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Coronavirus and Boating
Aran Islands, County Galway - There are about 3,000 residents on 20 inhabited offshore islands around the coast
Island residents should be given group vaccinations in their communities rather than on the mainland, Éamon Ó Cuív has said. As Times.ie reports today, the Galway West Fianna Fáil TD, who was minister for rural and Gaeltacht affairs from 2002…
Baltimore spring training is cancelled for this year, but the IODAI is looking at an alternative event
The Irish Optimist calendar will look a little different for 2021 due to continued disruption amid the coronavirus pandemic. The first casualty of the present restrictions is the spring training week in Baltimore. However, the International Optimist Dinghy Associaton of…
Support Scheme for Scottish Marine Tourism Businesses Opens for Applications Next Week
A £2.5m fund to help marine tourism businesses in Scotland restart operations in 2021 will be open for applications from next week, according to Marine Industry News. The Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund is part of an overall £104.3m…
2021 OSTAR & TWOSTAR Races Still Going Ahead as Planned
This year’s OSTAR and TWOSTAR races are going ahead as planned, the Royal Western Yacht Club of England has confirmed. Organisers say that after consultation with finishing hosts Newport Yacht Club in Rhode Island, they are “confident that we can…
Boot Dusseldorf has been cancelled in April
Germany's Boot Dusseldorf that originally postponed from January to April due to COVID-19 has now been called off for 2021. The world’s largest indoor boat show fell due to the ongoing high infection numbers across all of Europe.  The massive…
Tokyo Olympics Doubtful, Says Man Who Ran London 2012
The head of the organising committee for the London Olympics in 2012 has said the Tokyo Games scheduled for this summer look “unlikely” to go ahead. As the Guardian reports, Sir Keith Mills told the BBC he “would be making…
Islander James Coyne in a still from the video series Inishbofin in Lockdown
A new video series is providing vivid snapshots of life among a Connemara island community during lockdown. Filming for Inishbofin in Lockdown was completed last spring — when Inishbofin, off western Connemara, joined the three Aran Islands in agreeing to…
Boats are Excluded From State COVID Support Because They are Mobile
It seems logical, boats move, but that is their business. The Department of Finance takes a different view. It has told boat operators that this mobility excludes them from being given the supports offered to businesses which are landbound –…
Rolex China Sea Race 2021 Cancelled Amid Pandemic Concerns
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club has cited “continued uncertainty regarding international border openings” amid the coronavirus pandemic in its decision to cancel the 2021 Rolex China Sea Race, which had been due to start on 31 March. In a statement,…
Navigations are open up to 5 kilometres from your home (ROI only), provided you continue to observe social distancing at all times
Waterways Ireland Inspector of Navigation Paddy Harkin is advising all Masters of vessels and water users of the Shannon Navigation, Shannon-Erne Waterway, Royal Canal, Grand Canal, Barrow Line and Navigation that the following access to navigations and availability of services will…
Scottish Sailing Tourism to Get a Boost from Restart Funding Scheme
Scotland’s struggling aquatic tourism sector is set to be boosted by a £2.5m pandemic support package from the devolved government, as Marine Industry News reports. Sail Scotland and Wild Scotland have secured the £2.5m restart grant scheme aimed at supporting…
File image of the quayside at Ramsey on the Isle of Man
A man has been jailed for four weeks on the Isle of Man after breaking coronavirus rules by riding a jet ski from Scotland to the island. As Sky News reports, 28-year-old Dale McLaughlan — who had never before used…
The tail of a humpback whale, HBIRL55, spotted off Co Kerry earlier this year
Fáilte Ireland says it plans to capitalise on huge interest in dolphin and whale watching in Ireland in its future tourism marketing plans. The organisation’s chief executive Paul Kelly made the commitment as he addressed the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism…
boot Düsseldorf 2021 Moves to April
boot Düsseldorf 2021 will be held from 17th to 25th April. The original dates from 23 to 31 January could not be used due to the ongoing high infection numbers across all of Europe. Messe Düsseldorf has postponed boot after…
A festive maritime scene at Arklow Harbour
Boats lit up for Christmas at Arklow Marina are certainly proving a popular draw at the County Wicklow Harbour. In COVID-19 lockdown, boat owners have responded to the need to brighten up peoples lives by decorating their boats for the…
Yachts on moorings in Drakes Pool, Crosshaven in Cork Harbour
Non-contact organised training and coaching for sailing can resume in pods of 15 when a move to Level 3 COVID Restrictions (modified) take effect from Tuesday 1st December according to a Government announcement. The main points of these restrictions as they…

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Irish Sailing & Boating

Since restrictions began in March 2020, the Government is preparing for a 'controlled and gradual return to sport' and the 2020 sailing fixtures are being tentatively redrafted by yacht clubs, rowing clubs angling and diving clubs across Ireland as the country enters a new phase in dealing with the Coronavirus. The hope is that a COVID-19 restrictions might be eased by May 5th as Sport Ireland has asked national governing bodies for information on the challenges they face. 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.

To help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) everyone has been asked to stay at home. But some people may need to do more than this.

You may need to either:

You do these things to stop other people from getting coronavirus.

Read advice for people in at-risk groups

Read advice about cocooning.

Restricted movements

Everybody in Ireland has been asked to stay at home. You should only go out for a few reasons, such as shopping for food.

But you need to restrict your movements further if you: 

  • live with someone who has symptoms of coronavirus, but you feel well
  • are a close contact of a confirmed case of coronavirus
  • have returned to Ireland from another country

You need to restrict your movements for at least 14 days.

But if the person you live with has had a test and it is negative, you don't need to wait 14 days. You should still follow the advice for everyone - stay at home as much as possible.

Close contact

This is only a guide but close contact can mean:

  • spending more than 15 minutes of face-to-face contact within 2 metres of an infected person
  • living in the same house or shared accommodation as an infected person

How to restrict your movements 

Follow the advice for everybody - stay at home.