The latest news from Scottish and Northern Irish waters produced by Yachting Life & Afloat.
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 Waters
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.…
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 Waters
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 Waters
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 Waters
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 Waters
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 Waters
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 Waters
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…
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…
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 Waters
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…
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…
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 Waters
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 Waters
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 Waters
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 Waters
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…
British Marine and the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities (AINA) have jointly launched the much-anticipated consultation on the proposed changes to the existing Code for the Design, Construction and Operation of Hire Boats, better known as the Hire Boat Code.…
Miracle Dolphin ‘Spirtle’ Spotted Off Scotland After Her Summer Break In Ireland
19 December 2019 Scottish Waters
Miracle dolphin Spirtle has returned to her home waters in the north-east of Scotland after her summer spent off Ireland’s south-west coast, as BBC News reports. The bottlenose dolphin with a distinctive sunburn scar was spotted with her family group…
Foyle & Carlingford Anglers Encouraged To Make Catch Returns For 2019
19 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Anglers are being encouraged by the Loughs Agency to log and submit their efforts, catches and releases for the 2019 angling season in Foyle and Carlingford. Whenever anyone buys a rod licence to fish for salmon and sea trout in…
The 12th edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's RORC Caribbean 600 will start on Monday 24th February 2020 from Antigua. Already the early entries are nudging towards an eclectic mix of 50 boats, with competition expected to be as…
Bangor Olympian James Espey Making Most of San Francisco Move to Explore Five Oceans
17 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
It’s a long way from Ballyholme near Bangor to Sugardock in Point Richmond on San Francisco Bay writes Betty Armstrong. But James Espey has made the leap and works as boat captain for Chris Welsh, among whose job titles are…
Lough Swilly, Portrush & Arranmore RNLI Rescue Five Fishermen in Storm Force Conditions (VIDEO)
16 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Lough Swilly, Portrush and Arranmore RNLI volunteers spent almost 15 hours at sea in storm force conditions at the weekend to rescue five fishermen who got into difficulty off Fanad Head. Lough Swilly and Portrush RNLI were requested to launch…
In recent weeks the Loughs Agency has been working with groups of volunteers to clean up the banks of the River Foyle in Northern Ireland. The Foyle Ambassadors, a group of young environmentalists, completed a clean-up on the upstream bank…
Co Down woman Danielle Rooney has started her “dream job” as harbour master at Kilkeel, as The Irish News reports. The 28-year-old is believed to be the first woman to hold such a role within the Northern Ireland Fisheries Harbour…
RYA Calls For Sailors for Britain's Double-handed Olympic Mixed Offshore Keelboat
11 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
The RYA is on the hunt for sailors and boat owners interested in the new double-handed mixed offshore event that will debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This exciting discipline will see mixed pairs battle it out over a 4-day…
Belfast Harbour's Role in World’s First Zero-Emissions Workboat
10 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Artemis Technologies, the world’s leading high-performance maritime design and applied technologies company, will collaborate with Tuco Marine Group to integrate its new electric eFoiler propulsion system into an 11m carbon fibre vessel. This will serve as a demonstrator vessel as…
A sudden and violent rip current may have been the cause of a tragedy at a Northern Ireland beach in which one woman drowned, an expert has said. Two women, part of a group of experienced cold water sea swimmers,…
Strangford Lough's Carol Ship Brings the Sound of Christmas to the Narrows
9 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
There’s been a ferry across the Strangford Lough Narrows between Portaferry and Strangford for four hundred years (reputed to be the oldest continuous ferry crossing in the world) but five years ago, in celebration of the Christmas season, there appeared…
It was a busy weekend for Oban RNLI in Western Scotland, with its lifeboat Mora Edith MacDonald responding to two separate incidents, covering over 120 miles. The first call came Saturday afternoon (7 December) as the lifeboat launched in gale…
Cork Registered Fishing Vessel Raised from the Seabed off Ardglass
7 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Ardglass, on the southern coast of County Down, has one of the Northern Ireland’s main fishing harbours, is home to over 30 fishing vessels and is the main hub for the region’s pelagic fish processing industry writes Betty Armstrong As…
MGM Boats Celebrate Sun Odyssey 410 'Cruiser of the Year' Award
5 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Irish agents MGM Boats are celebrating Jeanneau's Sun Odyssey 410 win in the “British Yachting Awards” in the category of “Cruiser of the Year” 2019 this week. The Sun Odyssey 410 received the honours last Monday during the Awards celebration…
Belfast Harbour Named Best Cruise Port of Call in UK & Ireland
4 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Belfast Harbour has been named the best port of call in the UK and Ireland for cruise ships. The accolade was awarded by a global panel of cruise experts as part of the 2019 Cruise Critic Editors’ Pick Awards. It…
Irish 49ers Battling for Olympic Qualification on Day Two of World Championships in Auckland
4 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Some consistent scoring from Ireland's two 49er skiff teams on day two of the 49er World Championships in Auckland harbour sees Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle lead the Irish quest for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Regatta qualification. Day two saw lighter…
It’s not often a Notice to Mariners is issued by Bangor Harbour on Belfast Lough for a paddleboarding event but this was the case when a fundraiser was held in the Harbour on a very cold Sunday morning (1st Dec)…
Strangford Lough Yacht Club Members Celebrate 85 Years of Sailing
3 December 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
In celebration of 85 years of sailing, 190 Strangford Lough Yacht Club members enjoyed a memorable gala ball in the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel in Bangor. Commodore Rosie Baird said “It was great to see so many members and their guests…
At a glittering Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) annual awards ceremony in London, Janet Grosvenor was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award and made an Honorary Life Member for her immense contribution, both to the Club and the sport itself.…
Royal Ulster Yacht Club Goblet - Could Afloat Readers Solve This Australian Mystery?
30 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Recently Royal Ulster Yacht Club was contacted by a Mr Andre Jaku of Melbourne, Australia about a goblet he had bought from Leonard Joel’s Auction house in the city. It was listed as silver and was engraved with the words: …
Killyleagh Topper Sailor Awarded New Boat Thanks to John Merricks Sailing Trust
29 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
A young sailor from Killyleagh has been awarded her own boat thanks to a national programme helping young talent progress in the sport. Autumn Halliday (12), who is a junior member of Strangford Lough Yacht Club (SLYC), will have exclusive…
“Momentum behind this innovative and exhilarating dinghy is building in Ireland, and opportunities to engage a wide range of dinghy sailors cannot be overlooked”. Irish RS dealer Kenneth Rumball, is sure in his assessment of what the RS Aero can…
Irish 49er Skiffs Face Big Test for Olympic Qualifier in New Zealand
29 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Two Irish 49er crews aiming to qualify Ireland for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games face a stern test when the 49er World Championship series gets underway next week (evening of Monday 2nd December 2019 Irish time). Four nation places for next…
Dragon Gold Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club Will Be Something Quite Magic
28 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
The International Dragon Class and Kinsale seem to have been made for each other. When the Dragon Gold Cup is staged at the glossy south coast port next September, there will undoubtedly be a natural harmony to the event. With…
Enda O'Coineen's Belfast Book Launch for 'Journey to the Edge'
28 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Enda O’Coineen has many friends who sail Northern Waters. Now there’s the chance to meet up with him next week at the launch of his latest book, Journey to the Edge in No Alibis bookstore on Botanic Avenue, Belfast writes…
Bangor Waterfront Project on Belfast Lough to Better Link Town to Sea
27 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Another project in addition to the Bangor Queen’s Parade development on the County Down coast mentioned recently in Afloat, should see the enhancement of a two-mile stretch of the coast from the west of the Bangor Harbour all the way through…
Royal Cork Yacht Club Opens Entries for Cork Week 2020 Regatta
27 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
The Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world, today launched its online entry system for the prestigious Volvo Cork Week 2020 regatta which will see hundreds of boats and thousands of yachtsmen and women from around…
Photo Contest To Celebrate ‘Year Of The Salmon’ In Foyle & Carlingford Catchments
27 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
The Loughs Agency has announced a photography competition to celebrate the Foyle and Carlingford catchments and International Year of the Salmon. Prizes of vouchers for an online camera shop are up for grabs — in categories for under and over…
Three volunteers from Northern Ireland are celebrating as their efforts were recognised by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal at RYA’s Volunteer Awards held in London on Friday 22 November, to reward hard-working volunteers from all over the UK for…
Portaferry RNLI Assist Workers Stranded on Island in Deteriorating Weather Conditions
26 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Portaferry RNLI came to the aid of three people stranded on Trasnagh Island near Whiterock at Killinchy on the western shore of Strangford Lough this afternoon, as the weather deteriorated. Portaferry’s volunteer crew launched promptly at 1.26 pm and made…
MGM Boats New Prestige 420 F Makes its Debut at boot Dusseldorf 2020
26 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Following its launch last year, Dublin boat dealer MGM Boats will be displaying the new Prestige 420 F motorboat that will be making its first appearance at boot Dusseldorf 2020 in January. The spacious, high-performance flybridge cruiser reflects the core values of…
Greystones Harbour and Irish Sea dealer BJ Marine is showcasing an extensive range of sailing yachts at the 2020 boot Düsseldorf Boat Show (18th – 26th Jan). Potential owners will be able to explore the award-winning Beneteau Oceanis 46.1 (2019…
Here at North Sails Ireland, there is nothing we like more than working with the under 25 sailing teams all over the country. This is a growing segment in Irish sailing and we are delighted to be involved from the…
New Fastnet Course to Finish at Cherbourg – a Coup d’etat & a Fait Accompli?
26 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Well, there’s been something in the air for long enough about the future of the Rolex Fastnet Race writes W M Nixon. Back in September 2018, we were testing a few ideas about where it might go here And on…
Prestigious Awards For Volunteering Go To Scottish Lifeboat Stations
26 November 2019 Scottish Waters
Volunteers at Oban and Tobermory’s RNLI lifeboat stations in eastern Scotland have been recognised for their invaluable service in this year’s Excellence in Volunteering Awards. Oban’s four deputy coxswains — Mark Scott, Finlo Cottier, David Isaac and James Hardie —…
RORC ‘Might Consider’ Plymouth For Fastnet Race Finish In 2025
26 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Organisers of the Rolex Fastnet Race have citied “infrastructre” issues in their decision to move the finish of the 2021 and 2023 races from Plymouth to Cherbourg. And in a press conference announcing the move this afternoon (Tuesday 26 November), the…
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), organisers of the Rolex Fastnet Race, announced at a press conference today that the City of Cherbourg will host the finish of the Rolex Fastnet Race for the 2021 and 2023 editions of the…
Belfast Coastguard in Northern Ireland is appealing for the owner of a kayak found washed ashore at Millisle in Co Down. The discovery of the green-and-black inflatable kayak yesterday morning (Monday 25 November) prompted a search operation in the area of…
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is heralding big changes to its world's largest offshore race, the Rolex Fastnet Race at lunchtime today. The offshore club has invited members of the press to a Briefing concerning the world's largest offshore race, at its…
SB20 Class Vote to Change All Ireland Nomination Process for 2020
25 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
At the SB20 AGM held this month, the sportsboat class made the decision to change its nomination process for the 2020 ISA All Ireland Sailing Championships. The SB20 nomination for the 'champion of champions' event will now be based on…
A few days left to get discounts off hundreds of brilliant sailing wear products from top brands at CH Marine Chandlery in Cork and Belfast who pride themselves as worldwide suppliers of leisure & commercial marine products. As Afloat previously reported,…
Royal Ulster Sailors Tale of Lipton Trophy Replacement at Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans
25 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Royal Ulster Yacht Club members Deborah and Simon Lace recently returned from an adventure holiday in Chile where they had met an American man called Glen, from New Orleans writes Betty Armstrong. It transpired during the course of conversation that he…
Last week brought success for Britain’s thriving marine equipment sector with UK companies picking up a string of accolades and revelling in a flourish of business opportunities at the world’s largest trade marine equipment exhibition, METSTRADE 2019. The event kicked…
Since Victorian times until about thirty years ago, Queens Parade in Bangor was a thriving seaside thoroughfare with shops, hotels, a cinema, and ice cream vendors all colourfully set in a row, attracting hundreds to that part of the town…
Northern Ireland Sailor Mikey Ferguson Completes Incident Filled Transat Jacques Vabre Race
24 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Bangor, Northern Ireland sailor Mikey Ferguson and Finnish airline pilot Ari Hussela finished the famous 4350-mile coffee route ocean race, the Transat Jacques Vabre offshore race, from Le Havre to Salvador da Bahia in Brazil, on 15th November. But not…
Invergordon Lifeboat Launches To RIB Drifting Towards Cromarty Firth Oil Rigs
24 November 2019 Scottish Waters
Invergordon RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew launched at 8.36pm last night (Saturday 23 November) to reports of a vessel with no power drifting towards oil rigs in the Cromarty Firth. The all-weather Trent class lifeboat Douglas Aikman Smith made best speed…
Clyde Marine Planning Partnership Pays Tribute To Late Former Chair Isabel Glasgow
22 November 2019 Scottish Waters
The Clyde Marine Planning Partnership (CMPP) has paid tribute to former chair Isabel Glasgow, who died earlier this month of pancreatic cancer. Isabel, who was also chair of the Clyde 2020 initiative, “contributed so much of her valuable time, expertise…
Stonehaven RNLI Bids Farewell To Last Serving Atlantic 75 Lifeboat In Scotland
22 November 2019 Scottish Waters
It was a sad day this week as Stonehaven RNLI said goodbye to the last Atlantic 75 lifeboat in service in Scotland. The volunteer crew in Aberdeenshire watched as Miss Berry was winched out of the water to be transported…
German 'Electrified' Sailing Club Sets Example Through Electric Coach Boat with Torqeedo Propulsion
21 November 2019 Scottish Waters
From yacht clubs to sailing schools and non-profit associations – sailing organisations around the world are using Torqeedo electric outboard engines to modernise their fleets, thereby reducing CO2 emissions and improving energy efficiency. As a pioneer, Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee…
Largs Yacht Haven in Ayrshire has been awarded the marina industry’s top accreditation, the Five Gold Anchor award, for the fourth time in a row. The Gold Anchor award scheme rates the quality, level of service and overall standard of…
Wins for Spirit & Princess at IBI-METSTRADE Boat Builder Awards 2019
21 November 2019 Scottish Waters
British Marine members, Spirit Yachts and Princess Yachts, had a fantastic night at the IBI-METSTRADE Boat Builder Awards 2019, which took place on Tuesday (19 November) at the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. Spirit Yachts’ innovative manufacturing process and yacht…
2020 Irish Sailing Fixtures Preview: The Year of the Irish Sailing Club
21 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Nobody seems yet to have nominated the already very special 2020 as The Year of the Sailing Club, or more accurately as The Year of the Irish Sailing Club. So here in Afloat.ie we’re just going to do that very…
Olympian Mark Mansfield Appointed J Boats & Grand Soleil Agent for Ireland
20 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Key Yachting Ltd has announced that four-time Olympian Mark Mansfield, has been appointed the representative in Ireland for their four ranges; J Boats, Grand Soleil, Nautitech Catamarans, and Tofinou. Key Yachting is the sole agents for these performance brands in…
29ers Skiffs To Race at 2020 Irish Sailing Youth Nationals at Howth Yacht Club
19 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Irish Sailing’s annual Youth National Championships will include skiff racing for the first time when they take place next year on 16-19 April at Howth Yacht Club, Dublin. This year for the first time Irish Sailing has invited the 29er…
Irish Tokyo Bid in 49er Skiff Races Will Be Streamed Live from Auckland
19 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Irish sailing fans can look forward to seeing two Irish teams bid for an Olympic berth at the 49er World Championships live in New Zealand next month thanks to new streaming technology announced by the international class association. As Afloat…
RYA Northern Ireland Selects Sailors for Youth Performance Programme
18 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
RYANI has selected a group of young sailors to join its Youth Performance Programmes. The sailors, aged from 12 to 17, will be supported along their sailing journey, in preparation for national and international competition. RYANI Performance Manager James Farrell…
Bangor Town Regatta Shapes up for 2020 Edition from June 25-28
18 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
A ‘Town’ Regatta in Bangor first saw the light of day a century ago and Belfast Lough will, from 25th till 28th June next year, see a repeat of the 2018 reincarnation as Bangor Town Regatta, a four-day multi-class event…
Two juvenile seals named Ariel and Merida after the Disney princesses are part of a novel marine research project using the latest technology to record and understand harbour seals’ behaviour. In a first for Northern Ireland, the Exploris Aquarium in…
Lerwick lifeboat launched late Friday night (15 November) to the aid of a fishing vessel which had grounded on rocks just north of the Shetland Islands harbour. The 26-metre, Inverness-registered trawler was stuck fast and was listing when the Severn-class…
A brisk northerly breeze met the Topper sailors on Saturday afternoon for a cold day of sailing in what was otherwise perfect sailing weather for the fourth week of the Charles Hurst Jaguar Land Rover Ballyholme Yacht Club Junior Icebreaker…
With the majority of boats now docked in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and crews busy making preparations for their 2,700 nm Atlantic ahead of start of the ARC next Sunday - 24th November - it was time to mark…
2019 RORC Season Points Championship Overall Winner is Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep
17 November 2019 Scottish Waters
More than 5,000 sailors from around the world, racing in a dazzling variety of 570 yachts, took part in the 2019 RORC Season's Points Championship. The world's largest offshore racing series comprised 14 testing races and every race had its…
Young People Join Forces To Have Their Say On Sailing & Boating In Northern Ireland
16 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
A group of young people have joined together to have their say on sailing and boating in Northern Ireland. The RYANI Youth Forum group, which is being piloted for one year, has been formed as part of an initiative to…
Maritime Heritage Seminars In Foyle & Carlingford This Month
15 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
The Loughs Agency has organised two morning seminars around the theme of maritime heritage in the Foyle and Carlingford areas later this month. The first will take place at Greencastle Golf Club next Friday 22 November from 9.30am to 12.30pm,…
Council Pays Cost of Scrapping Abandoned Fishing Trawler at Ballyhalbert
15 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Ards and North Down Borough Council paid £36,000 to scrap an abandoned fishing trawler in Ballyhalbert harbour on the Ards Peninsula writes Betty Armstrong. Ballyhalbert is a small seaside village on the Irish Sea coast of the Ards Peninsula at…
Belfast Harbour's 'RSPB Window on Wildlife' Gives a Bird's Eye View
14 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
As you make your passage west through Belfast Harbour to the Marina you probably don’t realise that on your port side near the cruise liner terminal is gem of a wildlife sanctuary just a hundred metres away writes Betty Armstrong.…
Happy 85th Birthday as Strangford Lough Yacht Club is RYA Club of the Year Award Finalist
14 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Strangford Lough Yacht Club that celebrates its 85th anniversary this weekend is celebrating its shortlisting as a finalist in the 2020 RYA Club of the year competition writes Betty Armstrong. As Afloat reported earlier, two northern clubs have been selected as…
A group of seven men from the North Coast hatched a novel way to carry out some fundraising for the Portrush and Islay RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews recently. As a group of keen sailors and avid supporters of the RNLI…
Start the New Decade with boot Düsseldorf - Online Ticket Sales Started
14 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
boot Düsseldorf will present itself from 18 to 26 January 2020 in a sporty new look. The overriding aim of the redesigned layout for the event is to make visit planning even better. “In the context of our arrangements for…
Residents around Strangford Lough were baffled at the weekend of a mysterious ‘humming’ sound heard around its waters, as the Belfast Telegraph reports. The droning noise can be faintly detected in a video posted by Ian McConnell on Twitter, who…
Two NI Clubs Make Final List For RYA/Yachts & Yachting Club Of The Year 2020
13 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Strangford Lough Yacht Club and East Antrim Boat Club in Northern Ireland have been named among the 10 finalists selected for the RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year Award for 2020. East Antrim Boat Club is also…
Carrybridge Lifeboat Assists Vessel Adrift Near Island In Upper Lough Erne
13 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat launched yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 12 November) to a vessel adrift close to an island in Upper Lough Erne north-east of Knockninny Marina. Winds were north-westerly Force 2 when the lifeboat Douglas Euan & Kay Richards arrived…
300 Laser Radials Expected for 2020 Youth European Championships at Ballyholme Yacht Club
12 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Just as well Ballyholme Yacht Club is at present extending the south dinghy park and widening one of the launching slips because next July an entry of over 300 is expected for the Laser Youth Radial European Championships which will…
HM Coastguard rescue teams from Lerwick, Hillswick and Sumburgh, the search and rescue helicopter crew from Sumburgh and staff from the Coastguard Operations Centre in Shetland have been awarded the prestigious UK Department for Transport Rescue Shield by Brian Johnson,…
Olympic Gold Medallist Sarah Ayton to Speak at RYA Dinghy Show
11 November 2019 Northern Ireland Waters
Over the weekend of 29 February- 01 March, double Olympic Gold Medallist Sarah Ayton OBE will be joining forces with British Sailing Team’s Sam Whaley at Alexandra Palace to host a fantastic range of expert speakers on the Great Hall…
British Marine Scotland Members Show ‘Optimism & Confidence’ In Their Regional Marine Sector
11 November 2019 Scottish Waters
A recent survey of British Marine members in Scotland “reveals an optimistic, confident sector”, the industry body says. More than half of respondents to the British Marine Scotland survey earlier this year reported increased business, while two thirds declared development…
