Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The history of sailing in Belfast Lough became so hectic in the 1890s, with the pioneering development of One-design keelboat classes and the first of Thomas Lipton's five America's Cup challenges going forth from Royal Ulster Yacht Club in 1899,…

Marine scientists have been baffled by the unexpected return of wild oysters to Belfast Lough, as the Guardian reports. The threatened shellfish species was last recorded in the Northern Ireland lough in the late 1800s before overfishing destroyed the native population.…

Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough will host the British Topper Nationals, scheduled for early August next year, a few days after the World Championships in Cork Harbour. With the Irish Nationals in Northern Ireland at Strangford Lough Yacht Club in…

Thirty young sailors managed a final outing at Ballyholme yesterday (December 22nd) before Covid 19 restrictions would put paid to their activities at the Club for six weeks. And the event was blessed with a bright sunny day, albeit with…

Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff now owned by InfraStrata, has signed a letter of intent to build two wind farm development vessels. The potential deal, writes BBC News, is being worked on with Triumph SubSea Services. InfraStrata said that once…

Saturday 12th December saw an early Christmas present for Ballyholme Yacht Club junior sailors as racing returned for the first time since the end of the summer. A steady 10-12 knots from the West allowed a windward-leeward course to be…

Ronald Surgenor is a Project Officer with the Ulster Wildlife Trust and has been awarded the Marsh Volunteer Award for Marine Conservation. As well as caring for nature reserves and peatlands, Ronald is a dedicated volunteer sea-angler for the shark…

Last week Jersey Coastguard was asked to go to the aid of a man dressed in red who reported that he had fallen out of his sleigh during a routine test flight and was stranded on a sandbank. Both RNLI…

A supervisory board has been appointed to oversee the Belfast Maritime Consortium’s project to develop revolutionary zero-emission ferries in the city. Earlier this year, the 13-partner syndicate, headed by Artemis Technologies, won a £33 million government innovation grant for the…

Eric and Barbara Mayne had been active sailing and committee members of Ballyholme Yacht Club for many years. Eric had been a past Hon Secretary and Commodore and Barbara held many and various positions on Committees. They undertook the mammoth…

Bangor's favourite band, Snow Patrol, are well known for the lines in their hit 'Run' - Light up, Light up. And that's what, in this year of endless restrictions, Kevin Baird Manager of Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough, would like…

The charity responsible for promoting and preserving Belfast’s maritime heritage, Titanic Foundation Ltd is to be known now as Maritime Belfast Trust. The newly-named trust according to The Irish News, will broaden its remit to help deliver Belfast’s waterfront as…

In response to the announcement by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson of a ten-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, Dr Iain Percy OBE, CEO, Artemis Technologies said: “The Prime Minister’s blueprint for a ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ is a welcome…

Artemis Technologies has won the prestigious Maritime 2050 accolade at this year’s Maritime UK Awards. The award, sponsored by the Department of Transport, recognises the firm’s efforts to capitalise on the opportunities presented within the Government’s Maritime 2050 Strategy. Founded…

Alex Easton, MLA has called on the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DEARA) Minister to create Marine Protections Areas in Belfast Lough. Belfast Lough is a long, wide, and deep expanse of water, virtually free of strong tides…

A young Belfast Lough woman has been announced the winner of the national competition to design the official 2021 t-shirt for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, the charity that has continued to support her during the pandemic. Alysia, 20, has…