The latest news from Scottish and Northern Irish waters produced by Yachting Life & Afloat.
Safer Waters Open Evening Proves a Useful Recruitment Drive at Bangor Marina
23 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Crowds gathered recently at Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough for the second open evening to be held by the charity Safer Waters. Safer Waters is a unique service in Northern Ireland, established in 2020 to provide a Safety Boat service…
Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan Take Squib Northern Victory at Killyleagh Yacht Club
20 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Killyleagh Yacht Club on the western shore of Strangford Lough recently hosted the Squib Northerns and a fleet of 18 enjoyed five races under Race Officer Scott Rogers and his team in challenging conditions over the two days. Overall winners…
Donaghadee RNLI Lifeboat Helps Yacht Taking On Water, Second Call Out In A Week
20 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Donaghadee RNLI Lifeboat was launched on Thursday 19 May, to assist a yacht taking water onboard approximately 12 miles North East of Bangor, County Down. The volunteer crew of Donaghadee Lifeboat were requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard on Thursday…
First New Lock on Lagan Canal in Over 250 Years Set to Open
16 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Nearly five years after work began, the first new boat lock on the Lagan Canal in more than 250 years is set to open tomorrow, Tuesday 17 May. The new £4+ million Lock Number 1 at Stranmillis is part of…
A win in the final race for the appropriately named Final Call II in Kip Regatta at the weekend clinched an overall first in the RC 35 division for John Minnis’s Archambault 35 from Royal Ulster and Royal North of…
Belfast-Based Sailor Lauren McDowell Awarded Mary Peters Trust Bursary
16 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The first Northern Ireland athlete selected for Mary Peters Trust funding is Belfast-based sailor, Lauren McDowell, who has received a £500 bursary. Each of the ten athletes will be selected by Lady Mary and her Trust to receive a £500 bursary…
RYA Scotland are looking to identify a team of young sailors from Scotland to go to the British Keelboat League Championship Finals in Southampton in September 2022. An online information session on Tuesday 24 May at 7pm will set out…
Scotland's top regatta has been cancelled just 20 days before the first race. The scrubbing of the 'premier regatta' is not due to a lack of entries but a lack of volunteers to run the event on Loch Fyne, according…
James Curran’s Impala 'Beeste' on Top in Quoile Yacht Club IRC Spring Series
11 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Quoile Yacht Club Spring Series on Northern Ireland waters kicked off the sailing programme on Strangford Lough at the end of April, racing in two fleets, IRC and NHC The club is tucked away in the sheltered southwestern corner…
The Our Isles and Oceans’ group of inexperienced sailors witnessed upwards of 30-knot winds in the Sound of Mull in Scotland today. The Our Isles and Oceans 68-foot Clipper Round the World racing yacht set sail from Tobermory Harbour this…
Bangor Lifeboat Assists Six on Yacht After Engine Failure
10 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bangor RNLI’s volunteers came to the rescue of six women on a yacht after its engine failed during a passage to Glenarm in Co Antrim. The inshore lifeboat Jessie Hillyard was launched on Monday morning (9 May) from Belfast Lough…
Larne Lifeboat Launches to Aid of Paddle Boarders Caught in Breeze Off East Antrim Coast
10 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Larne RNLI in Northern Ireland launched to the aid of a group of paddle boarders who were caught in an offshore breeze at the weekend. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by Belfast Coastguard at 2.09pm…
Dog Deaths Linked to Lough Neagh Prompt Council Probe
8 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Local authorities are investigating after two dogs died following contact with the water at Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, as BelfastLive reports. In the separate incidents on Thursday (5 May), a five-month old golden retriever and a 15-month-old cocker spaniel…
Life-Changing Opportunity For Young NI Sailors to Have Their Own Boat
8 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Enthusiastic young sailors from across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to apply to be in with a chance of being awarded their own boat. Through an ongoing partnership between the John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST) and RYA OnBoard, 10 boats…
The eel fishing season on Lough Neagh began last week. And in a conservation measure, the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-Operative Society was involved in helping restock the Lough with "glass eels" (one and a half million of them), the juveniles…
British Team for Youth Sailing World Championships Announced
5 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Sixteen of the UK’s most promising young sailors have been selected to represent Great Britain at the Youth Sailing World Championships. The talented youngsters, all aged 18 or under, will represent the British Youth Sailing (BYS) Team in eight classes…
On Monday, May 2 Lough Neagh Rescue was alerted by Belfast Coastguard to reports of an overturned Jetski in Antrim Bay on the Northeast corner of what is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles and Ireland. Two casualties…
Portrush Raft Race Returns in September to the North Coast
3 May 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The fundraising Portrush Raft Race is something of an institution in the north coast town of the same name, which is blessed with two stunning beaches and tidily in between, a picturesque harbour where the RNLI Severn Class lifeboat the…
RYA Northern Ireland Youth Forum Members Celebrate Another Successful Year
30 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A group of young sailors recently came together to mark another successful year of the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Forum. The celebration event took place at Carrickfergus Sailing Club with guests representing RYA clubs across Northern Ireland in attendance. The…
Big Interest in East Down Yacht Club's 11-boat Impala 28 Fleet
30 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
From two Impalas in the early days at East Down Yacht Club to 11 now is very satisfying progress at the club situated on the western shore of Strangford Lough. This would be the envy of many of the local…
Larne based East Antrim Boat Club members learned recently of the sudden passing of their friend Norman Surplus who was associated with the club for many years. Norman’s love of outdoor pursuits began at college where he discovered windsurfing and…
Ballyholme Bay in Bangor on Belfast Lough is a Jekyll-&-Hyde sort of place. For much of the time, it’s serene, with excellent sailing waters off a neat urban waterfront above a tidy esplanade on its western shoreline, while the eastern…
Ballyholme Topper Sailor Bobby Driscoll is Youth Sailing Champion on Belfast Lough
24 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Five winds from eight races gave local sailor Bobby Driscoll from the hosting Ballyholme Yacht Club a clear overall win ahead of clubmate Emily McAfee in the 51-boat Topper 5.3 event, one of the biggest fleets of the Youth Sailing…
RYA Northern Ireland Appoints New Sailability Coordinator
16 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Ken Curry, secretary of Foyle Sailability, has been appointed as RYA Northern Ireland’s sailability coordinator for the reguon. Curry took up the post this month and says he is looking forward to helping people with disabilities to get out on…
55 Currently Entered for Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough
16 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Royal Ulster Yacht Club and Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough are gearing up for an influx of boats for Bangor Town Regatta at the end of June, with 55 currently entered. The event of the same name was first sailed…
Good Showing by Northern Ireland Sailors at the RYA Nationals at Pwllheli
13 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The 190-strong fleet at the RYA Youth Nationals hosted by Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales this week should be a good run-up to the Irish Youth Sailing Nationals next week at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough where around…
Strangford Lough Sailing Calendar 2022 is Published
12 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
There’s certainly a great variety of racing this season in Strangford Lough. The Strangford Lough Racing Calendar has just published its fixtures for 2022 and the very busy months till the end of September kick off with the two-day Quoile…
RNLI Lifeguards Set to Return for Easter as New Data Shows Record Breaking Summer
11 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RNLI has revealed lifeguard statistics from 2021 which show more people than ever visited a lifeguarded beach in Northern Ireland and needed the help of the charity’s lifesavers. During the season, lifeguard teams located on 11 beaches along the…
Saskia Tidey Disqualified in Last 49erFX Race But Six-Medal Haul in Palma Kickstarts British Sailing Team’s 2022 season
9 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Britain’s elite sailors laid down a marker as the 2022 season got underway at Palma’s iconic Trofeo Princesa Sofia, bringing home medals in six of the ten classes. The British Sailing Team haul included two golds, a silver and three…
Strangford Lough Trials Eco-Friendly Boat Moorings
6 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
At the end of March, the Strangford and Lecale Partnership started a new pilot study of Advanced Mooring Systems in Strangford Lough. It is the first study of its kind in Northern Ireland, and these eco-friendly moorings will avoid or…
Larne Lifeboat Launches to RIB Run Aground on Lough
4 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Larne RNLI on Northern Ireland’s East Antrim coast launched to the aid of a man yesterday (Sunday 3 April) after his boat ran aground. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by Belfast Coastguard following reports that…
Hen Island Raft Race Returns to Strangford Lough
4 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Hen Island lies in Whiterock Bay near Sketrick Island on the west shore of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland and used to be the location for a popular raft race. Now post Lockdown the Strangford Lough Raft Race is back…
Dun Laoghaire Race Officer Con Murphy To Run Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough
4 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Con Murphy from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour is an internationally known sailor and International Race Officer. So Bangor Town Regatta will be in safe hands as he will be the Principal Race Officer for the event…
Notice to Boaters Over Angling Events on Lough Erne Next Weekend
3 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Waterways Ireland has issued advisories for masters on Lough Erne in Northern Ireland over two angling events in the area taking place next weekend. On Lower Lough Erne, the Ulster Trout Angling Championship will take place on Saturday 9 April.…
RYANI Welcomes Announcement Ireland’s First International Watersport Expo
2 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
RYA Northern Ireland has welcomed the announcement that Ireland’s first ever international watersport expo will be held at the EIKON exhibition centre in Lisburn next March. Ireland on the Water Expo will take place on 4-5 March 2023 and is…
Northern Ireland’s New Passenger Ship Sets Sail off Antrim's Ballycastle
2 April 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Marking what it described as a “new dawn”, an Antrim company has launched the province’s largest sightseeing passenger ferry. The new vessel Kintra II marks a £1 million investment by Kintra Boat Tours, and the creation of eight jobs. The…
J109 ‘Jelly Baby’ Heading North for Restoration
27 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Kevin O’Neill’s boat-shed at Kirkistown on the Ards Peninsula in Co Down has seen many boat restorations, the most recent being the MGRS 34, Twenty Twenty for Rex Robinson of Dublin Bay (renamed Debbie R in memory of his late…
Council Delays Dredging of Carrickfergus Marina and Harbour
26 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The programme of dredging Carrickfergus Marina on the north shore of Belfast Lough has suffered delays, apparently due to operational reasons. The original date for completion was this past Thursday 24 March. Meanwhile, the status of dredging operations in the…
Lagan Search and Rescue is looking for new team members. Based out of Belfast Harbour and Lough, Lagan SAR operates an Independent Lifeboat, Type B Flood Team, Quayside Response, and Rescue Swimmer Corps. The crew is made up of dedicated…
Speeding Ferrari Gets Driving Ban for NI Yacht Broker
21 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A Northern Ireland-based yacht broker has been banned from driving in the Republic after his Ferrari was clocked at nearly 200kmh in Donegal last year. According to the Sunday World, GulfStream Boat Sales boss Niall Heaney was witnessed by gardaí…
Vintage Brixham Trawler 'Leader' Acquired by Northern Ireland's Silvery Light Maritime Heritage Charity
17 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Silvery Light Sailing is Northern Ireland’s only Maritime Heritage Community Boatworks and Sail Training Charity and it has just been awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £244,975 for the acquisition of the 1892-built Heritage Tall Ship Leader and…
Oysters Arrive at Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough
15 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In November last year, Bangor Marina in partnership with the Ulster Wildlife Trust made plans to establish the first native oyster nursery in Northern Ireland. The earliest report of a recognised commercial oyster fishery in Belfast Lough was in the late…
New Project Promotes Nature-Based Farming to Protect Rivers and Trees
12 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Loughs Agency and Woodland Trust Northern Ireland have announced the launch of their new biodiversity project, TREES, within the Foyle and Carlingford catchment areas. The primary aim of the TREES project is to protect and restore vital habitats for…
A volunteer crew member from Carrybridge Lifeboat Station successfully completed the rigorous RNLI helm assessment this past Wednesday 9 March. Twenty-nine-year-old Kyle Boyd works for Openreach and has spent a lifetime on Upper and Lower Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh,…
Northern Ireland Sailors: Could Your Club Host the Next Women on Water Festival?
9 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
RYA Northern Ireland is looking for the next location to host its popular Women on Water (WOW) Festival. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the WOW initiative began in 2016, allowing over 500 women to get on the water with 12…
Portrush Lifeboat Launches to Fishing Vessel Adrift With Engine Trouble
9 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
It was a busy afternoon on International Women’s Day for one of Portrush RNLI’s three women crew volunteers as the lifeboat was launched on Tuesday 8 March to reports of a fishing vessel in difficulty. The 26ft vessel with two…
Loughs Agency Retains Existing Tag Allocation to Help Conserve Atlantic Salmon
9 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Loughs Agency has made the decision to retain salmon carcass tag numbers for licence holders for the 2022 season in line with the previous year’s policy. The Agency introduced the interim policy for the 2020/2021 season whereby the number…
Strangford Lough Sailor is BBC Cameraman in Ukraine
8 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The daily news from Ukraine is upsetting and harrowing but we can’t truly know what it must be like to work there. Strangford Lough Yacht Club member David McIlveen who sails the Hydro 28 Rampart, is an award-winning camera operator…
Overwhelming Response to Royal Ulster Yacht Club's Ukranian Appeal
8 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In common with many other organisations Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough in Northern Ireland put a call out for donations for the Ukrainian Aid Appeal and it turned out the response was overwhelming. In the end there were…
Canoeists Add Splash of Life to NI’s Quoile Yacht Club As It Works to Broaden Watersport Appeal
6 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The latest in the RYA’s Spotlight series puts the focus on Quoile Yacht Club as the Northern Ireland club tries to broaden its appeal beyond traditional events like its Spring Series. “As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, events around…
Belfast Lough's Bangor Marina Welcomes Big Crowd on Pancake Tuesday
3 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
On a glorious 1st March and after two years of restrictions Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough held their Pancake Tuesday get together again, welcoming a big crowd to a ‘catch up’. Marina manager Kevin Baird was delighted to see so…
The boating community and those who treasured the maritime heritage of County Fermanagh’s Lough Erne learned with shock last weekend of the sudden death of Fred Ternan. Fred was a true son of Fermanagh. He was born on Inniscoonra Island…
RYA Northern Ireland Opens Strategic Review for 2022
2 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
RYA Northern Ireland’s four-year strategy from 2017 to 2021 had helped give direction to the organisation, particularly following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through which it was extended. Consultation with clubs, centres and groups for a renewed strategy started in 2020…
Newcastle Lifeboat Volunteers Rescue Swimmer From Rough Seas
2 March 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Volunteers at Newcastle RNLI rescued a swimmer who got into difficulty in rough seas close to the Co Down harbour this morning (Wednesday 2 March). Two volunteers and three visiting staff members were working at the lifeboat station when shortly…
UK VAT on Yachts – Changes to Returned Goods Relief Have Become UK Law
27 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The UK Government's has made good on its promise to make a positive change to the application of Returned Goods Relief (RGR) for recreational craft resulting in many boat owners no longer becoming liable to pay VAT on the return…
Pregnancies in bottlenose dolphins can now be determined from images captured by drone, according to new research. As the Irish Examiner reports, marine scientists from University of Aberdeen and Duke University have flown drones over the Moray Firth Special Area…
Sigma 33s Hopeful of the Magic 15 at Bangor Town Regatta's Irish Championships
24 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
In this post lockdown era, there are so many events on offer that sailors keen to compete in the big competitions are spoilt for choice, and this has never been so true as with the Sigma 33 class this season.…
Irish Sailor of the Year 2021 Eve McMahon To Contest Youth Sailing Championships at Ballyholme
23 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Ballyholme Yacht Club in Bangor on Belfast Lough is the host club for this year’s Irish National Youth Sailing Championships from 21st until 24th April. The cream of youth and junior sailors from across Ireland will compete in the Laser/ILCA…
The Eric Twiname Junior Championships are Back in the UK!
22 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Eric Twiname Junior Championships is back after a two-year absence – and entries are now open. The RYA’s iconic “battle of the regions” pits young sailors from across the country against each other, representing their RYA Region or Home…
Belleek Men’s Shed is Busy Building Traditional Lough Erne Cots
21 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
There’s a great buzz of woodworking activity in the Belleek Men’s Shed and on West Island in County Fermanagh. But this is no ordinary woodworking – this is the building of traditional Lough Erne Cots. The Cot was originally a…
New Shop Volunteers Needed to Help at Donaghadee RNLI and Stations Across Island of Ireland
21 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The RNLI is looking for new shop volunteers to join its lifesaving team at Donaghadee RNLI in Co Down — and stations across the island of Ireland. Just like the charity’s lifeboats, the RNLI’s retail team need a dedicated volunteer…
Lough Neagh Drained Below Minimum Levels Due to Faulty Water Sensors
15 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Fishing crews and sand barges on Lough Neagh were stranded for a number of days recently after faulty sensors caused water levels to drop below the statutory minimum, as BelfastLive reports. Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure blamed a software update…
Safer Waters Provides Rescue Service for Sailing, Swimming, Paddle Boarding & Windsurfing Events in Northern Ireland
13 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Safer Waters is a unique service in Northern Ireland, established in 2020 to provide a Safety Boat service for water-based community events. The service is there to support events such as Sailing, Swimming, Paddle Boarding and Windsurfing that have no…
Portaferry & Strangford to Stage Viking Festival in March
11 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Vikings first invaded Ireland in 795 AD when they beached on Lambay Island near Dublin. Records show that the monastery at Nendrum on Strangford Lough and one at Downpatrick in south County Down were attacked early in the ninth…
Clubs Come Together Online for RYANI Affiliated Club Conference
9 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Clubs from across Northern Ireland joined together online for RYANI’s Affiliated Clubs Conference recently. The virtual conference, which took place on Saturday 22 January, gave delegates the chance to network, share stories and ask questions to a host of experienced…
Scotland Pip Northern Ireland at RYA Celtic Cup Youth Sailing Event
8 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The last weekend of January saw the RYA Celtic Cup hosted by RYA Scotland at Largs Sailing Club, and taking part were RYANI Youth Sailing Squad Members with RYA Wales and RYA Scotland. As well as racing for the Celtic…
Wexford Based Barge Arrives in Bangor for Trench Digging Works on Belfast Lough
8 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
County Wexford based company Marine Specialists Ltd completed mobilising their new 26-metre barge Cliodna in Bangor Harbour on Belfast Lough on Monday, February 7th. Over the coming weeks, it will be inspected by the Maritime Coastguard Agency and prepared for…
New Lifeboat on the Way for Lagan Search and Rescue After Successful Grant Application
4 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Lagan Search and Rescue (LSR) on Belfast Lough has announced that following a successful application to the Department of Agriculture Rural Community Rescue Scheme, the charity will be able to replace its ageing fleet of emergency response vehicles, update personal…
Erne Head of the River Rowing Race Taking Place Next Month
4 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners on the Erne System that the Erne Head of the River rowing race will take place in Enniskillen on Saturday 5 March. The event will run from noon to 3pm, with the official race…
British Keelboat Academy’s New Recruits Get Real Test at Queen Mary Sailing Club
3 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The British Keelboat Academy (BKA) held its first training weekend of 2022 at Queen Mary Sailing Club in London with a full range of conditions to test its latest recruits. Following the virtual workshops which took place for the previous…
Foyle Search & Rescue £150,000 Funding Boost
3 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Derry based Foyle Search and Rescue has welcomed a £150,000 boost from the Rural Community Rescue Scheme, Belfast Live reports. The charity, which saves countless lives of people in distress in the community every year, said the monies through the…
New Sport of E Foiling Finds a Home on Strangford Lough
1 February 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Rory Martin of the Strangford Lough Activity Centre provides a variety of land and watersports through what he says is a quirky, experimental adventure centre. Though the Strangford Lough bases are at Whiterock and Sketrick Island near Killinchy on the…
Hawkins Bronze Caps Strong British iQFOiL Showing in Lanzarote
31 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Young windsurfer Finn Hawkins took bronze at the iQFOiL International Games in Lanzarote which saw six Brits featuring across the top tens. Hawkins was one of four British sailors in the men’s top order while there were two in the…
Quoile Yacht Club Hopes To Attract Belfast Lough Yachts for Spring Series
31 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Forty years has passed since the first Spring Series in Ireland took place at Quoile Yacht Club in Northern Ireland. The club lies in the southwestern corner of Strangford Lough and at that time the event was shared with Down…
New Mersey Class Lifeboat Goes on Service at Newcastle RNLI
28 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
When it retired from active service at Margate on England’s southeast coast in April last year, the Mersey class all-weather lifeboat faced an uncertain future but RNLB Leonard Kent has now arrived at its new home at Newcastle in County…
Ulster Rugby Team Goes Paddleboarding at Bangor Harbour
27 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
SUFTUM which means Stand Up for the Ulster Men is the rallying cry for the Ulster Rugby team and is of course part of the Ravenhill Roar heard most enthusiastically reverberating around the Kingspan Stadium at Ravenhill when Ulster play…
Bob Espey & Matt McGovern To Sail Waszps Across the Irish Sea & Back
26 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Bob Espey is a long-time sailor at Ballyholme Yacht Club having raced Lasers, 49ers and RS400s, he now owns a Waszp dinghy. A ‘bonkers’ plan is what he has called his standout fundraising effort for little Jodi Tomalin who has, along…
Foiling Boat Tech Firm Artemis Opens Manufacturing Facility in Belfast
24 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Artemis Technologies has opened a new facility in Belfast as it prepares to commence testing of its transformative new Artemis eFoiler(R) electric propulsion system. The 42,200 sq ft facility in Titanic Quarter’s Channel Commercial Park, will house the company’s manufacturing…
Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough Makes Welcome Return in 2022
24 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
A ‘Town’ Regatta at Bangor on Belfast Lough was first held over a century ago and saw reincarnation in 2018. Subsequent planned events fell foul of Covid 19 but Royal Ulster has just announced the welcome return of the regatta…
Proposed Ireland-Scotland North Channel Bridge Another Profitable Winner For Feasibility Studies Industry
21 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Anyone who has sailed regularly in the tide-riven and often stormy North Channel between Scotland and Ireland will have long realized that creating a permanent link – whether bridge or tunnel – would be one of the most demanding engineering…
From its beginnings with coastal lookouts to today’s hi-tech national network of coordination centres, from small localised beginnings to international players – one thing has stayed the same for two centuries – Her Majesty’s Coastguard seeks to search, to rescue…
The first of the BBC NI Series, The Chronicles of Strangford aired on Monday, 17th January. The maritime TV series will cover the four seasons on this stunning part of Co Down, beginning with this week's episode on Autumn. It…
The River Foyle flows into Lough Foyle in the North West of Northern Ireland through the city of Derry and in that area there are already established the Marina, Foyle commercial Port, Lough Foyle Yacht Club and Foyle Search and…
The RNLI has launched its search for budding new lifeguards to start their career on some of Northern Ireland’s most popular beaches, as applications open for 2022. Recruitment for this season’s team of RNLI beach lifesavers on the Causeway Coast…
Eight Northern Ireland Squibs for Kinsale Nationals in June
16 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
It’s a long way for crew and boats to travel from Belfast Lough and Strangford Lough to Kinsale but eight from the northern-based Squib class will be making that 300 mile trip in June for the eight-race Bandon Co-Op Squib…
Final Countdown to RYA Northern Ireland Club Conference 2022
14 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
‘Planning for a successful future’ is the theme of RYA Northern Ireland’s Affiliate Clubs Conference for 2022, taking place online next Saturday 22 January. Whether your club has been able to capitalise on the staycation trend or is struggling to…
Ballyholme Yacht Club Aims for Weekend of Speed on Belfast Lough in 2022
13 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough is hopeful that the Weekend of Speed which was cancelled last year will in fact happen in September. The dates set aside are 17th and 18th September and around 50 entries are expected. Richard…
New Customs Reporting Requirements for Pleasure Boats Travelling to Northern Ireland From EU
11 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
As of 1 January this year, pleasure craft travelling from the European Union (including Ireland) to Northern Ireland are subject to new customs reporting requirements. Pleasure craft are defined as craft used for the sport or pleasure of the owner.…
Entry Opens for RYA/BUSA Women’s Team Racing Championships
11 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Entries have opened for the RYA and BUSA Women’s Team Racing Championships, which will take place at Budworth Sailing Club over the weekend of 19/20 February 2022. Budworth SC in the heart of Cheshire is looking forward to welcoming teams…
The Belfast Barge: A Visitor Attraction with a Maritime Theme
10 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Not too long ago the City of Belfast had turned its back on the River Lagan which enters Belfast Lough on the border between Counties Antrim and Down. But since 1989 when the Laganside Corporation began redevelopment of the surrounding…
Applications Now Open for Sport NI’s COVID Recovery Programme
8 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Sport NI’s COVID Recovery Programme for Sports Organisations is now open for applications with a closing date of noon on Friday 28 January. The programme will support eligible organisations in Northern Ireland which have been negatively affected by the COVID…
Shirley Robertson & Dee Caffari Go Double Handed for the 2022 Offshore Season
6 January 2022 Scottish Waters
Two of Britain's most decorated female sailors will be teaming up for the upcoming 2022 Double Handed Offshore Season. Dee Caffari and Shirley Robertson will be sailing together throughout 2022 in the UK Double Handed Offshore Series, racing a new…
Successful Deployment of Underwater Cameras to Capture Salmon Spawning in River Roe
5 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
As part of the Loughs Agency’s annual redd counting on the River Roe and its tributaries in Northern Ireland, underwater cameras were successfully deployed and have captured footage of salmon spawning activity. Mark McCauley, freshwater fisheries biologist with the agency,…
Campaigners to Mount Legal Challenge Over Approval for Islandmagee Gas Project
5 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Northern Ireland campaigners are mounting a legal challenge over a Stormont minister’s approval for a gas storage project in Islandmagee near a key Game of Thrones filming location, according to BelfastLive. InfraStrata’s long-gestating plans to carve salt caves for gas…
Bicentenary of Carlingford's Haulbowline Lighthouse Approaches
5 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Lee Maginnis notes the 200th anniversary of the great granite Haulbowline Lighthouse on the County Louth coast will be in 2024 Haulbowline Lighthouse, that feat of granite engineering sitting on a wave-washed rock in the mouth of Carlingford Lough. Northern…
Appeal for Surfers & More to Record Data on Northern Ireland’s Marine Wildlife
3 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Enthusiasts of surfing, sea kayaking and coasteering are being asked to contribute to a project collecting data about Northern Ireland’s marine wildlife. As the Coleraine Chronicle reports, National Museums NI’s Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) hopes that the North…
"I Am Still in Shock" - Antrim Rescue Service's Sean McCarry is Awarded OBE in Queen’s New Year Honours
1 January 2022 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
The Community Rescue Service (CRS) is a charitable search and rescue organisation operated by volunteers from communities across Northern Ireland and in the Queen’s New Year Honours the Regional Commander, Sean McCarry, from Co. Antrim, has been made an OBE…
East Antrim Topper Sailor Among UK Youths Awarded Boats & Boards for 2022
29 December 2021 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Topper racer Connie Wilson, who sails out of East Antrim Boat Club in Northern Ireland, is one of 14 young sailors across the UK who have been awarded their own boats and boards donated by the John Merricks Sailing Trust.…
Bob Harper Steps Down as RYANI Sailability Coordinator
29 December 2021 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Carrickfergus sailor Bob Harper has stepped down from his role of RYA Northern Ireland sailability coordinator. Harper took up the role in 2003 and over the last 18 years he has worked with clubs and centres across Northern Ireland as…
Loughs Agency Removes 3,000 Plastic Tree Guards From Roe Valley
28 December 2021 Northern Ireland Sailing & Boating News
Between 2012 and 2014, each spring the Loughs Agency — in partnership with Woodland Trust and with the agreement of local landowners — planted 10,000 mixed-species native trees along both banks of the River Roe in Northern Ireland. This section…
