The latest news from Scottish and Northern Irish waters produced by Yachting Life & Afloat.
Ben Graf & Alexander Farrell from Lough Ree Crowned 420 Champions at RYA NI Youth Event
22 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Much to the satisfaction of RYA Northern Ireland and Ballyholme Yacht Club, splitting the 89 strong Youth Sailing Championship fleet over two days to mitigate risk in accordance with COVID – 19 guidelines, allowed the event to run smoothly with…
RS Elites Take to the Water for The First Time for Frosties at Strangford Lough
22 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Last Sunday was the first day's racing for most of the RS Elites this year as a result of a Covid-19 hit 2020 season. Five boats made it onto Strangford Lough with the hope of another couple joining next weekend. …
90 Compete For Northern Ireland Youth Sailing Honours at Ballyholme Yacht Club
22 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
More than 90 of Northern Ireland’s Youth and Junior sailors have taken part in the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Championships, which were hosted by Ballyholme Yacht Club. Racing took part of over two days on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20…
Swimmers & Surfers On NI’s North Coast Urged ‘To Be Extra Vigilant’ As Summer Lifeguard Service Ends
20 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
With the RNLI’s summer lifeguard service now ended for 2020, swimmers and surfers on Northern Ireland’s North Coast have been urged “to be extra vigilant”. The warning from Coleraine Coastguard comes after three swimmers got into difficulty at Castlerock Beach…
The History of Belfast Lough's Lufra Cup for the Menagerie Sailing Race
20 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
It's 76 years since the Lufra Cup was first presented to the winner of Ballyholme's Menagerie Race, a pursuit event run traditionally to mark Closing Day when there was no such thing as Winter, let alone Autumn racing in Belfast…
All Change in £40m Plan for Bangor Waterfront on Belfast Lough
18 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bangor on Belfast Lough is hoping to secure through Ards and North Down Borough Council, around £40m from the Belfast City Regional Deal to fund the Bangor Waterfront Development and will submit the Outline Business Case to the Belfast Region…
NI Surfer’s Close Encounter With Killer Whales Off Donegal
16 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A surfer from Northern Ireland got more than he bargained for when he was chased by a pod of killer whales off Donegal last week. As the News Letter reports, Derry man Ryan Vail was catching waves off Culdaff on…
Seven Rescued After Two Boats Run Aground In Lough Neagh
14 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Seven people were rescued from two vessels that ran aground on Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland on Saturday night (12 September). Lifeboats and shore crew were quickly tasked by Belfast Coastguard to the scene at Coney Island, where the vessels…
River Class One Designs: A Century Old & Still Racing on Strangford Lough
11 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Scottish yacht designer Alfred Mylne designed the River Class in 1920 at the behest of eight members of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club (RUYC) in Bangor on Belfast Lough. Next year the design is celebrating its 100th anniversary. In all…
Donaghadee Sailing Club's Oisin McClelland Secures Top 25 position at European Finn Championships
9 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Irish Tokyo 2021 solo campaigner, 27-year-old Donaghadee Sailing Club member Oisin McClelland has clinched a personal best, claiming 23rd spot at the Finn European Championships at Gdynia in Poland. The event ran from 1st to 6th September and was the…
New Lease of Life for Small Clinker-Built Dinghy on Lough Erne
8 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Last year Jonny Clements took part in a boating event in Lough Erne in a mixed fleet of craft from canoes to sailing boats. Having been impressed by the sailing dinghies and not having ever sailed before, he bought a…
Prodigal Crew Win Squib Battle at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
7 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
An Olympian, World and national champion were among the sailors competing at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club for the 13-boat 2020 Squib Class Northern Championships on Belfast Lough. Race 1, 17kts WNW, got away without a hitch, 13 boats…
Ards & North Down Mayor Welcomes Teen Solo Sailor to Bangor Marina
6 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Mayor of Ards and North Down Councillor Trevor Cummings, visited teen solo sailor Timothy Long onboard his yacht Hunter Impala yacht, Alchemy to welcome him officially to Bangor. As Afloat reported previously, fifteen-year-old Timothy aims to become the youngest person…
Ballyholme Yacht Club To Deliver First Paddleboarding Association (BSUPA) Instructor Course in Northern Ireland
5 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Ballyholme Yacht Club is to bring Dom Moore from Surf Sanctuary, Newquay in the UK to deliver the first British Stand Up Paddleboarding Association (BSUPA) Instructor Course in Northern Ireland. Dom is currently putting 16 students and two instructor assessors…
RYA Northern Ireland to Run Restricted Youth Championships This Month
4 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Royal Yachting Association Northern Ireland Youth Championships on 19/20 September will feel the ongoing effect of the Covid-19 pandemic in that a restricted Youth Sailing Championships will be run on the 19th and 20th September at Ballyholme Yacht Club…
Ballyholme Upgrades Weekend of 'Speed' to Multihull National Championships
4 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Irish Multihull Committee has postponed its Eastern Championships at Wicklow Sailing Club and the Irish Open Championships at Swords Sailing Club due to Covid 19. Both events will now take place in 2021. Ballyholme Yacht Club has agreed to…
Strangford Lough's Andrew 'Hammy' Baker Appointed RYA Northern Ireland High Performance Manager
3 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Accomplished sailor Andrew Baker has been appointed as the new RYA Northern Ireland Performance Manager, taking up the post this week. Recruitment for the role started in February but was delayed until lockdown measures eased and continued funding form Sport…
15-Year-Old Solo Round Britain Sailor Arrives in Bangor on Belfast Lough
1 September 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Timothy Long from Buckinghamshire in England is only 15, and by the time he finishes his fundraising solo sail around Britain, he will have 1,600-miles under his belt. In his Hunter Impala 28 'Alchemy' Timothy covers around 45 miles a…
Sunken Motor Cruiser Forces Bangor Harbour Slipway Closure
30 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A Notice to Mariners issued on 29th August by Bangor Harbour on Belfast Lough warns that the slipway in front of the Lifeboat house has been closed due to a sunken vessel. On Wednesday night (26th August) the owners of…
Gobbins Cliff Path Reopening With Covid-19 Safety Upgrades
28 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Co Antrim’s famous coastal path at The Gobbins is set to reopen next week on Tuesday 1 September. months after it was closed in the initial wave of coronavirus restrictions in Northern Ireland. As RTÉ News reports, the cliff path…
How One Northern Ireland Sailor Kept His Spirits Up During Lockdown
26 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Since his return to sailing with the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in Northern Ireland, Newcastle Yacht Club dinghy racer Marc Miskelly tells RYANI how he kept up a positive attitude during the lockdown months. Miskelly — who also sails a…
Newcastle Community Begins Clean-Up As Storm Francis Flooding Leaves Co Down Seaside Town ’A Disaster Zone’
26 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Clean-up operations are under way in Newcastle and other parts of Co Down after the Shinma River burst its banks due to heavy rainfall from Storm Francis yesterday (Tuesday 25 August). As BreakingNews.ie reports, as many as 300 homes were…
Topper Traveller Comes to Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland's First Open Event of the COVID-Hit Season
23 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In what is understood to be the first open event in Northern Ireland this year, 41 Toppers including two from Dublin Bay, raced at Ballyholme YC on Belfast Lough yesterday (22nd August) for what turned out to be a lively…
Rescue For Family Cut Off By Rising Tide In Portrush
23 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Portrush RNLI’s volunteers launched to the aid of a family cut off by the rising tide on cliffs yesterday evening, Saturday 22 August. Local lifeguards raised the alarm for the two adults and three young children who were trapped between…
Six Rescued From Lough Erne Boats Jostled In Strong Winds As Fermanagh Braves Worst Of Storm Ellen
22 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Six people were rescued from their boats on Lough Erne as Storm Ellen swept over Northern Ireland in the early hours of Thursday (20 August). Enniskillen RNLI said the vessels, which were moored at the Devenish West jetty, were breaking…
Call For NI Clubs To Apply For RYA Club Of The Year Gong
20 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Applications are now open for the 2021 RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year award supported by Gallagher. The annual event celebrates the outstanding achievement and promote the hard work of sailing clubs in England, Wales, Scotland and…
An appropriate title for a GP 14 event to be held (hopefully) in October at the Larne club. The word toddy comes from the toddy drink in India produced by fermenting the sap of palm trees and its earliest known…
The Fishermen From Ghana Getting Hooked On Gaelic Football In Northern Ireland
19 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A GAA club in Northern Ireland has had an influx of new players from much further overseas then it’s used to. BBC News reports on the fishermen from Ghana who have taken up Gaelic football as a pastime in between…
Line Honours for Mikey Ferguson on Pip Hare's 'Medallia' in Lonely Rock Race
19 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Belfast Lough's Mikey Ferguson found the Lonely Rock Race on Pip Hare's Open 60, Medallia, shorter than planned due to the impending storm. The race director decided to shorten the course with the turn at Wolf Rock off Land's End…
'Don't Rock The Boat' Sets Sail from Bangor Harbour
18 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Twelve celebrities are taking part in the challenge of a lifetime, to row the entire length of Britain, in a brand new, epic adventure series called 'Don't Rock The Boat'. The 5 x 60-minute series will see 12 famous faces…
Hundreds of Lions's Mane Jellyfish Washed Ashore on Ards Peninsula (Video)
18 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Portaferry Coastguard Rescue Team on Strangfrod Lough in Northern Ireland has warned of hundreds of Lion's Mane jellyfish washed up on the shore at Cloughey on the eastern coast of the Ards Peninsula. It's a small village with a beautiful…
Bangor Harbour Gets Minehunter HMS Ramsey Visit
17 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The minehunter HMS Ramsey under the command of Lieutenant Commander Joel Roberts, arrived into Bangor Harbour on Belfast Lough over last weekend on an exercise visit. The 53m vessel is moored alongside the Eisenhower Pier, so-called as before departing for the…
Strangford Lough's Down Cruising Club Makes Return to the Water
16 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Down Cruising Club is celebrating a return to the water with a Members' Day next Saturday (22nd August). Located at Ballydorn, near Whiterock on Strangford Lough, DCC occupies an unusual clubhouse, the old Lightship, Petrel. It was built in 1915…
Mixed Household Crews Allowed For Sailing & Racing In Northern Ireland
16 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
RYANI has has issued new guidance which allows for sailing and racing for people from different households in Northern Ireland waters. The guidance has been developed within the current coronavirus legislation and follows the parameters now also in place in…
Belfast Lough's Mikey Ferguson Joins Pip Hare's IMOCA Medallia Campaign
15 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Northern Ireland sailor Mikey Ferguson from Bangor in County Down has joined Pip Hare's IMOCA campaign and they will start the Lonely Rock Race tomorrow (Sunday 16th August), from near Ryde in the Eastern Solent in Medallia. As well as being…
Northern Ireland Swimmers First To Cross Challenging Sea Route From Scotland To Giant’s Causeway
15 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Members of an open sea swimming team have become the first to complete a challenging route between Scotland and the Giant’s Causeway, as the Greenock Telegraph reports. The Oa Giants set out from Islay last Saturday 8 August and crossed…
Northern Ireland Swimmers First To Cross Challenging Sea Route From Scotland To Giant’s Causeway
15 August 2020 Scottish Waters
Members of an open sea swimming team have become the first to complete a challenging route between Scotland and the Giant’s Causeway, as the Greenock Telegraph reports. The Oa Giants set out from Islay last Saturday 8 August and crossed…
Ron Hutchieson's Generous Multiple Roles are a Historic Sailing Era in Themselves
15 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The retirement this month of noted northern sailor Ron Hutchieson as Chairman of Irish Sailing's Racing Rules & Appeals Board brings to a conclusion an exceptionally long period of devoted and very effective honorary official service to sailing and its…
Royal Ulster Yacht Excession Heads for Fastnet 450 Race & Cork 300 Celebrations
14 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
John Harrington will carry the flag again for Royal Ulster Yacht Club, as he is off again south in the IMX38 eXcession! In a racing schedule arranged with military precision, John and a football team sized crew will tackle the…
UK Business Minister Visits Belfast Maritime Consortium
11 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Belfast Maritime Consortium led by Artemis Technologies, has hosted a visit to the city by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP. Representatives of the 13-partner syndicate met the…
Cruising Association of Ireland Cruise to Northern Waters
11 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In a few days, a large fleet of 17 boats from the Cruising Association of Ireland will arrive in Belfast Lough. It's three years since they last cruised here in Northern Ireland. The contingent will include two boats from the…
Britain’s Coastguard Responds To Record Number Of Incidents At UK Coasts
10 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
HM Coastguard dealt with 340 individual incidents across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Saturday (8 August), representing its highest number of call-outs in a single day for well over four years. Packed coastlines and beaches kept coastguard personnel…
Britain’s Coastguard Responds To Record Number Of Incidents At UK Coasts
10 August 2020 Scottish Waters
HM Coastguard dealt with 340 individual incidents across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Saturday (8 August), representing its highest number of call-outs in a single day for well over four years. Packed coastlines and beaches kept coastguard personnel…
Harrington's Royal Ulster Yacht 'Excession' Makes ISORA Debut at Dun Laoghaire
10 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
When John Harington's IMX 38 Excession made the Dun Laoghaire Harbour startline on Saturday morning, he became the first Northern Ireland yacht to compete in ISORA racing in many years, The enthusiastic Royal Ulster Yacht Club crew from Bangor on…
Elderly Man Rescued After Fall In Cave Near Giant’s Causeway
9 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Coastguard units from Coleraine and Ballycastle were tasked to rescue a man in his 70s who had fallen in a cave close to the Giant’s Causeway on Friday (7 August). The casualty had sustained a knee injury and was being…
Larne Lifeboat Rescues Three After RIB Breakdown
9 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Two adults and a child were rescued this morning (Sunday 9 August) by Larne RNLI after their small RIB broke down near Magheramore in Co Antrim. The volunteer crew launched the smaller in-shore lifeboat, Terry, at 11.05am and made their…
An unusual visitor to Glenarm Marina in County Antrim recently was the rowing boat of the GB Row Challenge. After what must have been an uncomfortable time lying in the open in Glenarm Harbour in a north-westerly, the GB Row…
RYA Northern Ireland's Open Pathway Training Events
9 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In the run-up to the return of Topper and Laser dinghy events, RYA Northern Ireland has arranged a series of Open Pathway training events during this month. The RYANI Open Pathway Training (OPT) is aimed primarily at those sailors who…
Strangford Sailing Club Members Return Safely To Boating
7 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
As lockdown eased in Northern Ireland, Strangford Sailing Club’s Commodore Tony McLaughlin was busy working with his committee members on a plan of how to safely reopen in line with UK Government advice. He explains the measures the club took…
Boat Vandals In Co Down Harbour ‘Putting Lives At Risk’
6 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A spate of boat vandalism at Newcastle Harbour in Co Down is putting lives at risk, a former coastguard chief claims. John Lowry told the Belfast Telegraph that a number of boats in the Northern Ireland harbour have been damaged…
Renowned Northern Sailor & Arctic Explorer Brian Black Dies in Tragic Accident
4 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Brian Black, the multi-media communicator, Arctic sailor, and environmentalist, died today (Tuesday) after a tragic accident at noon when his car plunged off the pier at his home village of Strangford in County Down. Originally best-known as a presenter with…
Ballyholme Yacht Club‘s ‘Regatta’ last weekend went a long way in these ‘new normal’ times, to fulfil the usual criteria for a standard regatta, but minus the visitors and the usual socialising and tea and buns afterwards. It was a…
Woman Rescued From Water After Fall While Coasteering Near Giant’s Causeway
2 August 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Portrush RNLI’s inshore lifeboat launched to the rescue of a 50-year-old woman who fell into the water while with a coasteering group at Dunseverick near the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland yesterday afternoon (Saturday 1 August). The volunteer crew applied…
Recently the Brompton inflatable goose featured in a story about open sea swimmers near Bangor on Belfast Lough. Now round the corner from Brompton, the Helen’s Baywatch swimmers have a real ‘Goose’ to swim with! The reddish-brown female eider duck…
Applications Open For Young NI Sailors To ‘Win Their Own Kit’ From John Merricks Trust
29 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Young sailors and windsurfers in Northern Ireland could follow in the wake of Donaghadee’s Charlie O’Malley by applying for a junior pathway boat or board in the final year of the RYA’s partnership with the John Merricks Sailing Trust. Brand…
Royal Ulster Yacht Club Members in Lough Ree Rescue on the River Shannon
29 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Royal Ulster Yacht Club members John and Sally McKee played a crucial part in their motor cruiser in a dramatic incident on the Shannon waterway last Saturday. A private cruiser from Limerick was making a passage northwards on Lough Ree…
All Change for Ballyholme Yacht Club Regatta This Weekend
29 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough has taken a big step and will hold a two-day club regatta this weekend, (1st and 2nd August), for members only, but it will be an adapted ‘regatta’, run to the new normal within…
Thunder Child II Visits Famous Corryvreckan Whirlpools & Standing Waves
29 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Cork Harbour Boat manufacturer Safehaven Marine undertook an 800nm four-day cruise in Thunder Child II to Scotland, living off the boat to visit a place called the Gulf of Corryvreckan. A pretty wild yet beautiful place writes Thunderchild's skipper, Frank…
Record Breaking Powerboat 'Thunder Child II' Tours North of Ireland Ports & Coastline
27 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
It’s not often a record-breaker visits Bangor but Safehaven Marine’s Managing Director Frank Kowalski, who set the Round Ireland and Rockall Record in the original 17 metre XSV 17 demonstrator Thunder Child in 2017, brought his striking yellow hulled Thunder…
Belfast Lough Sailablity Postpones President’s Cup
26 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Belfast Lough Sailability was due to host the President’s Cup in August but sadly, due to COVID 19, this event has had to be postponed. This interprovincial regatta was Inaugurated by Paralympian John Twomey, promoted by Sailability Ireland and provides…
E-Sailing Proves Big Hit at Carlingford Lough Yacht Club
26 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Carlingford Lough YC hasn’t been idle during the lockdown as members have enjoyed a Virtual Regatta, starting in early April, thanks to the RYA who arranged for sailing clubs to have a free subscription. To date, the club has had…
The Cadets at Ballyholme Yacht Club in Bangor Co Down on Belfast Lough are split into two sections; the beginners called Dolphins and those who have completed Stage 3 – Sharks. In order to reduce the numbers on the slipway…
Bridge Starts To Be Used As IRC Welsh Championships Goes Ahead
21 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
After a great deal of work in conjunction with RYA Cymru Wales, and the Royal Dee Yacht Club, the IRC Welsh Championships will go ahead in a “stripped down” fashion but still provide challenging racing. As Afloat previously reported here,…
Stand up Paddleboarding in the mountains? Lough Shannagh (or the Lough of the Fox), is a corrie lake on the southern side of the Mournes in County Down and lies at 390m at the foot of Carn Mountain. It is…
Long Haul Travelling Gull Arrives in Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough
18 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough in County Down welcomes visitors from far and wide, but this Mediterranean gull must be one of the most interesting, having travelled from Poland, Spain, and France before flying into Bangor. Berth holder, wildlife expert…
Newcastle Lifeboat Brings Three To Safety In Two Separate Callouts
16 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RNLI lifeboat crew in Newcastle, Co Down rescued three people over two callouts in the space of 24 hours earlier this week. The all-weather lifeboat first launched on Monday morning (13 July) to aid a boat with two people…
Cruising Association of Ireland Return to Belfast Lough for Cruise-in-Company Event
15 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
It is just over three years since the Cruising Association of Ireland fleet visited Belfast Lough. And now another trip north is planned for the middle week of August. The CAI has managed to keep active through the COVID 19…
RYANI Wants Feedback On ‘Women On Water’ Programme
15 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
RYA Northern Ireland is calling for women across Northern Ireland to give feedback on its Women on Water programme. The governing body hopes to find out what boaters want through a development survey, which will help to shape future programmes.…
Oban RNLI in western Scotland has expressed sadness at the retirement of Dr Colin Wilson as a volunteer crew member. Dr Wilson has served the RNLI in Oban since 1990, first joining when the station had the Brede class lifeboat…
Cruising Association Welcomes Scottish Marking Order For Lobster Pot Buoys
14 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The UK’s Cruising Association’s Regulations and Technical Services group (RATS) has welcomed the move by the Scottish government to update its rules for marking lobster pots in Scottish waters. The best practice guidance, which came into force on 20 June,…
Cruising Association Welcomes Scottish Marking Order For Lobster Pot Buoys
14 July 2020 Scottish Waters
The UK’s Cruising Association’s Regulations and Technical Services group (RATS) has welcomed the move by the Scottish government to update its rules for marking lobster pots in Scottish waters. The best practice guidance, which came into force on 20 June,…
Full Steam Ahead for Sailing in Bangor on Belfast Lough
12 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Neighbouring clubs Royal Ulster and Ballyholme at Bangor in County Down on Belfast Lough are both due back on the water soon. The RUYC sailing committee has decided that in line with further guidance from the RYA that competitive sport…
Northern Ireland Beaches Plagued By Plastic Litter, New Survey Reveals
10 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Discarded plastic is the predominant form of litter on Northern Ireland’s beaches, according to a new survey by a local environmental group. As the Belfast Telegraph reports, the survey by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful estimates that plastic — most of…
Cadet Summer Sailors at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Ready for the Off
9 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Cadet Summer Sailing at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough is proving popular with much interest in the scheme which starts on Monday next (13th July). Rear Commodore Sailing Jonny Millar, Cadet Officers John Driscoll and…
FunDay Fridays on the Water in Bangor on Belfast Lough
8 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Last Friday was the first of July’s FunDay Fridays on Belfast Lough, a three-way collaboration between Bangor Marina, SUP HubNI and Citizen Sea who are together providing a fabulously educational and active two-hour session where all the children will have…
Bangor Marina Awarded International Blue Flag for 2020 Season
7 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Ards and North Down coastal area has done well by winning awards for excellence in facilities, environmental management, environmental education, accessibility and safety. Bangor Marina has been awarded the internationally renowned Blue Flag for the 2020 season. The Blue…
Dinghy Racing Resumes at Strangford Sailing Club
6 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Strangford Sailing Club enjoys a stunning location on the northern shore of Strangford Lough Narrows in the Castleward Estate and has occupied that site for about 40 years. After the long layoff due to COVID 19, members have been back…
Last Thursday and Friday were busy days for Bangor Coastguard on Belfast Lough with an incident on both days. On Thursday evening the Coastguard and the Police Service investigated reports of concern for a kayaker seen the Ballywalter area in…
Rathlin Island Reopens to Visiting Boats on the North Coast
6 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Island of Rathlin in the Sea of Moyle off Ballycastle is now open to resident and visiting boat owners and overnighting is allowed. The ferry is also operating. This popular destination is six miles long, one mile wide, "L"…
The Brompton Goose & Sea Swimming on Belfast Lough
4 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Northern Ireland’s coastline is dotted with cold water swimmers who go out no matter what the weather or temperature. The group who swim near Jenny Watts Cave just past Wilson’s Point at Bangor on Belfast Lough are known as the…
RYA Northern Ireland Updates ‘Step 2’ Guidance For Boaters
4 July 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
RYA Northern Ireland has updated its guidance for boaters following recent announcements by the NI Executive. Sport Northern Ireland officials confirmed that the sport sector remains in Step 2 of the Roadmap to Recovery until further announcements. The situation in…
The opening up of Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough has been long-awaited and tomorrow (Friday 3rd July) is the big day. During the past week bar and waiting staff have undergone training on the new way of working.…
Daniel Smith (39) and his partner Becky Jeffery (29) were set to be married this Friday the 3rd of July, the day travel restrictions are to be eased and overnight accommodation is allowed in Scotland in the wake of the…
Portrush Lifeboat Runs Aground While Assisting Boat In Stormy Conditions
29 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Portrush RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat ran aground temporarily as it assisted an angling boat in difficulty in the Foyle Estuary yesterday afternoon (Sunday 28 June). The volunteer crew had launched at 3.40pm to reports of a 24ft angling boat in difficulty…
The rescue services were so busy over the weekend that they have related several incidents together. A jetskier needed medical assistance after coming off his jetski. Donaghadee Lifeboat brought the casualty from Millisle into Donaghadee harbour and was met by…
Portaferry Lifeboat Launches Twice In Three Days To Reports Of Strangford Lough Breakdowns
28 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Portaferry RNLI launched twice in three days to reports of broken down boats in the same area of Strangford Lough. Portaferry’s volunteer crew launched initially on Thursday evening (25 June) at 9.50pm to assist a five-metre cabin cruiser at the…
Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough was a casualty of COVID-19 this year, (in fact the regatta would have been on the water last week), but a 2021 date has now been set for Thursday 24th till Sunday 27th June.…
Bangor Marina Now Accepts Visitors Travelling From Any Part of Common Travel Area
27 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Kevin Baird, Harbour Master and Marina Manager in Bangor, has posted a substantial update to the state of harbour and marina opening dates in the North of Ireland and beyond. The situation continues to be fluid. Among the notable changes…
Standup Paddleboarding, Sea Swimming, Kayaking & Windsurfing To Have A Voice at Ballyholme Yacht Club
27 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Ballyholme Yacht Club is planning to form a Sub Committee to ensure members who are interested in Standup Paddleboarding, Sea Swimming, Kayaking and Windsurfing have a voice. Before the Lockdown the club had plans in place for a new Social…
Belfast to Build Zero Emissions Ferries Following £60m Funding Boost
26 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A Belfast Lough Maritime Consortium led by Artemis Technologies has won a £33 million UK Government innovation grant to develop zero emissions ferries in the city, that will revolutionise the future of maritime transport. With further investment from consortium partners,…
Newcastle RNLI Rescue Man Who Trapped His Foot Under Wheel of Vehicle
25 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
This morning Newcastle RNLI were tasked along with their colleagues from Newcastle and Kilkeel Coastguard to assist a casualty who had trapped his foot under the vehicle with an incoming tide while in the process of trying to launch their…
Donaghadee Lifeboat Launches to Jet Skier at Millisle, Co. Down
25 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Donaghdee RNLI volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat this afternoon at the request of UK Coastguard after reports of a person in the water following a jetski incident at Millisle, Co. Down. At 1.45 pm UK Coastguard requested Donaghadee RNLI…
Coleraine Coastguard Volunteer Tied Up By Masked Burglars
25 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A volunteer with Coleraine Coastguard returned home from a callout to a masked gang who dragged him out of his car before tying him up and burgling his home, as BBC News reports. HM Coastguard confirmed the incident in the…
Three months of improvement works at Strabane Canal and The Gribben have begun this week. William Doherty Construction Ltd is contracted to carry out the works, which commenced on Monday 22 June and entail extensive resurfacing of the 1.2km of…
RYA Northern Ireland Women on Water Goes Online
23 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Women on Water became Women online for a festival which should have been held at Carrickfergus Sailing Club but had to be redesigned due to COVID 19. The festival brought together like-minded women who have been involved in sailing from…
‘Upturned Boat’ Spotted Off Ardglass Turns Out To Be Dead Whale
22 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
As Father’s Day (Sunday 21 June) wound down, Portaferry RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers were paged following reports of an upturned boat off Ardglass in Co Down, Northern Ireland. The crew launched promptly at 9.17pm in cloudy but good visibility conditions and…
Answering what was the Bangor Coastguard Rescue Team’s third shout of the day yesterday (Sat 20th), after a telephone call from former Lifeboat Operations Manager Kevin Byers, a volunteer RNLI crew was tasked with rescuing three kayakers in Ballyholme Bay…
Portrush Lifeboat Rescues Paddleboarder From The Sea At Portstewart
21 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Both Portrush RNLI lifeboats were requested to launch by HM Coastguard yesterday afternoon (Saturday 20 June) to reports of person on an inflatable paddleboard in difficulty in the sea just off Portstewart on Northern Ireland’s North Coast. The inshore lifeboat…
East Antrim Boat Club Quick off the Mark To Make the Most of Lockdown Easing
21 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Members of the Larne club will welcome its General Committee’s decision to make the most of the lockdown easing, for hot on the heels of RYA NI advice that Step 2 of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Pathway to Recovery has…
Bangor Marina Ease COVID Restrictions on Belfast Lough
20 June 2020 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
On 15th June the Northern Ireland Executive announced further relaxations to the Coronavirus Regulations and subsequently Bangor Marina updated its information yesterday on Northern Ireland Marinas and Harbours. These developments make some changes to the information here. From 26th June,…
