Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Has the Groupama sailing team adopted a new simplified watch system, keeping just one man on deck to handle the vessel - as demonstrated by Ireland's Damian Foxall in the video above? Don't worry - it's…

#NEWS UPDATE - A Donegal TD is encouraging the county's marine stakeholders to submit suggestions for the Government's upcoming Integrated Marine Plan, as previously reported on Afloat.ie. The plan, which will be published in the summer, "will be a national…

#INLAND WATERWAYS - The Tyrone Times reports that Clogher and District Angling Club has been awarded £1,000 (€1,196) by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) for an environmental project with local schools. The Water Environment Community Awards recognised the club…

#DEVELOPMENT - The International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) inaugural Development Symposium at Howth Yacht Club recently "promised much in the way of passionate discussion", according to its review of the two-day event. Presentations were given by Tony Wright, training manager of…

#ISLAND NEWS - Writing in the Boston Globe recently, Cork native Thomas Breathnach extols the virtues of the Aran Islands as "a bastion of native culture". "The country’s roughest seas and 1,000 miles of ancient stone walls have successfully preserved…

#NEWS UPDATE - The Irish Petroleum Industry Association (IPIA) has proposed a suite of measures aimed at tackling the problem of illegal diesel washing in Ireland. In a statement, the industry body for Ireland's fuel industry says that the practice…

#ANGLING - Days after the tragic death of an angler on Lough Corrib, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Collinamuck Angling Club will donate €5 from every entry in the upcoming open wet fly competition on 22 April to the…

#KAYAKING - A father-and-son duo from north Co Dublin will shortly embark on an epic kayak paddle from Dublin to Donegal, the Fingal Independent reports. Dermot Higgins and his son Fionn, from Rush, will attempt to kayak from Dublin Port…

#ANGLING - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has appointed Tourism Development International (TDI) to undertake a Socio-Economic Survey of Recreational Angling in Ireland. The overall objective of the survey, which will run over the course of 2012, is to establish the…

#MARINE WILDLIFE - A meeting of the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force (NIMTF) last week brought together interests from across the spectrum to discuss the new Marine Bill and ensure it will "deliver for all sea users". The workshop at…

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Staff and students from the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology spotted an black-browed albatross in what was a "very rare" sighting of the bird in Ireland's skies, The Irish Times reports. The group was on board the State…

#WATER SAFETY - This coming Friday 30 March is the closing date for applications for Fingal County Council beach lifeguards for the 2012 summer season. Lifeguard cover will be provided on Fingal beaches on weekdays and weekends 11am to 7pm…

#WATERFRONT PROPERTY - A beautifully restored period house on 14 acres of Great Island in Co Cork could be a dream home for any big spender. Accepting offers over €3 million, the house at East Grove believed to date from…

#ANGLING - Plans to bring forward the estuary draft net season "would have a detrimental effect" on spring salmon stocks, writes Derek Evans in The Irish Times today. Evans was responding to proposals before Minister of State for Natural Resources…

#TITANIC - Next month's edition of National Geographic magazine features startling images with the first ever complete views of the wreck of the Titanic. The large-scale panoramas were produced by combining "thousands of high-resolution images" of the wreck on the…

#COASTAL NOTES - Bantry Bay has reached its capacity for salmon farming, says the committee formed to oppose a proposed new facility at Shot Head. Save Bantry Bay has called a public meeting for supporters tonight (24 March) at Eccles…

#MCIB - The families of two fishermen found dead at sea off the Skerries last April may never uncover the circumstances that led to their demise. But the official report into the incident indicated that the absence of lifejackets was…

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Northern Ireland's Green Party has warned that "rogue" anglers may shoot seals that are consuming their fish stocks unless they are relocated, the Belfast Telegraph reports. The protected seals have been getting into the River Quoile in…

#FISHING - Conservationists and the fishing industry have joined forces in a new venture to evaulate the state of the Isle of Man's scallop fishery, as the Guardian reports. Both sides will co-manage the 35-square-mile Ramsey marine nature reserve in…

#COASTGUARD - Canada's L-3 Wescam has announced it will be providing electro-optical and infrared imaging systems for the Irish Coast Guard's revamped search and rescue helicopter fleet, starting with the new Sikorsky S-92 based at Shannon. “This order pairs the…