Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#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…

#[email protected] - Titanic Belfast will be of special interest to anyone with family connections to Harland and Wolff Shipyard as there is a solo art exhibition underway. Entitled 'Queen's Island, the ships and the people', it features around 50 paintings…

#TitanicsTender - The tender, SS Nomadic built alongside Titanic at Harland and Wolff shipyards, carried first and second-class passengers from Cherbourg onto the liner as she embarked on its maiden voyage. According to Belfast Live, the SS Nomadic is being…

#NewChairman - Belfast Harbour has a new chairman, David Dobbin, who has been on the port's board from 2012, made his first statement since his appointment last month. Taking the helm of the harbour's new pilot boat, built by local…

#BelfastLough - Belfast's Window on Wildlife is the new name for the RSPB's nature reserve on Belfast Lough, which reopens tomorrow (Wednesday 18 February). As Birdwatch reports, the opening comes after an extensive refurbishment project that will allow visitors to…

#RecordTonnage - Belfast Harbour trade figures reveal that the port handled a record 23 million tonnes during 2014, up 46% since the recession's low point in 2009. Overall tonnages rose by 1.6%, driven by strong growth in bulk cargo which…

#ByfordDolphin - Oil rig Byford Dolphin finally arrived in Belfast for her refit at the weekend, spelling a significant jobs boost for the city's port. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the contract to dry-dock and survey the rig – sister to…

Since its formation in the early days of 2014 the Northern Ireland Restricted Keelboat Racing Association (NIRKRA) has made significant strides around and beyond the waters of Belfast Lough writes Tom Jobling. The class claims It is the fastest growing…

#RigContract -  Harland and Wolff (H&W) has announced a contract to dry dock and provide a Renewal / Special Periodic Survey of the rig Byford Dolphin. The contract of the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) was from Aberdeen-based Dolphin Drilling…

#BelfastLough - Antrim-based charity Belfast Lough Sailability has underscored the importance of community fundraising to its cause, as the Carrick Times reports. The training organisation for sailors with disabilities, which is currently seeking more volunteers to assist in its teaching…