Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#Dolphin - YouTube user Karl Grabe from Cork has uploaded this wonderful snippet of dolphins vocalising in the Shannon Estuary. The audio comes from the website for Listening to the Deep Ocean Current (LIDO), which collects a number of live…

#MarineWildlife - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) reports of another "frenzy of activity" while on a whale research cruise off West Cork this week. The 'members only' trip on Wednesday 5 December took in the hotspot west of…

#RNLI - After 43 years working with the ESB, a Co Donegal man has donated €700 – money in lieu of retirement presents – to Bundoran RNLI. Ballyshannon’s Brendan 'Mannix' Gallagher held his retirement party last Friday 30 November at…

#Coastguard - East Londonderry MLA John Dallat has welcomed the news that the Irish Coast Guard station at Malin Head will remain open. The SDLP politician had previously sought the support of Northern Ireland's Minister of State Mike Penning to…

#MarineWildlife - Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan announced on Wednesday the proposal of six new marine sites for designation as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect marine habitats and species listed on the 1992 EU…

#RNLI - Volunteers from Arklow RNLI in Co Wicklow are to feature in a Christmas special to be broadcast on TV3. The documentary, Unsung Heroes, will highlight the efforts of those who provide the essential rescue service throughout the year,…

#Angling - Sixty fishing rods were among items taken in a break-in at an angling charity's storage facility in Co Down, as BBC News reports. Angling First - which says it has taught fishing skills to 2,000 children from disadvantaged…

#FIGARO - Part of the route for next year's Solitaire du Figaro has been announced at the Paris Boat Show, as The Daily Sail reports. Organisers Pen Duick have unveiled a four-leg course from 2-23 June that takes in three…

#ANGLING - The Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) annual Sponsorship Scheme for 2013 is now open for applications.  There are some changes to the scheme for 2013, with biosecurity and catch and release conditions "safeguarding Ireland’s wonderful inland fisheries and sea angling…

#OLYMPICS - Irish Olympic sailor and current All-Ireland sailing champion Peter O'Leary has been let off with a warning by officials after betting on a competitor to win at the 2008 Games in Beijing. O'Leary and his then partner Stephen…

#SPEED - The World Speed Sailing Records Council has confirmed two new world records set by Paul Larsen's Vestas Sailrocket 2 last month. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Weymouth-based sailor and his crew claimed an average speed over over…

#PORPOISES - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has expressed concern over the potential impact of a 2D seismic survey on harbour porpoises in Dublin Bay.  As recently reported on Afloat.ie, Providence Resources has been granted a foreshore license for…

#RNLI - Donaghadee RNLI has assisted two people whose boat got into difficulty off Co Down. The station’s volunteer lifeboat crew was out on a training exercise on Sunday morning when they were requested to go to the aid of…

#FISHFARM - Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) is set to hold a public tender process for the development of the proposed deep sea fish farm in Galway Bay, according to The Irish Times. Financiers around the world have expressed interest in…

#VOYAGE - The Irish Independent reports on the rapturous welcome received by retired Irish fisherman Finbarr Murphy in Iceland as he retraces the route of St Brendan the Navigator. The West Cork sailor has already travelled on his restored yacht,…

#RNLI - Lough Swilly RNLI rescued five people onboard a 50ft fishing boat yesterday evening (Sunday 2 December) after the vessel’s engine broke down in Co Donegal. During what was a nine-hour callout in tough weather conditions, Portrush RNLI also…

#OIL - Fastnet Oil & Gas will spend more than €20 million on the Celtic Sea's biggest ever seismic study, the Irish Independent reports. The company was recently awarded two blocks in the waters south of Ireland which were drilled…

#DIVING - Diver Gus O'Driscoll and four members of the Delta Specialist Diving Club are currently searching the bed of Lough Salt in Donegal for a number of golf balls driven into the water more than 100 years ago by…

#VOR - The Irish Independent reports that Dun Laoghaire is considering a tender for the Volvo Ocean Race to cash in on the success of the event in Galway this summer. Despite attracting nearly one million spectators to the City…

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Large numbers of dolphins have been filmed in the Irish Sea off the Welsh coast by wildlife volunteers, as WalesOnline reports. The conservationists with the Sea Trust charity, based in Pembrokeshire, recorded the "dolphin-fest" from the deck…