Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
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…
Lough Neagh Pollution Crisis is End Result of ‘Decades of Neglect’
24th September 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Lough Neagh “isn’t just dying, it’s been killed” by a combination of human-made factors, one conservationist has declared as the crisis around toxic blooms of blue-green algae continues. Speaking to The Irish Times, Friends of the Earth NI director James…
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…
Tom Gillard and East Antrim's Andy Thompson Win Fireball European Championship in Slovenia
22nd September 2023 Fireball
Tom Gillard and Andy Thompson of Larne in Northern Ireland have won the Fireball European Championship at Portroz, Slovenia. The pair scored three bullets during the final day of racing in spectacular conditions with winds typically around 18 knots but…
Two archbishops of Armagh have called for a joint task force to save Lough Neagh from “an environmental disaster”. Catholic Primate Archbishop Eamon Martin and Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop John McDowell have issued a joint statement in which they…
Northern Ireland Councillors Call for Action Over Toxic Blue-Green Algae Blooms
16th September 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Causeway Coast and Glens councillors have echoed growing concerns over the state of the aquatic environment following recent blooms of toxic blue-green algae, as the Belfast Telegraph reports. Alliance Councillor Peter McCully tabled a motion at last week’s Environmental Services…
New Life For Ireland’s Ancient Local Classes As Top Sailors Learn to Value Neighbourhood Sport
16th September 2023 W M Nixon
They’ve been part of our sailing furniture for so long that you could be forgiven for thinking Ireland’s historic local classes might just quietly fade away through being barely noticed. But you’d be very much mistaken. 2023 has been a…
RYANI Calls for Affiliated Clubs to Have Their Say on New Governance Structures
14th September 2023 RYA Northern Ireland
RYA Northern Ireland has been reviewing its governance structures for the delivery of its strategic plan, Navigating the Future. RYANI chief executive Greg Yarnall says: “The proposed changes are being put forward to help provide greater organisational stability and put…
ILCA Sailor Daniel Palmer is Overall Champion in RYA Northern Ireland Youth Sailing Championships for a Second Time
12th September 2023 RYA Northern Ireland
Over the weekend, the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Sailing Championships took place at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough, attracting over 130 sailors from throughout Northern Ireland and beyond. The sailing event marked the start of the competitive season for…
Council Planners Approve Cloghan Point Oil Terminal Expansion Despite Sizeable Local Opposition
8th September 2023 Belfast Lough
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s planning committee have approved for expansion of a Belfast Lough oil terminal despite sizeable local opposition to the project, as BBC News reports. Cloghan Point has four large tanks which are currently used to…
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,…
All Aboard for a Weekend of Fun at Belfast Maritime Festival This Weekend
6th September 2023 Maritime Festivals
Visitors can discover a treasure trove of free activities at this weekend’s Belfast Maritime Festival on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September. Taking place along the city’s Maritime Mile, with entertainment stretching across Queen’s Quay to HMS Caroline in the…
Record Engagement with Water Safety Programme Reported by Sport Northern Ireland
5th September 2023 Water Safety
Sport Northern Ireland has announced that the 2023 Get Wet Stay Safe Programme has achieved record engagement this year. The initiative, now in its second year, aims to raise awareness about water safety and has seen over 1,300 people participate…