News Update
Olaf Harken, who co-founded namesake sailing hardware specialist brand Harken with his brother Peter more than 50 years ago, has died at the age of 80. Originally sailboat builders under the Vanguard name, Olaf and Peter Harken started what became…
Body Recovered In Search For Missing Fisherman Kodie Healy Off Cork Coast
14th October 2019 News Update
Yesterday evening (Sunday 13 October) divers recovered a body in the search for fisherman Kodie Healy who went missing last week off West Cork, as BreakingNews.ie reports. A major search operation was launched last Wednesday evening when the 24-year-old failed…
A geohazard investigation to provide support for ongoing research at the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG) will be undertaken in the Irish Sea from Thursday 24 October until Wednesday 6 November, weather dependent. The locations of these…
The northerly gales that brought damage to east coast harbours yesterday including Dun Laoghaire on Dublin Bay, also caused damage in County Wicklow at Bray Harbour. According to local reports, up to eight boats were wrecked in the high seas…
33-Hour Survival in Liferaft at Sea After Wartime Air Crash Remembered in North Connemara
30th September 2019 News Update
An epic rescue of five north American naval crew who survived 33 hours in a liferaft has been marked on the 75th anniversary of the incident in north Connemara writes Lorna Siggins. Five of their fellow crew died when a…
'Pinging The Start Line' - Should Race Officers Provide Time for This?
29th September 2019 News Update
Afloat correspondent Mark Mansfield who provided some sailor-focused thoughts for Race Officers on race management in his recent article here has had one of his tips rebutted by the editor of American website, Scuttlebutt. Scuttlebutt's Craig Leweck who picked up the…
Ireland is on the International yacht racing stage this week thanks to triumphs on the water and off at last Saturday's Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. As Afloat reported previously, the Crosshaven, County Cork team led by Anthony…
Four people were reportedly injured when a superyacht owned by Irish media mogul Denis O’Brien listed while being relaunched from a dry dock in Italy. According to Boat International, the 90-metre Nero was in the process of being moved out…
Boost For Women In Sailing & Rowing With Relaunched Sport Investment Programme
6th September 2019 News Update
Sailing and rowing are among the beneficiaries of Sport Ireland’s €3 million investment in women in sport announced yesterday (Thursday 6 September). Rowing Ireland will receive €100,000 over two years, while Irish Sailing and Canoeing Ireland will get a total…
Campaigners Extinction Rebellion Targets Port of Cork Demanding Action on Climate Change
6th September 2019 News Update
Campaigners for the environment, Extinction Rebellion have targeted the Port of Cork in their latest protest. According to EchoLive.ie, signs emblazoned with slogans such as "Port of CO2" and "Business as Usual??" were attached to the Port of Cork sign…
Kinvara Artist Rowing Shannon-Erne Waterway in Handmade Boat for Hospice
1st September 2019 News Update
A south Galway potter is embarking on a 350km row down the Shannon-Erne waterway in a handmade boat in memory of a close friend writes Lorna Siggins Weather permitting, Kinvara artist Joe McCaul (65) set out from Belleek, Co Fermanagh today…
Nearly a quarter of all children in Great Britain — a whopping 2.28 million — have never been swimming in the ocean, and 35% have never been in a boat on the sea. That’s according to new research commissioned by…
Lawyer Making High Court Bid to Have Whiddy Island Deaths Declared "Unlawful"
2nd August 2019 News Update
An Irish maritime lawyer intends to seek a High Court declaration that the Whiddy island deaths which occurred in the Betelgeuse oil tanker explosion and fire 40-years ago were “unlawful”. Lawyer Michael Kingston also intends to seek a State apology…
In a survey of competitors at the 2019 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay, 60% of respondents said the Irish boating portal 'Afloat.ie' was their 'go-to' website for Irish sailing & boating news. Nearly 200 sailors were polled from…
Teenage Girl Dies After Getting Into Difficulty Swimming Off Co Louth Beach
29th June 2019 News Update
TheJournal.ie is reporting along with other news outlets that a teenage girl has died after getting into difficulty swimming off a Co Louth beach yesterday (friday 28 June). The 14-year-old girl was reportedly pulled out to sea by a rip…
A series of ecological surveys will take place in the Irish Sea off the Dublin and Wicklow coast between now and May next year to provide data on seabirds and marine mammal species to inform the development of the Dublin…