Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A Status Orange weather warning is in place for all Irish coastal waters and the Irish Sea as strong gales are set to develop overnight with the arrival of Storm Aiden, the first of the new storm season. Met Éireann…

The white-water rafting course proposed for Dublin city centre is still on the agenda — though the tender for its construction has been pushed back to next year. According to TheJournal.ie, it’s emerged that “challenges” arising from the coronavirus pandemic…

Three Irish consortiums have been awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts by the Marine Institute and Enterprise Ireland to develop Ireland’s intertidal seaweed resource. The Phase 1 ‘Challenge’ contracts will run over four months, and will involve scientific observations…

Homing in on her second anniversary Down Under, West Cork sailor Mia Connolly reports to Afloat.ie that she recently completed one of New Zealand’s biggest coastal races. Mia crews on trim as well as bow, mid-bow and pit for the…

“It’s better this way, rather than Fungie wash up dead on the shores of Dingle Bay, [that he] just disappear.” That’s the message from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s (IWDG) chief executive as nearly two weeks have passed since…

Belfast Harbour has pledged support to Lagan Search & Rescue to the tune of £100,000 (€110,000) over the next five years, as the News Letter reports. The arrangement includes continued provision of an operations base and lifeboat berths for the…

Next year’s Poole Harbour Boat Show has already been cancelled, its organisers citing difficulties with planning around the coronavirus pandemic. Boating Business reports that the largest free-to-attend boat show in the UK, which was also called off this past summer,…

Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is quiet this weekend after the Royal Yachting Association’s last-minute cancelation of the UK Youth Nationals. The RYA says it made the decision “to safeguard sailors and their families, volunteers, race officials and event…

Ireland’s Heritage Minister recently got a first-hand look at the dedication of volunteers in Co Wexford involved in this year’s Coastwatch Ireland coastal survey, which concluded earlier this month. Today, Sunday 25 October, is the last day to submit data…

Brexit checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea should be “operational effective” on 1 January even if customs facilities at ports are not yet on the ground. That was the message from a senior Stormont official who gave evidence to…

Cleggan Coast Guard in Connemara is long overdue a permanent base — and a local TD insists the village’s airstrip is the answer. As the Connacht Tribune reports, Éamon Ó Cuív says it is unacceptable that the coastguard service for…

Poor weather off the Kerry coast has put on hold the search for Fungie the dolphin who has been missing from his Dingle home for almost a week, according to the Guardian. Yesterday, Sunday 18 October, RTÉ News reported that…

The spotlight is on seaweed and other renewable biological resources this week for Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2020 — which begins today, Monday 19 October. A series of online events from leading stakeholders within the Irish Bioeconomy Network will showcase resources…

The RNLI recorded one of their more unusual launches yesterday evening (Saturday 17 October) after a World War II-era seaplane made a distress call from Loch Ness. It emerged that the aircraft, the PBY Catalina, had experienced engine issues while…

Skerries RNLI recently launched to the rescue of a yacht with one person aboard that was adrift in the Skerries Islands. The incident occurred on Thursday morning 15 October, when the yacht made a VHF distress call that was relayed…

Ballyholme Yacht Club’s Liam Glynn has secured a personal best and 43rd overall after six days of racing against 126 international competitors at the Laser European Championships in Gdansk, Poland. Northern Ireland sailor Glynn, who had been unable to train…

Reports of the disappearance of Dingle’s resident dolphin Fungie this week appear to have been greatly exaggerated, as a cetacean matching his description was spotted by a local fisherman. Paul Hand tells RTÉ News that he is “one thousand percent…

University College Dublin have been set to deploy an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) off Inis Mór in the Aran Islands between today, Thursday 15 October, and next Wednesday 21 October as part of the Highwave project. The university previously…

The Irish Wildlife Trust has welcomed this week’s Budget announcements of new funding to address biodiversity issues. These include a move to more than double the allocation to the previously “defunded and neglected” National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) from…

Summer dinghy parking at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire ended this past Sunday 11 October, and all dinghies were expected to be removed by that date to facilitate the club’s annual lift-out. A limited number of…