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
Home Pride as Tom Driscoll Wins Topper 5.3 Nationals for Ballyholme Yacht Club
11th July 2023 Topper
It was worth waiting for. Belfast Lough having suffered the same fate as the first day of the Dun Laoghaire Regatta, the Irish Topper Nationals got underway a day late at Ballyholme on the north Down coast last Saturday afternoon…
Ballyholme Yacht Club’s online Baycam had a very prominent red line on Friday (7 July) with the southerly offshore wind forecast to reach 37 knots in the gusts, putting paid to the first day of the 2023 Topper Nationals. In…
Howth Yacht Club's McMahon Siblings are Ulster ILCA Championship Winners at Ballyholme
5th July 2023 Laser
It was a challenging, very windy two days at Ballyholme on Belfast Lough for the ILCA Ulster Championships last weekend. The big fleet in three divisions, ILCA 4, 6 and 7, attracted 47 competitors from as far away as Glandore…
If you could bottle the energy, enthusiasm and excitement of the 24 ladies who took advantage of East Down Yacht Club’s day set aside for women to learn how to handle a big boat, then a fortune is to be…
A35 Final Call II and J109 Storm Share the Spoils at Royal Ulster's RC35/IRC Weekend
27th June 2023 RC35
The RC35/IRC event at Royal Ulster on Belfast Lough last weekend came about because of a chance suggestion by a club member. Although it attracted a small fleet of eight, it did include the very welcome visitors, Ben Shelley in…
Having spent the weekend racing in the Irish RS Elite Championships at Royal Ulster on Belfast Lough, most of the 14-strong fleet are making their way the 18 miles to the UK Nationals hosted by Strangford Lough Yacht Club at…
Once the International Wayfarer rally ended at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough last weekend, five boats with 13 crew headed west to another, albeit smaller but memorable gathering at Lough Erne Yacht Club in County Fermanagh. They were…
The final four races in the Antrim Boat Club Summer series saw Jeff Harrison and Charlie McAllister’s Limbo 6.6 FA2 dominating the score sheet as they had done in the previous four races, to take the overall prize by nine…
At what proved to be the end of a three-week spell of light weather, Royal Ulster Yacht Club’s Rollins Insurance supported traditional offshore Ailsa Craig race started at 8 pm on Friday, 16th June. The fleet of seven wound its…
Last week, the International Wayfarer gathering in Strangford Lough attracted over 40 visitors from as far away as the USA and from mainland Europe. The event was hosted by East Down Yacht Club on the west side of the Lough.…
The number of cruise ships expected to dock in Belfast Harbour this season represents a 20% increase on the previous record set in 2019. In 2019, Cruise Belfast opened the first dedicated cruise terminal on the island of Ireland, and…
The Wayfarer dinghy was designed by Ian Proctor in 1957 and since then has proved to be a tough and seaworthy cruising dinghy, yet at the same time being responsive and rewarding to race. At nearly 16 feet long and…
Mixed Fortunes for Northern Ireland Boats in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race
12th June 2023 Dun Laoghaire Dingle
Fortunes were mixed for the two boats from the North of Ireland taking part in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race. Michael Eames Sunfast 3200 from Royal Ulster YC and Strangford Lough YC finished sixth overall and top of…
It is 36 years since the father of Ben Greenhalgh, winner of the RS Feva UK Nationals at Pwllheli, raced in the same waters in the Cadet Worlds in a team from Ireland. Simon Greenhalgh from Ballyholme YC was part…
Two Northern Ireland Yachts Racing to Kerry in Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Fleet
4th June 2023 Dun Laoghaire Dingle
The Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race starts from the National Yacht Club on Wednesday, 7th June at 2 pm, and this year, the 43-strong fleet will include two entries from the North of Ireland. Fresh from his second place…
Impalas and Sonatas Enjoy Successful Outing at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough
2nd June 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Hot on the heels of the very successful Leisure 17 50th Anniversary event at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough, a fleet of 12 Impalas and Sonatas gathered for a two-day Open Event last weekend (27th/28th May. The club…
Northern Ireland Yachts Post 'Pleasing Results' at 2023 Scottish Series
31st May 2023 Scottish Series
For some of the Northern Ireland boats which competed in the Scottish Series at Tarbert, the results were very pleasing. Of the nine who made the trip north, the best results were from Ballyholme-based Kevin Byers and Michael Russell’s Sigma…
Martel's Pippa IV from Royal Ulster Takes Second in the Scottish Islands Peak Race
27th May 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Gareth Martel from Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough, and his crew and runners on the Beneteau 40.7 Pippa VI had a very successful Scottish Islands Peaks Race finishing second overall. Gareth was delighted with the result “It was…
North Channel Wind to Consult With Local Communities on Offshore Wind Farm Proposals
27th May 2023 Power From the Sea
Communities along the coast of East Antrim and North Down in Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to learn about proposals for the installation of floating wind turbines in that part of the Irish Sea, commonly known as the North…
Shipbuilding was a major industry in Portaferry on Strangford Lough in the 1800s. Jump forward until 1973 when the Ruffian 23 was designed by the late William P Brown in 1972/73 and primarily built by his brother, the late Dickie…
