Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
UK Prime Minister - Government Committed to Supporting Shipbuilding Industry
23rd May 2024 Shipyards
Across the Irish Sea, the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has said his government is committed to supporting the shipbuilding sector right across the nation. Speaking on the sector at Westminster, during Prime Minister's Questions, he said,"I've seen first hand…
Rail-Freight Services on Foynes Port-Limerick Line to Reopen By Early 2026
23rd May 2024 Shannon Estuary
New railway tracks have been laid for the reopening of the Foynes Port-Limerick City freight line, marking a major milestone of the project, with phase one progressing well, reports the Limerick Leader. Works begin in November, 2022, as Afloat previously…
New York Yacht Club Launches Performance Sailing Fund, Awards Initial Six Grants
23rd May 2024 Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing
The New York Yacht Club has added another facet to its diverse support of high-performance sailing by unveiling the Club’s Performance Sailing Fund, which has announced its first six grants. “We are so proud of the six Club members who…
Starting an hour early, two coastal courses, including the popular lap of Capri, were completed on the third and penultimate day of the IMA Maxi European Championship. The 20 maxi yachts faced a sub-10 knot southwesterly. At Wednesday’s conclusion, the…
Foynes Yacht Club Raises €3,000 at 'Darkness Into Light Event' on the Shannon Estuary
23rd May 2024 Shannon Estuary
The recent Darkness Into Light event at Foynes Yacht Club on the Shannon Estuary proved to be a tremendous success, raising an impressive €3,000 in donations. The event, which took place in May, saw the participation of several skippers and…
The anticipation for the 2024 Dragon Gold Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club is building as some of the biggest names in Dragon sailing have already confirmed their participation in the upcoming event, sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd. With almost…
Irish J24 competitors gathered at Foynes Yacht Club this past weekend for the Western Championships on the Shannon Estuary. Saturday's races saw challenging conditions, with four races completed in 10 to 12 knots of breeze. Anticipating calm conditions on Sunday,…
As Loughs Agency marks Invasive Species Week, the pressing need for heightened awareness and collaborative efforts to mitigate the impact of these species becomes increasingly evident. Invasive non-native species pose a major threat to the delicate balance of the ecosystems…
A Cork Harbour houseboat resident has told of his shock at seeing a “tornado” whipping towards him on Tuesday afternoon (21 May). As Echo Live reports, Gavin Higgins was watching TV below deck on his converted classic RNLI lifeboat in…
Royal Irish Yacht Club Member Guy O'Leary is On Day 23 of His Mile A Day in May Swim In aid of Cancer Research
23rd May 2024 Royal Irish Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC member) Guy O'Leary is on day 23 of his Mile A Day in May 2024 swim supporting the Trinity College/St.James Hospital Cancer Institute- Ireland's first centre of excellence for Cancer Research. This is the fifth…
National Yacht Club 'Women at the Helm' Regatta Attracts 63 Boats for Weekend Racing at Dun Laoghaire
22nd May 2024 Women in Sailing
This weekend's Women at the Helm Regatta 2024, hosted by the National Yacht Club and supported by Sia Partners and Irish Sailing, begins on Friday, May 24th, with a motivational panel featuring Olympic sailing silver medallist Annalise Murphy, solo offshore…
Dubin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Water Wag racing tonight (May 22) is cancelled due to gusty north-to-northwest winds reaching over 26 knots inside Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
The Naval Service’s newest addition to its fleet, the Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) LÉ Aoibhinn (P71) went to sea for the first time with a departure from the Naval Base on Haulbowline, Cork Harbour, on Monday morning. The twin inshore…
Cunard's Newest Cruise Ship Set to Come to Cork Next Month on Its Maiden 'Irish' Call
22nd May 2024 Cork Harbour
Cunard Line's newest cruise ship to its fleet, Queen Anne, is set to make quite an impression when the 113,000-ton newbuild makes its maiden 'Irish' call in Cobh, Cork Harbour, next month. The latest ship from Cunard continues the strong…
In electricity-generating circles, wave power may be seen as a potential though often challenging way of generating energy. But in Howth, energy and Wave power seem to have got together to have everything in mutually beneficial co-ordination for the biennial…
Record Eight Olympic Crews are Bound for Paris 2024 as Irish Rowers Prepare for World Cup II
22nd May 2024 Rowing
Rowing Ireland’s High-Performance Director, Antonio Maurogiovanni, has announced the athletes that will represent Ireland at World Cup II, and he has also reviewed this week's Final Olympic Qualification Regatta which saw Ireland's women's four qualify for Paris 2024. "The Final Olympic…
Waterford Harbour Sailing Club To Host Dunmore East RNLI Open Water Swim
22nd May 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
The Dunmore East RNLI Open Water Swim Charity Event will be held from Waterford Harbour Sailing Club on Sunday, June 2, with a predicted 350 sea swimmers expected for three swims of varying length - 1,600m, 800m, and 500m. “This…
Crosshaven Lifeboat's Successful Fund-raise Walks To Conclude This Sunday Morning
22nd May 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
The weekly Sunday morning yellow-welly fund-raise walks that have been a feature of each May weekend in Crosshaven, going sociably along the easy Cork Harbour shore path to Drake's Pool and back to the lifeboat station for welcome sustenance, will…
Cruise Ship Margaritaville at Sea Departs Harland & Wolff Following Completion of Major Refurbishment
22nd May 2024 Cruise Liners
Harland & Wolff Group’s Belfast shipyard bid farewell to the cruise ship Margaritaville at Sea Islander following a four-month major transformation of the former Costa Cruises owned vessel. In addition, the 2,380 passenger cruise ship, originally named the Costa Atlantica…
Bord Gáis Energy and Corio Generation to explore Ireland offshore wind opportunities
22nd May 2024 Power From the Sea
Bord Gáis Energy and Corio Generation have announced a new partnership to explore opportunities to supply Ireland’s electricity market with green electricity from offshore wind. The agreement represents Bord Gáis Energy’s entry into the offshore wind arena and will play…