Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine

Mixed Offshore Keelboat Pair Rumball & Lee Ready for Second Leg of Sardinha Cup
11th April 2021 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
The doublehanded offshore Racing team of Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee embark on the second leg of the Sardinha Cup this evening. It's a gruelling 775 miler that immediately follows yesterday's conclusion of a 300-mile first leg in which the…

On a day of promise for Ireland in A Finals of the European Rowing Championships, Ireland’s Philip Doyle and Ronan Byrne finished their campaign with a fine win in the B final of the double sculls. Italy set the early…

The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Spring Series continued on Saturday 10th of April with the second race of the series. The RORC Race Team set an inshore race in the Solent, approximately 38 nautical miles for the IRC fleet, and…

On the Irish Sea is where one of the largest ferry operators say freight traffic is on the increase between its ports in Wales and Ireland, following a dip after Brexit. It was down by half for much of the…

Demand From Shippers for Further Detail On 'Post-Suez Blockage' Service Disruptions
10th April 2021 Ports & Shipping
Operators of shipping companies are failing to provide Europe’s shippers with enough information about service disruptions and port rotations following the Suez Canal closure, according to Jordi Espin, strategic relations manager at the European Shippers’ Council. Europe’s container terminals have…

Under consideration by the Government is the addition of a hotel in Rosslare, Co. Wexford to its facilities for mandatory hotel quarantining. It would provide capacity for those arriving on ferries to Rosslare Europort, which are predominantly coming from France.…

The Department of Transport has been advised that Codling Wind Park Limited intend to conduct a series of geophysical surveys in the Irish Sea off Dublin and Wicklow from Wednesday 14 April to Wednesday 26 May, weather permitting. This work…

Marine Notice No 20 of 2021 reminds owners, skippers and crew of fishing vessels of the requirement for crew lists on all registered fishing vessels. Article 12 of the Annex to Council Directive (EU) 2017/159 — which aims to implement…

Two superb performances by lightweight doubles got Ireland off to an excellent start on day two of the European Rowing Championships in Varese today. The men’s crew of Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy would go on to have a great…

The 2022 Flying Fifteen World and Australian Championships have been postponed to 9th to 23rd March 2023. A consequence of this change is that the 2023 World Championships scheduled for Weymouth will now be held in the Summer of 2025.…

No Spinnakers, Gennakers or Bloopers: Dublin Bay Sailing Club Launches New Cruiser Four 'Non-Spinnaker' Open Class for the 2021 Season
10th April 2021 DBSC
Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) has introduced a new cruiser Four Non-Spinnaker Open Class for the 2021 season. "The new class is In response to the increasing demand for short-handed and non-spinnaker cruiser racing as reported in a number of…

Welcome to Nautical Limbo Land. This weekend may see the annual start-of-season lift-ins – with masked-up socially-distanced protocols - at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, the National YC, and the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. But…

Update on Access to Waterways Ireland Navigations in Northern Ireland
9th April 2021 Northern Ireland Waters
Following yesterday’s update on the upcoming easing of Level 5 restrictions on waterways in the Republic, Waterways Ireland has issued an advisory on access to navigations and availability of services in Northern Ireland. As in the rest of the island…

This is a crucial time for all those involved in sailing, with frustration clear because of uncertainty about the future of competitive events, including world championships such as the Topper Worlds, Laser 4.7 Worlds on Dublin Bay and other big…

Women's Four and Lightweight Double Provide Highlights on Good First Day for Irish UPDATE
9th April 2021 Rowing
Ireland’s good first day at the European Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy, was all the better because two crews targeting qualification next month for Tokyo did the business. Of the eight Ireland crews competing, the rejigged women’s four were the…

Stornoway Port Doubles Yacht Berths in £11m Investment in Newton Basin/Goat Island Development
9th April 2021 Cruising
Stornoway Port Authority, the primary port for the Outer Hebrides on the West coast of Scotland, will significantly increase the number of available berths for visiting leisure craft. As part of the wider £11 million Newton Basin/Goat Island development, the…

Over the last three years, researchers from 12 institutes across seven European countries (Norway, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain and Romania) investigated the impacts of ocean climate change on coastal marine ecosystems. The researchers, with expertise in climate change, social…

Harland & Wolff, the national strategic asset, with four leading shipyards and fabrication facilities based in Belfast, Appledore, and Scotland is proud to be celebrating its 160th anniversary. Founded on April 11 1861 by Sir Edward James Harland and Gustav…

Connemara Company Secures €3m from EU to Design Marine Turbine from Recycled Materials
9th April 2021 Galway Harbour
A Connemara company has secured €3 million from the European Commission to research and design a marine turbine that uses recycled materials for the first time. As The Times Ireland edition reports, designers at ÉireComposites in Indreabhán, Co Galway, believe…

We have lost an incredible friend with the passing of Larry Martin. I first met him through sailing many moons ago, and was immediately struck by what an obvious and true gentleman he was. He had endless and extraordinary stand-apart…