Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

UK Sailmakers Ireland is delighted to have Andrew "Hammy' Baker join our team in NI. Hammy has tons of experience and is well-known locally. Andrew grew up on Strangford Lough sailing in a family cruiser and as part of the…

We have had a very busy winter period getting your sails serviced, repaired and ready for 2024. Over 800kg of sails and covers sent to laundry are now back. We were delighted to get so many sails and covers this…

After 50 years, there is a major change in sailmaking at Crosshaven, Cork Harbour’s dominant sailing centre..Outside the village, the loft associated with the legendary Des McWilliams and family is no longer a sailmaking centre. Barry Hayes and his wife,…

The UK Sailmakers Ireland sail loft in Crosshaven, Co Cork, has been a sail service centre for over forty years. Thousands of sails have been on our floor, and we rarely see something we haven’t encountered before. We can spot…

Wear and tear can destroy almost any part of your sail. You pad and tape the lifelines and put chafe guards on. You put covers on spreader tips. All these things protect your sails, but your sails can suffer from…

A-sail design principles are often misunderstood. Top sailmakers explain... To explain the thinking that goes into designing asymmetrical spinnakers, UK Sails Ireland interviewed three sail designers from UK Sailmakers: lead designer Pat Considine, UK Sailmakers Chicago; Geoff Bishop, UK Sailmakers…

It has been a busy summer here in UK Sailmakers Ireland with Dun Laoghaire regatta and other regattas. We are pleased to report that we were up to the challenge of getting sails made and ready on time despite the…

Adam Perry from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) was at UK Sailmakers Ireland loft in Crosshaven, County Cork, this week  (7th of June 2023) for the refreshing of its In-House Certification (IHC). The Cork loft is the only IHC loft in…

We’re getting very close now. It’s just around the corner; this time next weekend, you will hopefully be in Dick Mac’s in Dingle having a refreshing pint! So how is it looking for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race (D2D)…

With a race starting on the 7th of June, there are a little over three weeks to the start of this year’s edition of the challenging Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race. So what should boats and crews be thinking…

Earlier this month, we ran a successful training day in Dun Laoghaire for all cruiser racers leading up to the busy Dublin Bay Sailing Club season. Kenny Rumball from the Offshore Racing Academy was on hand to coach along with…

UK Sailmakers Ireland, in conjunction with Dublin Bay Sailing Club and the Irish National Sailing School, will be on the water this month with an innovative pre-season race training day on Dublin Bay on Saturday, April 22nd.  A series of…

Irish Laser ace Liam Glynn will be in the Royal St. George Yacht Club on Thursday evening when he and offshore sailor Kenny Rumball, along with UK Sailmakers Ireland manager Barry Hayes deliver a lecture at Dun Laoghaire's biggest yacht club. The open talk is titled;…

Irish Laser ace Liam Glynn will be in Royal Irish Yacht Club on Thursday evening when he and offshore sailor Kenny Rumball, along with UK Sailmakers Ireland manager Barry Hayes deliver a lecture at the country's biggest IRC club. The open talk is titled; 'Optimising…

Irish Laser ace Liam Glynn will be in Howth Yacht Club on Wednesday evening when he and offshore sailor Kenny Rumball along with UK Sailmakers Ireland manager Barry Hayes deliver a  lecture at the country's biggest yacht club. The talk, which is open to…

Irish Laser ace Liam Glynn will be on home waters when he and UK Sailmakers Ireland manager Barry Hayes deliver the first of a series of UK Sails countrywide talks beginning in Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough later this month.…