Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Team Aqua (GBR) clinched the overall title by a narrow four point margin, over Team CEEREF (SLO) in the final day's racing in Maarstand, Sweden. Photos from Oskar Kihlborg below. Behind the top two there was still third place to…
Ireland's only representative in the Half Ton Cup has opened his account with a third placing, David Cullen's King One from Howth Yacht Club was vying for the lead in the first race yesterday and with an early start this…
The first of four freight-only ferries for Irish Sea operator Seatruck Ferries was launched last week according to The Motorship. Measuring 18,920 gross tonnes the Seatruck Progrees built by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) in Germany is due for delivery in November…
Plan A on Friday evening last was to swim from the Ballycotton RNLI lifeboat slip, out around Ballycotton lighthouse and back to the lifeboat slip. The August weather had other ideas. The event organisers arrived in Ballycotton at 3:30pm, reviewed…
For all the fine performances this year from Ireland's Olympic squad a place on the start line of next year's Olympic regatta is contingent on a result at the next ISAF World championships in 100 days time. It's a do…
Birmingham's Venables Wins but Cork's Crosbie Takes Third at Topper Worlds, Donnelly and Clapp clinch Optimist titles at Howth. Sharkbait took another bite out of the SB3s on Belfast Lough. Wicklow Lifeboat Tows a Racing Yacht to Safety After Rope…
Howth's Ben Duncan sailing Sharbait has etched another victory in the SB3 class following a weekend of very up and down conditions with some sizeable shifts and changes in pressure at the SB3 Northern Championships at Royal Ulster Yacht Club.…
It might have been the year that records tumbled but 2011 wasn't a good year for the Irish contingent in the Fastnet yacht race. There were a dozen Irish boats or boats of Irish interest at least but all of…
Wicklow RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched just before 5pm last night (Saturday 20th August) to assist a yacht in difficulties seven miles south east of Wicklow harbour. The alarm was raised when the skipper sent a distress call to the Coast…
At 5pm this afternoon Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat, Toshiba Wave Warrior, was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard, to investigate reports that a 33ft cruiser, recently grounded off Ryan's Point, inside the Mountaineer Buoy, was without its crew. At…
The Irish Sea Kayaking Association (ISKA) will host its annual symposium on 8-9 October 2011 in Mulranny, Co Mayo. http://afloat.ie/watersport/kayaking/ The activity-filled weekend at the Mulranny Park Hotel will include training workshops, peer paddles and talks by leading kayaking experts.…
The Financial Times has highlighted Ireland as one of the world's top emerging surfing destinations. http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/surfing/ "The quality of Irish surf has been recognised for many years, writes adventure journalist Alf Alderson, "but it’s only recently that it has really…
A sperm whale that beached on a sand spit in Dungarvan, Co Waterford on Friday has died. The male whale had been spotted off the coast in the 24 hours before it was discovered 'live stranded' on Cunnigar Strand. Rescuers…
Rambler 100 Incident Shows Strength of Ireland's Search and Rescue Service
21st August 2011 Water Rat
While it might be an exaggeration to say that all of the 21 crew members of Rambler 100 owe their lives to the Irish Search and Rescue service, there are certainly five people whose future prospects were greatly improved by…
Something to do with the kids!....head off to Dun Laoghaire Harbour tomorrow for the 'Family Funday', an event full of activities held on the Carlisle Pier, writes Jehan Ashmore. There will be bouncing castles, a bottle-stall, clowns, face-painting, fortune-teller, goldfish,…
Derek Martin's Beneteau 44.7 Lively Lady produced wins on IRC and ECHO in Dublin Bay Sailing Club's race this afternoon in medium winds that featured a long spinnaker run the length of Dublin Bay. Martin's Royal Irish club mate George…
After 12 races in five days in varying conditions, Sean Donnelly of the National YC and English visitor Max Clapp of the Royal Southern YC wrapped up the senior and junior titles respectively in the Image Skincare Irish Optimist National…
Square-Rigger Tallship & Cruiser-Yachts Celebrate 'Events' in Dublin Bay
20th August 2011 Dublin Bay
As part of today's celebrations to mark the 180th anniversary of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, in Dun Laoghaire, a flotilla of yachts 'dressed overall' set off on a cruise-in-company around Dalkey Island, writes Jehan Ashmore. The boats headed down…
Competing against one of the largest and most diverse fleets assembled in the history of offshore yachting, the Rolex Fastnet race saw the Australian boatbuilder McConaghy's built ICAP Leopard 3, the Reichel Pugh 65 Vanquish (crewed by the young American…
The prizegiving for the Rolex Fastnet Race took place this evening at the historic Royal Citadel on Plymouth's famous Hoe. Dating back to 1660s and standing on the site of the fort built in the time of Sir Francis Drake,…
