Betty Armstrong
Betty Armstrong is Afloat and Yachting Life's Northern Ireland Correspondent. Betty grew up racing dinghies but now sails a more sedate Dehler 36 around County Down
Two Northern Ireland Yachts Racing to Kerry in Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Fleet
4th June 2023 Dun Laoghaire Dingle
The Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race starts from the National Yacht Club on Wednesday, 7th June at 2 pm, and this year, the 43-strong fleet will include two entries from the North of Ireland. Fresh from his second place…
Impalas and Sonatas Enjoy Successful Outing at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough
2nd June 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Hot on the heels of the very successful Leisure 17 50th Anniversary event at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough, a fleet of 12 Impalas and Sonatas gathered for a two-day Open Event last weekend (27th/28th May. The club…
Northern Ireland Yachts Post 'Pleasing Results' at 2023 Scottish Series
31st May 2023 Scottish Series
For some of the Northern Ireland boats which competed in the Scottish Series at Tarbert, the results were very pleasing. Of the nine who made the trip north, the best results were from Ballyholme-based Kevin Byers and Michael Russell’s Sigma…
Martel's Pippa IV from Royal Ulster Takes Second in the Scottish Islands Peak Race
27th May 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Gareth Martel from Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough, and his crew and runners on the Beneteau 40.7 Pippa VI had a very successful Scottish Islands Peaks Race finishing second overall. Gareth was delighted with the result “It was…
North Channel Wind to Consult With Local Communities on Offshore Wind Farm Proposals
27th May 2023 Power From the Sea
Communities along the coast of East Antrim and North Down in Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to learn about proposals for the installation of floating wind turbines in that part of the Irish Sea, commonly known as the North…
Shipbuilding was a major industry in Portaferry on Strangford Lough in the 1800s. Jump forward until 1973 when the Ruffian 23 was designed by the late William P Brown in 1972/73 and primarily built by his brother, the late Dickie…
Antrim Boat Club’s Summer Series is halfway through and enjoying good turnouts in a variety of conditions, with the courses being set using the club marks. Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison’s Limbo 6.6 F A 2 lead after four races.…
Leisure 17s to Celebrate Fifty Years of Sailing at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough
10th May 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Leisure 17s form a sizeable fleet at East Down Yacht Club, which is tucked away on a nine-acre site on the western shore of Strangford Lough, with an anchorage in Holm Bay between Island Taggart and the coast. It is…
Pat Kelly’s family crewed J109 Storm from Howth and Rush began this year’s Celtic Cup RC 35 series with a win at Kip Regatta, the first big event of the season. Dad Pat Kelly skippered the very competitive Storm with…
Local Ace Luke Simpson is Topper 5.3 Traveller Winner at County Antrim Yacht Club
18th May 2023 Topper
Twenty-one Topper dinghy sailors from as far away as Dun Laoghaire and Sligo Yacht Club turned out for last weekend’s Topper Traveller hosted by County Antrim Yacht Club on the north shore of Belfast Lough. The sailors raced in two…
Ballyholme Sailors Enjoy Excellent Results at Royal Irish Hosted RS Feva Easterns
14th May 2023 Royal Irish Yacht Club
The long trail from Ballyholme to the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire for the RS Feva East Coast Championships was worthwhile for the three crews from the North who dominated the result sheet, with the Ridout family taking…
North Channel Wind are Meeting with Key Stakeholders Over Floating Windfarms
1st May 2023 Power From the Sea
North Channel Wind which has Headquarters in Belfast, is a co-development agreement between SBM Offshore, based in the Netherlands, and Irish-based developer NMK Renewables, for a pair of floating wind farms in the North Channel. Although North Channel Wind has…
There are only a few days to go until the discounted entry fee for the RC35 two-day event at Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough ends. Before 30th April, it is £100; after that and before 17th June, it’s…
Minnis’s Archambault 35 Final Call II is Royal Ulster Yacht Club Spring Series Winner
25th April 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
The Spring Series at Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough ran over three Sundays in April and attracted 12 cruiser racers. IRC winner after six races was the local boat, five points ahead of Stuart Cranston’s Ker 32 Hijacker…
Bangor Marina’s First-Ever Nautical Car Boot Sale Raises Money for RNLI
23rd April 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Despite a dreary, dull wet, windy morning, Bangor Marina’s first-ever Nautical Car Boot Sale was a huge success, and it raised £150 for Bangor RNLI. A section of the Marina car park was filled with cars, tables, and even a…
Northern Ireland Dinghy Sailor Success at Howth's Youth Sailing Nationals
18th April 2023 Youth Sailing
Whether it be football or sailing, the people of Larne in County Antrim have plenty to celebrate, for the football club won the Irish League Cup on 15th April and East Antrim Boat Club’s ILCA 6 sailor, Tom Coulter began…
Emily McAfee Looks Invincible in the Topper 5.3 Fleet of Ballyholme Yacht Club's Junior Icebreaker
13th April 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
With two more day’s racing to go in the Junior Icebreaker Ballyholme Yacht Club in Belfast Lough, Emily McAfee looks invincible in the Topper 5.3 fleet, which inclement weather has considerably reduced from the original 22. In the Feva division,…
NI Sailors are Prominent as East Antrim's Tom Coulter Wins ILCA 6 Munster Title in Baltimore
12th April 2023 Laser
It’s over 300 miles from Belfast to Baltimore in County Cork, and for many Northern Ireland Laser enthusiasts, it was a worthwhile trip last weekend for the ILCA Munster Championships. Twelve sailors from East Antrim, Portrush and Coleraine in Co.Antrim,…
Strangford Lough in East County Down is the largest sea lough in the British Isles, and last week the lough's bottlenose dolphins were joined by a Scottish visitor called Squiggle, previously known as Tyler from Moray Firth. The dolphin with…
Northern Ireland Cruiser-Racers Join the West Highland Yachting Week Regatta Fleet
31st March 2023 Northern Ireland Waters
Two more Northern Ireland yachts have joined the 50-strong fleet for Scotland's West Highland Yachting Week, which celebrates 75 years in 2023 and runs from 29th July till 4th August. East Antrim Boat Club's Hydrology and Artemis from Larne Lough…