Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
West Cork Quarter Tonner Manzanita is Schull Harbour Sailing Club First Race Winner of 2024
13th May 2024 West Cork
The opening race of the 2024 summer sailing season at Schull Harbour Sailing Club in West Cork was staged on Saturday in near-idyllic weather as the mixed cruiser fleet competed for the Rossbrin Boatyard Trophy. After starting in the inner…
Garavogue Takes the Lead in Saturday's Dublin Bay Twenty One Lady Helm Race
13th May 2024 Dublin Bay 21
Dublin Bay on Saturday, 11th May, presented perfect sailing conditions with sunshine, easterly F3/ F4 winds, and a reasonably flat sea state. A full turnout for the Dublin Bay Twentyones with a couple of newcomers to the fleet taking their…
Of the 86 current entries for the Jura Scottish Series which runs from 24th -27th May in Loch Fyne, nine are from Northern Ireland, with most coming from Belfast Lough. Competing in the eight-strong Sigma 33 OOD class will be…
The weekend's almost freakish display of the Northern Lights were better seen in some places than others. Howth on its peninsula avoided the later thundery rain which affected other parts of the country, some with flooding. The HYC Photography Fellowship…
Trinity House to Mark 80th Anniversary of D-Day With Events to Include Torch Ceremony
13th May 2024 Lighthouses
Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales, Channel Islands and Gibraltar, will join the international commemoration events of the D-Day Landings with its own story of tight planning and close collaboration in service of the historic Operation Overlord. In…
The eighth annual Boyne coastal rowing race, hosted by Inver Colpa Rowing Club, took place on Sunday, May 5th, with crews from all across the country making their way once more to the starting point on the beach at Clogherhead,…
Watersports have secured €6,775,655 or 25% of the total allocation in the latest round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme, according to official reports. The allocations made in the latest round of the Programme on May 9th saw Rowing…
On Merseyside, the new Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. ferry terminal in Liverpool won’t be open in time for this year’s TT. The £70 million facility at the Princes Half-Tide Dock, where work began in 2019 has been plagued…
The historic Irish ketch, Ilen, has docked at Westport, County Mayo to deliver a unique addiction recovery programme. The boat, which was built in the 1920s and underwent a full restoration in 2018, is now part of the award-winning charity…
Talk: ‘Sinking of the Sailing Ship Tayleur, 1854’ at Rush Library This Thursday
13th May 2024 Historic Boats
Edward J. Bourke will give a talk on the 'Sinking of the Sailing Ship Tayleur, 1854' at Rush Library this Thursday, 16th May at 6.30 pm. To attend the talk, booking is available through Fingal Libraries (see details below). The…
Tie-Break Decides Dragon Class at Kinsale Yacht Club's O’Leary Life Keelboat Regatta
13th May 2024 Kinsale
A tie-break decided the six-boat Dragon Class season opener at Kinsale Yacht Club's O’Leary Keelboat Regatta on May 12th. With close racing over two days, James Matthews, David Good, and Fergal O’Hanlon on TBD took the trophy after six intense races. Ghost,…
Royal St. George Yacht Club Higgins Brothers are Crowned 2024 Irish Match Racing Champions at Dun Laoghaire
12th May 2024 Match Racing
Royal St. George Yacht Club trio Tom, Henry and Jack Higgins were crowned 2024 Irish Match Racing Champions after eight teams competed over two days in the National Yacht Club's Elliott 6m sportsboat fleet in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Waterford Harbour match racer…
UNESCO world heritage site Skellig Michael ( Sceilg Mhichíl) has opened to visitors for the 2024 season. Access to the monastic site off the Kerry coast is dependent on favourable weather, sea, and island conditions, the Office of Public Works…
Artemis Racing emerged victorious at the 44Cup Baiona, held at the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona (MRCYB) in Galicia, after winning five out of nine races. The second event of the 2024 44Cup concluded on Sunday, after a…
Flotilla Gathers for Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club's 'Blessing of Boats' Ceremony on Dublin's River Liffey
12th May 2024 Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club
Up to 30 yachts and motorboats joined the annual Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club parade of sailing down the River Liffey and out into Dublin Bay on Sunday afternoon, a tribute to deceased members of the Dublin City club. The…
Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels on the Grand Canal that the 14th Lock at Devonshire Bridge in Co Kildare has been closed with immediate effect. Navigation through the lock is not possible at this time. Further notices in…
Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that water levels in all areas north of Lough Ree are now at Ordinary Summer Level. Water levels on the Shannon Navigation south of Lough Ree are approaching…
UK Government Receives Another Wake-Up Call From Inland Waterways Campaigners
12th May 2024 Inland Waterways
Campaign group Fund Britain’s Waterways has returned to Westminster to deliver a loud and clear message for funding to safeguard the future of the country’s canals and river navigations. The 20-strong flotilla on Wednesday (8 May) was a spectacle for…
Dickson and Waddilove Secure Their Paris 2024 Spot as Guilfoyle and Durcan Are Denied Chance to Close the Gap
12th May 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove have emerged best of the two Irish contenders to compete in the men’s skiff event at Paris 2024 this summer. The Dublin crew — from Howth Yacht Club and Skerries Sailing Club respectively — qualified…
The body of a 44-foot long endangered sei whale was found on the bow of a cruise ship as it approached New York last weekend. As CBS news reports, the carcass was discovered as the ship neared the Brooklyn Cruise…
