Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
National Yacht Club Junior Sailors Make Great Start to the Dinghy Racing Season
15th May 2024 National YC
After a frustrating May Bank Holiday weekend and the absence of wind that led to the cancellation of the Feva East Coast championships, the various host yacht clubs around the country were rewarded with great conditions last weekend. The Optimist…
One of the largest ferries in the CalMac fleet, Finlaggan, of 5,626 gross tons, which usually serves Islay in the Inner Hebrides, has been delayed in annual maintenance, reports The National. Afloat.ie adds that the almost 90-metre ferry is currently…
Saturday's (May 18th) RORC 160 nautical mile De Guingand Bowl Race will start off the Royal Yacht Squadron line. Almost uniquely in the RORC series, the De Guingand Bowl Race starts and finishes in The Solent. This allows the RORC…
An exciting in-person event is to be held at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI), with tours of the campus in Ringaskiddy taking place on Friday, 7 June. The free tours are part of the 10-day Cork Harbour Festival. Explore…
Seventeen Cape 31s gathered at the Royal Thames Yacht Club for Round 2 of the 2024 31 Race Circuit, where Christian & Jacintha Hamilton-Love aboard Khumbu Red emerged victorious by a single point. The husband-wife team led the regatta and…
Susan Backlinie, the stuntwoman who played the first victim in the 1975 film “Jaws”, has died of a heart attack in California. Backlinie, who was 77, was a former national competitive swimmer before she began working on stunt scenes and…
Naval Service Set to Introduce First of Two Inshore Patrol Vessels this Month Albeit on Initial Operating Basis
15th May 2024 Navy
The newest additions to the Naval Service are a pair of former Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPV) with the first of the cutters, expected to head out to sea this month based on an initial operating…
The much-anticipated Cork Harbour Festival is returning this June for 10 days of maritime fun, running from the 1st to the 10th. The festival showcases Cork's stunning natural assets, including Cork Harbour and the River Lee, and promises a diverse…
Controlled Explosion Brings Down Last Section of Baltimore Bridge Collapsed in Cargo Ship Strike
15th May 2024 Ports & Shipping
The final remaining span of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge — collapsed by a cargo ship crash in late March — has been brought down in a controlled explosion. As Marine Industry News reports, US Army explosives experts oversaw the…
This year’s Whale Watch Ireland has been brought forward from its usual August date to coincide with National Biodiversity Week. The nationwide whale watch organised by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) takes place this Saturday 18 May between…
Barrow Navigation: Caution Advised for Boaters Around Events in Carlow Town
15th May 2024 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Barrow Navigation that events will be taking place on the waterway in Carlow town over the next two weekends. The Kerala House Boat Race will take place this Sunday 19 May. And…
Denis Doyle’s Legendary Moonduster Is Nearly A Ghost Ship In Viking Hands
14th May 2024 Historic Boats
In the Spring of 1981, Dens Doyle’s Frers 51 Moonduster was launched at Crosshaven into a glittering 20-year partnership in which she and her very special owner-skipper became a much-admired feature of the European offshore racing scene. It was a…
Orcas Sink Yacht in Strait of Gibraltar in Latest of Spate of Incidents Since 2020
14th May 2024 Marine Wildlife
A sailing yacht has been sunk in the Strait of Gibraltar in the latest of a spate of incidents involving orcas in the region. According to RTÉ News, the 15-metre yacht Alboran Cognac was rammed by the cetaceans on Sunday…
Record Turnout on Lough Derg for Garrykennedy's 'Visitors' Cup' Sailing Event Raises €2,500 for RNLI
14th May 2024 Inland Waterways
Racing on Lough Derg is well underway already this season, with growing numbers appearing at Garykennedy Sailing Club's activities on Saturdays since April. Some 150 sailors turned out last Saturday for "The Visitors' Cup" which was part of a day…
Responsibility for Ireland’s marine planning system has been formally transferred to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). The transfer from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage follows recommendations made by the former Attorney General Paul…
With six months to go before the start of its 10th edition, the Vendée Globe is making an American aside! The last qualifying and selection race for the solo round the world race, the New York Vendée Les Sables d'Olonne,…
Quadriplegic Adventurer Geoff Holt Sets Sail on Record-breaking UK Coastline Challenge
14th May 2024 News Update
Involving months of planning and preparation, quadriplegic adventurer Geoff Holt MBE DL set sail from St. Katherine’s Dock, London in a record-breaking challenge to circumnavigate the UK coastline. The official ‘Finishing the Dream’ journey will call at 17 accessible ports…
Seafood Industry Collective Gives "Guarded Welcome" to Government's Future Framework on Offshore Renewable Energy
14th May 2024 Fishing
The Irish seafood industry says it is giving a “guarded welcome” to the Government’s recently published “Future Framework” policy statement for offshore renewable energy (ORE). The Seafood Industry Representatives Forum (SIRF), a collective of eight fishing and aquaculture representative organisations…
"The largest number of boats racing on a Summer Series Friday night in over 10 years, a remarkable achievement,” says Royal Cork Yacht Club Rear Admiral Keelboats, Rob Foster, after the second week of the club’s May League. Between the…
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has announced there will be changes to four sailings during this year’s TT Races to be held next month. These particular ferry crossings, initially set to take place on the Douglas-Liverpool route between…
