Betty Armstrong
Betty Armstrong is Afloat and Yachting Life's Northern Ireland Correspondent. Betty grew up racing dinghies but now sails a more sedate Dehler 36 around County Down
Espey Dominates RS400s at Ballyholme National Championship on Belfast Lough
19th August 2022 RS Sailing
The westerly at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Friday which reached 20 knots at times, delivered exciting racing in a bouncy sea for the RS200 and RS400 fleets on day one of the three-day National Championship in Belfast Lough. It was…
A lively south-westerly forecast for the start today (19th) of the RS event at Ballyholme should give exciting racing in Belfast Lough for the 48-strong fleet. Racing for the National Championship will be the RS 200s and RS 400s and…
With some of the World Championship Toppers appeared to be stuck in a container somewhere, there is some doubt if they'll make it to East Antrim Boat Club in Larne for this weekend's Northern championship. But maybe if they happen…
Moneley Oyster Pearl Regatta Crown Goes to Arklow Sunfast Humdinger
17th August 2022 Northern Ireland Waters
The inaugural Moneley Oyster Pearl regatta was held in 1979 and has been an enduring feature of sail racing in Carlingford Lough ever since, bar the Covid lockdown years. The people of Carlingford have been harvesting oysters since medieval times.…
Valuable Big Fleet Experience for Four Northern Ireland Sailors at Royal St George YC Optimist Nationals
17th August 2022 Optimist
The four Northern Ireland competitors at the Irish National Optimist championships at Royal St George YC certainly had four days of valuable race experience last week which will stand them well for the future. The four, three siblings from the…
Paddleboarders Cross From Mull of Kintyre to Cushendall on the Antrim Coast for Charity Fundraiser
15th August 2022 Northern Ireland Waters
It’s 38 miles from Campbeltown on the southeastern corner of the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland to Cushendall on the Antrim Coast across the North Channel. Four men from Northern Ireland achieved this stamina-sapping feat in a fundraising prone paddle…
The Oysters growing under the pontoons in Bangor Marina are well hidden, but they still need ongoing attention. To this end, Ulster Wildlife is looking for volunteers to help monitor the native oyster nurseries and record their development. The native…
Topper sailors from Northern Ireland made a great impression at the National Championships last week in Weymouth, taking four excellent places in the first ten and several other commendable scores. In the Gold fleet runner-up to the winner Merryn Attridge…
David Eccles Takes NHCRS Victory at Killyleagh Open Event on Strangford Lough
12th August 2022 Northern Ireland Waters
Killyleagh Yacht Club on the western shore of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland was pleased to be able to run its annual keelboat event, which incorporates the Bennett and Crooks Cups last weekend after a forced Covid break for two…
Citizen Sea’s latest recruit left school at 16 with one GCSE (General Certificate of Education) and now she is a Marine Biologist who has just handed in her PhD on Invasion Ecology. Monica McCard is the new Project Co-ordinator for…
The Grace O’Malley was a massive attraction in Derry last month at the Maritime Festival, said the Captain, Gerry Burns, whose home is in Newcastle Co. Down The 164-ft tall ship is destined to serve Ireland as a training vessel…
All Change for Northern Ireland Topper Sailors at Weymouth National Championships
10th August 2022 Topper
It’s all change at the UK Topper 5.3 Nationals at Weymouth now that the fleet has been split into Gold and Silver. Some of the Northern Ireland sailors who were making quite an impression in the huge fleet haven’t fared…
Just Four Northern Ireland Entries Competing at 200 Boat Irish Optimist Nationals, Dun Laoghaire
9th August 2022 Optimist
The Irish National Optimist Championships starting on Thursday 11th August at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay is expected to attract 200 entries but it is understood only four of these are from Northern…
Three Belfast Lough yachts had great results at West Highland Week, which ended on Friday last, two from Carrickfergus Sailing Club on the north shore and another from Royal Ulster Yacht Club on the opposite side. The best result came…
Two Different RS Dinghy Events to be Contested at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough
5th August 2022 RS Sailing
Ballyholme Yacht Club will be the venue over the weekend of 19th till 21st August for an RS championship event which organiser Bob Espey hopes will attract around 60 competitors. The event will be held in the waters of Belfast…
Lagan Search and Rescue has a new Class 2 Lifeboat on station. The independent charity is run by volunteers and based at Belfast Harbour Marina on the River Lagan in the City. It covers all types of search and rescue…
Belfast Lough's Bobby Driscoll Takes Silver at Topper Worlds in Italy, Callum Pollard Wins 4.2 Gold
30th July 2022 Topper
The countback to determine the World champion Topper 5.3 sailor dashed the dreams of Bobby Driscoll of Ballyholme and Royal North Yacht Clubs on Belfast Lough when he lost out on the tie break of 22 points to Joe Rowe…
Northern Ireland's Bobby Driscoll shares the lead Topper World Championships on Lake Garda in Italy after winning six of eight races sailed so far in the 5.3 division. The Ballyholme sailor from Belfast Lough has a three-point lead over Leo Yates of…
Gerard Doherty has said in a Foyle Maritime Festival social media video that he was the oldest crew member on the Clipper Ha Long Bay (Vietnam). He is 68 years old, and not only is he the 'senior' of the…
Grace O’Malley or in Irish, Grainne Ni Maille, was the head of the O Maille dynasty in the west of Ireland. She is a well-known historical figure in sixteenth-century Irish history and in popular culture often referred to as "The…
