Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Foyle College Ambassadors were engaged in river and woodland habitat studies in Ness Woods
In late October and early November, Foyle College became the latest and final school to complete the 2023 Foyle and Carlingford Ambassador Programme after a week of engagement and educational workshops across the Foyle catchment area. On the Monday, 21…
Ross and Andrew Vaughan are the overall leaders of the RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland YC on Belfast Lough
Week two of the RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland YC series on Belfast Lough arrived dank and dismal on Sunday with light rain and a forecast including 29-knot gusts; what a contrast to the previous bright and…
The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club crew competing in JOG from left to right, Peter McConnell, Phil Clandillon and Gavin Doig
Until his Dehler 34 Penelope was dismasted competing in The Junior Offshore Group (JOG) racing in the Round the Isle of Wight race earlier this year, Peter McConnell, an outport member of Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough…
The winners of day one, Ross and Andrew Vaughan, at the RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
Counting a 3,2,4, Ross and Andrew Vaughan lead the RS400 fleet by one point on Belfast Lough after the first day of racing in the Winter Series trophy hosted by the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club. Lying second on…
Heather Kennedy officially took up the Lifeboat Operations Manager position at  Portaferry on 12 October 2023
A former lifeboat crew member who joined the volunteer team at Portaferry RNLI on Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland in 1980 when she was just 17 has recently returned to her hometown, where she has now taken up the reins…
Summer Ambassadors get an introduction to the programme in Newry and hike to Cloughmore Stone overlooking Carlingford Lough
Following July’s programme of events, the Foyle & Carlingford Ambassador summer programme was completed after a week of engaging and educational workshops across the Carlingford catchment this August. Young people signed up from across the catchment to take part. A…
This year, competitors are coming from near and far fro the RS400 Winter Series at Cultra; aside from the home RNIYC fleet, joining them will be RS400s from Carrick, Ballyholme, Strangford, Newcastle, Coleraine, Antrim and Dublin! With at least one helm flying over each weekend from London
The RS400 Winter Series returns to Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club for its 17th Year on Belfast Lough next weekend. Resuming this Sunday (5th November) and running until the 17th of December, the series concludes with the infamous Christmas…
ILCA sailor Daniel Palmer from Ballyholme Yacht Club
Hear from the RYANI’s performance manager Andrew Baker in the second RYA Connected Online session on Monday 27 November, where the focus will be on the talent and performance pathways for sailing in Northern Ireland. The evening session will provide an…
File image of Oxford Island Nature Reserve on the southern shores of Lough Neagh
Restrictions have been lifted at Oxford Island in Co Armagh after the discovery of a suspected wartime munition. The object has since been made safe after its examination by specialist PSNI officers at the Lough Neagh beauty spot and nature…
The Ballyholme Bay ODs shaping up for some club racing on Belfast Lough in their heyday. Two of the boats are now being offered 'free to a Good Home as restoration projects
Two Ballyholme Bay yachts, which would make a great match-racing pair, need a new home (or homes). They are 22 ft plank-built sloops which were built on the Clyde in approximately 1939 for members of Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast…
A dead juvenile salmon in the Corkley River near Keady where a slurry spill is being investigated
Local anglers have said it could take years for stocks to recover after a major fish kill in a Northern Ireland river. According to BBC News, it’s believed hundreds of juvenile salmon were lost as a result of a slurry…
File image of Larne Lough
Local campaigners are taking their challenge against proposed gas caverns under Larne Lough to the Court of Appeal, following its dismissal by the High Court in August. As previously noted on Afloat.ie, all seven grounds of the legal challenge brought…
Racing in the RS Feva 'Fling' Dinghy regatta at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough
Ten RS Fevas from clubs around Belfast Lough rounded off their season with a Final Fling at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club recently. After the initial strong wind died down to just in time to allow the event to…
File image of Portora Lock outside Enniskillen
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and inland waterways users that Portora Lock on the Erne System is currently operation. The lock will be operated daily from 8am to 10.30pm. During these times, a lock-keeper will be present and will…
Storm Babet will bring very heavy rainfall to Northern Ireland over the next 24 hours, particularly in Antrim and Down, with the Mourne Mountains set for downpours
The Rivers Trust has issued advice to the public ahead of the potential flood impacts of Storm Babet on Northern Ireland waters over the next few days. Yellow weather warnings have been issued across the rest of the week for…
Lough Foyle’s native oyster population is important locally and internationally, economically and environmentally
Loughs Agency, the regulatory body for fisheries in Northern Ireland, has announced the suspension of the Native Oyster Fishery in the Foyle area starting from 6 am on October 24th, 2023, until 6 pm on February 29th, 2024. The decision…