Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News

Irish Olympic Finn Sailor & Race Officer Bill O'Hara Awarded OBE in New Year's Honours List
31st December 2020 Laser
Among those in the New Years Honours List for 2021 is Bangor, County Down man Bill O'Hara who has been awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to Sailing. A long-time member of Ballyholme and Royal Ulster…

John McVea, class captain of the now 100-year-old River Class which sails regularly at Strangford Lough Yacht Club, had been looking forward to a 2020 season of centenary celebrations. Covid 19 put paid to that, but one achievement which has…

The Name of the Late Don Clarke of Strangford Lough Yacht Club Will be on the New Clifden Lifeboat
27th December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
It's a long way from Whiterock on Strangford Lough to Clifden in County Galway where the new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat will be stationed in 2022. It will be the second such vessel to be part of the charity's 'Launch…

Marine scientists have been baffled by the unexpected return of wild oysters to Belfast Lough, as the Guardian reports. The threatened shellfish species was last recorded in the Northern Ireland lough in the late 1800s before overfishing destroyed the native population.…

New Lease of Life for 32-Year-Old GP14 Dinghy in Restoration Project
26th December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
Nigel McNeely was a motorboat man who had also enjoyed sailing a Leisure 17. But with two young boys reaching the age at which they could learn to sail, Nigel bought a second-hand GP14 called Alchemellia (no 12819) originally owned…

Single-Handers Race for Christmas Regatta Honours at East Antrim Boat Club
24th December 2020 Youth Sailing
Seventeen single-handers took advantage of a favourable day on Sunday last (20th) to hold a Christmas Regatta at East Antrim Boat Club on Larne Lough before the shut down in Northern Ireland on Boxing Day. The fleet consisted of two…

2021 British Topper Nationals Heads for Ballyholme Yacht Club Next July
24th December 2020 Belfast Lough
Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough will host the British Topper Nationals, scheduled for early August next year, a few days after the World Championships in Cork Harbour. With the Irish Nationals in Northern Ireland at Strangford Lough Yacht Club in…

Cadet Sailing Event at Ballyholme Before New COVID Restrictions Begin in Northern Ireland
23rd December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
Thirty young sailors managed a final outing at Ballyholme yesterday (December 22nd) before Covid 19 restrictions would put paid to their activities at the Club for six weeks. And the event was blessed with a bright sunny day, albeit with…

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has agreed funding of £66,000 for tourism projects by the Lough Neagh Partnership over the next three years, as the News Letter reports. Current projects at the north end of Lough Neagh include a new…

Northern Ireland Marinas to Close From December 26 in Covid-19 Clampdown
22nd December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
From 26 December Northern Ireland marinas will close and all sport including sailing event an elite level must stop the Northern Ireland Executive has ruled. In response to the significant challenges facing the health service due to the Covid-19 pandemic,…

Larne Harbour is Base for 'MPI Resolution', World's First Purpose-Built Vessel for Offshore Wind Turbine Installation
21st December 2020 Power From the Sea
Larne Harbour on the east coast of Antrim in Northern Ireland is currently the base for the MPI Resolution, the world's first purpose-built vessel for installing offshore wind turbines, foundations, and transition pieces. The ship is working out of Larne…

East Antrim Boat Club Appoints Lucy Whitford as Commodore
21st December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
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…

RYA Northern Ireland’s 2021 Cruising Conference Goes Virtual
19th December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
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…

Honour for Belfast Lough Sailor Chris Lindsay with SportMaker Technical Official of the Year Award
16th December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
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…

County Antrim Yacht Club Junior Sailor Awarded New Boat by John Merricks Sailing Trust
16th December 2020 Northern Ireland Waters
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…