Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A ‘Town’ Regatta at Bangor on Belfast Lough was first held over a century ago and saw a reincarnation in 2018. The 2020 event fell foul of Covid 19, but Bangor Town Regatta did run in 2022 and the Royal…

A “major fish kill” in a Co Derry river has tallied than 2,000 fish across a range of species, as BBC News reports. The incident was discovered last Friday morning (24 November) on the Muff River in Eglinton, near the…

For the fourth instalment of the RS400 Winter Series on Belfast Lough the mood in the Royal North of Ireland boat park was less than cheery. Spells of rain and glassy conditions that morning led most sailors to believe that…

RYA Northern Ireland’s new five-year strategy, Navigating the Future, recognises that volunteers are one of the main driving forces behind sailing and boating in Northern Ireland. Now the organisation has announced a pilot scheme, We’re All In, which aims to…

East Antrim Boat Club at Larne in County Antrim, Northern Ireland recently celebrated a successful Keelboat and Dinghy series at its annual prizegiving. The keelboat series was raced across four months, from May to August, with an overall winner each…

Sailing enthusiasts around Lough Erne in County Fermanagh have a proud record of restoring old boats as well as building new craft in traditional designs. Some years ago, the late Fred Ternan set up a small organisation called Lough Erne…

Six crew members from Newcastle RNLI in County Down have been recognised for their courage, determination and teamwork in bringing the crew of a racing rowing boat to safety after it capsized off Ardglass Harbour in June last year. Coxswain…

Bangor RNLI station on Belfast Lough is one of three local charities in Bangor and Ballyholme to benefit from the generosity of the local community. On Monday, 20 November, volunteers from Bangor RNLI were delighted to be presented with a…

The Rivers Trust supports the findings of new report that rings alarm bells about the critical state of water quality management in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Surfers Against Sewage Water Quality Report for 2023 says that in Northern…

Warning signage is being removed from locations around Lough Neagh following this past summer’s blooms of toxic blue-green algae. But as BBC News reports, it could be years before the ecological impact on the lough is fully understood. Ulster Angling…

Following their fellow Northern Ireland lifeboat volunteers in Larne, as reported last month on Afloat.ie, the crew at Carrybridge RNLI will feature in the latest series of Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two at 8pm next Thursday 23 November.…

Over three-quarters of seabird species breeding in Ireland have increased, with only two species declining, according to a census just published. The “Seabirds Count” census shows that Ireland is particularly important for species such as Roseate Tern and European Storm-petrel…

The UK catamaran pairing that set the fastest cross-channel time between Northern Ireland and Scotland in September have become European Champions in the mixed Nacra 17 class. Great Britain's Anna Burnet and John Gimson clinched the title at a light-weather edition…

In late October and early November, Foyle College became the latest and final school to complete the 2023 Foyle and Carlingford Ambassador Programme after a week of engagement and educational workshops across the Foyle catchment area. On the Monday, 21…

Week two of the RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland YC series on Belfast Lough arrived dank and dismal on Sunday with light rain and a forecast including 29-knot gusts; what a contrast to the previous bright and…

Until his Dehler 34 Penelope was dismasted competing in The Junior Offshore Group (JOG) racing in the Round the Isle of Wight race earlier this year, Peter McConnell, an outport member of Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough…