Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#NavalService - The newest Irish Naval Service Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) LÉ George Bernard Shaw completed a delivery voyage from a UK shipyard to Cork Harbour, writes Jehan Ashmore. Minister with responsibility for Defence, Mr Paul Kehoe TD, welcomed the…

#NavalService - Naval Service along with the Army and Air Corps that form the Defence Forces reports The Irish Times, has received significant extra money for purchases of new equipment next year. Morale in the Defence Forces has been hit…

#rmsLeinster - The First Minister of Wales along with Irish dignitaries, ambassadors among them from the UK and Germany attended in Dun Laoghaire yesterday a state commemoration ceremony on the centenary of the sinking of RMS Leinster, writes Jehan Ashmore.…

#rmsLeinster - A request from the Mail-Boat Leinster Centenary Committee for use of the Naval Service largest patrol vessel to carry out a wreath-laying ceremony at the wreck site off the Kish Bank tomorrow has been declined, writes Jehan Ashmore.…

#NavalService - The Tánaiste Simon Coveney has ruled out suspending Ireland's Naval Service involvement in the Mediterranean migrant rescue mission and bringing crews home to deal with staff shortages. As The Irish Times writes, Independents4Change TD Clare Daly claimed “the…

#NavalService - The Irish Times writes that the head of Defence Forces has sought to make a verbal submission to the Public Sector Pay Commission because of the seriousness of the military pay issue in the view of himself and…

#Navy - According to The Irish Times, two Naval Service vessels were prevented from leaving their Haulbowline base last week due to crew shortages. The LÉ Orla and LÉ Niamh were both kept at their docks while reserve members were…

#NavalService - Afloat has tracked the Irish Naval Service's latest offshore patrol vessel carry out sea-trials which involved the €67m newbuild in the Bristol Channel while off the north Devon coast from where the ship was built, writes Jehan Ashmore. The newbuild…

A stiff southwesterly breeze with a cloudy sky was the order of the day for the annual Naval Race at Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour writes Bob Bateman. This year the organisers chose a central location in the Harbour…

#Crime - Three men are in custody and their yacht impounded in Cork on suspicion of drug trafficking. As RTÉ News reports, the Naval Service detained the vessel, which had sailed from South America, off the Kerry coast yesterday (Wednesday…

#GalwayHarbour - The mid-west city of Galway is to be twinned with the Irish Naval Service newest ship, LÉ William Butler Yeats, at a reception this weekend to mark and honour the relationship between the city and vessel. As the…

#NavalService - The Irish Times writes the Department of Defence denied that a Naval Service patrol ship was involved in any NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) exercise or operation during a manoeuvre with a Spanish frigate in the Mediterranean earlier (last…

The Irish Times reports that the Naval Service has detained a Spanish fishing vessel that had more than 5,000 shark fins. Last week, the Virxen da Blanca, one of a fleet longline fishing for shark of the South West, was…

#NavalService - A catamaran has been found with a "significant quantity of cocaine" when seized in the English Channel in an operation involving Irish Defence Forces. As RTÉ News reported, five men have been arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling.…

#NavalService - Previously on Afloat, the Irish Naval Service P60 class LÉ James Joyce was featured conducting 'Friendly Approaches', this time the OPV is seen pictured above undergoing a replenishment at sea (RAS) exercise. The Offshore Patrol Vessel, LÉ James…

#Shipyards - Merseyside based shipbuilder Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, has announced it has built a network of more than 2,000 suppliers as it steps up its bid to build a cutting-edge warship as Afloat previously covered.  The UK west coast…