Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#NewBelfastTug – One of the largest UK independent harbour tug firms, SMS Towage has taken delivery of another tug for its Belfast operations last month.  The new ASD (azimuth stern drive) tug to Belfast brings the overall investment in the…

There was some dramatic sailing on the final day of the Belfast Lough Autumn Series. Whilst many of the first Class prizes in the series had already been decided, this didn't stop those behind trying their hardest to make a…

Sunday afternoon saw the second race of the Lisglass Builders Icebreakers Series with a wide range of dinghies across all classes. The Topper class is still depleted with squad training going on elsewhere but it was good to see Freya…

Charlie West–Hurst's Mumbo Jumbo won their first race of the Belfast Lough Autumn Keelboat Series last Sunday morning, finishing just behind the other NIRKRA competitors to win on handicap. This was the fourth different winner in as many weeks with…

#NavyHospital - One the largest and most unusual military vessels in the world came home to Belfast for the weekend and where sea cadets had a tour, according to the Belfast Telegraph. The RFA Argus (A135) will be a feature…

#NewCruiseVisitor – Belfast Harbour which expects 115,000 cruise-goers by end of season, welcomed a first time visitor this morning, the new Mein Schiff 4 which operates in the premium –German cruise market for TUI Cruises, writes Jehan Ashmore. Mein Schiff…

#1987Govfiles - Northern Ireland state papers dating from 1987 reveal of plans by the Government to shut down Harland and Wolff in the 1980s, that risked throwing the peace process into turmoil, civil servants warned, reports the Belfast Telegraph. They…

#MissingCrane! – Standing nearly 100m tall and weighing 840 tonnes, Goliath has been part of the east Belfast skyline since 1969, but it seems the crane has been overlooked by Google Maps. BBC news writes that the crane is one…

#BelfastHarbour - Belfast Harbour's "robust" trade will not be affected by any potential future sale, its commercial director has told BBC News. Joe O'Neill says the currently publicly owned harbour is run "very much in a private sector mode today...…

#BelfastLough - An Antrim man has unravelled the mystery behind the death of an ancestor while sailing on Belfast Lough more than 130 years ago. As the Carrick Times reports, the Bryan family has long known that Matthew Shanks died…

#belfastlough – During two days stolen from this summer's weather, Belfast Lough Sailability and Carrickfergus Sailing Club ran the Hansa 303 Irish Championship 2015 off Carrickfergus, Belfast Lough over the weekend 1 & 2 August. Competitors with their supporters and…

#StrongGrowth - Against the backdrop of 500,000 visitors to Belfast's Tall Ships Festival in the port area, Belfast Harbour has reported record profits and turnover, and committed to invest £120 million in new infrastructure projects over the next three years.…

#NewLaganBridge - A new bridge across the River Lagan in Belfast reports UTV News has been opened by Social Development Minister Mervyn Storey MLA.  Connecting Donegall Quay with Queen's Quay the new Lagan Weir Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge replaces the…

#H&Wprofits – Returning to the black as Harland & Wolff have posted pre-tax profits of £8.7m following huge losses just a year earlier. The Belfast shipyard clawed back its profits by opening up business across a range of areas after…

#OilRigFire – An evacuation of more than 300 factory workers had to be carried out from an oil rig at Harland and Wolff after a small fire broke out during welding operations. Harland and Wolff said local emergency services were…

#WorkboatSafety - SMS Towage which has towage operations in Belfast Harbour is spearheading an industry drive to create a new national workboat safety standard across the UK. The Hessle-based business expanded its towage operations to Belfast in 2013 as previously reported…