Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Stormont Debates Motion Calling for Action to Save Lough Neagh from ‘Ecological Catastrophe’
14th February 2024 Northern Ireland Waters
Three Sinn Féin MLAs have brought a motion to the newly restored Stormont Assembly for action to save Lough Neagh from its pollution crisis, as The Irish Times reports. MLA for North Antrim, Philip McGuigan described the situation on the…
RYA Northern Ireland Youth Squads Shine at Celtic Cup in Pwllheli
14th February 2024 RYA Northern Ireland
Ten of Northern Ireland’s Topper and ILCA sailors travelled to Plas Heli in Pwllheli for the Celtic Cup earlier this month (3-4 February). This annual event sees the best youth and junior sailors from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland compete…
Tributes Paid After Sudden Passing of Red Bay Lifeboat Helm Gary Fyfe
10th February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
Tributes have been paid to Red Bay RNLI helm Gary Fyfe after his sudden death on Thursday night (8 February). As the Belfast Telegraph reports, the 46-year-old died at the scene of a single-vehicle crash in Cushendall, Co Antrim. His…
Judgment Reserved in Campaigners’ Appeal of Larne Lough Gas Caverns Decision
8th February 2024 Northern Ireland Waters
Judgement has been reserved in campaigners’ legal bid to overturn the decision to approve the excavation of gas storage caverns under Larne Lough. As the Belfast Telegraph reports, the coalition of local campaigners — under the banner of No Gas…
Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels on and users of the Lower Bann navigation in Northern Ireland that due to the installation of new lock gates at Movanagher Lock, the lock will be closed for a period of around…
Entries are now open for RYA Northern Ireland’s Team Racing Programme, following on from a successful coach development weekend last month. This RYANI programme, which is the first of its kind for Northern Ireland, aims to provide more double-handed pathway…
Whitehead's County Antrim Yacht Club is Only Northern Ireland Club in Running for RYA Club of the Year Award
28th January 2024 RYA Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland's County Antrim Yacht Club has been selected as a finalist for the second year running in the UK-wide RYA Club of the Year Awards. The Club lies on the northern shore of Belfast Lough in the town of…
It's 50 years since the Clyde Cruising Club delivered the first Scottish Series, and it has been run out of Tarbert, Loch Fyne, for the last 40 of those. This year’s event will be held from 24th till 27th May.…
RYA Northern Ireland’s Coach Development Programme Kicks Off With Team Racing at Ballyholme
26th January 2024 RYA Northern Ireland
RYA Northern Ireland’s Coach Development Programme held its first session at Ballyholme Yacht Club last Saturday 20 January. Launched in December, the new initiative — part of RYANI’s five-year strategy, Navigating The Future — offers free training in an effort…
Northern Ireland's Cockle Island Boat Club Celebrates 50th Anniversary
24th January 2024 Northern Ireland Waters
Cockle Island Boat Club may be in the minority in Northern Ireland as it doesn’t have its own clubhouse, but for the 50 years of its existence, it has used the local Council facility, the original lifeboat house on the…
Northern Ireland Protocol: Blamed By Freight Groups for Making it Harder for Irish Sea Ferry in Storm Isha to Head for Port
23rd January 2024 Northern Ireland Waters
Blame has been put directly to the Northern Ireland Protocol for narrowing down the options of captains, as vessels get hit by storms in the Irish Sea. With Storm Isha just over, the News Letter also reported the the severe…
Ballyholme ILCA Sailors Bill O’Hara and Conrad Simpson Competing in NZ and Australia
23rd January 2024 Laser
Bill O’Hara and Conrad Simpson from Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough are used to travelling far and wide to race their Lasers and in Bill’s case, to officiate at world events, but at the moment, they are both on…
ILCA Youth Sailor Zoe Whitford from East Antrim Boat Club Awarded Mary Peters Trust Bursary
22nd January 2024 Youth Sailing
Seventeen-year-old Zoe Whitford from East Antrim Boat Club on Larne Lough is one of ten young athletes to be awarded a £500 bursary by the Mary Peters Trust. The Sports section of Local Women Magazine in Northern Ireland reports the partnership…
Bangor in County Down had a coating of snow and ice on Wednesday morning this week, and the Marina didn’t escape either. Temperatures are forecast to plummet as low as -8C over the coming days as Northern Ireland continues to…
Northern Ireland ILCA Sailors Ring In the New Year at Valencia Training Camp
18th January 2024 RYA Northern Ireland
Several of RYA Northern Ireland’s ILCA squad spent the New Year break at a warm-weather training camp in Valencia, Spain from 27 December to 3 January. Supported by RYANI performance manager Hammy Baker, the contingent comprised ILCA 6 sailors Lewis…
East Antrim Boat Club (EABC) on Larne Lough in Northern Ireland has a new commodore - Chris Dorman, who has been a member of EABC since boyhood. He is also a long-serving RNLI coxswain with the nearby lifeboat station and…