Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
#AranIslands - Talks are to resume on Friday writes Galway Independent in a bid to ensure the continuation of the ferry service to Inis Mór, Aran Islands. The Island Ferries service ceased last Wednesday and was due to remain out…
#Doonbeg - US president-elect Donald Trump has abandoned plans for a near 3km sea wall at his golf resort in Doonbeg, as The Irish Times reports. Despite local support for the scheme in the Co Clare village, the proposed coastal…
Hull Damage Leads to Water Ingress On Vendee Globe's Souffle du Nord pour le Projet Imagine
7th December 2016 Vendee Globe
Shortly before 0700 UTC this morning in the Vendee Globe Race, Thomas Ruyant - Le Souffle du Nord pour le Projet Imagine – informed his boat captain, Laurent Bourguès, that damage to the boat had led to an ingress of…
French Vendee Globe skipper Kito de Pavant was enduring an anxious wait this afternoon aboard his Bastide Otio after he struck an object which destroyed his keel housing, ripped off his aft keel mountings and left the appendage supported only…
“The question which must be answered by the Minister is – Does his Department genuinely not think that fish are a natural resource? “If the answer is ‘no’ – then who, in his name (and all of us), said that…
#49er - More than €5,000 is the cost of competition for Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle as they prep for their first event as a duo in Mallorca this coming spring. The new combination have joined with PledgeSports to crowdfund…
#Rowing: Rowing Ireland has announced two new appointments to the high performance coaching team. Dominic Casey, who coached Paul and Gary O’Donovan to silver in Rio while working on a temporary basis, becomes a full time coach for the four…
#Fishing - Pair trawling was a matter of debate on RTÉ Radio 1’s Countrywide this past Saturday (3 December). The segment follows a call by the Irish Wildlife Trust to ban the practice of pair trawling — or trawling a…
Damage Aboard Edmond de Rothschild, Sébastien Josse puts Vendee Globe To One Side
5th December 2016 Vendee Globe
At 0930 UTC this morning (Monday), while he was sailing 600 miles west of the longitude of Cape Leeuwin, Sébastien Josse contacted his shore team in the Vendee Globe Race to inform them that he had suffered major damage to…
Olympians Join The Fray…….But Clancys Win The Day at Fireball Frostbites!
5th December 2016 Fireball
While the forecast on XCWeather had looked good from the late part of Friday afternoon through to Sunday morning, the reality on the water was that it didn’t deliver. Instead of a healthy 14 – 19 knots of South-Easterly, we…
#Supertrawler - Naval Service personnel from the LÉ James Joyce have boarded a controversial fishing ‘supertrawler’ off the North West coast, according to the Donegal Democrat. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the 9,500-tonne FV Margiris — one of the largest…
When we remember that Arthur Rumball was one of the definitive backroom boys of the Irish maritime world, it is remarkable and heart-warming to reflect on just how many lives he influenced for the better, and how many young people…
Annalise Murphy picked up another well deserved reward at the weekend when she shared the REHAB Sportsperson of the Year Award at the weekend. The Dun Laoghaire Olympic Silver medalist couldn't be there in person to pick her award at…
Waterways Ireland 2017 Event Programme Seeks Applications For Events
5th December 2016 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland 2017 Event Programme welcomes applications from event organisers for events taking place on or along the waterways. Formerly called the Sponsorship Programme in 2017, Waterways Ireland Event Programme is seeking applications for sustainable events and activity in waterway…
Annalise Murphy Absent For Rio Radial Replay at Sailing World Cup Final, Melbourne
5th December 2016 Olympic
Ireland's Annalise Murphy, who is flying her Moth dinghy at high speed in Bermuda, is not contesting this week's Sailing World Cup final in Melbourne but apart from the Irish silver medalists absence competition in Australian waters looks as intense as…
#FreightRise - Freight levels at Seatruck have grown by a third with further gains expected in the coming months as the Port of Heysham now has a new £125m Bay Gateway relief road. The operator headquartered at the port according to…
#AislingsFuture - A decommissioned Naval Service ship may be turned into a museum in Galway, writes The Connacht Tribune. The idea of using the LÉ Aisling as a visitor attraction in the city, has been floated with Government. Paul Kehoe,…
Canal Bye–law Concern Highlighted By Association of Irish Local Government
5th December 2016 Inland Waterways
On November 17th, the Association of Irish Local Government highlighted their serious concerns with the proposed legislation and its potential to deny the elected members of Local Authorities to input into proposed Canal Bye-laws that may affect the potential development of…
This weekend Kinsale Yacht Club had its Christmas Regatta for Junior Sailors. 34 Optimists, and 12 mixed dinghies, comprising of Laser‘s (Radial & 4.7’s) and Toppers braved the chilly conditions over the two days. Saturday got off to a rather…
Armel Le Cleac'h should today smash the Vendee Globe Race record for the passage from Les Sables d'Olonne to Cape Leeuwin by somewhere around five and a half days. After adding to his lead over Alex Thomson last night, extending…