Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
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…
Wychcraft Dinghy Restoration: A Tale of 1,000 Stainless Steel Screws and a Fascinating History
4th September 2023 Historic Boats
One thousand stainless steel screws and then more. That is what it took to restore Oliver Curran’s Wychcraft dinghy. They’re used to building boats in strange locations on either side of the Strangford Narrows in Co Down, with Billy Brown’s…
Discover the Maritime History of Groomsport with New Self-Guided Walking Tour Map
3rd September 2023 Belfast Lough
Groomsport is a small village on the North Down coast about two miles east of Bangor but in no way overshadowed by the larger town. It and its inhabitants have always had strong maritime links. The original Gaelic name for…
Ballyholme Yacht Club Dominates RS Feva Northern Ireland Championships
3rd September 2023 RS Sailing
Fourteen boats with a mixture of duos and family crews took part in the East Down Yacht Club hosted RS Feva Northern Ireland championships over the Bank Holiday weekend. The club is situated on the sheltered shores of Holm Bay…
The High Court in Belfast has dismissed a legal challenge against proposed gas caverns under Larne Lough. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, judgment was reserved in early May in the "complex" and "significant" judicial review into granting a marine licence…
Ballyronan Boat Club Commodore Completes Epic Journey Across the Atlantic and Caribbean
31st August 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Ballyronan Boat Club lies on the northwestern shore of Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. In his welcoming words on the club website, Commodore Elywn Agnew says the Club is keen to create great experiences and…
24 Boats Set to Compete in Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships at County Antrim Yacht Club
31st August 2023 Flying Fifteen
Entries are in from the North, South, East and West for this weekend's Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships, but where will the title rest after the sailing is over? On Wednesday, County Antrim Yacht Club advised that 24 entries have…
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and waterway users on the Erne System that dredging operations on the Kesh River in Co Fermanagh are continuing. Dredging at the mouth of the Kesh River (West Section) has been completed as of…
Tom Coulter is Top Northern Ireland Performer at Howth's ILCA National Championships
29th August 2023 Laser
Of the 15 Northern Ireland competitors in the ILCA Nationals at Howth Yacht Club recently, the best showing was that of Tom Coulter from East Antrim BC and Portrush YC in Co Antrim, who topped the 23-strong ILCA 6 fleet…
Issues With Access to Lough Neagh ‘Will Cost Lives’ Says Community Rescue Group
27th August 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Lough Neagh Rescue says interference with access to the water due to silting issues “will cost lives”, as BelfastLive reports. The Northern Ireland community lifeboat group said two call-outs in recent days were delayed due to silt blockages at Maghery…
Newcastle RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Eliza, and all-weather lifeboat, Leonard Kent, launched on Thursday, (24 August 2023) to assist a man who took ill on Murlough beach. At approximately 1.40 pm, Belfast Coastguard requested assistance from Newcastle RNLI. The RNLI’s lifeguards…
