Betty Armstrong

Ireland

Northern Ireland Correspondent at AFLOAT Magazine (Ireland)

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Articles

When Lasers Cost £466 - ILCA to Celebrate 50 Years of Laser Sailing in Ireland

5 days ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

Sailing on Saturday last weekend told of Centenaries and suggested that 100-year fatigue may have set in. But one anniversary will not pass without huge celebrations, and that is the Golden 50 years of ILCAs or Lasers, as old hands still call them, in Ireland The 50th Anniversary Irish Championship on 14th and 15th August at Ballyholme on Belfast Lough in Northern Ireland will not only have young blood among the entrants but also several who have never stopped sailing Lasers.
Bill O'Hara Appointed Race Officer for IRC NI Championships

2 weeks ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

Bangor man Bill O'Hara has been appointed Race Officer for the inaugural IRC Northern Ireland Championships, scheduled for July 19th and 20th. This event marks the final of the Irish Sea Nations Cup inaugural challenge and will be hosted by the Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough under the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) support. Bill is eager for the event. "My schedule with professional events keeps me overseas most of the summer so it’s great when I am free to do an event at my own club.
Kinsale’s Travers and O'Riordan Win Northern Squib Championship at Killyleagh

2 weeks ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

Strangford Lough was at its best for the Squibs hosted by Killyleagh Yacht Club on the western shore for the strong fleet of 30 at the Northern Championship last weekend. Bright sunshine and friendly winds persisted over the two days. Overall winners were the far-travelled Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan from Kinsale, with Aiden O’Connell and Lauren Donaghy of Royal Irish runners-up and Vincent Delany and Joe O'Byrne (Lough Derg and Royal St George in third).
Bangor RNLI Names New Lifeboat 'Ruby Robinson' in Ceremony

3 weeks ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

A new inshore Atlantic 85 class lifeboat has been officially named Ruby Robinson during a special naming ceremony and service of dedication held at the RNLI lifeboat station on Belfast Lough on Saturday, May 17th. The event coincided with Bangor RNLI’s 60th anniversary. The lifeboat which went on service in June last year was funded by a legacy from Dennis Filby from Norfolk in England.
Killyleagh Hosts Northern Championship for 30 Squibs

3 weeks ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

Killyleagh is a small Loughside town on the western shore of Strangford Lough with its yacht club on Cuan Beach. This weekend, 30 Squibs will gather for the class’s first Regional event, the Northern Championship. Light winds are forecast. Reigning Champions Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan will bring Atomic to the North on the long road from Kinsale. Visiting boat from England, Dick Batt’s Squib will have Royal North’s Martin Weatherstone in the crew seat.
Portrush Raft Race Returns: Join the Fun on May 24-25!

3 weeks ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

No sooner has the North Coast town of Portrush quietened down after the invasion accompanying the North West 200 MotorBike racing last weekend, than the crowds will return for the famous Portrush Raft Race on 24th and 25th May on the West Strand. The Portrush Yacht Club organises the event and has been running in aid of Portrush RNLI for over 40 years. There will be dozens of homemade rafts, some of which will finish intact and others perhaps not so.
Upgraded Navigation Routes Enhance Strangford Lough Safety

1 month ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

13,000 years ago, when the ice sheets finally melted, the drumlin field in the east of County Down was drowned and what was left of the drumlins formed islands. These islands are in various stages of erosion and pladdies, as they are known locally, are eroded islands submerged at high tide. That sea inlet is 30km long and the largest sea lough in the British Isles. There are seventy islands and numerous pladdies in the Lough.
Northern Ireland Sailors Shine at Ulster ILCA Championships

2 months ago | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

Over half of the record-breaking 72 strong fleets at last weekend's Ulster ILCA championships hosted by East Antrim Boat Club were top-performing sailors from Northern Ireland in each of the three classes. East Antrim Boat Club celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Coincidently, the Laser class is reportedly 50 years old. Still, that figure varies from club to club – Ballyholme celebrated its Laser class 50th in 2021. Dublin Bay ILCA had its anniversary in the same year.
Portrush Yacht Club Prepares for Santa Visit by Jetski

Nov 16, 2024 | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

Portrush Yacht Club was founded in 1894 and now has about 1000 members. It lies in the Town Harbour between two long beaches, the West and East Strands, on the spectacular northern Causeway Coast. This year on 15th December Santa will arrive by Jet Ski at the Clubhouse and show off his 'sled' as well as giving each child a present. There will be face painting and crafts throughout the afternoon.
Royal Ulster Yacht Club Celebrates Successful Racing Season with Annual Prizegiving Events

Nov 7, 2024 | afloat.ie | Betty Armstrong

The racing season ended at Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough at the end of October with the RUYC Autumn Series, after eight races on a variety of windward/leeward and round the lough courses. John Minnis's Archambault A35 Final Call II dominated IRC 1 with virtually consistent top places in the six boat fleet and winning IRC 1 YTC was another Archambault A35, Adrian Allen's Succession.