Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Campaigners against plans to excavate caverns for gas storage under Larne Lough took to its shores last weekend to reaffirm their opposition to the proposals. And as Belfast Live reports, the protest at Browns Bay Beach on Sunday 7 January…

Two Irish yachts, Tír na nÓg (Robert Rendell of Howth) and Rí-Rá (Patrick and Hugh Blaney of Dun Laoghaire) were part of a twenty-one Oyster yacht fleet that crossed the start line of the Oyster World Rally at Nelson's Dockyard,…

The National Yacht Club's Will Byrne has swapped the bow of the Reichel-Pugh 69 Moneypenny, which he raced last month in the 2023 Sydney Hobart Race, for a Cape 31 this week at Florida's Southernmost Regatta. The transition to the one…

Waterways Ireland is inviting members of the public and interested parties to have their say on proposed revisions to the Shannon Navigation and canals bye-laws in a second phase of consultation. The consultation covers the Shannon Navigation (including the Shannon-Erne…

On day seven, after IRC time correction, the RORC Transatlantic Race race leader is Chris Sheehan’s PAC52 Warrior Won (USA) (with former Dublin Bay sailor Christy Welch onboard), approximately 200 miles behind the water leader Leopard (with Cork Harbour's Tom…

The 13th edition of the World ARC circumnavigation rally set sail on 13 January from Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, under bright blue Caribbean skies. For the 27 yachts, the first destination is Santa Marta in Columbia, before heading through the…

The Fethard RNLI fundraising committee members in County Wexford, along with some volunteers, gathered last week to receive a significant amount of funds raised by the Hooked On Swimming Group and two businesses with local links. In total, the group…

Who gets your vote for the Irish Sailor of the Year 2023? Over 40 Afloat Sailors of the Month in 2023 demonstrate the strength and diversity of the sport of sailing in Ireland.  Afloat's review of individual sailors, pairings and…

Racing 250 nautical miles ENE of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, this evening, Tom Laperche leads the Ultim Challenge race by 54 miles from Charles Caudrelier. SVR Lazartigue was the first to cross the Equator into the Southern Hemisphere Saturday 13th…

The Minister for the Marine has congratulated a Donegal teenager with Down Syndrome, described as having “sea blood running through his veins,” for following his dream to work in the marine sector. Sixteen-year-old Seán Boyle has passed his three-day Bord…

Dublin Bay Sailing Club has published the Notice of Race for its AIB 2024 Spring Chicken Series. Six races will be held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 10 March (first gun 1010 hrs), using a progressive handicap on…

Irish Dragon sailors were in action in Portugal at the weekend with Royal Cork and Baltimore's Harry Durcan on board the winning boat in round two of the Algarve Dragon Winter Cup at Vilamoura. Durcan was part of a four-up…

The EU’s most senior court has stopped short of applying overfishing rules across all EU fish stocks in a case taken by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) and environmental lawyers Client Earth. The EU’s Court of Justice has ruled…

Shipping operator, WEC Lines this month is introducing a new direct service between Liverpool and Agadir in Morocco, offering a fast and green alternative for fresh produce importers when compared to overland trucking. According to the Port of Liverpool, the…

Under construction in Turkey, a ferry to serve Scottish west coast operator CalMac, it has emerged is on track to be delivered five years faster than the second of a pair involved in the fiasco at the nationalised shipyard Ferguson…

Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue did not pick up on an offer by Denmark to resolve a three-year row with Ireland over mackerel, which could have been worth almost 10 million euro. The Sunday Independent reports that a letter sent…

Turnover rose to almost €6m last year at the Port of Galway, following strong growth in shipping operations linked to transporting inbound components used for onshore based wind projects. The revenue generated by the port, recently awarded European TEN-T status,…

A Bermudan whale researcher has confirmed that a humpback photographed in Bermudan waters is “Hookie”, which has been spotted in Irish waters. As The Royal Gazette reports, Andrew Stevenson of Whales Bermuda said this was not only the first match…

Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo (USA) crossed the finish line outside Port Louis Marina, Grenada, on Saturday, 13th January 2024, at 22:34:30 UTC to take Multihull Line Honours in the 10th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race in an elapsed time…

Passing through the Doldrums at speeds of the 22-24kts, Ultim Challenge leader SVR Lazartigue sailed by Tom Leperche looked set to be first to cross the Equator into the southern hemisphere early this evening. The 26 year old has opened…