Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Storm Doris

#StormDoris – A pair of rival ferries have not been able to enter Rosslare Harbour from Wales since this morning due to Storm Doris. The gale to storm force conditions have battered coasts and caused high seas leading to ferry travel disruption throughout the Irish Sea.

For approximately the last seven hours, due to the adverse weather conditions both Irish Ferries and Stena Line ferries have been forced to ride out the storm off the Wexford coast. This has had a knock-on effect as subsequent scheduled sailings in the reverse direction to Wales this morning were cancelled.

Isle of Inishmore and Stena Europe were both due to dock at the Wexford port before 07.00hrs this morning, however the ferries headed as far as the South Arklow buoy. This passage away from Rosslare has been repeated several times by the ferries as they wait for conditions to moderate so to enable berthing at the Wexford ferryport.

The next scheduled sailing for Isle of Inishmore for 20.45 is on time from Rosslare to Pembroke. For the latest information from Irish Ferries routes, click here.

The next scheduled sailing of the Stena Europe at 21.15 is on time from Rosslare to Fishguard. To check the latest sailing updates from Stena Line services, click here.

Further north on the central corridor, Dublin-Holyhead sailings as previously reported were also caught up in the storm. Notably a Stena Line ferry from Holyhead, Stena Adventurer was also unable to enter the capital port due to high winds. Stena Adventurer finally docked at around 12.30.

The next sailing this afternoon of Stena Adventurer from Dublin to Holyhead has been cancelled.

According to the latest information correct at time of posting, Stena Line, (all vehicle passengers) were to be accommodated on Irish Ferries 14:15hrs Epsilon sailing.

As for (foot passengers) they are been accommodated on the 15:10hrs Stena Nordica. For more information contact ferrycheck on +353 (0) 1 907 5300.

For those travelling with P&O information on the Larne-Cairnryan by clicking here. And for Dublin-Liverpool follow this link.

A weather update from Met Eireann can be consulted here 

Published in Ferry

#StormDoris – Travel disruption due to Storm Doris has led to one of the largest ferries on the Irish Sea unable to enter Dublin Port due to the adverse weather conditions.

An attempt however by the 44,000 gross tonnage Stena Adventurer is now estimated to take place around 12.30 this afternoon. Other routes and ferry operators have also been affected with either cancelled sailings and delays arising from the fourth storm of this winter.

Stena Adventurer was scheduled to arrive in Dublin Port at 05.45hrs however high seas have led to a delay of six hours so far. The ferry which can accommodate 1,500 passengers had been circling Dublin Bay but later moved off Bray Head to wait for weather conditions to abate. 

The corresponding return sailing of Stena Adventurer from Dublin of 08.20hrs this morning has been changed to 14.00hrs.

A fleetmate on the Ireland-Wales route, Stena Nordica had cancelled overnight sailings but is scheduled to take up the routine 15.10 sailing this afternoon to Holyhead.

Stena Nordica which used to serve the route had only entered service in recent days to cover the refit dry-docking of Stena Superfast X which is at Harland & Wolff, Belfast.

For the latest information on Stena Line sailing updates and from other routes click here

For Irish Ferries click this link. Noting certain Jonathan Swift fast-craft sailings and those by ropax Epsilon have been cancelled, though the larger flagship Ulysses remains operating as scheduled.

Those intending to travel on P&O’s North Channel route between Larne-Cairnryan click here. For the Dublin-Liverpool route click here.

Met Eireann earlier this morning issued a Marine Weather Warning of Status Orange. The Warning is for gale to storm force west or northwest winds continuing this morning on all coasts of Ireland and on the Irish Sea. For further weather updates click here

Published in Ferry

Ireland's Sailor of the Year Awards

Created in 1996, the Afloat Sailor of the Year Awards represent all that is praiseworthy, innovative and groundbreaking in the Irish sailing scene.

Since it began 25 years ago, the awards have recognised over 500 monthly award winners in the pages of Ireland's sailing magazine Afloat, and these have been made to both amateur and professional sailors. The first-ever Sailor of the Year was dinghy sailor Mark Lyttle, a race winner at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

And since then it's gone on to read like a who's who of Irish sailing.

The national award is specially designed to salute the achievements of Ireland's sailing's elite. After two decades the awards has developed into a premier awards ceremony for water sports.

The overall national award will be announced each January to the person who, in the judges' opinion, achieved the most notable results in, or made the most significant contribution to, Irish sailing in the previous year.

A review of the first 25 years of the Irish Sailor the Year Awards is here

Irish Sailor of the Year Award FAQs

The Irish Sailor of the Year Awards is a scheme designed by Afloat magazine to represent all that is praiseworthy, innovative and groundbreaking in the Irish sailing scene..

The Irish Sailor of the Year Awards began in 1996.

The awards are administered by Afloat, Ireland's boating magazine.

  • 1996 Mark Lyttle
  • 1997 Tom Roche
  • 1998 Tom Fitzpatrick & David McHugh
  • 1999 Mark Mansfield
  • 2000 David Burrows
  • 2001 Maria Coleman
  • 2002 Eric Lisson
  • 2003 Noel Butler & Stephen Campion
  • 2004 Eamonn Crosbie
  • 2005 Paddy Barry & Jarlath Cunnane
  • 2006 Justin Slattery
  • 2007 Ger O'Rourke
  • 2008 Damian Foxall
  • 2009 Mark Mills
  • 2010 Anthony O'Leary
  • 2011 George Kenefick
  • 2012 Annalise Murphy
  • 2013 David Kenefick
  • 2014 Anthony O'Leary
  • 2015 Liam Shanahan
  • 2016 Annalise Murphy
  • 2017 Conor Fogerty
  • 2018 Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove
  • 2019 Paul O'Higgins

Yes. The boating public and maritime community can have their say to help guide judges in deciding who should be crowned Ireland's Sailor of the Year by using an Afloat online poll). The judges welcome the traditional huge level of public interest in helping them make their decision but firmly retain their right to make the ultimate decision for the final choice while taking voting trends into account. By voting for your favourite nominee, you are creating additional awareness of their nomination and highlighting their success.

Anthony O'Leary of Crosshaven and Annalise Murphy of Dun Laoghaire are the only contenders to be Afloat.ie "Sailors of the Year" twice – himself in 2010 and 2014, and herself in 2012 and 2016.

In its 25 year history, there have been wins for 15, offshore or IRC achievements, nine dinghy and one designs accomplishments and one for adventure sailing.

Annually, generally in January or February of the following year.

In 2003 Her Royal Highness Princess Anne presented the Awards.

©Afloat 2020