Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

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…

Ireland’s six sailing Olympians have reached their selections for the 2016 Games at different times. Some have been secure with their places for many months, while others have been confirmed more recently, with the final place being filled on May…

Hello and welcome aboard this week’s edition of your maritime programme Seascapes, shortly we’ll be talking to Eugene Garrihy of Dublin Bay Cruises out on the water aboard the St Bridget in Dublin Bay .......... Seamus Maguire will be linking…

I reported in detail the two battles which the people of Valentia fought against the Department of Transport and the Coast Guard to prevent the closure of the Coastal Radio Station on the Kerry island.Valentia is fortunate to be linked…

The rise of Finn Lynch into the top ranks of Irish adult dinghy sailing has been meteoric. It was as recently as May 18th in Mexico that he secured the right to become our Olympic Men’s Laser representative in Rio,…

Hello and welcome aboard this week’s edition of your maritime programme Seascapes, this week we talk to Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett about the humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean rescuing migrants in a week…

I love an opportunity to call into Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club, “the real Dublin sailing club,” as I have been told by those fortunate enough to be members. There is always an easy, friendly welcome and a chat. No…

Afloat.ie’s W M Nixon won’t divulge when he first sailed into Cork Harbour, but he claims to have taken part in an early version of Cork Week as long ago as 1970. And he also claims that, at the Week…

Hello and welcome aboard this week’s edition of Seascapes – your maritime programme, we’ll be talking to the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett at Naval Headquarters in Haulbowline about the inaugural inter services Beaufort…

Polar waters are the new maritime frontier so it should be a matter of pride for the Irish maritime sector to know that an Irishman is to the fore in drawing up operational regulations in these waters.He is Michael Kingston,…

Awareness of Cork Harbour’s long and colourful history of sailing has become so widespread and generally acknowledged that there’s a risk that the Irish and global sailing community will take it all for granted. Equally, the wonderful natural harbour of…

Hello and welcome aboard this week’s edition of your maritime programme Seascapes – this week we talk to sailing instructor and yachtsman Niall McAllister in Adrigole in West Cork; we have music from Eleanor Shanley and “Sail Away To The…

It was a glorious day in Dun Laoghaire. I could see young sailors clustered on boats around a pontoon. The sound of their enjoyment at being afloat drifted across the water. I was there because Alistair Rumball, who set up…

Afloat.ie’s W M Nixon grabbed only a few hours sleep after his almost continuous coverage of the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2016 before haring off to Bangor in County Down to sail in the RUYC 150th Anniversary Regatta on Saturday…

Being a maritime correspondent can be encouraging, disheartening and frustrating.Preparing the current edition of THIS ISLAND NATION I experienced those emotions.I heard a sailor praise the coastal communities he had met during a 42-day voyage around Ireland. He described them…