Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
It was ultra-high summer, and it was difficult sailing in Dublin Bay for the hugely varied fleet starting their racing in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2019 writes W M Nixon. Today’s opening racing started with so much promise –…
Dermot O’Flynn’s 'Colleen Deas' finds some sparkling sailing with the Classics while the early breeze lasted in the first race of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta today. With three Colleen replicas sailing this afternoon, it was reckoned to be the first…
'Forty-foot' can mean different things to different people on Dublin Bay. In sailing terms, it might very well be a nick-name for 'Class Zero' but for most of the Capital's citizens, it's the stronghold for sea bathers on the southern tip of…
GAA presenter and commentator Marty Morrissey and hurling legend Anthony Daly joined the lifeboat crew from Kilrush RNLI and young players from Co Clare to raise awareness of the risks of drowning and encourage people to enjoy the water safely.…
Irish Puffins Get ‘Free Ride’ From Tidal Currents When Searching For Food
11th July 2019 Marine Science
New research on Irish puffins has revealed that the sea birds swap the skies for the sea and make use of strong total currents to save energy when they search for food. The two-year study by MaREI and conservation charity ZSL…
Divers of the Naval Service which form an elite unit in the force is operating at less than a quarter of its intended capacity as a result of the Defence Force’s retention crisis. Naval Service Diving Section according to The…
New Bill Would Mandate That MCIB Members Have Relevant Marine Accident Experience
11th July 2019 MCIB
A new bill before the Dáil seeks to amend the “bizarre circumstances” that mean there is no legal obligation for members of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) to have relevant marine accident experience. As TheJournal.ie reports, the Merchant Shipping…
Ireland is among 22 entries for the 2022 edition of the Golden Globe Race that will be hosted again by the Vendée City of Les Sables d'Olonne it has been announced this week. As Afloat previously reported back in April, Pat Lawless…
Woman & Children Rescued After Stranding On Island Off Skerries At High Tide
11th July 2019 RNLI Lifeboats
Skerries RNLI helped rescue a woman and two children yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 10 July) after they were stranded on Shenick Island having been cut off by the rising tide. Shortly after 3pm, the Irish Coast Guard tasked the north Co Dublin lifeboat station to…
Historic Ketch Ilen Reaches First Port in Greenland After 11-Day Voyage from Limerick
11th July 2019 Ilen
After experiencing every sort of condition from Force 8 winds to near calms, the 56ft 1926-built restored ketch Ilen of Limerick has reached her first port in Greenland to conclude 11 days of Transatlantic ocean voyaging, having successfully negotiated the…
Galway-Lorient Sailors Will Honour French Lifeboat Crew Who Died in Storm Miguel
11th July 2019 Cruising
Three French lifeboat crew who died in a recent sea rescue will be remembered by a fleet of west of Ireland sailing craft setting sail from Galway for the Breton port of Lorient later this week writes Lorna Siggins. Bearing…
The European Commission has received no formal notification to date that Irish fishery protection has been affected by Naval Service crew shortages writes Lorna Siggins Three ships are currently tied up in port, and Paul Kehoe, Minister of State with special…
North Sails Ireland service crew will be on hand in force for the VDLR regatta 2019. Since way back in 2004 North Sails Service Team have been on hand at every major Irish regatta to keep our clients and any…
#Rowing: Rowing Ireland has launched Greenblades, an initiative to help fund the junior, under 23 and development teams by means of donations. Currently, development rowers often call heavily on support from their families, as well as Rowing Ireland and whatever…
The UK government's Brexit ferry programme was "rushed and risky", according to a cross-party group of MPs, who confirmed the botched project had cost £85m. As BBC News reports a procurement process to provide extra ferry services was held in…
A number of Irish Naval Service vessels, RTE reports, will not be able to patrol the Mediterranean Sea to assist with the rescue of migrants, the Taoiseach has told the Dáil. Leo Varadkar said that as three Irish naval vessels…
The Port of Waterford has a new freight shipping route to Rotterdam which has opened a new pathway between Ireland and the continent which could help exporters post-Brexit. The first sailing on the Waterford-Rotterdam route, RTE reports, is operated by Dutch…
Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2019: IRC Runners & Riders (Download Class Splits HERE!)
10th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
There is no doubt about it that 500 entries – so far – for Thursday's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is a great indication of the state of yacht racing in Ireland, especially when so many other regattas struggle for numbers.…
A Scottish ferry master with decades of experience sailing on the west coast has hit out at the management of the lifeline service and the “inadequacy” of current quayside infrastructure. As pressure mounts on the islands according to The Herald,…
The Dublin Port Company is seeking planning permission for an estimated €320 million worth of projects that make up the second stage of its main expansion plan. The State-owned company, writes The Irish Times, is working on a masterplan that…
