Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

East Antrim Boat Club in Larne has appointed Lucy Whitford as Commodore, only the third lady in the Club's 70-year history to enjoy that position. The others were Lilian Stewart and Anne Morris. Although Lucy is a regular sailor, and…

The countdown is on for the virtual RYA Northern Ireland Cruising Conference 2021, which will take place online over three separate evenings in the new year. The conference, which will be hosted via Zoom, will run on Tuesdays 19 and…

A car was moments away from plunging into the sea after it edged over the side of the pier at Portrush on the North Coast on Tuesday morning at about 9.30 am. The car moved forward from the council car…

Chris Lindsay from Carrickfergus on Belfast Lough has been awarded the Sportmaker Technical Official of the Year title through Sport Northern Ireland. Since July 2019, Chris has officiated at World Championships across various classes and countries, with the highlight of…

Christmas has come early for 12-year-old Rory Pollard, who has been awarded a brand new boat by the John Merricks Sailing Trust. Rory, from Whitehead and a junior member of County Antrim Yacht Club, is the only sailor from Northern…

HM Coastguard N Ireland and South West Scotland have opened its recruitment window for volunteer 2021 Coastguard Rescue Officer Recruitment. The team of volunteers is made up of people from all backgrounds including other emergency services, government agencies, business owners,…

The second club to be celebrated in RYANI’s Recognition 2020 initiative is Strangford Lough Yacht Club, whose volunteers jumped into action to ensure the club was safe and ‘Covid-ready’ for when everyone could get back on the water. The club…

Ronald Surgenor is a Project Officer with the Ulster Wildlife Trust and has been awarded the Marsh Volunteer Award for Marine Conservation. As well as caring for nature reserves and peatlands, Ronald is a dedicated volunteer sea-angler for the shark…

Last week Jersey Coastguard was asked to go to the aid of a man dressed in red who reported that he had fallen out of his sleigh during a routine test flight and was stranded on a sandbank. Both RNLI…

RYANI is encouraging sailing clubs across Northern Ireland to prepare for a joint application to the newly announced Sport NI Sports Sustainability Fund. Northern Ireland Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín launched the £25 million fund for Governing Bodies and affiliated…

Talented youth sailor Jude Armstrong (13) is from High Wycombe and has family in Co. Down including grandparents Rob and Betty Armstrong, Afloat's Northern Ireland correspondent. Jude is one of ten youngsters from across the UK who have been handed…

RYA Northern Ireland’s Annual Awards have been put on hold this year due to coronavirus restrictions but this doesn’t mean that the celebrations have stopped. Virtually, RYANI will be celebrating clubs and the boating community right across Northern Ireland as…

2020 was deeply frustrating for those many couples planning to get married as their plans kept being altered by ever-changing COVID regulations. Legions of boat owners also found their racing and cruising plans frustrated. One local couple managed to resolve…

Eric and Barbara Mayne had been active sailing and committee members of Ballyholme Yacht Club for many years. Eric had been a past Hon Secretary and Commodore and Barbara held many and various positions on Committees. They undertook the mammoth…

Strangford Sailing Club has been named among the finalists for RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year 2021. Ten clubs across the UK have been selected by the RYA Awards Panel, with online voting now open. The Co…

Make sure you're ready for the 2021-2024 changes to the Racing Rules of Sailing with the RYA rules books. The new editions are now available from the RYA shop - www.rya.org.uk/shop. Updated every four years by World Sailing, the Racing…