Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
#FerryNews - At the centre of the Conservative Party is an ongoing spat over post-Brexit customs arrangements that shows a solution remains out of reach. As the Daily Post writes, Theresa May’s preferred new “customs partnership” model was instantly shot…
Grand Soleil 44 Leads ISORA as Offshore Race Reroutes to Dun Laoghaire Due to Lack of Marina at Holyhead
10th May 2018 ISORA
Frank Whelan's Grand Soleil 44 Eleuthera goes into Saturday's first ISORA qualifying race of 60–miles as the overall series leader but the Greystones Sailing Club entry is only narrowly ahead of second placed Royal St. George's Chris & Patanne Power Smith's, J/122 Aurelia.…
Aisling Keller Makes Laser Euros Gold Fleet, Finn Lynch Misses Cut By One Place
10th May 2018 Tokyo 2020
Finn Lynch narrowly missed out on Gold fleet racing overnight – by a single place – after three days of qualifying races at the Laser European Championships in La Rochelle, France. While Ireland's three boat Olympic Laser sailing team competing…
Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat Called Out Twice To Boats Fouled On Pots
9th May 2018 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
#RNLI - Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was called out twice in quick succession this afternoon (Wednesday 9 May) to two separate vessels fouled on fishing pots. The volunteer crew of Dun Laoghaire launched to assist one boat that had…
A brand new 45–foot Lagoon catamaran will be the highlight of a display of new craft going on show at Howth Yacht Club this weekend. The north Dublin club, in association with broker MGM Boats, will host an 'open weekend' at…
Europe Day: Sees Start of Historic New First Ever Direct Ireland-Spain Ferry Route Service
9th May 2018 Ferry
#FerryNews - Europe Day aptly coincided with Brittany Ferries albeit delayed start of the first ever direct Ireland-Spain ferry service when Connemara departed Cork at lunchhour today bound for Santander, writes Jehan Ashmore. Almost berthed adjacently to Ringaskiddy Ferry Terminal…
#FerryNews - Swedish based operator, Stena Line which operates services across northern Europe continues to deliver on its ambitious sustainability strategy. This involves 15% lower sulphur emissions, reduced plastic on board and a decreased number of accidents among the seagoing…
ESPO Publishes Position Paper on Port Reception Facilities for Ship-Waste
9th May 2018 Ports & Shipping
#Ports&Shipping - European ports is where ship waste has been one of the main environmental priorities, as indicated in the ESPO 2017 Sustainability Report. In its position paper on the revision of the Port Reception Facilities Directive, the European Sea…
Exposure Lights are sponsors of the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) Coastal Night Races for 2018. Both races take competitors over a 35 mile course through the night. One race is based in Dun Loaghaire while the other is…
Event number two of the 2018 RS season happened over the bank holiday of 5/6 May in Rush Sailing Club, North Co. Dublin to host the Eastern Championships for RS400s/200s/Fevas. In total there was 30 boats entered with many other…
#SeaFest - The business of SeaFest was discussed at a special meeting in Galway City Hall last Thursday (3 May), which heard that Ireland’s largest maritime festival generated €6.9 million for the local economy in 2017. “The ploughing championships for…
#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI launched on Monday evening (7 May) to carry out a medical evacuation for a man from Sherkin Island off the West Cork coast. The volunteer lifeboat crew arrived on scene at 7.40pm, just eight minute after launch,…
#DublinBay - A transport company based in the UK reports The Times, is involved in a planning row over the proposed use of the former ferry terminal in Dún Laoghaire Harbour as a coach park. Go-Ahead, which recently secured contracts…
There will be some in the 2018 race who remember the first Round Ireland Yacht race in 1980. Back then, within a few weeks of the preliminary race programme being published, more than 50 requests for it were received. As…
As darkness fell and the lights came on at the RCYC Marina on Friday night I was a happy man. We had sailed our first club evening race in Cork Harbour the UK Sailmakers Ireland League, without any hassle. We…
Irish ocean racer Tom Dolan from the National Yacht Club and his co-skipper Tanguy Bouroullec had moved inside the top ten in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale on Tuesday as the finish line draws close. The pair have less than…
Dolphins Spotted at Play Inside Dun Laoghaire Harbour (VIDEO)
9th May 2018 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
The National Yacht Club's Mal Nowlan couldn't believe his eyes on Saturday afternoon when a pod of dolphins came into the harbour to play around his boat. 'I was calibrating my RIB’s compass when DBSC’s Committee Boat 'Freebird' came into the harbour…
#FerryNews - In an announcement today, the Manx Government has plans to acquire the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (IoMSPC) for £124m. If approved by Tynwald later this month, BBC News writes the deal would see the government commit…
George Sisk's Farr 42 WOW! Gets a Makeover for 2018 Sailing Season
8th May 2018 UK Sailmakers Ireland
Royal Irish Yacht Club Skipper George Sisk has had the Farr 42 WOW! for nearly ten years so there was a feeling that it was time to look at a new boat for his Dublin Bay and Irish yacht racing…
A ceremony took place at the Old Head of Kinsale in Cork at the weekend to commemorate the sinking of the Lusitania and its 1,191 victims 103 years ago. The ocean liner was torpedoed at 2.10pm on 7 May 1915…
