Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Watrerways Ireland

#Riverfest - Avid fans of watersports from across the UK & Ireland will descend on Coleraine on 9-10 August when the Waterways Ireland Riverfest takes place on the Lower Bann River and Christie Park.

On the water, wakeboarding, jetskiing and bare-footing demos will run throughout the day each day with competitive stand-up paddle boarding and sailing, rowing and angling all in the packed family fun programme.

Off the water, an inflatable fun area welcomes kids of all ages, alongside climbing walls, a boat and motor-home display, food and retail areas and the all-Ireland u90kg Strong Man and Strong Woman finals.

Sponsored by Waterways Ireland and supported by Coleraine Borough Council, the event runs 10.30am to 6pm on the Saturday and 12.30pm to 6pm on the Sunday and is free for all the family.

"The Waterways Ireland Riverfest in Coleraine receives our support because it engages more families, young people in waterway recreation in a spectacular and innovative fashion, leading the way with a range of events and activities you cannot experience elsewhere," said Waterways Ireland chief executive Dawn Livingstone.

"Thousands of people have enjoyed the Riverfest and have become great enthusiasts for their watersport and ambassadors for the event, the Lower Bann and Coleraine."

Rob Skelly, owner of The Edge Watersports in Coleraine and one of the event organisers, added: "The Waterways Ireland Riverfest has been a phenomenal success since we launched eight years ago. For 2014, the line-up will be bigger and better cementing its reputation as one of the best watersports events across the UK and Ireland.

"The natural waterway of the Lower River Bann provides a wonderful platform and backdrop for the magnificent displays. Once again we are delighted to be working alongside Waterways Ireland who is as ever supportive and actively promoting recreational opportunities on the inland waterways.

"Coleraine Borough Council are avid supporters of the event contributing since the events inception both financially and with some valued in-kind support, which has assisted the festival extend its land based offering to visitors on this idyllic site adjacent to the River Bann."

Mayor of Coleraine George Duddy met with the festival team by the River Bann to see for himself the wealth of entertainment planned for this year's event.

"Coleraine Borough Council has continued to support the development of this event as it attracts residents and visitors to an important location in the town," he said. "The River Bann provides the focus to this free family fun day, which is a great weekend for families of all ages, while supporting the local businesses to showcase the town for shoppers.

"I look forward to this year's event and congratulate all the teams involved in continuing to develop the Waterways Ireland Riverfest programme, as a significant attraction in the Borough's calendar of events."

For further information click on the Waterways Ireland Riverfest​ events page on Facebook HERE.

Published in Maritime Festivals

Tricentenary 'Cork 300' Celebrations at Royal Cork Yacht Club

Cork 300 is the overall name for a series of events which will be held in Cork Harbour and further afield in 2020 to celebrate the tricentenary of Royal Cork Yacht Club.

300 years earlier, 25 individuals came together and created what is now the oldest yacht club in the world (where it all began). Today, there are thousands of yacht clubs across the globe with a collective membership running into the millions.

Cork, its harbour and its communities will proudly celebrate all that is on offer to visitors to Irelands Maritime Paradise with a series of events throughout the year. Register your interest here.

The lead events will be as follows:

July – The Great Gathering (Keelboats)
August – The Three Championship Weeks (Dinghies)
August – The Club At Home Regatta (Keelboats & Dinghies)

Events include…

AIB 1720 Southern Championships 28th-30th August
Sadly, the 1720 Europeans scheduled to take place as part of Volvo Cork Week fell victim to the covid 19 pandemic. The Royal Cork Yacht Club is instead hosting the AIB 1720 Southern Championships 2020 as part of their Tricentenary At Home Regatta weekend. The 1720 class originated from an idea generated by some committed racing members of the Royal Cork Yacht Club with the first prototype taking to the water in 1994. Designed by Tony Castro, they have been delighting many a competitive sailor since.

Tricentenary at Home Regatta, 28th - 30th August:
The AIB Tricentenary at Home Regatta will be the biggest sailing event of the year in the Royal Cork calendar. Racing will be available for all classes both dinghy and keelboat with many visitors expected from up and down the Irish South Coast. The National 18 Southern Championships will also feature as part of the racing over the weekend.

Maritime Parade 29th August
A maritime parade, originally scheduled for July, will now take place during the Tricentenary Regatta on the 29th August, with the support of the Irish Naval Services and Port of Cork. The Admiral of the Royal Cork and other dignitaries will review the parade from one of the Irish Naval Service vessels which will be anchored in the vicinity of Haulbowline.

1720s Race from Haulbowline to Crosshaven, 29th August
Following the Maritime Parade, a race will take place between all of the 1720s boats from the Naval Signal Tower back to the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven. The National 18 Class will also be participating.

RCYC Exhibition at the Sirius, 29th August to 19th December
A RCYC Exhibition will be launched at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh on August 29th following the day's events. The Sirius was the Royal Cork Club House from 1854 to 1966, and the Exhibition will take a look at what life was like at the yacht club during its time there.

Fastnet Challenge, 29th August
The Fastnet Powerboat Challenge originally scheduled for the last week of July has now been moved to the last weekend of August (Weather permitting). This will see the UIM Long Distance Cork-Fastnet-Cork World Record attempt competed for.

Cork300 Family Race to the City, 12-13 September
In conjunction with Cove Sailing Club's annual Cobh to Blackrock race, Yachts and craft from across Cork Harbour will take part in a race to Blackrock Castle, following on from which, they will continue to the city Quays where they will remain overnight and provide a spectacle of sail within the City environs.

AIB National 18 Championships, 12-13 September
The AIB National 18 Championships for adult sailors in the UK and Ireland will take place from 12-13 September in Crosshaven this year as part of the Cork300 celebrations.

AIB Cork300 Autumn League, 27 September-25 October
The premier yacht racing event on the South Coast this year, the AIB Cork300 Autumn League, will be held over 5 weekends leading up to the October Bank Holiday weekend. This is expected to be the largest yacht racing event on the South Coast of Ireland this year.

AIB Irish Team Racing National Championships 2020, 21-22 November
Sailing teams from across the country will compete in Cork Harbour for the title of AIB Irish Team Racing National Champion 2020

All races will be governed by the COVID-19 guidelines as laid out by Irish Sailing and organising clubs.

At A Glance – Royal Cork Tricentenary

Founded in 1720, by a group of 25 pioneering individuals, the Royal Cork Yacht Club is the oldest yacht club in the world, and its tricentenary celebrations will take a look back at the origins of ‘where it all began’, which is attracting significant international interest from thousands of yacht clubs across the globe

Featured Sailing School

INSS sidebutton

Featured Clubs

dbsc mainbutton
Howth Yacht Club
Kinsale Yacht Club
National Yacht Club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht club
Royal Saint George Yacht Club

Featured Brokers

leinster sidebutton

Featured Webcams

Featured Associations

ISA sidebutton
ICRA
isora sidebutton

Featured Marinas

dlmarina sidebutton

Featured Chandleries

CHMarine Afloat logo
https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/viking-marine

Featured Sailmakers

northsails sidebutton
uksails sidebutton
watson sidebutton

Featured Blogs

W M Nixon - Sailing on Saturday
podcast sidebutton
BSB sidebutton
wavelengths sidebutton
 

Please show your support for Afloat by donating