports minister has announced that there will be no increase in fishing licence fees for the 2012 angling seasons. http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/angling/ Carál Ní Chuilín said that "In light of the current economic climate, I have decided to keep the…
A TV producer is seeking surfers to take part in the next series of TV3's hit dating programme Take Me Out. Sideline Productions is looking for both male and female "fun loving" contestants to audition for the enertainment show, where…
New evidence is indicating that wild salmon are adapting to climate change by feeding in colder waters, The Irish Times reports. According to salmon expert Dr Ken Whelan, wild salmon are now diving as far as 800m below the surface…
Team Sanya, the Chinese - Irish backed entry in the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race, announced today that Andres Soriano (ESP/USA) is to take on the role of their Media Crew Member. There has been some disappointment at home given the…
You could be forgiven for thinking that there was a major summer sailing regatta on Dublin Bay over the past two weekends with the number of boats out and the sun shinning, but instead it is the National Yacht Clubs…
Mario Siano is the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's national liaison officer for angling. He has been analysing the Coastguard's angling search and rescue incidents over the course of this year and has noticed some interesting trends: "Many of our angling-related…
Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners of vessels and boats of the Shannon Navigation that the schedule of lock and bridge opening times below will take effect from Nov 2 2011until 13 Mar 2012 inclusive. Locks. Weekdays: 0900…
Waterways Ireland has begun work to restore navigation depths for boat traffic around Sarsfield Lock, and the Abbey River areas of the Shannon Navigation in Limerick City. The maintenance dredging contract involves the removal of approximately 20,000 tonnes of silt,…
Although there are no Irish boats at least two Irish crew are participating in Saturday's record breaking Rolex Middle Sea Race from Malta. Dun Laoghaire navigator Brian Mathews, who narrowly misseed out on an international victory in the Dragon fleet…