Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
A Special Place for People & Nature: Discover Dublin Bay With 'Biosphere' Tours
26th April 2017 Dublin Bay
#BiosphereTours – Dublin Bay Biosphere Guided Tours begin today from Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Dublin and Howth and on every Wednesday until 14 June, writes Jehan Ashmore. Dublin Bay which is internationally recognised for its wealth of marine wildlife and cultural…
August's Rolex Fastnet Race remains on track for a record-sized fleet. Currently 390 boats are entered: 338 competing for the main IRC handicap prize; the remainder racing for their own trophies in the Class40, IMOCA 60, Volvo Ocean 65 and…
Over 500 yachts are taking part in the 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship. Over 5000 sailors from all over the world will race in the biggest offshore sailing competition in the world. While this year the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race…
The Lower Aghada pontoon has been reinstalled for the coming boating season in Cork Harbour. Local community efforts in Aghada in 2011 led to an upgrade in the underused and deteriorating pier. It is now a popular Cork Harbour destination…
The biggest round-the-world ocean race is to return to Liverpool with the start and finish of this unique global challenge moving from the capital back to the River Mersey on the tenth anniversary of its last partnership with the region.…
Last night's opening race in the DBSC summer season was abandoned due to strong northerly winds on Dublin Bay. Unfortunately, it was a predictable outcome given earlier forecasts had suggested the prospect of wind in excess of 25 knots by…
It’s launching time at Castlepoint Boatyard at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour where I keep SCRIBBLER II. That’s my Sigma 33, named rather appropriately for a journalist/scribe, as I’ve been told. The first SCRIBBLER was a Ruffian 23, much sailed and…
Mid Fleet Results for Irish Laser Sailors in Hyeres, Stronger Winds Expected Tomorrow for Sailing World Cup
25th April 2017 Tokyo 2020
Three Irish Laser sailors are in the middle of the fleet as round two of the 2017 World Cup Series in Hyères, France began today for 541 sailors in ten Olympic classes writes Nathaniel Ogden. After “one good race and one…
Online boat insurer, Craftinsure.ie, is to provide €5,000,000 Third Party liability insurance as standard across it’s full range of policies, covering craft from racing dinghies to motor cruisers, and yachts to RIBS. The current limit is €3,000,000 any one event.The…
#RecordGrowth - Limerick and Foynes both key ports of Shannon Foynes Port Company have reaffirmed the company’s strong performance and contribution to the regional economy in 2016 with growth of 11.4% in year on year tonnages. For the second successive…
Ballyholme Yacht Club has released a video of all the weekend action from Bangor Bay, the largest entry ever for the ISA youth national championships. Read our full report here and see the latest video moments below:
Six relatively light wind races completed at Howth Yacht Club gave Charles Dwyer and his crew Nin O'Leary and Richie the overall win of the inaugural six–boat National 18s Eastern Championships in Dwyer's new boat. A tie break behind them saw…
Cementing Relationships: Cargoship Trades on Former Ireland-UK Guinness Route
25th April 2017 Dublin Port
#Cementships - A cement cargoship due to dock in Dublin Port today from Runcorn on the Manchester Ship Canal is where until the early 1990’s Guinness imported to the UK using their own stout tankers, writes Jehan Ashmore. That trade…
#RNLI - Bangor RNLI’s volunteers launched the inshore lifeboat Jessie Hillyard yesterday evening (Monday 24 April) to reports of a missing three-year-old in the vicinity of the Jamaica Inn. Setting off in big breaking seas and a Force 8 gusting…
Cork Harbour's Mansfield is Tactician on Winning J109 in Warsash Series
25th April 2017 Royal Cork YC
The two weekend Warsash Spring championship concluded last Sunday on the Solent with an overall win in the J109 class for John Smart's " Jukebox". Tactician for the two weekends was Royal Cork's Mark Mansfield who has also raced with…
Irish Olympic Sailor Finn Lynch Continues Journey Towards Tokyo in Hyères
25th April 2017 Tokyo 2020
Irish Olympic sailor Finn Lynch enters the Sailing World Cup in Hyères this morning writes Nathaniel Ogden. The World Cup is considered a vital piece of preparation for the Olympic Games, towards which Finn is hoping to continue his Tokyo…
#SalmonSmolts - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launched the SMOLTRACK project, which gives the public the opportunity to follow the numbers of juvenile salmon making their journey down the River Erriff. The EU-funded NASCO project will see IFI work alongside…
#ClassicCaller – Cruise & Maritime Voyages Marco Polo, a classic cruiseship that became the first ship to establish the UK operator almost a decade ago, made a call to Dublin Port today, writes Jehan Ashmore. The call of the 820-passenger…
Sixteen SB20s battled it out off Ireland’s Eye last weekend in a hotly contested Eastern Championships. With 0-6 knots winds forecast for the weekend, PRO Paddy Judge and his Howth YC team did an excellent job getting six fair, high…
Yacht on Sand Bank with Three Onboard Brought to Safety by Rosslare Harbour and Wexford RNLI (Video)
24th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats
A 39ft–wooden yacht with three people onboard was brought to safety by Wexford and Rosslare Harbour RNLI in County Wexford yesterday evening. Volunteer lifeboat crew from both stations were requested to launch just before 7.30pm following a report that a…