Betty Armstrong
Betty Armstrong is Afloat and Yachting Life's Northern Ireland Correspondent. Betty grew up racing dinghies but now sails a more sedate Dehler 36 around County Down
Two Northern Ireland Boats Will Compete in ISORA's Holyhead to Strangford Lough Race
10th August 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Two Northern Ireland boats are entered into the ISORA race from Holyhead to Strangford Lough, which starts on Friday at 19.30 hrs. Ross Boyd’s Elan 40 Evenstar from Royal Ulster Yacht Club (RUYC) on Belfast Lough, Quoile YC on Strangford…
Lough Erne's J24 Crazy Horse is 2023 Oyster Pearl Trophy Winner at Carlingford
10th August 2023 Racing
The long trail for the crew of the J24 Crazy Horse from the western county of Fermanagh to Carlingford Lough in the east between County Down and County Louth was worthwhile as they went home with the top prize in…
The Moneley Oyster Pearl Dinghy Regatta in Carlingford Lough between Co Down and Co Louth was held last weekend, with racing on a windward/leeward course on both days. So close was the racing that Diarmuid and Aine Gorman, in their…
Luke Simpson from County Antrim Yacht Club is Top Northern Ireland Sailor at Cork's Topper Worlds
1st August 2023 Topper
A famous Laser sailor in the Seventies, Ed Baird, is reputed to have said that spending time on the water was what counted. The 258 young sailors competing in the Royal Cork Yacht Club hosted Topper World Championships last week…
Northern Ireland Cruiser-Racers are Competing at 75th Anniversary of Scotland's West Highland Yachting Week
31st July 2023 Scottish Waters
Northern Ireland sailors are showcasing their skills at the 75th Anniversary of West Highland Yachting Week in Scotland. Michael Petticrew's Nicholson 43 Magdaleyne from East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough took second place in the Gigha to Craobh Feeder Race,…
The Seafarers’ Charity is the subject of a fundraising voyage by Mark Miller, who is on an around Britain and Ireland Harbour Master Sailing Challenge. Over the last three and a half years, Mark’s voyage has taken him around England,…
Two Belfast Lough sailors are racing in the 50th Anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race, which starts on Saturday from Cowes on the Isle of Wight and finishes in Cherbourg. Ewan Finlay is racing as foredeck crew on Mark Emerson’s A13 Phosphorus II,…
On Monday last (17th), several search and rescue teams held a very active training session out of the village of Groomsport on the North Down coast. Taking part alongside Lagan Search and Rescue’s Ribcraft Class 1 Lifeboat were Bangor Atlantic…
Belfast Lough Rescue Crews Welcomed on Board Visiting TS State of Maine
18th July 2023 Belfast Lough
On July 7th, the TS State of Maine, the current training ship of the Maine Maritime Academy, docked at the Gotto Wharf in the Herdman Channel in the Port of Belfast. She was formerly in the United States Navy service…
Final Call II's Win in IRC One is Top Northern Ireland Result at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2023
15th July 2023 Volvo Regatta
Seven boats from Northern Ireland made the trip to Dun Laoghaire for the Volvo Regatta, one of which, FA 2, trailed from Antrim and craned in off the town's Carlisle Pier. John Minnis’s first place in the 22-strong Cruisers One…
Insect Class Dinghy 'Tarantula' Turns Up in Larne, Co. Antrim and Seeks New Owner
14th July 2023 Historic Boats
The Ballyholme Yacht Club Insect class dinghy number 12 Tarantula has turned up in Larne in Co. Antrim. One of 17 built by French and McDermott in the early 1950s, this 14-foot clinker dinghy was owned by the late Mr…
Leisure 17s 50th Anniversary Celebrations Continue on Strangford Lough
12th July 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Celebrations of 50 years of Leisure 17s at East Down Yacht Club near Killyleagh on Strangford Lough continued on the first Saturday in July with the second of the series of day sails. This outing proved to be rather more…
Home Pride as Tom Driscoll Wins Topper 5.3 Nationals for Ballyholme Yacht Club
11th July 2023 Topper
It was worth waiting for. Belfast Lough having suffered the same fate as the first day of the Dun Laoghaire Regatta, the Irish Topper Nationals got underway a day late at Ballyholme on the north Down coast last Saturday afternoon…
Ballyholme Yacht Club’s online Baycam had a very prominent red line on Friday (7 July) with the southerly offshore wind forecast to reach 37 knots in the gusts, putting paid to the first day of the 2023 Topper Nationals. In…
Howth Yacht Club's McMahon Siblings are Ulster ILCA Championship Winners at Ballyholme
5th July 2023 Laser
It was a challenging, very windy two days at Ballyholme on Belfast Lough for the ILCA Ulster Championships last weekend. The big fleet in three divisions, ILCA 4, 6 and 7, attracted 47 competitors from as far away as Glandore…
If you could bottle the energy, enthusiasm and excitement of the 24 ladies who took advantage of East Down Yacht Club’s day set aside for women to learn how to handle a big boat, then a fortune is to be…
A35 Final Call II and J109 Storm Share the Spoils at Royal Ulster's RC35/IRC Weekend
27th June 2023 RC35
The RC35/IRC event at Royal Ulster on Belfast Lough last weekend came about because of a chance suggestion by a club member. Although it attracted a small fleet of eight, it did include the very welcome visitors, Ben Shelley in…
Having spent the weekend racing in the Irish RS Elite Championships at Royal Ulster on Belfast Lough, most of the 14-strong fleet are making their way the 18 miles to the UK Nationals hosted by Strangford Lough Yacht Club at…
Once the International Wayfarer rally ended at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough last weekend, five boats with 13 crew headed west to another, albeit smaller but memorable gathering at Lough Erne Yacht Club in County Fermanagh. They were…
The final four races in the Antrim Boat Club Summer series saw Jeff Harrison and Charlie McAllister’s Limbo 6.6 FA2 dominating the score sheet as they had done in the previous four races, to take the overall prize by nine…
