Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Stakeholders from France, England, Ireland and Wales attended a two-day workshop in Cork last week with a view to establishing a new code to protect the natural environment of the Celtic Sea from the effects of marine activities, World Fishing…
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) reports that a newborn bottlenose dolphin calf was washed up in Doolin, Co Clare last week (photos here). http://www.iwdg.ie/article.asp?id=2426 Measuring 1.2m in length and weighing 21kg, the IWDG said it was "by far…
Members of Donegal County Council are to discuss today, the future of two subsidised ferry routes operating from the Inishowen Peninsula, writes Jehan Ashmore. The Lough Foyle ferry between Greencastle and Magilligan Point, Co. Derry could be curtailed as traffic…
St. Peter Line has agreed to purchase the Pride of Bilbao for €37.7m from Irish Continental Group (ICG) which has been on charter to P&O's UK-Spain route, writes Jehan Ashmore. ICG will charter the 37,583 gross tonnes cruiseferry to St.…
Following the recent announcement of DFDS Seaways to sell two Irish Sea routes and four vessels to rivals Stena Line, the company are to close the Larne to Fleetwood route, writes Jehan Ashmore. Stena claim the closure is not to do…
Details for next year's course of the La Solitaire du Figaro race were revealed at the Paris Boat Show yesterday. The race will comprise four French towns and Dun Laoghaire will be the only foreign port of call when the…
An inquest into the death of a Larne man who drowned after his boat capsized in Larne Lough has heard that he and his fishing partner 'could not afford lifejackets'. The News Letter reports that 29-year-old Graeme Nixon disappeared in…
An Irish diving instructor is feared dead on Thailand after separating from his team during a deep dive. TheJournal.ie has compiled reports that Peter McCarthy was with another diver in Song Hong Lake in southern Thailand last weekend when he…
I am glad to see that efforts are being made to restore the national sail training programme, but less sanguine about reposing any confidence in the present Government to give practical assistance. I talked a few weeks ago with the…
Brothers Rory (37) and Eoin (36) O'Connor spent last night (Thursday 2 December 2010) in an igloo on Duncannon beach in county Wexford to raise funds for RNLI lifeboats. The pair went into the home-made igloo at 8pm last night and…
The Department of Transport today has issued a Marine Notice (No. 35, 2010) to advise that all Irish ships having radio communications or radio navigational equipment, which transmits radio signals, must hold a ship radio licence under the Wireless Telegraphy…
Liverpool's Merseyside Maritime Museum (MMM) is holding the exhibition: 'Endurance: Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure' which tells the epic story of the Irish born Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 polar expedition. The exhibition also pays homage to photographer Frank Hurley who dove into icy waters to…
Waterways Ireland has issued a warning to advise masters of vessels and all other users of the need to take extreme care if visiting the inland waterways navigations during the present cold weather. Snow bound harbours and ice covered jetties…
DFDS Seaways, which only entered into the Irish Sea ferry sector, after acquiring Norfolkline operations during the summer has sold two freight routes and vessels to Stena Line, writes Jehan Ashmore. The sale covers the routes between Belfast and Birkenhead…
An attempt to rescue an injured crewman off the Co. Cork coast for the second time has proved successful according to a report today on RTE.ie The Shannon-based Coast Guard Helicopter reached the boat shortly before 2pm and succeeded in…
The European Parliament and European Council have formally adopted a regulation giving new compensation rights to passengers using water transport. The regulation is expected to come into force at the end of 2012. "People are entitled to enjoy the same…
Tributes have been paid to one of the Irish Coast Guard's longest serving and most experienced air-sea rescue crew member, according to Lorna Siggins of The Irish Times. Noel Donnelly (55), who is retiring after more than 30 years' service,…
The Irish Surfing Association (ISA) has posted a useful guide for surfing safely over the winter months. Caution is recommended for surfers at this time of year due to the colder water temperatures combined with stronger swells, severe winds and…
The family of a drowning victim are exploring the idea that seals could be utilised to recover bodies lost in rivers or at sea, The Clare People reports. Brian Mooney - father of 31-year-old Brecan Mooney, whose body was never…
A Northern Irish police diver's claim that he was owed more than £30,000 in overtime has been rejected by the UK High Court, BBC News reports. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11876736 Constable Mark Lloyd, previously of the PSNI's underwater search unit, argued that he…
