Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and waterways users on the Erne System that the Erne Pike Classic will take place this weekend from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 October. Friday involves a shore-based angling competition. The Waterways Ireland jetties…

Lighthouse tourism in Ireland has significantly increased, with a 60% rise in overnight stays in such facilities throughout the country since 2019, according to the Great Lighthouses of Ireland tourism initiative. Last year, over 622,000 people visited lighthouses and lighthouse…

When the Vikings first swept into Belfast Lough around 800 AD, the lack of harbours was no problem, as the gently shelving beach at the wide expanse of Ballyholme Bay was ideal for hauling their longships ashore. Thus Ballyholme –…

Last weekend, 27 GP14s gathered at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on the south shore of Belfast Lough for the first of the Hot Toddy meetings of the 23/24 season. Dominating the competition were the home crew of…

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Lower Bann Navigation in Northern Ireland that Portna Lock east of Kilrea will be closed to navigation from Monday 9 October for a period of around six weeks. This is to facilitate…

Many assorted vessels visit Bangor Marina, but the XOcean Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) may be the most unusual. Last week, Harbour Master Kevin Baird and his team, MCA staff and Belfast Coastguard welcomed the UK Maritime Minister Baroness Vere of…

Larne RNLI came to the aid of a swimmer who got into difficulty half a mile from Portmuck Harbour on Wednesday afternoon (4 October). The station’s volunteers were requested by Belfast Coastguard to launch both their all-weather and inshore lifeboats…

The enticingly named RS Feva Final Fling and Social on Saturday afternoon (7th) is being held at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on the south shore of Belfast Lough. Four of the nine boats entered were from Ballyholme…

The UK has been fined €32m by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for allowing pleasure boats to use red diesel before Brexit came into effect. Under EU law, only commercial boats can use lower-tax dyed diesel, following a ruling…

The Loughs Agency recently welcomed a marine science delegation from Korea to the North West as part of a two-day workshop focusing on transboundary cooperation for sustainable ocean and coastal areas. The workshop was organised and sponsored by Queen’s University…

For the second year in a row, East Antrim Boat Club top crewman Andy Thompson hit the sailing headlines by winning a major Fireball dinghy title with ace UK helmsman Tom Gillard.  In 2022, Gillard and Thompson scooped the world…

Taking off from Ballyholme Yacht Club in Northern Ireland a day ahead of Storm Agnes' arrival, Mixed Catamaran Olympic Medalists, John Gimson and Anna Burnett sailing a foiling Nacra 17 have beaten the previous record (subject to ratification) for a…

The first of the annual GP14 Hot Toddy events listed in the class calendar will be held this weekend (30th September -1st October) at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. The event originates at East Antrim…

Antrim Boat Club (ABC) in Northern Ireland has taken a step towards bringing back dinghy sailing after a long absence with the purchase of five RS Zest dinghies to develop a new training centre. Training has already started. The Club…

Lough Neagh “isn’t just dying, it’s been killed” by a combination of human-made factors, one conservationist has declared as the crisis around toxic blooms of blue-green algae continues. Speaking to The Irish Times, Friends of the Earth NI director James…

In early September, five boats from the Leisure 17 class at East Down Yacht Club in Northern Ireland, along with a Leisure 20, a Drascombe Long Boat, and a Golden Hind 26, embarked on a 15-mile journey from Strangford Lough…