The latest news from Scottish and Northern Irish waters produced by Yachting Life & Afloat.
Bangor Marina's COVID-19 Concession to Berth Holders
2 April 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Last week the Quay Marinas/Dean & Reddyhoff Bangor marina closed, a victim of the COVID-19 Government restrictions in Northern Ireland. As Afloat reported previously, the Five Anchor Marina on Belfast Lough announced that from this Spring it would become part…
Stormont Minister Closes Northern Ireland’s Angling Waters In Efforts To Control Covid-19
1 April 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
All DAERA angling waters in Northern Ireland have been closed with immediate effect in efforts to control the spread of Covid-19, as the Newry Times reports. The confirmation comes from Edwin Poots, Stormont’s Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs,…
RYA Urges British Boaters To Think Again Before Cancelling Payments & Support Local Networks
31 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
British boaters are being encouraged to support their local boating networks wherever possible during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As Boating Business reports, the RYA is asking people to think again before cancelling payments to sailing clubs, marinas, class associations and…
Exclusion Zone Set Up At Cargo Ship Out Of Drogheda That Ran Aground In Western Scotland
27 March 2020 Scottish Waters
An exclusion zone was set up around a cargo ship out of Drogheda that ran aground in Scotland’s Hebrides earlier this week, as it was battered by persisting storm conditions. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, eight crew were airlifted from…
Belfast Harbour Marina Closes to Visitors Until Further Notice
25 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In a rapid spread of harbour and marina closures in Northern Irish waters, the next to suffer is Belfast Harbour Marina which is closed to visitors until further notice. The action has been taken in the light of current UK Government…
Vessels May Not Launch: Harsher Restrictions in County Down Harbours
25 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In a ramping up of curbs on the use of some harbours in County Down, Ards and North Down Council have issued a Notice to Berth Holders preventing the launching and mooring of vessels, apart from fishing boats, in its…
In the light of the latest UK Government announcement, the British Dragon Association (BDA) along with the Royal Forth Yacht Club (RFYC) has taken the decision to cancel this year's Scottish Dragon Championship and Edinburgh Cup event on the Forth…
Eight crew were rescued from a cargo ship out of Drogheda that ran aground off the Isle of Skye in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides early yesterday morning (Monday 23 March). The MV Kaami had left Drogheda Port on the evening of…
Bangor Marina Closes Under UK’s Three-Week Covid-19 Lockdown
24 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Following last night’s announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of a full lockdown in the UK over the next three weeks, Bangor Marina in Northern Ireland has closed and is asking customers to stay away for the duration of the…
Members of Cockle Island Boat Club in Groomsport near Bangor on Belfast Lough have had to cancel indefinitely the lift-in planned for 27th April and organised by Terry Graham, due to restrictions on the size of gatherings in the current…
Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough Falls Victim to Covid-19
23 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Northern Ireland's biggest sailing event, Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough has been cancelled over Covid 19 concerns. A statement from the organising club, Royal Ulster, says: - “It is with deep regret that the Organising Committee of Bangor Town…
A local Shetland fishing trawler is now safely back in harbour after briefly running aground near Trondra in the early hours of yesterday morning (Saturday 21 March). The 26m whitefish trawler Sedulous had five crew on board when it went ashore around the…
The Scottish Series, Scotland's biggest sailing event scheduled for the Clyde on May 22 is the latest yachting regatta to become a casualty of Coronavirus restrictions. In a letter to competitors issued this morning, the 2020 cancellation stated that the decision…
Royal Ocean Racing Club Cancels Easter Challenge
19 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In line with the UK Government's latest advice, and the Royal Yachting Association's (RYA) announcement to suspend events in light of Coronavirus (COVID-19), The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has taken the decision to cancel the Easter Challenge which was…
MJM Marine Says Mass Layoffs ‘Unavoidable’ In Newry As Orders Postponed Over Covid-19
18 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Newry ship refurbisher MJM Marine has told its staff that redundancies “in large numbers” are unavoidable after all future orders were postponed indefinitely amid the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. The Belfast Telegraph reports on an internal communication to staff yesterday (Tuesday…
RYA NI Suspends Northern Ireland Organised Sailing Activity Until April 30
18 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In a communication this morning, Richard Honeyford, Chief Operating Officer in RYA Northern Ireland, said that in line with the RYA, the local governing body will be suspending organised activity until 30th April writes Betty Armstrong. This includes all Youth…
Northern Ireland Sea Cadets Win Gold....At Football
18 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Sea Cadets in Northern Ireland excel at football as well as rowing and sailing, demonstrated by the junior girls' five-a-Side team winning Gold at the National Finals in England recently. The junior team, aged 12 to 15, was made up…
What Will Happen To This Summer’s Sailing Events?
18 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
It was just a little more than a week ago that Irish Sailing issued its first statement over the coronavirus outbreak to the effect that ‘all events were going ahead as scheduled’. Then last Thursday (12 March) it cancelled its…
RYA Northern Ireland ‘Keeping Covid-19 Developments Under Close Review’
16 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RYA Northern Ireland says it is keeping developments regarding the COVID-19 virus in Northern Ireland “under close review”. In a statement, the RYANI says it “will follow the guidelines set by the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Government, and…
Tobermory Lifeboat Goes To Aid Fish Farm Support Vessel With Engine Fire
15 March 2020 Scottish Waters
Tobermory RNLI's volunteer crew rushed to the aid of a 23m fish farm support vessel with the misfortune to have an engine fire on the evening of Friday 13 March. After putting out a ‘Pan Pan’ alert, the crew managed…
Cruise Liner Bound For Belfast Rerouted From Italian Ports Over Nationwide Covid-19 Lockdown
13 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A cruise liner bound for Belfast in May has had its itinerary changed to avoid two upcoming port calls in Italy, following that country’s extraordinary national lockdown measures to control the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the MSC…
Red Diesel Subsidy Removal “Disappointing” says British Marine
12 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Yesterday the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, delivered his first Budget setting out the UK Government’s fiscal priorities. Speaking to MPs in the House of Commons, he pledged greater funding and resources for the NHS…
Scottish Hunter 707 'Autism on the Water' Gets Free Ferry to Bangor Town Regatta
12 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A charity yachting organisation that was originally planning to sail from Scotland to Northern Ireland to save competition costs at Bangor Town Regatta this June has had its transport costs covered. Murray McDonald, skipper of the Hunter 707 Autism on the…
RYA Northern Ireland Celebrates Award for Women on Water Initiative
12 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
RYA Northern Ireland is celebrating clinching a prestigious award at the Active Fit and Sporty Awards at the ceremony held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast, just a few days before International Women’s Day. The Active, Fit and Sporty…
Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championship Moves to Royal Southern Yacht Club
8 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Dubarry sponsored UK Women’s Open Keelboat Championship (WOKC) will be hosted on the 13th/14th June from the beautiful location of the Royal Southern Yacht Club. Ireland has previously been successful at the event with Howth Yacht Club helmswoman Laura…
Portaferry’s coastguard rescue team was paged yesterday morning (Saturday 7 March) to a report of multiple kayakers capsized in the water off Killyleagh on Strangford Lough. Portaferry RNLI were also tasked to the incident, recovering four individuals from the water…
Northern Ireland Women on Water Festival Launched for Second Year
6 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The second Women on Water Festival will take place at Carrickfergus Sailing Club with Belfast Lough Sailability on 6 June 2020, bringing together women from right across NI as they take to the water. The first festival was held in…
The route for the 5th Fife Regatta plans to visit historic hidden gems along Scotland's Clyde coast, celebrating the local craftsman William Fife, whose yachts still compete around the world with a number returning to home waters this June. The…
Carrybridge RNLI Assist One Person on Motor Cruiser Aground
4 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
At 4.17pm on Wednesday 4 March, Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Douglas Euan & Kay Richards, and Rescue Water Craft (RWC) was launched to a vessel with one person on board which had run aground approx. 2 miles North of Carrybridge.…
Three NI Sailors Prepare To Battle It Out For Their Place At Tokyo 2020
4 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The countdown is on for three Northern Ireland sailors campaigning for their place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in late July this year, writes Betty Armstrong. The athletes, who have been training for over four years, as part of their…
The RNLI lifeboat stationed in Aith in the Shetland Islands is to be led by local man John Robertson. He has been appointed by the lifesaving charity as coxswain of the RNLI Charles Lidbury, the regular lifeboat stationed in the…
Royal Ulster Yacht Club has extended its Early Bird entry discount for June's Bangor Town Regatta. The move comes after consultation with some of the competing classes who haven’t quite finalised their racing calendar for this year. As a result, the…
RYANI Youth Forum Develops Leaders & Ambassadors
3 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The great sailor Ed Baird, Laser World champion in 1980 and World J24 Champion in 1983 is reputed to have said that the most important skills come from 'Time on the Water'. Now in preparation for doing just that this…
Minister Casts Off 2020 Angling Season In Northern Ireland
3 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Northern Ireland’s Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots has officially launched the 2020 angling season for more than 20,000 anglers in the region. Under the guidance of professional angler Joe Stitt at Shaws Bridge in Belfast, Minister Poots tried his hand…
Portrush Lifeboat Teams Bid Farewell To ‘True Legend’ As Coxswain Anthony Chambers Retires
2 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Lifeboat teams from Portrush and farther afield gathered in the North Coast town on Friday (28 February) to bid farewell to one of their own, as mechanic/coxswain and crew member Anthony Chambers retires after more than 40 years. The Chambers…
Scotland's 'Autism on the Water' Charity Aims for Bangor Town Regatta Entry
1 March 2020 Scottish Waters
Bangor Town Regatta’s Class 3 sports a first-time entrant in Murray McDonald from Port Edgar, who confesses he has never been to the town before. Murray’s debut is in a Hunter 707 which has been raced competitively in the growing…
Scotland's 'Autism on the Water' Charity Aims for Bangor Town Regatta Entry
1 March 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bangor Town Regatta’s Class 3 sports a first-time entrant in Murray McDonald from Port Edgar, who confesses he has never been to the town before. Murray’s debut is in a Hunter 707 which has been raced competitively in the growing…
Instructors Meet To Discuss Biggest Issues In Northern Ireland Sailing
28 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Instructors from clubs across Northern Ireland have met to discuss some of the biggest issues in sailing. The event, which was held at RYANI’s HQ at Sketrick House in Newtownards, attracted over 50 attendees. On the day there were workshops…
RYA Northern Ireland Recruiting Performance Manager
28 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RYA Northern Ireland is looking to recruit a Performance Manager to lead on the performance aspects of its strategy and support racing development in Northern Ireland. To support this ambition, the Performance Manager will: Be responsible for the ongoing…
Young Co Antrim Sailors Give Back To Their Community
28 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Young sailors from County Antrim Yacht Club have been making a positive difference to their community by fundraising £1,500 in just under two years. Junior captains Amy Armstrong and James Corbett, alongside vice captains Hannah Todd and Michael Rock, led…
Belfast Lough's Quay Marina at Bangor joins Dean & Reddyhoff
28 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Five Anchor Quay Marina in Bangor has announced that from Spring this year it will become part of a single marina group, boatfolk. This development follows last year’s announcement from Quay Marinas that they would form, with Dean &…
RS Elites Get Class Start at Bangor Town Regatta
27 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The six RS Elites entered for Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough now warrant their own class and with three days of the early bird entry left, there is still time for more to join them at the bargain rate.…
Royal Yacht Bluebottle to Feature at 2020 British Open Dragon National Championship Edinburgh Cup
26 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The British Dragon Association (BDA) is proud to announce that this year’s Edinburgh Cup fleet will include the famous International Dragon Bluebottle. Hosted by the Royal Forth Yacht Club (RFYC) from 30 June to 3 July 2020 Dragon sailors from…
200 Applications for Laser Radial Youth European Championships at Ballyholme Yacht Club
25 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Preparations are well underway for the Laser Radial Youth European Championships to be held at Ballyholme Yacht Club this summer from 5th to 11th July 2020. Over 200 applications have been received from across the world already - although this…
Belfast Lough's Connection with the Round Ireland Yacht Race
20 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bangor has more of a link to the prestigious SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race than is at first obvious writes Betty Armstrong. This year Royal Ulster Yacht Club looks forward to tracking the progress of father and son duo,…
Council Pours Cold Water On Carp Anglers’ Demands For Loughgall Lake
17 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Plans by Armagh’s council to restock Loughgall Lake with £12,000 worth of carp have been deemed insufficient by local anglers. According to ArmaghI, the Loughgall Carp Anglers group believes night angling catch rates would rise — and its membership would…
Belfast Harbour Submits Planning Application For Major Film Studios Expansion
17 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Belfast Harbour has submitted a planning application for the development of six new purpose-built film and television studios at its existing Giant’s Park site. The harbour company says the plans represent an investment of £45m and will generate 250 construction…
The Eden Project Comes to Derry's River Foyle
16 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
East of the City of Derry on the River Foyle are the Foyle Bridge and Culmore Point and it is here on the northern banks of the river that the Eden Project Foyle will be located. The project, developed by…
Royal Irish's Saskia Tidey & Charlotte Dobson Narrowly Miss 49erFX World Title
15 February 2020 Scottish Waters
It was so close yet so far for Scottish-Irish combination Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey who narrowly missed out on winning the World 49erFX championships in Australia today. The pair, who have qualified for Team GB's Tokyo team, had a…
Royal St George Yacht Club's Frank O'Beirne won the Irish Cruising Club's (ICC) Perry Greer Bowl for the 'Best First ICC Log' that describes a cruise from Dun Laoghaire to the Hebrides last Summer, a voyage that has provided the…
British Marine Spring Expo 2020 Closes With Vision of a Thriving Industry
13 February 2020 Scottish Waters
The British Marine Spring Expo 2020 drew to a close last week (5 February) having invigorated the UK industry with an ambitious vision of the future and delivered the valuable platform for learning, networking and business to kick start it…
Sigma 33s Lead the Entries for June's Bangor Town Regatta
12 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bangor Town Regatta entry is now open and it’s the Sigma 33s who lead the way with five entries already for the June event writes Betty Armstrong. With Charles Hurst Jaguar Land Rover as headline sponsors, the event incorporates the…
In the women’s 49erFX World Championships at Geelong, Australia, the Royal Irish Yacht Club's Saskia Tidey from Dun Laoghaire sailing with Charlotte Dobson keeping up their winning moves to be lead boat as the top 25 teams also split off to gold…
Charlotte Dobson teamed with Dublin Bay's Saskia Tidey (who will sail for GBR in Tokyo) won World Championship races one and two in the FXs in Geelong, Australia today then just bailed out of the top 10 to finish fifth…
Great Adventures for Bangor Sea Cadets on Belfast Lough
11 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Among the craft in Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough who have made it their home since it opened thirty years ago, are the rowing boats belonging to the Bangor Sea Cadet Unit, T S Decoy. Their shore base is an…
A new grassroots initiative hopes to consolidate dinghy sailing in Scotland and put it back on the map. Growing out of a Facebook group for Scotland’s dinghy sailing community, the Scottish Dinghy Sailing Development Group first met in December and…
Lerwick Lifeboat Guild Fundraising Volunteer Steps Down After 38 Years
10 February 2020 Scottish Waters
Bella Irvine has retired from the Lerwick Ladies Lifeboat Guild after 38 years service, since first volunteering for the Shetland Islands RNLI unit in 1982. At a gathering at RNLI Lerwick lifeboat station to mark the occasion last Tuesday evening…
NI Primary School Pupils Become ‘Salmon Ambassadors’ For Loughs Agency
10 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Last week the Loughs Agency visited local primary schools in the Foyle and Carlingford areas as part of the Salmon Ambassadors programme. The programme, which forms part of the legacy of 2019’s International Year of the Salmon, will see the…
Portadown Man’s Crusade To Clean River Bann By Kayak
10 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
It started in August last year when Northern Ireland man Jon Medlow noticed the amount of rubbish floating downstream while kayaking in the River Bann near Portadown. Just a few months later, as BBC News reports, and he’s removed almost…
The volunteer crew of Oban RNLI’s lifeboat Mora Edith MacDonald faced the gale-force conditions of Storm Ciara on two separate callouts yesterday (Sunday 8 February). At 10:14am, HM Coastguard requested an immediate launch following reports of a group of divers…
Royal Ulster Yacht Club Buys Goblet Found in Australia
9 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Although the mystery of how a Goblet inscribed Royal Ulster Yacht Club, dated 1869 and awarded to a Mr Foster Connor, ended up in Melbourne (Read Afloat's earlier report here) has not been resolved, the trophy has been bought by…
RYANI Seeks Expressions Of Interest For 2020 Women On Water Festival
9 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RYANI is calling on sailing clubs across Northern Ireland to bid to become host of the 2020 Women on Water Festival. Following the success of the first-ever Women on Water Festival at Strangford Lough Yacht Club as part of…
Tobermory Lifeboat In Multi-Agency Operation To Evacuate Injured Fish Farm Worker
6 February 2020 Scottish Waters
Tobermory RNLI’s volunteer crew took part in a multi-agency operation to evacuate an injured man from a local fish farm yesterday morning, Wednesday 5 February. Following the report of a crush injury at the fish farm in the Sound of…
British Marine Launch Ambitious Vision for the Industry
4 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Following the announcement of its first-ever National Agenda, British Marine has today (4 February 2020) launched an ambitious plan to drive its vision of a thriving industry delivering amazing on-water experience for everyone. Unveiled at the British Marine Spring Expo…
Larne Lifeboat Assists Broken Down Motor Boat Near Ballygally
4 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Larne RNLI’s volunteers diverted from their crew assessments on Sunday morning (2 February) to assist a person on a nine-metre motor boat which had broken down near Ballygally in Co Antrim. Launching at around 10.15am into a calm sea, the…
Spirited Performance from 49er Duo Ryan Seaton & Séafra Guilfoyle at Oceania Championships
3 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Irish Olympic 49er campaigners Ryan Seaton and Séafra Guilfoyle put in a spirited performance in the 74-strong fleet at the 2020 Oceania Championships at Geelong near Melbourne, which ended today. They posted a set of results which included a second,…
Largest Ever RS Elite International Grand Prix for Cowes
3 February 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RS Elite Association is pleased to announce Brewin Dolphin as the Headline Sponsor for the Brewin Dolphin RS Elite International Grand Prix, to be held at the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes from 9th to 12th July 2020. The event…
The regeneration of the waterfront in Bangor as detailed on 25th November in Afloat.ie, reached another crucial stage in its progress when the developer Bangor Marine Ltd. submitted a comprehensive planning application for the site at Queen’s Parade and Marine…
RYANI Congratulates Oisin McClelland On Miami Finn Result
28 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RYANI has congratulated Donaghadee sailor Oisin McClelland on his strong showing at the Hempel World Cup Series in Miami last week. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Finn sailor from Northern Ireland finished fourth, just shy of the podium,…
Storey is 'Mug of the Day' Winner at Ballyholme Pre-Icebreaker Sprint on Belfast Lough
27 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Ballyholme Yacht Club was one of the first to organise winter sailing on Belfast Lough way back in the seventies. It’s called the Icebreaker and in the past, it has indeed at times involved breaking ice on boat cover. The…
Titanic Walkway's Great Light on Belfast Lough
27 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
At the end of the 500 metre Titanic Walkway which connects the Titanic and Olympic Slipways to the Alexandra Dock in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, proudly sits The Great Light, a curved glass interpretive structure designed to resemble a lighthouse lantern…
Tobermory RNLI’s deputy second mechanic Tony ‘Kiwi’ Spillane has been announced as World Mince and Tatties Champion for 2020. After the All Blacks' disappointing run in the Rugby World Cup last year, the New Zealander made his home country proud…
Oisin McClelland Stands Fourth Heading Into Finn Medal Race In Miami
25 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Northern Ireland’s Oisin McClelland was off form on Friday (24 January) on Biscayne Bay as two seventh-place finishes saw him slip from the third place he’d held in recent days to fourth overall, heading into the Finn medal race at…
Oisin McClelland Holds Third In Finn Fleet As Light Wind Hampers Hempel World Cup Series In Miami
24 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Northern Ireland’s Oisin McClelland maintains third place in the Finn class at the Hempel World Cup Series in Miami as cold temperatures, wind chill, rain, strong breeze, and more typical South Florida conditions challenged the 182 sailors from 45 nations…
Two very generous cheques was presented from supporters of Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh lifeboat stations in western Scotland last Friday 17 January. Mr Rodger Harvey-Jamieson made the very generous donation of £10,000 cheque from his family to each station…
A cardiac defibrillator has been installed outside Lerwick RNLI’s lifeboat station, to provide essential lifesaving treatment to anyone suffering from a heart attack. The defibrillator is fitted in a highly visible protective cabinet outside the station door next to the…
Oisin McClelland Third In Finn Class Amid Unexpected Miami Conditions At Hempel World Cup Series
23 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The 182 sailors embraced the challenge of the uncharacteristically cold and blustery conditions in Biscayne Bay on Day 3 of the 2020 Hempel World Cup Series Miami yesterday (Wednesday 22 January). The athletes were faced with similar conditions on Tuesday,…
Upgrade Coming For Loughs Agency eLicence Website
21 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Anglers in the Foyle and Carlingford areas are advised that the Loughs Agency will soon launched an upgraded eLicence website that meets GDPR requirements and includes a number of improvements based on user feedback. When the new site goes live, all…
Scottish Brothers Set Trio Of Records In Transatlantic Rowing Challenge
20 January 2020 Scottish Waters
Three brothers from Scotland have set a trifecta of world records after rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in just over a month. According to BBC News, Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan MacLean are the first three brothers to row any ocean,…
Another Big Night For Contributions To Northern Ireland Sailing At RYANI Annual Awards
20 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Over 150 guests at the RYANI Annual Awards ceremony in Queen’s University Belfast’s prestigious Riddel Hall last Friday (17 January) saw many sailors, instructors, volunteers and coaches receive well-deserved praise for a job well done in 2019, writes Betty Armstrong.…
Cattle Move to Trasnagh Island on Strangford Lough
19 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Giffiths Valuation of Ireland tells us that in the middle of the nineteenth century the sole occupant of Trasnagh Island in Strangford Lough was a John Patton writes Betty Armstrong Now the County Down Spectator reports that for the first…
County Antrim Yacht Club Youth Sailors Win Volunteer Award at RYA NI Awards
18 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Fundraisers at County Antrim Yacht Club won the Young Volunteer of the Year at the RYA Northern Ireland Awards last night in the Queen’s University’s Riddel Hall writes Betty Armstrong. The century-old CAYC, which lies on the north shore of…
East Antrim Boat Club Seeks Final Votes for UK Club of Year Award
16 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
As the final days of voting for the UK's Sailing Club of the Year draw near, and as Northern Ireland's East Antrim Boat Club is for sure the minnow in the competition the Larne club is looking for every single vote available…
Irish Yacht Racing Judge Chris Lindsay for Tokyo Olympic Duty
15 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Irish Sailing National and International Judge Chris Lindsay of Carrickfergus Sailing Club on Belfast Lough has been appointed as an International Technical Official (ITO) for the Tokyo Olympics. Not only will Chris be the only Irish race official in Tokyo,…
Ireland’s Small Tall Ship will Brighten a Winter’s Night in Dublin
14 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Tall Ships and Sail Training? Everyone will immediately think of stately clipper-bowed cathedrals of sail making their elegant and timeless way across the high seas, driven along under acres of square-sailed cloth, spreading the gospel of international fellowship and the…
Citizen Sea: Northern Ireland’s First Boat-Based Environmental Charity
11 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
If you go down the ramp to the pontoons in Bangor Marina you couldn’t miss the impressive vessel sitting to your right. She’s the Seabird, Northern Ireland’s first sea-going boat-based environmental charity known as 'Citizen Sea', supported by Ards and…
New Lough Erne Ferry Provides Important Cargo Transport for Cattle & Equipment
11 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The traditional Lough Erne Cot is a vessel unique to Upper and Lower Lough Erne and used there for possibly 2000 years. It was popular for transporting goods, people and cattle around the islands in the lakes in County Fermanagh…
Northern Ireland Sailing Group Rides The Online Waves
10 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Sailing and Cruising NI is RYANI’s newest affiliated body, and over the last two years has established what’s been described as a “one stop shop run by sailors for sailors” in Northern Ireland. In a new interview with RYANI development…
The wife of a Scottish businessman has appealed for help in finding his whereabouts after his yacht was discovered empty during a 5,000-mile solo trip. Colin Finnie (67) was last in contact with his family six days before his 45ft…
The RYA Youth Sailing National Championships will enter an exciting new era in 2020 with the latest Olympic discipline of wind foiling set to make its debut. Windfoiling, an evolution of windsurfing, will replace the RS:X at the Paris 2024…
It’s been a busy start to the New Year with multiple callouts for Scottish RNLI lifeboat crews at Aberdeen on the east coast and Oban in the west. Aberdeen’s all-weather lifeboat was called for a medevac from an oilfield platform…
Coastal Rowing in Northern Ireland Revival Continues
5 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
County Down has become an important centre for coastal rowing with clubs dotted around Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula. This is very much a community-based activity with skiffs active at Strangford, Portaferry, Portavogie, Donaghadee, Dundrum, Killyleagh, Sketrick, Strangford, and…
New Beneteau 'First 40' Arrival on Dublin Bay is Former French Winning Yacht
5 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Cruiser Zero fleet will get a boost this week when its latest addition drops anchor in Dun Laoghaire Harbour at the Royal Irish Yacht Club. The First 40 La Response, formerly known as Courier…
Intriguing Northern Ireland Maritime Heritages Go on Display
3 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In a unique opportunity to portray the intriguing maritime heritage of the Ards Peninsula and North Down in Northern Ireland, seven communities have produced a maritime history of each of their locations – Portaferry, Portavogie, Ballyhalbert and Cloughey on the…
Tobermory RNLI’s volunteer crew had their first shout just 12 hours into 2020 when they went to assist a seriously injured casualty on a remote island in Loch Sunart in the western Scottish Highlands. The pagers sounded just before midday…
505 Irish Fleet Reunion Planned at Royal North Ireland
1 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Jackie Patton, chair of RYANI and Donaghadee Sailing Club member, is on a mission. She used to crew a 505 and along with Thomas Anderson, ex 505 helmsman and crew and past Commodore of Royal North of Ireland YC, is…
Hunt is on for Bangor Bay's Missing 'Pickie to Pier' Swim Trophy
1 January 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Today you couldn’t swim across Bangor Bay on Belfast Lough without skirting the Marina but from 1910 till the 80s the ‘Pickie to Pier’ annual sea swim saw many participants taking part in the 650-metre race from Skippingstone Beach, beside…
Olympian McGovern Can't Stop Chris Boyd in Ballyholme Icebreaker
28 December 2019 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Olympian Matt McGovern returned for the final race of part one of the Icebreaker Series on Belfast Lough and showed enough class and speed in the very light winds to show the rest of the Laser fleet the way home.…
Northern Ireland Finn Sailor is 32 from 60 at Gold Cup in Australia
22 December 2019 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Josh Junior has become the first Kiwi to ever win the Finn Gold Cup after an epic medal race in Melbourne, Australia. Nick Heiner, from The Netherlands, took silver while 2018 world champion, Zsombor Berecz took bronze. Ireland was represented…
Bangor Town Regatta 2020 is Launched By Royal Ulster Yacht Club
21 December 2019 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough hopes to attract more than 60 boats and build on the success of the 2018 event, the formal launch of the regatta was told writes Betty Armstrong. Charles Hurst Jaguar Land Rover is the…
