Afloat.ie Team
Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.
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NI Sailors Among Junior Talents Shining at 2024 RYA Eric Twiname Championships
16th May 2024 Youth Sailing
Rutland Sailing Club in England’s East Midlands was a hub of energy over the May Bank Holiday weekend (4-6 May) as some 300 junior sailors — including nine from Northern Ireland — took to the water for the highly anticipated…
Ireland’s Simon Johnson was among the crew of Black Star who completed the podium at the 44Cup Baiona at the weekend. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Artemis Racing were victorious in the second round of the 2024 44Cup which concluded…
Marine Notice: Pipeline/Subsea Structure Inspection and Nearshore Survey at Corrib Gas Field
15th May 2024 Coastal Notes
The Department of Transport has been advised by Vermilion Exploration & Production Ireland Limited of a maintenance campaign that will include an offshore pipeline and subsea structure inspection at the Corrib Gas Field subsea infrastructure. This maintenance work was due…
Marine Notice: Trenching Trials for Celtic Interconnector Off South East Coast
15th May 2024 Power From the Sea
The Department of Transport has been advised by Asso.Subsea that they are performing trenching trials on behalf of Nexans for CIDAC as part of the Celtic Interconnector Project. The trenching trials will be located at various points along the planned…
The volunteer crew of Wicklow RNLI responded to two consecutive distress calls last Thursday (May 9th). The first call came in just before 1pm, reporting that two kayakers had capsized in the River Vartry, which flows into Wicklow Harbour. The…
Marine experts have joined with musicians for a collaborative project as part of Galway’s Cellissimo 2024 festival this weekend. “Galway Bay Is Calling” is the title of a project by cellist and composer Naomi Berrill which she has worked on…
Seafood Organisations Hold "Hustings" for European Election Candidates As Part of New Campaign
15th May 2024 Fishing
Fishing and seafood organisations are hosting a “hustings” for budding MEPS in the current European Parliament election campaign. The “#fight4fishing campaign” has invited Midlands North-West European Parliament election candidates to a public meeting in Killybegs next Wednesday, May 22nd. Candidates…
Saturday's (May 18th) RORC 160 nautical mile De Guingand Bowl Race will start off the Royal Yacht Squadron line. Almost uniquely in the RORC series, the De Guingand Bowl Race starts and finishes in The Solent. This allows the RORC…
Seventeen Cape 31s gathered at the Royal Thames Yacht Club for Round 2 of the 2024 31 Race Circuit, where Christian & Jacintha Hamilton-Love aboard Khumbu Red emerged victorious by a single point. The husband-wife team led the regatta and…
The much-anticipated Cork Harbour Festival is returning this June for 10 days of maritime fun, running from the 1st to the 10th. The festival showcases Cork's stunning natural assets, including Cork Harbour and the River Lee, and promises a diverse…
Susan Backlinie, the stuntwoman who played the first victim in the 1975 film “Jaws”, has died of a heart attack in California. Backlinie, who was 77, was a former national competitive swimmer before she began working on stunt scenes and…
Barrow Navigation: Caution Advised for Boaters Around Events in Carlow Town
15th May 2024 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Barrow Navigation that events will be taking place on the waterway in Carlow town over the next two weekends. The Kerala House Boat Race will take place this Sunday 19 May. And…
This year’s Whale Watch Ireland has been brought forward from its usual August date to coincide with National Biodiversity Week. The nationwide whale watch organised by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) takes place this Saturday 18 May between…
Controlled Explosion Brings Down Last Section of Baltimore Bridge Collapsed in Cargo Ship Strike
15th May 2024 Ports & Shipping
The final remaining span of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge — collapsed by a cargo ship crash in late March — has been brought down in a controlled explosion. As Marine Industry News reports, US Army explosives experts oversaw the…
Record Turnout on Lough Derg for Garrykennedy's 'Visitors' Cup' Sailing Event Raises €2,500 for RNLI
14th May 2024 Inland Waterways
Racing on Lough Derg is well underway already this season, with growing numbers appearing at Garykennedy Sailing Club's activities on Saturdays since April. Some 150 sailors turned out last Saturday for "The Visitors' Cup" which was part of a day…
With six months to go before the start of its 10th edition, the Vendée Globe is making an American aside! The last qualifying and selection race for the solo round the world race, the New York Vendée Les Sables d'Olonne,…
Quadriplegic Adventurer Geoff Holt Sets Sail on Record-breaking UK Coastline Challenge
14th May 2024 News Update
Involving months of planning and preparation, quadriplegic adventurer Geoff Holt MBE DL set sail from St. Katherine’s Dock, London in a record-breaking challenge to circumnavigate the UK coastline. The official ‘Finishing the Dream’ journey will call at 17 accessible ports…
Foyle Port’s 2024 cruise season kicked off with the arrival of Seabourn Ovation today, the first of three cruise ship visits this week. Over ten thousand passengers and crew are expected to visit the stunning North West of Ireland from…
Lynch, Craig and Gilmore are Crowned at 2024 ILCA Masters National Championships at Howth Yacht Club
14th May 2024 Laser
The ILCA Masters National Championships proved that the ILCA is a boat for all ages. The masters travelled to Howth Yacht Club to race in the sunshine and a steady south-easterly breeze ranging from 8 to 14 knots. Under the…
Garavogue Takes the Lead in Saturday's Dublin Bay Twenty One Lady Helm Race
13th May 2024 Dublin Bay 21
Dublin Bay on Saturday, 11th May, presented perfect sailing conditions with sunshine, easterly F3/ F4 winds, and a reasonably flat sea state. A full turnout for the Dublin Bay Twentyones with a couple of newcomers to the fleet taking their…