Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

It is strange how things happen. In the week in which Fidel Castro died and there has been such controversy about how President Higgins eulogised him and ‘shipped’ a lot of criticism for what he said and while the airwaves heard…

It may have to take another disaster of Titanic proportions before lifesaving provisions on board cruise ships are improved.That might seem like a bit of hyperbole – an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally, but it…

I wrote a few weeks ago about the importance of protecting your boat and marine equipment.Since then I have been talking to a man who has developed a unique system to prevent thieves stealing outboard engines, of which thefts there…

Master Mariners are interesting people to meet and talk with. They are the Captains of their industry… The Shipmasters …. Leaders in the Merchant Navy…. A Master Mariner achieves that designation after years of study, examinations, Cadetship, sea-going service, more…

I have a great respect for those who live on our offshore islands…They are a huge part of our national culture, history and maritime tradition. To maintain island life they deserve support from all those who interact with them, both…

The cruise ship industry is a huge and growing business …. The “ship hotel” as it has been dubbed. There is huge competition amongst the companies which own the ships and amongst the ports which want them to call. More,…

It is, in my experience, an awful thing to board your boat and see the damage which has been done to it by thieves who have broken-in. That happened to me a few years ago on my mooring at Crosshaven…

I have spent many years trying to create more interest in the maritime sphere. Sometimes it can be frustrating and disappointing to see the continued level of disinterest, particularly amongst our political fraternity, most of whom seem to have little…

The ‘Pink Gin’ has long been associated with the sailing fraternity, notably it has to be said, with an elderly vintage of sailor! There were those halcyon days when revered - or maybe not so revered, but certainly talked about…

This week on my podcast, I focus on what Dublin is doing about its waterfront. This follows on my last podcast about the lack of attention by many of the country’s towns and cities to their waterfronts and why they…

Being a marine journalist brings the opportunity to meet interesting people in pleasant locations….So it was that I had coffee in the Dropping Well, a very pleasant bar and restaurant in a very nice location at Milltown in Dublin, which…

This Saturday will be a special one in Cork City when a fleet of boats sails up the River Lee from Cobh to moor at the uppermost navigable point of the river which yachts can reach. Cruisers and dinghies will…

Seamus Butler is, to me, a man who embodies all that is good about sailing. He has a deep love for the sport, he enjoys it and teaches those values to young sailors, building the future of sailing. I found…

Crawling on hands and knees below deck through the 60–foot IMOCA class Kilcullen Voyager was an interesting experience. She is a “beast of a boat,” her owner told me, “but she also has elegance about her at sea.”She is also…

There are moments and scenes which stand out in your mind. Stamped on mine is the day I went to a coastal village in West Cork and there, on the edge of a cliffside near Barryroe, close to Courtmacsherry Harbour,…

My first experience of sailing a Mirror dinghy was not a good example of how to sail.For £400 I became the proud owner of a brand new Mirror dinghy, made for me in Cork, a shining blue hull, lovely woodwork…