Tom MacSweeney
Tom MacSweeney writes a column for Afloat.ie. He is former RTE Marine Correspondent/Presenter of Seascapes and now has a monthly Podcast on the Community Radio Network and Podcast services
As the 2023 sailing and boating season gets into full swing, I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the past week getting my boat ready for launching and discussing safety on the water with fellow boat owners. A safety…
Kinsale Yacht Club will begin midweek sailing for cruisers on Wednesday, May 3. One Design keelboats Squibs and Dragons will start their evening sailing on the following evening, Thursday, May 4. The club’s Keelboat Regatta, sponsored by the Kingston Kinsale…
The Irish fishing Industry is making gains in Europe, a meeting of fishermen in Killybegs, County Donegal, has been told. They were assured by Fine Gael MEP, Colm Markey that the voice of the Irish fishing and seafood industry is…
Modifying vessels, including making changes to a vessel’s engine, without proper evaluation of the consequences, is very dangerous, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board has warned. It has urged the Minister for Transport to introduce rules for open commercial fishing boats,…
The first annual Seafood Trade Report of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has a few interesting statistics about how Ireland’s fishing industry is doing outside of the European Union. Three countries account for 63% of Irish seafood exported to…
The Irish Defence Forces have issued photos taken by the Air Corps of the Russian ships which have been off the West Coast for several days. Three have been spotted. Only two were earlier reported. As Afloat reported previously, the…
Royal Cork Yacht Club Encouraging Boat Ownership as Mixed Dinghies Make Return
26th March 2023 Royal Cork YC
The Mixed dinghy fleet will be returning to the water at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven, Cork Harbour, in April. The club wants to encourage boat ownership, and “this fleet is all about fun while learning to sail with…
Marine Casualty Investigation Board Warns About Auxiliary Engines on Racing Yacht
23rd March 2023 MCIB
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board has recommended that the Minister for Transport should amend or update the Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft to advise owners to ensure that auxiliary engines fitted to racing yachts provide…
Fishing Organisations Call on Oireachtas Committee for Fair treatment on Marine Protected Areas
10th March 2023 Marine Planning
The country’s major fishing organisations have called on the Oireachtas Committee dealing with the development of Marine Protected Areas to listen to them as it has to environmental organisations. The country’s major fishing representative organisations have claimed that the Committee’s…
Kinsale Yacht Club Sailors Make Good Speed on Shindig's Caribbean Voyage
6th March 2023 Tom MacSweeney
“Shindig is an old boat, very traditional, down-to-earth, you wouldn’t have the luxury of the super yachts around down here, some of which are massive cruising machines with every gadget known to man, but she suits us perfectly and makes…
Kerry solo sailor Pat Lawless has decided not to enter this year’s Global Solo Challenge Race, which he had intended to do. After withdrawing from the Golden Globe Race at Cape Town due to self-steering failure, he announced that he…
A humpback whale seen in Irish waters in January of 2010 and not reported again for thirteen years has been spotted off Newfoundland. Sighted on January 17, 2010, inshore off Hook Head, County Waterford, by Irish Whale and Dolphin Group…
The Irish Cruiser Racing Association’s survey of members has identified the biggest barriers to racing as being the costs involved in travelling to events and the lack of crews. The online survey asked members their views “to improve, support and…
Ireland is facing into the worst year in its fish processing history; it is better to have no deal than to have a bad deal, according to the country’s major fish producer organisations as EU-Norway fisheries talks enter a fifth…
Undaunted after being forced out of the Golden Globe Race at Cape Town in November, Pat Lawless is going to try again to sail solo, non-stop around the world. This time he will enter the Global Solo Challenge Race, with…
The Department of Defence is seeking tenders to recycle decommissioned Naval Service Vessels. Three were decommissioned at the same time last Summer - LÉ Eithne and two coastal patrol vessels LÉ Orla and LÉ Ciara. This was described at the…
There is a “strong need for safety considerations at dinghy events”, according to a Race Official Policy Group (ROPG) that has issued a new set of policy recommendations for those responsible for planning club or class events. The national sailing…
SCORA Will Provide a Platform for More Offshore Racing Says Commodore
22nd January 2023 Tom MacSweeney
The Commodore of the South Coast Offshore Racing Association (SCORA) says it has a number of aims for the season ahead – getting more boats off the marinas and out racing, creating links between dinghy sailors and keelboat racing and…
The results of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association’s (ICRA) national survey of members to get their views about racing are being compiled. They are expected to be completed and released within the next week. The survey has been carried out…
The Fight for the Offshore Islands Continue - Why Are They Not a Single Region?
19th January 2023 Tom MacSweeney
Islanders are unique people. I have often tried to make the point that we Irish should be particularly proud to claim that uniqueness because we live on an island at the edge of Western Europe. It is not a claim…
