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
Royal Ulster Yacht Club Announces 'Rebranded' Bangor Regatta for June 2024
2nd December 2023 Bangor Town Regatta
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…
East Antrim Boat Club Prizegiving Celebrates Successful Keelboat and Dinghy Season
25th November 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
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…
Snipe Dinghy 'Valkyria' Restoration Project is Offered on Lough Erne
23rd November 2023 Historic Boats
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…
Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Crew Enjoyed JOG Success Until Penelope was Dismasted
12th November 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
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…
Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough Achieves First Responder Status for Oil Pollution
4th November 2023 Belfast Lough
Northern Ireland's Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough has qualified as first responders for oil spills, earning the MCA P2 designation. The Bangor Marina crew worked hard, combining classroom learning and practical exercises led by the experts at Ambipar Response UK,…
Ten RS Fevas from clubs around Belfast Lough rounded off their season with a Final Fling at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club recently. After the initial strong wind died down to just in time to allow the event to…
Six Wins for Kearney and Nelson at GP14 'Hot Toddy' at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
7th October 2023 GP14
Last weekend, 27 GP14s gathered at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on the south shore of Belfast Lough for the first of the Hot Toddy meetings of the 23/24 season. Dominating the competition were the home crew of…
XOcean Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Visits Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough
5th October 2023 Belfast Lough
Many assorted vessels visit Bangor Marina, but the XOcean Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) may be the most unusual. Last week, Harbour Master Kevin Baird and his team, MCA staff and Belfast Coastguard welcomed the UK Maritime Minister Baroness Vere of…
Olympic Catamaran Medalists Smash Cross-Channel Record Time Between Ireland and Scotland
29th September 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Taking off from Ballyholme Yacht Club in Northern Ireland a day ahead of Storm Agnes' arrival, Mixed Catamaran Olympic Medalists, John Gimson and Anna Burnett sailing a foiling Nacra 17 have beaten the previous record (subject to ratification) for a…
The first of the annual GP14 Hot Toddy events listed in the class calendar will be held this weekend (30th September -1st October) at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. The event originates at East Antrim…
Antrim Boat Club Aims To Revive Dinghy Sailing on Lough Neagh
27th September 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Antrim Boat Club (ABC) in Northern Ireland has taken a step towards bringing back dinghy sailing after a long absence with the purchase of five RS Zest dinghies to develop a new training centre. Training has already started. The Club…
East Down Yacht Club Leisure 17s Continue Their 50 Years of Sailing Celebrations
24th September 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
In early September, five boats from the Leisure 17 class at East Down Yacht Club in Northern Ireland, along with a Leisure 20, a Drascombe Long Boat, and a Golden Hind 26, embarked on a 15-mile journey from Strangford Lough…
Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Admiral Authors Comprehensive History of the Belfast Lough Club
24th September 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Robert Hume, the Admiral of the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, has authored a comprehensive history of the club, with invaluable contributions from many others. The 180-page hardback book is richly illustrated and covers the club's beginnings and development…
Mixed Catamaran Olympic Medalists Aim to Set New North Channel Sailing Record Time
22nd September 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Ballyholme Yacht Club on the south shore of Belfast Lough will be the start point for a record-breaking trip across the North Channel to Portpatrick on the Mull of Galloway in Scotland during the week beginning 25th September. Team GB…
Strangford Lough Youth Series Attracts Strangford Lough YC, Killyleagh, Quoile, East Down and Strangford SC
7th September 2023 Youth Sailing
Any sailing competition for young people that began in 2008 and is still going strong must have an attractive format. The Strangford Lough Youth Series is still drawing sizeable turnouts, and maybe it’s because the timing, on the day after,…
Wychcraft Dinghy Restoration: A Tale of 1,000 Stainless Steel Screws and a Fascinating History
4th September 2023 Historic Boats
One thousand stainless steel screws and then more. That is what it took to restore Oliver Curran’s Wychcraft dinghy. They’re used to building boats in strange locations on either side of the Strangford Narrows in Co Down, with Billy Brown’s…
Discover the Maritime History of Groomsport with New Self-Guided Walking Tour Map
3rd September 2023 Belfast Lough
Groomsport is a small village on the North Down coast about two miles east of Bangor but in no way overshadowed by the larger town. It and its inhabitants have always had strong maritime links. The original Gaelic name for…
Ballyholme Yacht Club Dominates RS Feva Northern Ireland Championships
3rd September 2023 RS Sailing
Fourteen boats with a mixture of duos and family crews took part in the East Down Yacht Club hosted RS Feva Northern Ireland championships over the Bank Holiday weekend. The club is situated on the sheltered shores of Holm Bay…
Ballyronan Boat Club Commodore Completes Epic Journey Across the Atlantic and Caribbean
31st August 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Ballyronan Boat Club lies on the northwestern shore of Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. In his welcoming words on the club website, Commodore Elywn Agnew says the Club is keen to create great experiences and…
Tom Coulter is Top Northern Ireland Performer at Howth's ILCA National Championships
29th August 2023 Laser
Of the 15 Northern Ireland competitors in the ILCA Nationals at Howth Yacht Club recently, the best showing was that of Tom Coulter from East Antrim BC and Portrush YC in Co Antrim, who topped the 23-strong ILCA 6 fleet…
